AT HOME
Grace: (pacing restlessly, her hands on her head) Oh God, what am I going to do now? My life… my everything… all because of that girl! My home is falling apart. Please, God, help me. If only she gets better, maybe my marriage can still be saved.
(Her phone suddenly rings. She grabs it nervously.)
Grace: (hesitant) Hello?
Unknown number: Good afternoon. Is this Sulaiman’s wife?
Grace: Yes… (whispering to herself) I hope this isn’t from the police station. Who is this?
Unknown number: Madam, I’m sorry… unfortunately, your husband was involved in a fatal accident. By the time rescuers reached him, he had already passed away.
Grace: (her phone slips from her hand) Jesu—Christ! My… my… hus… band! (She collapses to the floor, screaming).
Unknown number: We called so you can come identify his body.
Grace: (rolling on the floor, her voice breaking) No… no! That can’t be my husband! Nooo!
(Her cries echo through the house. Moments later, her mother-in-law and father-in-law rush in, alarmed. They see Grace on the floor, trembling and crying uncontrollably.)
Mother-in-law: (hands on her head) Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un! So it’s true? My son… my Sulaiman… is dead? (She collapses too, wailing, while her husband holds her in tears).
Grace: (screaming at the top of her voice) Oko mi oooo!!! My husband, don’t leave me!
---
AT THE HOSPITAL
(Fatimah slowly regains consciousness, her breathing weak and fragile. A nurse sits beside her, smiling softly.)
Nurse: Hey dear, you’re finally awake. How are you feeling?
Fatimah: (voice faint, struggling to speak)
Uhmm… I’m fine. W–where is my… dad?
Nurse: Oh, your dad? He just stepped out to get something for you. Don’t worry.
(Just then, chaos erupts in the hallway. Nurses and strangers rush in, wheeling in a man drenched in blood. Fatimah turns her head curiously—then freezes. Her eyes widen in horror.)
Fatimah: (screaming with all her strength) DADDY!!! That’s my daddy!!!
(She yanks out her drip, stumbling out of bed. Ignoring the pain, she runs and throws herself onto Sulaiman’s lifeless body, shaking him violently.)
Fatimah: Daddy! It’s me, Fatimah! Please wake up! Daddy, please!!
(She beats his chest, sobbing uncontrollably, but Sulaiman’s body remains cold and still. Her cries pierce the room as a nurse pulls her away.)
Nurse: (holding her tightly) I’m so sorry, dear… your daddy is gone.
Fatimah: (screaming, kicking, resisting) No! My daddy can’t be dead! He’s all I have left in this wicked world! Please, nurse—kill me too! There’s no reason for me to live anymore!
(She collapses to the floor, rolling in anguish, crying bitterly. Moments later, Grace and the in-laws rush in, their faces soaked in tears. Grace locks eyes with Fatimah, but quickly looks away in shame.)
Grace: (falling over Sulaiman’s body) Ahhh Sulaiman, you’ve left me in this wicked world, alone with these children! Please wake up, oko mi, wake up!
(Fatimah, still on the floor, whispers brokenly to herself.)
Fatimah: (sobbing) Now my life is over… the only person who gave me hope to live… is gone. Daddy, why? Why did you leave me in this wicked world?
---
ONE WEEK LATER
(Fatimah has been discharged and brought home. The atmosphere in the house is heavy with grief. Everyone is still mourning
Sulaiman’s death. Grace, lost in her own shock and pain, pays little attention to Fatimah.)
Fatimah: (gently) Mummy… the food is ready.
(Grace sits silently, staring into space, refusing to respond. The silence in the house feels colder than death itself.)
Fatimah: Mum, the food is ready—
Grace: (snaps furiously, eyes blazing) Are you mad? Are you crazy? Did I not tell you I don’t want to hear your voice? (She points an accusing finger.) So you’ve finally killed my husband, abi? Now you’re happy? Is me you want to kill next? I don’t have your time yet! Get the hell out of my sight!
Fatimah: (trembling, voice low) Sorry, ma…
Grace: (mocking tone) Sorry for your stupid self! Witch! (She hisses and turns away.)
Fatimah: (tears spill down her cheeks; she clutches her chest and runs to her room sobbing).
(Blessing, the little girl, tugs at Grace’s wrapper softly.)
Blessing: Mummy…
Grace: (softens instantly, kneeling to her
level) Yes, my love. What is it?
Blessing: (innocently) When is Daddy coming back?
Grace: (freezes, her face breaks; suddenly she bursts into tears and hugs her daughter tightly) Daddy… Daddy is not coming back, my child. He left us.
Blessing: (begins to cry, her little shoulders shaking) I want to go where Daddy went to…
Grace: (startled, quickly wipes her tears and forces a smile, changing the subject) No, no, my love. Do you want to eat?
Blessing: (sniffles, nodding) Yes.
Grace: (shouts angrily, as if shielding herself from her own pain) Fatimah!!!
Fatimah: (from inside, voice shaky) Ma?
Grace: Put food for Blessing!
Fatimah: Okay, ma. (She rushes into the kitchen, quickly dishes the food, and brings it trembling in her hands.) Here is her food.
Grace: (narrows her eyes, suspicion dripping in her voice) Hope you didn’t poison it, sha?
Fatimah: (shocked, stammers) Poison? No, ma! I would never…
Grace: (waves her hand dismissively) Before you kill us all, you this bad luck!
(Fatimah drops the plate quickly, her hands shaking. Tears gush from her eyes as she runs back to her room. She collapses on the floor, sobbing bitterly.)
Fatimah: (wailing softly) Daddy… where are you? Please come back…
10 Years Later
It has been ten long years since Sulaiman’s death.
Fatimah is now 21 years old, a young woman shaped by pain, endurance, and silent strength. Abdulrahman, now 24, has grown into a proud and arrogant man, a reflection of his mother’s cruelty. Blessing, 20, has blossomed into a gentle soul, and though she is her mother’s daughter, her heart beats with compassion for Fatimah—the only sister she truly loves.
But Grace… Grace has never changed. Her bitterness still burns. She continues to treat Fatimah like a burden, like a curse she must bear. Fatimah quit school long ago—Grace would lock her at home for months, so what was the point? She only reached Primary 5 before her education was stolen from her. Now, she spends every day trapped within the four walls of that house, her only freedom being the chores she is forced to do.
Grace runs a grocery store far away from home, leaving at 9:30am and returning in the evening around 6pm. Fatimah is left behind to care for the entire household—cooking,
cleaning, scrubbing, and serving. Yet she is never allowed outside. Her clothes are ragged, her hair always unkempt. Still, her natural beauty shines through the shadows, drawing even the dangerous, unwanted stares of Abdulrahman.
Worst of all, Grace never allows the children to pray. Instead, she takes them to church every Sunday, while Fatimah is always locked inside, alone.
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