They were sitting at the dining table, the whole family of five, having dinner with care and attention to each other. There were two beautiful young girls and a young lady who looked about 17 years old. She was very beautiful with a curvy figure, even while sitting, indicating she was not very tall but not short either. Her skin was light, not too dark, and she had a well-proportioned body with a full figure. The young lady of the house, who was also about 25 years old, looked at her and said, "Hameed, it seems like something is bothering your sister Umaimah. I've noticed she hasn't been herself lately. Haven't you noticed?" He put down his spoon, looked at Umaimah, who had her head down, and said, "It must be thoughts of her mother, right?" Umaimah quickly nodded and said, "Honestly, Uncle, I don't know why, but in all these years since I lost my parents, I haven't felt the pain of their loss until these past few days..." She stopped talking because she was on the verge of tears. The two little kids, who were about three and five years old, came over and hugged her. The older one said, "Aunty Umah, don't worry. We don't like seeing you sad. Look, you've even lost weight. Daddy, see, she has lost weight, right?" Hameed smiled, stood up, and said, "It's okay, she'll get better. You two should go to bed now. We'll talk more about this later because I'm tired now. Umaimah, make me a list of the things you need. I can tell you don't have anything, and it's already far into the month. You probably don't have any parts left, right?" She lowered her head, smiling, and said, "Uncle, please, don't worry about it. I'm embarrassed." Aunty Sadiya got up and went to her room, saying, "You never stop spoiling these kids. Anyway, I'm going to my room. Don't come and disturb me; I'm sleepy. I have a seminar in Lagos tomorrow." Even Hameed and Umaimah turned to look at her. Sadiya quickly looked away, and Umaimah averted her eyes. Sadiya smiled and locked her door. Feeling downcast, Hameed turned to look at Umaimah, feeling the pain of what Sadiya was doing to him in front of his sister. Hameed and Umaimah were playmates, as their father and mother were siblings. Their parents had died in a car accident between Damaturu and Kano, leaving only Umaimah and her sister Jameelah. Because of the bond he had with Umaimah since she was little, he asked Jameelah if he could take care of her when he got married. His parents wanted to prevent it, but he insisted, and they agreed. His wife, Sadiya, did not have any issues with it because she saw it as a relief. She understood that Umaimah was a clean and hardworking girl. Umaimah did not lack anything; she did all the housework, including cooking and taking care of the children. In the morning, she would get the children ready, then herself, and Hameed would drop them off at school. She had just finished secondary school and was waiting for her results. He sighed and went to his room, took a shower, and lay down, tossing and turning, his mind filled with thoughts. Umaimah also went to her room after putting the children to bed. She lay down, picked up her phone, and played a recitation by Sheikh Sulaiman. She listened until she fell asleep. The next morning, she woke up early, as it was Monday. She bathed Nihal and Maliha, dressed them in their uniforms, and packed their lunchboxes. She gave them tea to drink just as their parents came out. They had not slept in the same room, but they came out together. Sadiya quickly drank her tea, looked at Hameed, and said, "Uncle, I'm leaving now. I might be gone for a week. Umaimah, take care of Nihal and Maliha because you know the weather is cold, although I don't think you'll have any issues."