Chapter 1
The Rowlands mansion was one of its kind in the whole of Golf Estate. Its environs were decorated with some flower beds and trees giving the occupants of the mansion enough oxygen. The Rowlands which included Mr. Rowland, and his two daughters; Amina and Zahrah were one of the wealthy families residing in the Golf Estate. They came to the estate about seven years ago after the death of Mrs. Rowland, Amina and Zahrah's mother.
Zahrah, a lovely teenage girl was sleeping in her room beautifully designed with some artworks and pictures on the wall when the alarm clock on her bedside table rang making her to wake up from her beautiful sleep. She yawned as she rubbed her eyes and stretched her hand to the alarm clock and switched it off. She came down from her bed and knelt beside it with her palms clasped together.
"Good morning Jesus, thank you for another beautiful day. Thank you for making me to be among the living. Thank you for my Dad, sister Amina and Grandma. Thank you for the roof over our heads, for the food and sister Amina and my education. I hand over today into your hands. Come and start the day with us and end it with us in Jesus name....."
"Amen..." Amina, Zahrah's elder sister chorused. Zahrah, surprised to see Amina in her room, greeted, "Good morning sister Amina, when did you get here?"
"It hasn't been long. How was your night?"
Zahrah smiled and replied, "My night was good. And yours?"
"Mine was also good." Amina sat on Zahrah's bed and crossed her legs.
"Aren't you tired of praying?"
"No, I'm not. I believe in God so why will I get tired of praying to Him?" Zahrah was amazed by the question her sister asked her.
Amina used to pray to God too but later stopped after the death of their mother. She believed God stopped existing the day her mother died.
"Whatever. By the way, I need you to do me a favour."
"Sure. What is it?"
"I will be going to Sandra's house after school today and I need you to cover up for me."
"What? Thought Dad's warned you to stop going there?"
"And that's why I need you to cover up for me."
"I don't understand. How do you want me to cover up for you?"
"All you have to do is to tell Dad anything apart from the fact that I went to Sandra's place."
"You know I can't lie to Dad, sister Amina. Besides, what will you be doing at Sandra's place?"
"That's none of your business. Just do as I've said." With that, she stood up from the bed and walked out of the room which made Zahrah to sign.
*Later in the morning*
The Rowlands were having their breakfast at the dining room when Mr. Rowland brought the topic about employing a new house keeper.
"So we will be having a new housekeeper today." Mr. Rowland started.
"Really, Dad? Do we really need a housekeeper?" Zahrah asked.
"Of course, dear Miss Zahrah. Do you want us to keep on being the one to clean the house, do the laundry and others? Since Aunt Linda left, I've been the one doing my laundry and it hasn't been easy for me. If you're not tired, I am. Please." Amina stressed.
Zahrah sighed. She didn't want her father to employ a new house keeper yet.
"Don't you want us to have another housekeeper, Angel?" Mr. Rowland asked his second daughter.
"Of course not, Dad."
"But why are you always going back and forth concerning this housekeeper of a thing? Just last..."
"You are the reason I don't want us to have a housekeeper." Zahrah cut off her sister.
"Excuse you?" Amina raged at her younger sister.
"Angel, why do you say that?" Mr. Rowland queried Zahrah.
"Sister Amina does not respect our housekeepers, Dad. I wanted me and her to do the work they usually do for us so that she would know what it feels like to be a house keeper maybe she would learn to respect them."
"You must be out of your senses, Zahrah. What gives you the right to utter such a thing about me?"
"Do not be mad at your sister, Mina. But how true is that?"
"She's lying, Dad." Amina said. What gave her sister the temerity to snitch on her to their father? She never expected that from her. She was not the talkative type. What came over her. Amina twisted her hair around her finger nervously as she anticipated what her father was going to say.
"Alright. I don't want you two to fight, OK?" Just like she wanted.
The two sisters both replied, "Yes, Dad," with Amina secretly eyeing Zahrah.
"Good." Mr. Rowland knew what Zahrah said about her sister was true but he didn't want them to fight over it.
Amina rolled her eyes at Zahrah before she continued eating her food again. Their father drove them to school when they were done with breakfast before driving to work.
Amina queried Zahrah as they were walking to the school assembly ground after their father had dropped them at the school gate.
"What was the meaning of that, Zahrah?"
"What?"
"You better not play dumb with me. Why did you snitch on me to Dad?"
"Snitch? I didn't snitch on you."
"Of course, you did." Amina insisted.
"I didn't, sister Amina. Telling the truth is not snitching."
"Then how do you describe what you did earlier at home?"
"The fact that you do dis... Okay, I'm sorry I told Dad."
Amina sighed, "Fine." They were almost getting to the assembly ground and there was no time left to argue.
"So will you still be going to Sandra's place?"
"Yes. Do you also want to tell Dad about that?" She wanted to know. It seemed she could no longer trust this her sister.
"Of course not."
"Good. You see, that's what sisters do for each other." Her face became brighter with smiles.
"I see. Lover girl." Zahrah teased which made her sister to blush.
*Later in the day*
Amina and Zahrah were coming back from school in the Toyota Corolla their father bought to be taking them back from school when Amina informed the driver, Mr. Ben that he will be dropping her off first at Sandra's place before taking Zahrah home.
"Thought your dad has asked you to stop going there?" Mr. Ben asked her which made her to stop pressing the iPhone in her hand and looked up at him through the rearview mirror.
"I don't understand. Is that in anyway your business? Or do you want to lose your job?"
"I'm sorry ma." Mr. Ben apologized.
"Better." She continued with the scrolling of her iPhone after making sure she made a good eye roll at him.
Mr. Ben dropped Amina at Sandra's place just like she wanted before taking Zahrah home. On getting home, Zahrah thanked him before she alighted the car. "Thanks, Uncle
Ben," she said.
"You're welcome, dear." Mr. Ben was a very simple man. He was married with three children; twin boys and a girl who were twelve and nine years simultaneously.
Zahrah walked into the house. She went to her room and took a shower before going to the kitchen where she met the new housekeeper and her father. "Good afternoon Dad. Good afternoon," she greeted her father and the housekeeper simultaneously.
"Good afternoon." The new house keeper by the name, Ms. Katie, replied.
"You are back, Angel. How about your sister?" Mr. Rowland.
"She's still at school. She still has something to do. Remember her school project?" Zahrah.
"Yeah."
"You came earlier, Dad." Zahrah was not expecting to see her father home by this time of the day.
"Yeah. I had to bring the new housekeeper, you know? So Katie, meet my second daughter, Zahrah. Zahrah, our new housekeeper, Ms Katie." Mr. Rowland introduced.
"Hi, Ms Katie." Zahrah greeted with smiles.
"Hi, Zahrah. I love your hair." Ms. Katie complimented. Indeed, Zahrah's hair was beautiful. She had a thick black hair which she inherited from her late mother.
"Thank you. You are beautiful." Zahrah also complimented Ms. Katie. She was a black beauty just like Hilda Baci, the renowned Chef.
"Thank you," replied Ms. Katie. This Zahrah in front of her seemed nice and had a positive energy around her.
"You are welcome to our home," Zahrah embraced Ms. Katie which amazed her father.
"Thank you," Ms. Katie replied as she shared the warm embrace with the young girl.
"So what are we going to take for lunch? I can see you and my Dad went to the market."
"Yes. We did a little shopping and bought some things to make both melon and vegetable soup."
"My Dad and sister love melon soup."
"What about you? What soup is your favourite?"
"I love vegetable soup." Her late mother also loved vegetable soup.
"Wow. What a coincidence! My favourite soup is also vegetable soup."
"Really? That's cool." Zahrah was happy. For the first time in a long time, she met someone who had something in common with her. It was only her late mother and her that had a whole lot of things in common.
"So where can I help?" Ms. Katie, surprised, asked her, "You want to help me?"
"Yes."
"Wow." Ms. Katie turned to Mr. Rowland. "Please, is it okay with you, Sir?"
"Finally, you two have remembered I am still here."
"Don't tell me you were jealous of that, Dad." Zahrah.
"I wasn't jealous. I'm glad you like Ms. Katie. And Ms. Katie, sure." He shrugged. "Helping you means she would be learning too, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
"That's totally okay with me. And Angel, be a good girl." Mr. Rowland patted Zahrah on the shoulder.
"Yes, Dad." Zahrah was all smiles. It was obvious she had seen a new friend.
"I will be back later. I have to go back to work. See you ladies later in the day."
"Bye, Dad." Zahrah hugged her father goodbye.
"Bye, Sir."
"Yeah. I will see you later in the evening." Mr. Rowland exit the kitchen.
"You and your father are nice."
"Thank you. I'm glad to have you here."
"Awwwn." Ms. Katie blushed.
"So which of the soup are we going to make first?" Zahrah.
"You tell me."
"What about the melon soup? Remember I said it's my Dad's and sister's favourite. She will soon be back from school and she might be hungry."
"Okay. So let's prepare the things to make the melon soup then."
"So where's the bitter leaf? I want to wash it."
"Check in the sack. It's there in one of the black nylons."
"Okay, here we go." Zahrah empty all in the nylons and put some of the things in different bowls before plucking the bitter leaf from its stem.
It was around 4pm when Zahrah and Ms. Katie finished cooking both soups. Zahrah had already returned the various ingredients to the cupboard so they washed the things they used for the cooking and cleaned the kitchen then turned the two soups into two different containers and kept them on the kitchen table to be kept in the freezer when they get cold.
It was not up to ten minutes they started eating when Amina walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see her sister eating with some lady she esteemed to be the new house keeper their father told them about in the morning. And why her sister was eating with her in the kitchen was what she couldn't get her hands on.
"Can I get my food at the dining room? I'm starving!" She said after looking at her sister and the lady.
Katie exchanged look with Zahrah.
"And you are?" Ms. Katie asked. She guessed she was the sister Zahrah told her but the person right there in front of her, was not who she was expecting. She thought Zahrah's sister would also be like Zahrah but now she knew she was totally wrong.
"Amina. The first daughter of this family." Amina introduced herself.
"Okay." Ms. Katie closely looked at Amina before she stood up to go prepare her food.
Amina exit the kitchen to the dining room.
"That's my elder sister. I'm sorry about her behaviour."
"It's OK. Hope that's not how she behaves?" Ms. Katie.
"I can't say. You will see for yourself." Zahrah replied. She stood up from her chair and went to Katie.
"Let me take it to her." She carried the tray to the dining room.
"And why are you the one serving me my food?" Amina queried her younger sister.
Zahrah exhaled deeply and said, "You walked into the kitchen sister Amina, you met an adult and you didn't even say hi, and the next thing, you asked her to serve you lunch? That's disrespectful."
Amina eyed Zahrah before asking, "Are you sure you are alright?"
"What?"
"Yes. You can't be alright because if you were, you won't be here questioning me, your elder sister because of how I acted with some stranger."
"Aunt Katie is not "some stranger" as you put it but our new housekeeper and she deserves some respect from you, sister Amina."
Amina rolled her eyes at Zahrah. "Can I eat my food in peace? Please?"
"I'm just saying you should mind the way you treat people."
"Ave Maria," (Hail Mary) Amina mocked. "Mother Theresa, please, let me be."
Zahrah exit the dining room to the kitchen.
"I'm just saying you should mind the way you treat people." Amina mimicked and then hissed. Her sister must be sick upstairs. She was older than her and she had the temerity to be cautioning her whenever she did something.
"Does she need anything else?" Ms. Katie asked Zahrah when she walked back into the kitchen.
"No, she's OK." Zahrah replied as she sat down to finish up her food.
Zahrah helped Katie in doing the dishes when they finished eating and she thanked and complimented her.
When Mr. Rowland came back from work in the evening, he freshened up and had his dinner before going to check up on his girls. Amina was in Zahrah's room when he walked into the room.
"Welcome, Dad." Zahrah stood up from the bed and went to hug her father.
"Dad." Amina greeted nonchalantly as she buried her head in the assignment she was doing on Zahrah's study desk.
"And how are my Angels doing this evening?"
"We're fine, Dad." Zahrah and Amina.
"How was work?" Zahrah.
"Work was OK." He described with his fingers. "How was school today?"
"Fine." Amina.
"As usual, Dad."
"And your project, Mina, how far have you gone with it?"
"My project?" Amina was lost. She had no idea about the project her father was talking about. "What project?"
"The one that kept you in school today?" Asked Mr. Rowland.
Amina immediately got it and played along. "Oh that! I was able to complete it today and I turned it in to my supervisor before coming home."
"That's good to know. So what were you girls doing?"
"I'm just reading one of my Literature texts." Zahrah.
"I was trying to do my Further Math assignment." Amina.
"Let me see." Mr. Rowland helped Amina with her assignment and when they were done, they tired for the night after wishing each other good night.