LARABA

BACK HOME

Laraba sunk deeper and deeper into depression. Her eyes were hollow and read, she was emaciated, couldn’t form a coherent thought.

One day, she left her house and started walking. After three days, she found herself in Kano. Working as a laborer on the farm, she started to find meaning in life again until she saved enough to return home to her mother. She hadn’t been in touch with her mom all the while because she believed it would only worsen the homesickness she had felt during the ten year period she had been married to Mukhtar.

As she journeyed home, she thought of her life. She was not the same Laraba that left Garin-Shaki. Mukhtar had ensured she went to school. She had a first degree and masters in Biology education, several landed property and cars. She had shares in numerous companies too. She was by any standard a well-read, accomplished and wealthy woman.

All this held no appeal for her. She wanted to go home.

When she saw her mother, she was over joyed but didn’t feel at home. There was this chasm between them. She stayed for a bit and went in search of Tahar hoping that with time, her relationship with her mother will mend.

Her heart pounded as she knocked on the gate of the edifice that was Tahar’s residence with his lovely wife and child. ‘That would have been me she thought’. She was strong until she saw Tahar in the flesh and crumpled in his arms sobbing. His wife had excused them with their 2month old baby. Tahar had married her one year ago.

Tahar just stared at her. She seemed familiar but he couldn’t place her. Soon after she left for Katsina ten years ago, he had gone into shock which brought on partial amnesia. However, her presence awakened the potent memories and he groaned cradling his head.

After 3 hours of staring at one another unable to do more because of the restrictions that held them firmly in place, Laraba stood to leave. She felt that all the doors had been slammed in her face. This time, she wasn’t depressed. She was angry. Hot blazing anger.

She was furious at life. At the father she never had, at the ill timing of her love. At her miserable failed life. She decided to open up a place.