Chapter 5

Omar found himself contemplating her, acknowledging her remarkable intelligence and composure in the classroom, unaware of the teacher's entrance. 

Once the teacher completed the attendance, he departed, and the noise in the classroom persisted from various directions. 

Ummi and Nasir were engaged in a discussion regarding the upcoming school contest. 

The school intends to alter their book covers and wall decorations, hence they have organized a beauty contest where the most beautiful participant will be chosen and featured. 

All the girls are currently registering for the competition, except for Ummi who declines to participate, believing she lacks the necessary beauty. 

The 5stars girls has already devised their strategies. Lunchtime arrived, and everyone proceeded to the canteen as usual. Ummi went there with the intention of ordering something for the very first time. 

She approached the counter, placed her order, and momentarily left her bag on the chair. Upon receiving her order, she returned to her original spot.

Few hours after the break, the headmaster proceeded from class to class to conduct a thorough search of every student's bag in order to locate a missing wristwatch. Regrettably, he entered Ummi's class, prompting everyone to stand up in order to greet him. 

"Thank you," Mr. Lateef expressed, motioning for them to take their seats. Curious about the situation, Faith inquired, "Any issues, sir?

" Mr. Lateef responded, "Yes, there is an issue. One of your fellow students had their wristwatch stolen, which is an unprecedented occurrence in this school." A murmur rippled throughout the classroom. 

"Therefore, I will call upon Sule and Tayo to conduct an inspection of the school bags," Mr. Lateef stated with a serious expression. 

Sule and Tayo stepped forward to the front of the class as everyone brought their bags for inspection. After searching, Sule discovered the wristwatch inside Ummi's bag, leaving everyone in disbelief. Ummi was utterly shocked, frozen in place as if she had been placed in a freezer, before finally regaining her composure.

 "Sir, I don't know how this happened," Ummi defended herself.

Reacting with a stern and authoritative tone, Mr. Lateef raised his voice, saying, "Will you please be quiet? What do you mean you don't know anything?

I swear on my honesty, I am not lying about it," Ummi pleaded earnestly.

"You, unfortunate individual whom we granted a scholarship, have the audacity to steal. Now listen carefully, I am giving you a two-day deadline to prove your innocence. Otherwise, I will contact your parents and you will be expelled from this institution," Mr. Lateef sternly stated, as he handed the boy his wristwatch and exited the classroom.

Feeling ashamed, Ummi returned to her seat with tears streaming down her face, and placed her head on the desk.

The classroom fell into silence as everyone murmured about the incident. Some expressed sympathy towards Ummi, while others appeared pleased.

Nasir, unable to bear witnessing Ummi's distress, moved closer to her as they sat facing each other and gently patted her back, offering reassurance that everything would be alright.

As the school day came to an end, Ummi's situation became the new topic of discussion, causing the contest to be forgotten.

Ummi couldn't contain her overwhelming emotions and began to cry uncontrollably. She had never been involved in theft or faced accusations of stealing before, making this an extremely embarrassing moment for her. Slowly and alone, she made her way home.

"As she arrived home, she leaned on Musa's shoulder and cried even louder than before. He had no choice but to embrace her and gently pat her on the back.

Musa felt afraid because he disliked dealing with situations like this. However, he tried to calm himself down, assuring himself that everything would be alright with time and she would eventually find peace of mind.

Musa was unsure about what to do - whether he should go inside to meet her, or wait for her to come out. After contemplating for a few moments, he decided to enter the house and knocked on the door, waiting for her to open it and let him in.

"Hello, my dear. What seems to be the matter?" Musa asked in a formal tone.

"Nothing, actually, sir," Ummi replied.

"You're not very good at lying. Sharing your problems can help solve them," Musa said.

"Can you believe that I was accused of theft today?" Ummi said, avoiding eye contact.

"Who on earth is that idiot?" Musa angrily inquired.

"Some of my classmates," Ummi surprisingly replied.

"May I accompany you to school on Monday?" Musa asked, as he sat down beside her.

"But how will my mother react?" Ummi questioned worriedly.

"Don't worry, I assume a paternal role for you, and even if it is not you, I will go to the school for the sake of my child," Musa responded.

"I prefer not to inform my mother about this matter," Ummi sadly expressed.

"Do not trouble yourself with it," Musa reassured.

Musa embraced Ummi tightly, leading her to rest her head on his shoulder as he confronted her.

Ummi wiped her tears more forcefully on his shoulder, as she recognized that this might be her only opportunity.

Later in the evening, Mrs. Maryam returned, appearing very tired. She entered the house and noticed the silence. She checked her wrist watch and realized that it was not yet late; it was just past 8 PM, nearly 9 PM. She then called out for Musa.

"Good evening, ma," Musa greeted.

"How was your day today?" Mrs. Maryam inquired.

"It went well, thank you," he replied.

"Where is my daughter? The house seems unusually quiet," she asked.

"Madam, she is simply exhausted," Musa replied.

"Are you certain? I sense that something is amiss," Mrs. Maryam persisted.

"There is nothing to worry about, madam. She is fine," Musa assured her.

"Mrs. Maryam kindly handed him the change and bid him good night," Mrs. Maryam said.

"Thank you very much, madam. May God bless you," he expressed his gratitude.

Mrs. Maryam proceeded to her daughter's room, pausing in front of the door in hopes of hearing any sound before knocking. However, there was none. She carefully opened the door and discovered her daughter fast asleep. Deciding to return to her own room, Ummi called out to her.

"Mother," Ummi called.

"I thought you were already asleep," Mrs. Maryam inquired.

"Yes, I was. However, I tend to wake up at the slightest sound," Ummi responded.

"But my dear, you don't seem happy. Is something wrong?" Mrs. Maryam asked concernedly.

"No, mom, I'm fine," Ummi replied.

"Come here and give me a hug, my dear." They embraced before Mrs. Maryam retired to her own room and Ummi went back to sleep.