Chapter 24

Muhsin spotted a group of girls and walked over to them. "Salamu alaikum," he greeted. They all looked up thinking he might be a lecturer. They answered before he spoke again. "This is my sister.... Ermm... Dalia, she's new here and she's starting her registration today. Please if you don't mind, it will be amazing if you guide her through it." "Sure, no problem. We're also starting ours today. We will help her in sha Allah," one of them assured him. He thanked them before he turned to leave. She looked at his retreating back and sighed. She felt horror-stricken all of a sudden. All the reasons not to do that came flooding in, as if her body chemistry just sent them a blanket invitation. She felt the soft panic that could grow or fade depending on what she does next. It would fade if she ran to him and follow him home, but then she still has to come back tomorrow or the next to do it. There was no way out of it. "Come let's sit, Dalia. The screening is about to start," one of the girls jolted her out of her ocean of thoughts. She smiled a little before she followed them to the seats arranged in the hall. "My name is Hamida, this is Asiya, and this is Amina," hamida introduced herself and her other new friends she also met that day. Dalia looked at the person called Amina, her mother's namesake. "It's pleasure to meet you all. I am Dalia Ja'afaar. I was offered microbiology," she spoke gazing at the girls. "Me too, hamida was offered civil engineering while Asiya was offered Biochemistry." Her mother's namesake and also her course mate. She smiled brightly and nodded, feeling a bit relieved. They continued conversing till it was their turn to go through the screening. After that, they headed out to the mosque and prayed before going to the cafeteria to eat lunch before they went back for their second screening. Dalia looked at the student around who doesn't seem friendly or care about anything. She heaved a sigh thinking if she could cope being around rich people like them. She gawked at her new friends and looked away. They seem very friendly, maybe because they thought she was also rich? She was wearing one of the new abayas daddy bought her few days ago. She doesn't look anything close to a rich kid except the dress and shoes she was wearing and also her bag. Does that count? Her face showed a typical villager, if she may say. "What would you like to eat? Or should I order anything for you?" Hamida asked politely as she smiled at Dalia. She slowly nodded and returned a smile before looking away. They continued conversing while waiting for their order. "Dalia is there something bothering you? You're so quiet," Asiya observed since when they started talking dalia haven't said a word. She looked at them, eyes widened before she shook her head a smiled. "No at all. When is the second screening starting?" She asked instead. "They've already started, we just need to eat before we go do ours, that's if the queue isn't long," Hamida responded. Dalia sighed and nodded. After they have eaten lunch, they moved back to the hall, waiting in line for their turn to do the second screening. If they were lucky, they might finish everything that same day. "I think we should leave this second screening till tomorrow," hamida spoke tiredly. Asiya chuckled softly, "says the girl that was offered the toughest course among ours. And besides it just 2pm now. If we don't get to do it by 4, we can leave it till tomorrow or the next." Dalia quickly nodded in agreement. She preferred to do everything in just two to three days before they started attending lectures. "I heard we're starting lectures in two weeks so it's better we finish our registration early," Amina spoke. Hamida sighed and slumped in her seat. Dalia noticed hamida was the talkative one but also the lazy one and carefree. Amina talks too but not as Hamida did. Asiya was the gentle one, she always had a smile on her face. An hour later, they had finally done their second screening and they were to began with their registration which was the easy part. They walked outside the hall to the parking lot. "We should exchange numbers," hamida suggested and they all agreed except Dalia that was peering at their faces. The three exchanged numbers before turning their attention to Dalia who kept fiddling with her fingers. "Your turn Dalia, what's your number?" Hamida asked politely. "Uhh, I don't know actually. My mother just gave me the phone so I'd be conversing with the driver but you can give me yours and I will save it." She brought out her small phone her mother gave her few days ago and handed it to Hamida. She smiled and took it before she dialled her number. She saved it afterwards before she gave it to the others to also save their numbers. She searched through the phone, looking for the drivers number. After she has seen it, she dialled his number and informed him she was done for the day. "Where do you live?" Asiya asked her. Dalia looked up from her phone, "me?" She asked pointing at herself. Asiya nodded gently as she beamed. She hesitated before replying. Was she going to tell them that she lives in Kuje or Daddy's house at Maitama. "I live in Maitama," she found her voice. It would be too early or rather weird to start speaking about herself that much. They continued conversing while Dalia only spoke when it was necessary for her to do so. Amina left first then Hamida before Dalia left Asiya alone waiting for whomever was to come pick her up.