The Replacement Girl

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 28

Humairah.

Days gone, the Niger State College of Arts and Islamic Studies did me good. I was now in my 3rd year in the school. It was a Degree issuing College so I had to add another year for my 400level and then another year for my NYSC.

It was a dream that came true. My uncle and his family were so happy for me, same as my parents back in the village. I had visited them fourteen times since I started school. My mother never knew her masturbating daughter would be such a great person in the future. I only smiled at her and told her m———-n was a disease I couldn’t get rid of. It took me lot of courage, prayer, sacrifices and fasts to stop it. But when I went to the doctor to check if it hadn’t done any harm to me, he told me I would have difficulty in mothering a child in my life. The tests undergone by his pathologists proved so.

I would not despair. If Allah could bring an end to my masturbating habit, then there was absolutely nothing HE could not do. I just had to patient, perhaps in my first year of marriage I would conceive for my husband. But marriage? Who cared about it? In fact, love was the last thing on my mind right now. The person I once loved poured a handful of sand on my face. Right now, I was scared of even associating with boys talk more of falling in love with them. Many have tried but rejection was what they faced. I practically hated love!

Recently, I was posted to NAFDAC Zonal office in Minna for my I.T, and thus I was about to be sent for a special assignment in one of the branches of Zaki Company by the chairman of the agency. It was kind of a spying mission.

“Sir, I can’t go there!” I protested folding my arms across my chest. “This is where I chose”

“You’re naive” He shook his head smiling.

“I have my reasons, I can’t go there!” I said.

“If you really want to do your I.T here then you must abide by our rules. We are only sending you to Zaki Company as an I.T student to get us some information. It is not spying!” He said.

“But why Zaki of all companies?” I queried.

“Because Zaki is the only company that is not abiding by the rules. Take this…” He said handing me over some files. “Everything about Zaki

Company’s acts of misconduct is there but we are yet to be sure about it. If you help us get some information about them, I promise to secure a job for you here after your school”

“Hmmm” I muttered.

“Think about it” He plastered a smile on his face. He knew there was no way I could ignore such a big offer. It means immediately after my service I would get a job without stress.

“Okey, I’m in” I absentmindedly said.

“Good!” He smiled.

•••••••••

My first day at Zaki Beverage Factory was great. I was respectfully welcomed by Ahmad’s secretary, Jemima and in my presence she called him over because he wasn’t around.

“He’s on his way coming” She anxiously said.

“Okey” I said swiping through my phone.

In few minutes time, Ahmad’s voice came from the intercom that Jemima should meet him in his office with the new NAFDAC I.T student.

“Let’s go” She said to me.

“Okey” I smiled as I stood to my feet and thus, followed her to his office. It was very cold, the air-conditioniner was blowing supercold air.

I thought that I didn’t love Ahmad anymore but by seeing him now, I knew there was no way I could get rid of him. He was allover my heart and I felt him deeply inside my heart.

“What?!” He wrinkled his brows with a dropped jaw, perhaps surprised of seeing his best cook becoming his temporal worker.

“Is everything okey, sir?” Jemima asked.

“Ye… yes” He stuttered. “Give me her file”

“Alright, sir” Jemima took my file to him, thus he dismissed her from his office with a gesture.

“Come and have a sit” He said to me.

“Okey” I blurted out as I gently walked to one of the visitors’ swivel chairs and sat in it.

“I am not surprised” He said going through my file. “I actually know you would do something better with the money I’ve been sending you”

His words made me to smirk. Like seriously? He thought I would use his f—–g money? The 40k he had been sending me monthly ever since I stopped working in his house? Well, I really think he needed some elaborations!

“Ahmad Jaafar Zaki, thank you for all the money you’ve been sending me even though I never used it. How do you expect me to use it when I didn’t work for it?” I giggled at him as he paid attention. “My savings from the legitimate salaries I got while working in your house was sufficient to get me another job in the town and also enrol me into school” I huffed and continued. “As for the money you’ve been sending me, I’ve been transferring it to the account of Minna Orphanage Home. That way, the both of us would be rewarded abundantly by Allah. You can stop sending if you wish. That is none of my business!”

My words seemed to have hurt him badly. It was obvious that he was angry, he couldn’t hide it from me – I knew him so very much!

“Why are you here?” He asked dropping my file on his desk. “To spy on our activities?”

Wait, did he just guessed right? Well, I think the last NAFDAC I.T student really left some traces. I shouldn’t be so dumb to repeat such mistake. I shouldn’t let Ahmad or anyone in the company know my secret. Everything should be confidential. After all, I only had 6 months!

“I am not here to spy on you. I am only here to do my I.T and I will leave soon, so don’t you worry” I said with a broad smile on my face.

“I don’t trust you, Humairah” He said.

“Why?” I blurted out.

“Because all I.T students are fearful not bold but you, you are acting as if NAFDAC sent you here to supervise our activities” He uttered.

“You are wrong!” I protested.

“Okey, then” He said and sighed. “Welcome to Zaki Beverage Factory. As you already know, I’m the son of the sole owner of the entire Zaki Company. We have many branches and affiliations in the entire country, this one here is one of the topmost and I’m the one incharge…”