Chapter sixteen
1196 Words
There's an important note below. Read.
"madam, here we are in adamawa" the driver informed Jiddah's mummy.
She sighed deeply, "how mhch is your money" ?
"four thousand naira ma" he answered grinning knowing that he had added some amount to the actual amount.
"here" she counted and gave him. He un-loaded their items and drove away.
"mummy where will we stay? Any relative here? " jiddah asked stretching her hand.
"when will you grow up look at how you are stretching like rubber band in the street" mummy knocked jiddah.
"it hurts mum " she whined.
"i know " she forced a smile.
"young boy come here, sannu ko. Ina ne gidan arđo where is the wardhead's house" she asked him in hausa.
"mi nanaata hausa i can't speak hausa" the boy told her.
She spoke to him in his native language, fulfulde and he directed to her to the ward head's house.
Adamawa has a mountainous land crossed by the large river valleys. Such a land of beauty.
Kano.
Nine'o' clock at the night is the time everyone is at home spending their precious time with their wives and children while some, who have no idea of how their children want to see their father's at home, sat down outside backbiting who had no use to them. Sometimes the children and their mother slept off before they come back home.
"kai ma ka samu labarin matar ta bar garin kenan so you too heard that the woman left this area and the state" a man spoke amongst other group of men sitting on a bench while some on a mat near the bench at the side of the street.
They form what is called majalisa group every night after isha dawn prayer around eight at the night. They have the habit of talking behind every person that passed in front of them or any trending topics in their area.
"she's afraid,her secret would be unveiled, did you know that she timidly went to mister hamisu's house and said she wants to marry him imagine"?
Lie!
"she's just lucky that she left we would have broke her and her daughter into pieces" a violent drunk man commented.
"didn't you heard that muhammad from that big house down the street had been sick since he learnt she had moved to somewhere" another chirped.
"i heard it, i wonder what he will do with her as rich as he is, he won't look for a better girl with good reputation ".
"to hell with all of them i don't care about them all" a man in his early thirties commented too and left.
"he once proposed to the lady, jiddah and she rejected him that's why" one man whispered to his friend and they busted.
“„”
"muhammad please behave matured and listened to what i have to tell you" maami spoke.
He adjusted his lanky body on the hospital bed and sat down. "I'm listening maami" he smiled which is obviously fake.
"you see, this girl does not like you anymore right? I sensed that its better you forget about her and move on. Don't you think "? She sighed with hope.
"maami i swear jiddah loves me, she promised and vowed to be with me forever. i knew that from ikram. She's just angry with my attitude towards her and thats all, maami please do me a favor and just pray for me, for jiddah to call me " he finished a single tear escaped his eye.
Maami sighed. She knows she would love jiddah to be her daughter inlaw;she's an obedient, calm and shy girl afterall. But she will love her child to marry someone from a good family. She's not trying to judge jiddah and her mother but the plain truth is she's not hundred percent supporting him but nonetheless, he's her only male child and his happiness is what matters most to her.
She spoke "In a world where vows are worthless.Where making a pledge means nothing. Where promises are made to be broken, it would be nice to see words come back into power . In the first place, you shouldn't believe in promises. The world is full of them: the promises of riches, of eternal salvation, of infinite love. Some people think they can promise anything, others accept whatever seems to guarantee better days ahead, as, I suspect is your case. Those who make promises they don't keep end up powerless and frustrated, and exactly the fate awaits those who believe promises." she smiled.
He looked at her blankly without uttering any word to her one thing he believes is jiddah will keep his promise.
She opened her mouth to explain things further to him but she made a mental note some things are better left unsaid she knew her words will only make things worse.
*
"so he had woke up finally" hajia came in her eyes on Muhammad.
"welcome hajia" maami bowed down greeting her.
"thank you my daughter" hajia placed her hand on maami's shoulder. That sentence made maami remembered something that happened thirty something years go. She remembered how she had suffered from Muhammad's father relatives. She smiled because its all a memory now.
"i can see how lanky you look.. What does the doctor said is wrong with him? " hajia referred to maami.
"he is emotionally sick and his blood pressure is higher than its supposed to be, which is very risky" maami wiped a tear.
"hawan jini dan nan? A yarintar ka? Ni fa ka ganni nan tsohuwa bani da hawan jini se kai. Wae me kake so ne wanda iyayenka basui maka ba harda hawan jini eyye? High blood pressure son? Look at me as old as i am i don't have high pressure talk less of you. What do you want that your parent have not done to you? Why the high B.p? " hajia finished looking at him worriedly.
"talk to me my grandson" she held hus hand in hers waiting for his reply. "excuse us please maami your son don't want to talk you presence. " she smiled to maami.
"hajia jiddah nake so hajia its jiddah i love and you said no" he whispered .
"do you really mean jiddah that use to come to come to ikram's place? "
"yes hajia its her jiddah that use to come to me" ikram answered closing the door behind her.
"but you didn't tell me. How will i refuse that blessed girl"?
"hajia she's the one you said I'm not going to marry. She's the one we talked to you about since" he told her.
"the issue is I'm not going to allow you ruin our reputation, your father and uncles didn't do that and you won't do that " with that hajia, walked out.
"maami, call the doctor" ikram shouted tearing up; ever since jiddah left, their lifes had became something else)while Muhammad was coughing and his body was shaking vigorously.
How about sharing Jiddah and Muhammad's pictures with you. What do you think.?
How do you want the book should it be short or long?
- Writer
