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"Ohh, Babawo's father really tries, wallahi! He has a good heart, and you, Yaya, you have truly found a good husband, wallahi. That is just what we didn't manage to get."
Looking at them with deep sympathy, she said, "Even so, Halima, though Allah has tested you with husbands who do not care about their wives' rights over them, He will still provide you with a pillar of support and not leave you stranded like this. Always praise Him! As for me, you will also see how my own trials come in due time, because life naturally tests everyone from every possible direction."
"That is true, Yaya. May Allah just grant us success. But regarding these provisions, if you already have some, you can keep the ones we brought for you, and use these ones another day."
"Yes, that's what I intended to do. Look, even some of these twins' clothes I will put aside to keep; the ones you brought for them are also very lovely, wallahi."
"Well, the day you called me to announce the birth, I went shopping and bought them."
"Wallahi, they are gorgeous; you can tell they must have been expensive too."
The intrusion of a young boy entering the women's room without greeting made Mama look at him with a slight smile before she could speak, but Halima beat her to it:
"Hey! How can you just barge into people's room without greeting?"
Pushing out his lips in a defiant pout, he replied, "Well, they didn't send me."
"Are you playing with me? Go back and greet them, I said! Whatever it is you came to say, say it after you greet."
Seeing the dead-serious look in her eyes as she glared at him, he quickly retreated, his heart beating fast out of fear.
He came back in, greeted them with a scrunched-up face, and muttered:
"Uncle Rabiu is being called by Uncle Bature."
"Well, go outside and look for him; he went out," Halima snapped, her face tightening again.
"Look here, Hamisu, go outside. You'll probably find him there, you hear?"
He turned and walked away, muttering under his breath.
"Haba! Did you hear that hiss he gave us, Yaya Binta? And all those murmurs? Who knows if he was even cursing us? Imagine children not even showing you respect because they've already been turned against you by people here. Children with no proper upbringing!"
"Well, you saw it yourself. That call they made him answer is definitely not for anything good. Because Uncle Bature—if you ever hear him calling for someone like that, it's never for a blessing. Right now, Habi is the one who went to feed him a mixture of lies and truth, which is why that summons was sent."
Halima curled her lip in disdain and said, "He shouldn't have been called; if they knew what was good for them, they would have told me to go answer him. Wallahi, today they would have seen a kind of madness never before witnessed in this house—though, to be honest, I've noticed Uncle Rabiu has also grown quite soft compared to before. Wallahi, it's high time he started beating some sense into their heads!"
"As for him, even back then he never tolerated such nonsense; it's just that I used to let them walk all over me however they pleased."
"You were the one who always let them off easy, Yaya Binta."
The entrance of Babawo carrying a plastic bowl filled with meat cut short their conversation as he announced:
"Mama, here is the meat from Abba; he said it should be used for the cooking."
Halima took it, saying, "Ah, you are just the person I was looking for! Go buy some soup ingredients so I can get up and put the pot on the fire."
"Actually, Aunty, Abba already gave me money to buy the soup ingredients. I just came in first to bring you this meat before going back out to buy them."
"Alright then, hurry up, boy!"
With a quick agreement, he rushed out, and Halima opened the plastic bowl, exclaiming:
"Ah-ah! Look at this mountain of meat, Yaya Binta! This childbirth has truly brought open doors from every direction!"
"Wallahi, you can say that again! On the day I gave birth, Allah brought him across an old school friend of his. This friend has been blessed by Allah with wealth—not bad at all—and he gave him some substantial cash, which is what we're using to fund all these arrangements. He even promised to secure a job for him."
"Kai, Masha Allah! Alhamdulillah! May the Almighty grant success, and may He provide that job so that these jealous people drop dead, Mlm!"
Mama just laughed, looking at Halima, knowing very well who she meant by "these people in the house"……
Episode 34
"So you finally saw it fit to answer my summons?"
Abba sat down, looking at Uncle Basiru—and today even Uncle Sama'ila was present, as he hadn't returned to Lagos yet—alongside Inna Habi who sat nearby. To his surprise, her head was bowed down, and she was weeping as if she had just received news of a death.
He knew how this would play out; he knew that a summons like this would inevitably lead to a confrontation.
"I am talking to you, and you're ignoring me, Rabiu?"
"I wasn't around. I just stepped into my wife's quarters and she told me I was being called."
"Of course she would tell you! As if that wasn't enough, that shameless sister of hers practically barked and snapped at the young girl I sent to call you, as if she was about to beat her up."
He remained silent, simply watching them with his eyes, waiting to see what petty grievance had brought them together today—for today, he was fully prepared to match their energy.
"Get up and go call Sakina for me as well—that spineless woman!" commanded Uncle Bature, who had been completely riled up by gossip until he was beyond reason.
Inna Habi stood up and went to call Sakina. A short while later, she returned, announcing that Sakina was on her way. About five minutes passed before Sakina arrived and took her seat.
"Did you finally decide to grace us with your presence too? So disrespect has completely taken root between you and me, huh? I suppose someone went and pumped your ears again with nonsense from your shameless family members whom you've latched onto?"
Sakina jutted out her lower lip and said, "Master of the house, wallahi, whatever Habi came here to tell you is an absolute lie, because wallahi, even—"
Uncle Bature raised his hand swiftly, cutting her off with a barrage of shouting, demanding to know why she would go and take food from his house to give to someone else behind his back, depriving his own children of meals. He ranted without rhyme or reason, purely because he had been thoroughly manipulated and was now riding the high of his own anger.
Abba, sitting quietly and listening to everything, felt as though Uncle Bature was shouting at him rather than Sakina, because the tirade was deliberately calculated to keep him on edge.
"As for you, I'm turning back to you," Uncle Bature continued, pointing at Abba. "It is unacceptable for people to come flocking into this house and disrupting our peace with naming ceremony gatherings. Therefore, warn your wife and her family members right now: if they cannot live peacefully with everyone, each of them should pack their bags and get out of here!"
Abba adjusted his seating posture, nodding slowly as he heard Zubairu chime in:
"That is exactly right! If organizing a naming ceremony is too much financial strain for you, what gives you the audacity to gather crowds under the name of a naming celebration? Everyone could have just stayed in their own homes and sent congratulatory messages over the phone, period! But instead, you bring extra burdens upon yourself that you can barely handle—how do you even manage your own immediate household expenses? Let alone hosting a massive crowd while living in financial penury!"
The bitterness toward his own relatives rose like a lump in Abba's throat, turning his eyes bloodshot. Uncle Sama'ila spoke up then:
"Well, let's approach everything with patience, Rabiu. Look at the current economic climate; if I were you, I would just forgo any naming celebration altogether and tell everyone to stay home."
Uncle Basiru joined in as well: "Aside from the financial strain, Rabiu, where on earth do you even expect to find money to buy a naming ram? Let alone gathering people and humiliating yourself further, because anyone with eyes who sees that no ram was slaughtered will gossip about it all over town. Even your own children, as they grow older, will be taunted with the fact that no naming ram was ever slaughtered for them!"
Abba's heart burned with a fiery anguish. He raised his gaze to look at his relatives; they no longer amazed him—they merely filled him with pure dread. Were they truly born of the same mother and father? It baffled his mind. Was it because Allah had tested him with poverty among them that they had grown to despise him so deeply?
"And frankly, Mlm must talk to this Halima of hers and make sure she keeps herself in check, because wallahi, I am fully ready to put her in her place!" Inna Habi chimed in, seeing that his silence had given her room to speak further.
Abba cleared his throat after realizing everyone had finished airing their grievances, and said:
"I have heard everything you've all said. However, I want you to know this: the naming ceremony will hold, and nothing will cancel it. This house belongs to everyone—just as everyone claims a rightful stake here, I have my own rightful share in this compound as well. And as for the ram you keep harping on about—saying I cannot afford it—well, I never asked any of you to buy me a ram to slaughter for my children's naming. By the grace of Allah, everything will be done properly, and I am not asking a single one of you for so much as a single penny."
With those final words, he stood up, seeing no reason to linger any longer. They sat staring after him with dropped jaws, none of them able to open their mouths to utter a single word…
Episode 35
ZAHRA'S POV
They stepped outside and went to bid Mama Oto farewell. She kept pulling them close, remarking how wonderful her grandchildren looked today and predicting that perhaps today each of them would find a husband.
Hadiza laughed as they walked down the street, saying under her breath, "Wallahi, I really like Mama Oto."
Zahra curled her lip and said, "If it's Oto, one of these days you'll say you don't like her anymore."
"Well, I like her just fine; everyone has someone who appeals to them."
"Oh, please, let's stop and take a tricycle (Napep), wallahi my feet are hurting from all this walking."
"It's really not far, Zahra. Didn't we walk all the way here earlier?"
"I don't care, let's stop, I'm exhausted."
They stopped by the roadside, and promptly a Napep driver pulled over, asking where they were headed. They told him straight away that they were going to the back of the Kowa quarters.
They hopped in, chatting along the way until they arrived right at the entrance of the street. Even though the wedding knot had already been tied, the area was packed to the brim with people everywhere.
The Napep driver had to maneuver carefully to drop them off just before the crowd, and after paying him off, they began walking the rest of the way on foot.
"Lahh, Zahra! I've been looking all over for you. Umma said you both went to Mama Oto's place."
"Lahh, Shamsiyya! How are you? Long time no see!"
"Hmm, you're not a good person. Imagine living in the same neighborhood and never visiting your house."
"Wallahi, Shamsiyya, I've been away at school, so I hardly ever stay in town."
"Ayyah, may Allah help you. Well, the wedding has been tied—may Allah bless it. Now we're just waiting for yours so we can party!"
Zahra merely smiled as they entered the house together with Shamsiyya, who was also dropping by.
The house was overflowing with people—men and women, relatives, and well-wishers from everywhere. It was with great difficulty that Zahra and Hadiza managed to squeeze their way inside, though finding a place to sit was out of the question due to the sheer density of the crowd.
"Tab, Hadiza, I cannot handle this noise, wallahi. You need to come with us outside so we can find a spot to sit. When the bridal cars arrive, we'll just call Yaya Safiyanu to come pick us up too."
"Oh, please, just stay so we can see the bride! I think they went into Umma's room."
Reluctantly, Zahra agreed, and they stood off to the side. True to form, almost everyone who spotted Zahra stopped to exchange greetings—relatives and peers kept pulling her aside. Soon, Zahra's mouth began to ache and her voice grew raspy from shouting over the deafening noise of the crowded house, where normal conversation was impossible without yelling.
"Yay, there she is, let's go!"
"Wait for them to come here instead, I can see they've spotted us."
"Zahra, what's wrong with you? Come on, let's go outside instead of just standing here; I'm tired of standing too."
They walked over to where Bahijja was standing with Momy, exchanging pleasantries with guests. Everywhere Bahijja turned, she was intercepted—she was the quintessential popular bride.
"Zahra, you're only just getting back?" Momy asked in her characteristic affected, high-society tone. Zahra barely heard her properly due to the house noise, and Momy certainly didn't care to raise her voice.
"Bahijja!"
"Aunty Zahra, is it only now I'm seeing you, wallahi?"
"You know I just returned from school today, that's why. I haven't even had proper rest; right from arriving, we headed straight here."
"Hmm, well alright," Bahijja replied, quickly turning away to greet one of Umma's friends who was teasing her with traditional bridal banter.
Zahra pulled Hadiza's hand, saying, "Let's go outside, Bahijja; it's way too noisy in here."
"Okay," Hadiza agreed, and they stepped out. With some difficulty, they found a low concrete platform outside a neighboring house and sat down to watch the stream of people entering and leaving.
"Hmm, Zahra, Bahijja didn't even look at me properly, nor did she bother to ask who I was."
Zahra squeezed Hadiza's hand and said, "She knows you very well; it's not that she doesn't. Everyone knows Hadiza in our house. Like I told you before, it's just pure arrogance on her part—you saw it yourself. Even we just tolerate her attitude here, so don't let it bother you, you hear? Besides, you didn't come here for her; you came for me."
"That's true. Well, may Allah guide her to change this habit of hers."
"Only she knows. As long as she's hanging around Momy and her crowd, she's never going to change—especially now that I see Momy has completely wrapped her around her finger."
They continued chatting until the bridal convoy arrived—about ten sleek cars lined up, belonging to the groom's friends, all looking flashy and showing off.
Zahra quickly grabbed her phone and called Yaya Safiyanu.
"Yes, come over, I'm right behind them, I'm the last one," he said over the phone.
She hung up, grabbed Hadiza's hand, and headed toward where he indicated, remarking, "Oh, so he came along with these cars."
A young man standing by his car noticed them walking past and quickly intercepted them, saying, "Hey, bridal maidens, aren't you going to ride in the bride's car? There are empty cars right here, don't walk past!"
Judging by his playful tone, he was a lighthearted joker. To avoid being rude, Zahra paused with Hadiza and replied, "Ayyah, servant of Allah, we are the bride's aunties, not her friends. Her friends will come out shortly, and our own senior brother is coming to take us. Thank you though!"
With that, she pulled Hadiza along and they walked past. Hadiza, watching Zahra's smooth delivery with a smile, whispered:
"Awwnnn, did you see how he kept staring at you?"
"Oh, you're full of gossip, wallahi! How did he even look at me?"
"Well, naturally you wouldn't notice, let someone else point it out to you."
Just as they reached the last car, Yaya Safiyanu stepped out.
He launched into a scolding that caught Zahra completely off guard—his reprimand was all about how they shouldn't have stopped to talk to some random guy, as he had spotted them from a distance. The way he was lecturing them sounded suspiciously like an overprotective boyfriend, which made Zahra wonder if he actually had feelings for Hadiza. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw him open the front passenger door specifically for Hadiza to enter, leaving Zahra to fend for herself in the back.
Zahra just smiled quietly, opened the back door, and climbed in, figuring Hadiza was basically as good as spoken for anyway...
Episode 36
"Do you think Rabiu actually drank something today?"
Uncle Sama'ila voiced the thought aloud, as all of them had remained practically speechless for a long time after Abba walked out, leaving them stunned by his unprecedented defiance today.
"He didn't drink a single drop of anything, wallahi! It's just pure arrogance—he's decided to start undermining people completely."
"Or perhaps Uncle Bature's wife went and stirred him up so he could come unleash his rudeness on us?"
"That's precisely what it is, Zubairu! Because wallahi, I'm certain that even if she didn't tell him directly, that good-for-nothing sister of his instigated him, and that's why he came here barking and talking down to people like that."
"As for you, Habi, wallahi you just love trouble! Why did you even poke your nose into their family matters? If you don't stir up chaos, do you just not feel at peace? Wallahi, you need to fix that mouth of—"
"Oh, please, save your breath, Sakina! I wasn't talking to you. Besides, Mlm, didn't I tell you to warn her to stay out of my business?"
"Habiba, I am truly tired of these endless squabbles! I'm sick of it. Get up, both of you, and leave us be!"
Habi stood up, burning with resentment over the fact that Rabiu hadn't even scolded Sakina for what she said. She stomped away huffily, nearly bumping into Sakina, who quickly stepped aside and watched her go with a disdainful hiss.
"I must say, what Rabiu did just now took me completely by surprise. What if he drags disgrace upon all of us? And where on earth does he even think he'll get the money to buy a naming ram?"
"Ah-ah, Uncle Basiru, he brought this upon himself, wallahi! Every bird that drags water upon itself gets soaked by that same water. So wallahi, none of you should interfere—just sit back and watch him crash," Zubairu declared as he stood up to leave.
Quickly, Uncle Bature called out, "Hey, Zubairu! Can I get five hundred naira from you?"
"Honestly, I don't have five hundred naira to spare; maybe you can get some from your junior relatives. Right now, that 'man of bad luck' has completely ruined my mood."
With those words, he walked out on them. Left behind, they directed their anger back at Rabiu, accusing him of bringing bad luck upon them and sabotaging Zubairu's occasional generosity during such gatherings. Instead of blaming the person who actually refused them money, they predictably heaped curses upon Rabiu. Hearing them talk, anyone would swear there wasn't a single drop of blood or family tie connecting them.
"Yaya Rabiu, how did it all end?"
Abba sat down, looking at Halima, who had rushed to intercept him with questions the moment she saw him enter with a darkened, furious expression.
"Haba, Halima, please drop the subject. It's between him and his relatives; even I wouldn't dare interfere."
Halima curled her lip in annoyance as Abba picked up little Hassan, announcing, "Let me take them outside, the barber is arriving now. I'll send Babawo to fetch Husaini."
Mama agreed with a quiet "To," noting his grim demeanor and realizing that his family had given him a very hard time over there.
As she watched him leave, she heard Halima mutter, "His relatives or his undercover enemies? Wallahi, with family like that, it's better to—"
"Haba, Halima! Stop talking like that. It's not proper. What if he comes back and hears you? No matter how bad they are, they are still your in-laws."
"Even so, Yaya Binta, wallahi those people do not love Yaya Rabiu, and they don't want to see him progress."
"I know that, Halima, but they are still his flesh and blood; family is closer. May Allah open their eyes to the truth."
Halima scoffed, changing the subject: "By the way, Yaya Binta, how on earth do you tell these twins apart?"
Mama smiled. "If you look closely, one of them has slightly more flesh. Hassan is a bit plumper, while Husaini is much smaller. When they bring them back, look closely—that's how I tell them apart, and their father does too."
"True, and look at Husaini right there—he has that tiny face just like Babawo's."
At that exact moment, Babawo walked in, scooped up Husaini, and carried him outside...
Episode 37
Two days after Halima's arrival, she was sitting down after finishing a phone call with Mariya when she looked at Yaya Binta and said:
"They're on their way; they're almost at the single-man's quarters."
"Masha Allah! May the Almighty bring them safely. They're practically near Rimeye now. But who did she travel with?"
"She traveled with the person who helps her with her catering business, so she brought her along to help us out here too."
"Oh, I see."
"Yes, Yaya Binta, this corn needs to be taken to the mill to be ground into flour, because we're going to make fate (porridge). And this rice will be used for dafa duka (one-pot rice dish), while the millet can be used for morning koko (porridge)."
"Won't you make waina (rice cakes)?"
"We can divide the corn—half for waina and half for fate."
"Let me ask Babawo's father to get us some extra tuwo rice so we can supplement the waina batter."
"Oh yes, that will make it softer and tastier."
"Exactly. Let me have Babawo come inside so he can go meet him by the roadside."
"Wait, has Babawo's trip been postponed?"
"Yes, yesterday while you were asleep, he came in and told me they aren't traveling until the end of the year."
"Oh, well, may Allah grant us long life."
She stood up, adding, "Let me go check on the hot water I put on the stove. I left the soup ingredients outside too."
She stepped out, but the moment she crossed the threshold, her eyes landed on a stray goat that had wandered over to the plastic bowl where she had placed the soup ingredients, scattered them all over the ground, and was currently trampling them while chewing on the tomatoes. These were the exact soup ingredients Babawo's father had brought for her to cook once Mama's bathwater was ready.
She glanced over at where Inna Dije was sitting doing laundry and spreading her clothes across a clothesline in the courtyard. It completely baffled her mind: Dije had been sitting right there watching, yet she hadn't bothered to stop the goat from wreaking havoc.
"Good heavens! What kind of miserable existence is this in this house, wallahi? What manner of life is this?!"
Sakina rushed out upon hearing Halima's voice ringing out loudly so everyone could hear. Even Mama quickly put down Husaini whom she was breastfeeding inside the room and hurried out, her heart fluttering with anxiety because, before God, she did not want anything else sparking a clash between Halima and the household residents.
"What happened, Halima?"
"Hmm! Just look at this, Sakina! I neatly arranged these soup ingredients right here, and I come out to find this goat trampling all over them—while Dije sat right there watching and couldn't even bother to chase it away! What kind of life is this?"
Dije scoffed, holding up a washed garment she was about to hang up, and stared hard at Halima before replying:
"Since when did you appoint me as your personal servant to go chasing goats away for you? Or are you scared of it yourself?"
"This isn't about fear, servant of Allah! Life is unpredictable—one day you might find yourself in a similar situation, and if someone sees something about to ruin your belongings, common decency dictates they help stop it. What would it have cost you to simply chase the goat away from destroying these things?"
"Lahh! Yaya Mariya, have you guys arrived already?!" Halima exclaimed as she turned and noticed Mariya walking in, having just overheard Dije's retort.
With genuine joy, she rushed over and embraced her, feeling all her frustration instantly melt away at the sight of her sister.
The heavy luggage Mariya and her companion brought along instantly left the household members gaping in sheer astonishment.
Mariya, looking at Hauwa who accompanied her, instructed, "Hauwa, go ahead and take these bags into Yaya Binta's room."
Hauwa walked past, taking over some of the bags that some Almajirai (Islamic students) had helped carry in after Mariya tipped them.
Mama, who was now standing close to Mariya as they held hands and exchanged joyful greetings, asked:
"Halima, what even happened here?"
Halima curled her lip, saying, "Hmm, don't mind these toxic people in this house, you hear? Let's just go inside."
They headed toward Mama's room. Halima gathered what was left of the scattered soup ingredients, and just as they were about to step inside, they heard Inna Dije's voice call out:
"I..."
