They all began saying, "Welcome back, Abba..." He didn't even pay attention to them and asked, "What is that girl doing outside?" Hajiya Maimuna curled her lip and said, "Sitting out there waiting for you to return." Hajiya Salaha added, "Ever since before the Asr prayer, I noticed that girl you saw out there had left. We kept going from street to street with the neighbors looking for her, and she didn't return to this house until dusk. She completely kept us on edge earlier; the house was in absolute chaos." He said, "And so she should be left sitting outside in the mosquitoes to give me something that will make me have to take her to the hospital?" Hajiya Salaha replied, "Well, Alhaji, I could only do to her what crossed my mind, which is why I said she should just stay outside." He said, "Well, let no one dare send her outside at this hour ever again, no matter what on earth she has done... I have warned you." Turning around, he looked at Khadijah, who was standing huddled by the corner in fear, and said, "Come here." She approached quickly. With a deeply stern face, he asked, "Where did you go?" Tears filled her eyes as she pointed outside with her hand, her body trembling. He yanked her closer, pushed her inside, and said, "Do it again tomorrow. The mosquitoes that bit you out there alone should be enough for you." From there, he walked inside, adding, "You can give her food if she wants to eat, and if she won't eat, let her sleep hungry." He went straight to his room. Khadijah sat on the floor against a chair, not daring to make eye contact with the Hajiyas, who kept throwing hateful glares at her. In a rusty bowl, they served her *tuwo* with the *kubewa* (okra) soup that had been cooked. She slowly pulled the food toward her, looking at it. She brought a spoonful of the soup to her mouth and grimaced slightly. Seeing that Hajiya Maimuna was watching her, she quickly adjusted her expression and fixed her eyes on the TV, just like every other occupant of the parlor was doing. Soon, she heard Hajiya Maimuna tell Hafsa to go pick up the food bowl and take it to the kitchen. Khadijah didn't mind, because she wasn't even hungry anyway. Around eleven-thirty in the night, everyone went to their sleeping quarters. She also lay down on the mat she had been directed to use in Sajida's room, under the pretext that the mattress could not accommodate all of them.
After five days, Khadijah was sitting in the courtyard in the evening, facing a mountain of dishes that the Hajiyas had piled up for her to wash. Meanwhile, they were inside with their children since it was a Friday and there was no Islamic school. She was working reluctantly, pouting because she had been banned from watching TV—something she got beaten over almost every day because she refused to give it up; she just had to watch. She had become completely gaunt and frail; one look at her and you would know she faced severe hunger and hardship, coupled with a lack of familiarity with hard labor. To be fair, she could now wash their plates, except she would spend over two hours on the dishes. As for the clothes on her body, they looked as if she had stepped into a river because of how drenched they got whenever she did the dishes. By now, they had completely stopped making her sweep because she simply didn't know how to do it, leaving her with only dishwashing and drawing water—sometimes outside when there was a power outage. From the day she had gone out until now, she hadn't stepped out again unless she was sent to the shopkeeper or to fetch water in the small bucket she usually carried. To this day, she hadn't tasted delicious food like the one from the house she had visited. The food in Kawu's house was nothing but macaroni, *tuwo*, or rice and beans with oil and pepper. Since she disliked all of it, she remained constantly hungry. Hafsa came out, tossed some money at her, and said, "Khadijah, Mama says you should go to the shopkeeper and buy laundry soap, two sachets of Hypo bleach, and fifty naira worth of Star Maggi." Khadijah pouted and said nothing. She stood up after Hafsa went back inside, knowing that Hajiya might peek out to see if she had left. She entered the parlor, and Hajiya Salaha asked, "What about the errand?" Khadijah looked at her wet clothes and said, "Mama, I want to change my clothes." Hajiya snapped at her, saying, "Get out of my sight! You fool, you deliberately drench your clothes during dishwashing as if you don't know any better." She turned and went out. She looked down at her clothes, which were soaked from above her knees down to the hem. She headed for the gate with a cap on her head because the children of the house had inherited all of her hijabs. It was a long walk to the shopkeeper. As she walked, she toyed with a small stick in her hand. She passed the house where she had once eaten, her eyes fixed on the gate, but there was no way to enter. Arriving at the shopkeeper's, out of all the items she was sent to get, she could only remember the Maggi. She rushed back home, entered the parlor, and looked at Hafsa as if she was about to cry, asking, "What and what did you say I should get?" Hajiya Salaha gave a smirk, looked at her co-wife, and said, "What did I tell you?" Hajiya Maimuna replied, "Did you hear me argue with you? Has she ever been sent on an errand without returning to ask what she was sent for?" Hajiya Salaha said, "By Allah, your father ruined your life, and your stepmother clearly showed she didn't care about you since she spoiled and ruined you just because she wasn't the one who gave birth to you. Otherwise, how can a fully grown, mature girl like you forget what you were sent to buy every single time, only to return claiming you forgot, with nothing but your arrogant English? As for me, by Allah, ever since this girl came into this house, I have been dealing with nonsense that even the children I gave birth to never put me through. Allah will judge this, by Allah!" Hajiya Maimuna shrugged and said, "You are the one who chooses to tolerate her. Do you see me doing that? For me, it's nothing but beatings." Kabir repeated the errand to Khadijah, and she rushed out quickly, repeating what he said in her mind until she reached the shopkeeper and told him. Laughing, the shopkeeper asked, "Are you a firstborn child?" She widened her eyes and said, "I don't understand." He laughed and said, "Ah, I am not a white man. To make your back-and-forth trips easier whenever you are sent on an errand, just tell them to be writing down the list for you at home, you hear?" She said, “Okay then.”
The sound of a voice saying he should be given a phone card made her turn around quickly. Their eyes met, and she flashed her white teeth, saying, "Good evening." He looked her up and down from head to toe and said, "How are you?" She tilted her head sideways and said, "I should say fine." Nodding his head, he said, "Good." Receiving the card the shopkeeper handed to him, he said, "A tall girl like you shouldn't come out without a hijab." She said softly, "I don't have a hijab right now." He didn't say anything as he loaded the card before asking, "Then why are your clothes soaked?" She said, "I have been washing dishes since afternoon." He asked, "Where is your house?" She said, "Our home is three houses away from yours." He looked at her and asked, "Alhaji Jibril's house?" She nodded her head. He asked, "Are you his daughter?" She shook her head slowly. He asked, "When did you come to the house?" She looked up as if thinking deeply and then said, "Ten days ago." He nodded and said nothing more. She took her bag of items and change, looking at him. Before she could say anything, he asked, "What is your name?" She said, "Khadijah." He said, "Good." Softly, she said, "I want to come and eat food at your house, but I am forbidden. And I can't eat the food they cook; it's just a concoction." She finished the sentence in a low whisper. He asked, "Why were you forbidden?" She said, "The Mamas said they will kill me if I dare go anywhere again, and I am scared." He looked at her but didn't say anything. She stepped a bit closer to him and whispered, "Could you be bringing your house's food to me yourself?" He widened his eyes and asked, "Where?" She replied, "To our house, of course. Then I can hide in the backyard and eat it." As she spoke, tears filled her white eyes. Seeing that he remained silent, she continued, "I am always hungry..." He lowered his gaze from her face and still said nothing.
*Haske Writers Association*💡
Watching him, Khadijah softly said, "Please." He looked up at her before asking, "Where would I see you to give you the food?" She fell silent as if contemplating. Eventually, she said, "Okay, there are flowers near the gate. You can just be leaving it there for me, and when I come out, I will pick it up." He smiled and said, "Really?" She nodded her head. He said, "Okay." She stepped even closer to him and said, "Promise you will do that, please." He said, "I will." She widened her eyes, clasped her hands together, and said, "Thank you very much, may Allah reward you. Bye!" With that, she turned swiftly, left the place, and headed home while his eyes followed her. Nobody paid her any attention as she placed the items on the chair, went back outside, and happily continued her dishwashing. It was nearly five o'clock when she finished and went inside. Hajiya Maimuna handed her a huge pile of her children's clothes to fold and arrange in the cupboard. It was almost magrib when she finished. Seeing everyone making ablution, she also went to the tap, performed her ablution, and returned to pray. As she sat huddled against a sofa, a call was made for everyone to go to the kitchen to collect their food. She stood up too, knowing Hajiya Maimuna could hurl a barrage of insults at her if she saw she hadn't shown up. It was *tuwo* with *karkashi* soup that day. She came out after her portion was scooped out for her, staring at the middle of the *tuwo*. Sitting down, she dipped her hand into the steaming soup, scooped some up, and put it in her mouth. She couldn't swallow it and began stealing glances at the people in the parlor, trying very hard to keep her face normal. Everyone's attention was fixed on a Hausa movie playing on the TV. Since they didn't watch Hausa movies back at her own home, she didn't even bother looking at the screen. She slipped out quietly, holding the bowl of *tuwo*, placed it on the veranda, and rushed to the gate. She gently knelt by the flowers at the gate, praying that he had left the food for her. She carefully parted the flowers to look, and sure enough, she saw a white plastic bag. She grabbed it quickly, opened it, and saw a takeaway pack and a bottle of Five Alive. Setting the bag down, she did a huge jump of joy, then picked it up and, almost tripping over her own feet, hurried inside. She rushed to the backyard, found a secluded corner, sat down, and opened the food. It was jollof rice with chicken, plantains, and sauce on the side. Overjoyed, she began eating, nodding her head and even closing her eyes in delight. She ate the food quickly, opened the drink, and drank almost half of it, unable to finish the rest. She stood up, hid the drink bottle, took the takeaway pack, went out to the gate, tossed it into the large trash bin, and came back inside, wiping her mouth. She startled upon seeing the *tuwo* she had left behind; she averted her eyes quickly as if she had seen something repulsive, picked it up like trash with a grimace, and went outside. She found an *almajiri* (beggar boy), poured it out for him, and returned to the house to wash the bowl at the tap. Sajidah peeked out, indicating that it was only then they realized she wasn't in the parlor. The girl turned back inside, and Khadijah followed closely behind her, holding the washed bowl. Hajiya Salaha asked, "Where are you coming from?" Khadijah pointed to the bowl and said, "I went to wash it." Exclaiming in shock and clapping her hands, Hajiya Salaha said, "So you just went and threw away the food, Khadijah?" Terrified, Khadijah said, "By Allah, Mama, I didn't throw it away." Hajiya Maimuna chimed in, "You are lying! Are you the one who could eat all that *tuwo* until it's finished?" Khadijah pleaded, "But I didn't throw it away, by Allah." Hajiya Salaha asked, "Then what did you do with it?" Softly, she said, "I gave it to an *almajiri*." Hajiya Maimuna picked up a cup and threw it at her, saying, "Allah will judge you!" Khadijah bolted through the door and ran outside upon seeing Hajiya Salaha stand up. She went to stand by the gate, terrified. Just like yesterday, it was Kawu who brought her back into the parlor. After knocking her on the head and taunting her to his heart's content, he turned to his wives angrily, reiterating that if they caused Khadijah to get malaria, not a single cent of his would go toward a headache treatment unless they were going to take her to the hospital themselves. None of them answered him. He finished his ranting and went inside.
The next day, after everyone had left for school, Khadijah began washing yesterday's dishes. She looked as if she was about to cry because they were all completely dried up. She spent nearly an hour at the tap before leaving the rest of the dishes and going inside. Hajiya asked, "Are you done, you hypocrite?" She shook her head and said, "I am halfway through." Hajiya ordered her to get back out there and finish immediately. Khadijah came out, looked at the clock, and saw it was past nine-thirty. Stealthily, she headed for the gate, scanning the street to find it empty since it was a quiet neighborhood. She parted the flowers at the exact spot as yesterday and saw a white plastic bag. Flashing her teeth, she grabbed it quickly and went inside. She headed to the backyard, looking around suspiciously like a thief. She found the spot where she sat yesterday, sat down, opened the bag, and pulled out the takeaway pack. It was French fries with a generous amount of eggs mixed in. She closed her eyes with a smile. She pulled out a small water bottle that was also in the bag, opened it, and looking inside, saw it was tea rich with milk and Milo. Her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Wowwww!" Her hands were practically shaking as she brought it to her mouth, sipping slowly so it wouldn't burn her, though she found it wasn't too hot. From the moment she put it to her lips, she didn't set it down until the tea was completely gone. She put the bottle down, closed it, blinking contentedly, and picked up the fork inside the bag to start eating the potatoes and eggs. She struggled to finish it all because she was full, but she didn't want to waste the food. She stood up slowly, looking around cautiously, ran out to dump the takeaway pack in the trash heap, came back to the tap to wash the bottle, put it back in a plastic bag, returned to the flowers, opened them up to place it there, and then came back inside to continue her dishwashing. After she finished, she went inside, and Hajiya Maimuna scornfully pointed to a covered cup of *kunu* (gruel) and a piece of dry bread in a nylon bag, saying, "If you like, there they are. Because a servant won't indulge your attitude since she has support." Khadijah shook her head without even looking in the direction of the *kunu* and said, "I am full, Mama." Hajiya Maimuna dropped her jaw in disbelief, then gave a malicious smile, nodding her head as she said, "Well, Masha Allah." Khadijah sat down in her favorite position, and eventually, Hajiya Maimuna stood up and went inside. Khadijah lay down because she felt her stomach was quite heavy, and sleep overtook her almost immediately.
Later that day, rice with oil and pepper was cooked. She watched them scoop out portions for the household, while she couldn't care less. Instead, she was saddled with a pile of children's socks and panties to wash at the tap—something she had never done before. She just kept rubbing the socks, pouting, as she began to feel hungry around three o'clock. She started looking around cautiously before standing up like someone with a guilty conscience and heading out to the gate. She gently opened the flower bush and saw a fresh white plastic bag. Widening her eyes, she picked up the bag and noticed that the bottle she had drank from earlier wasn't there. She went inside quickly and headed straight to the backyard. The bag contained a snack and a bottle of Five Alive. She ate it rapidly, drank the beverage, went out to dump the wrappers in the trash, and returned to continue her washing. It was almost time for the Asr prayer when the guests left. Hajiya Salaha came out to see the laundry Khadijah had done, and she practically wept with frustration. She was foaming at the mouth with anger and insults, while Khadijah just stood against the wall, watching her and playing with the flower patterns on her gown. Hajiya Salaha ended up throwing all the clothes back into the bucket, pouring in detergent to wash them all over again. Khadijah certainly received a heavy dose of condemnation for wasting her detergent. Eventually, Hajiya Maimuna called her—as if she had overheard the advice the shopkeeper gave Khadijah—and handed her a piece of paper listing the items she was to buy for her, along with the money, and sent her to the shop. Upon reaching the shop, after handing him the paper, Khadijah asked him for a sheet of paper and a pen. As he handed them to her, she sat down while he proceeded to pack her errand items into a bag. She wrote the following note: *"Assalam, I am soo happy you fulfilled ur promise, I am no longer hungry anymore, I love the foods, may Allah reward u abundantly, I like you."* She stared at her neat, beautiful handwriting with a smile, then folded the paper, returned the pen to the shopkeeper, collected her items, and hurried away. She left the note inside the flowers where it could easily be seen and then entered the house. Hajiya Salaha, who was busy washing, threw a hateful glare at her and said, "That's why your own clothes over there in the laundry basket are practically breeding worms, waiting for the father who will wash them for you, since you haven't bought all those things." Khadijah said nothing; she went inside and delivered the items to Hajiya Maimuna. By five-thirty, all the children had returned, and food was served to everyone except her. She didn't even glance toward where their food was, completely ignoring it until everyone finished eating and took their bowls outside. Hajiya Salaha went into the kitchen to meet her co-wife, who was cooking, and said, "Maman Hafsa, do you know that girl didn't eat breakfast earlier, and even now she doesn't even care to ask where her food is?" Hajiya Maimuna replied, "By Allah, I am watching her. Just let us keep our eyes open; the day she collapses is fast approaching. As for me, I won't beg her to come and eat. If she doesn't eat, it's a gain for our own children." Hajiya Salaha walked out, saying, “Well, you see me, I am not paying her any attention either.”
In the evening, palm oil macaroni was cooked. Khadijah refused to go to the kitchen to collect her portion; she just kept watching TV. Hajiya Salaha barked a command at her, saying, "Well, get up quickly, go outside, and wash the bowls that were dirtied earlier. Surely you aren't just sitting there waiting for food to be brought to you..." Khadijah stood up and hurried out of the parlor. Hajiya watched her leave in surprise, thinking she was heading to the kitchen. Khadijah went to do a little bit of the dishwashing before quickly slipping out to the gate. She opened the flower bush, and there was another bag. Smiling, she picked it up, went back inside
They all began saying, "Welcome back, Abba..." He didn't even pay attention to them and asked, "What is that girl doing outside?" Hajiya Maimuna curled her lip and said, "Sitting out there waiting for you to return." Hajiya Salaha added, "Ever since before the Asr prayer, I noticed that girl you saw out there had left. We kept going from street to street with the neighbors looking for her, and she didn't return to this house until dusk. She completely kept us on edge earlier; the house was in absolute chaos." He said, "And so she should be left sitting outside in the mosquitoes to give me something that will make me have to take her to the hospital?" Hajiya Salaha replied, "Well, Alhaji, I could only do to her what crossed my mind, which is why I said she should just stay outside." He said, "Well, let no one dare send her outside at this hour ever again, no matter what on earth she has done... I have warned you." Turning around, he looked at Khadijah, who was standing huddled by the corner in fear, and said, "Come here." She approached quickly. With a deeply stern face, he asked, "Where did you go?" Tears filled her eyes as she pointed outside with her hand, her body trembling. He yanked her closer, pushed her inside, and said, "Do it again tomorrow. The mosquitoes that bit you out there alone should be enough for you." From there, he walked inside, adding, "You can give her food if she wants to eat, and if she won't eat, let her sleep hungry." He went straight to his room. Khadijah sat on the floor against a chair, not daring to make eye contact with the Hajiyas, who kept throwing hateful glares at her. In a rusty bowl, they served her *tuwo* with the *kubewa* (okra) soup that had been cooked. She slowly pulled the food toward her, looking at it. She brought a spoonful of the soup to her mouth and grimaced slightly. Seeing that Hajiya Maimuna was watching her, she quickly adjusted her expression and fixed her eyes on the TV, just like every other occupant of the parlor was doing. Soon, she heard Hajiya Maimuna tell Hafsa to go pick up the food bowl and take it to the kitchen. Khadijah didn't mind, because she wasn't even hungry anyway. Around eleven-thirty in the night, everyone went to their sleeping quarters. She also lay down on the mat she had been directed to use in Sajida's room, under the pretext that the mattress could not accommodate all of them.
After five days, Khadijah was sitting in the courtyard in the evening, facing a mountain of dishes that the Hajiyas had piled up for her to wash. Meanwhile, they were inside with their children since it was a Friday and there was no Islamic school. She was working reluctantly, pouting because she had been banned from watching TV—something she got beaten over almost every day because she refused to give it up; she just had to watch. She had become completely gaunt and frail; one look at her and you would know she faced severe hunger and hardship, coupled with a lack of familiarity with hard labor. To be fair, she could now wash their plates, except she would spend over two hours on the dishes. As for the clothes on her body, they looked as if she had stepped into a river because of how drenched they got whenever she did the dishes. By now, they had completely stopped making her sweep because she simply didn't know how to do it, leaving her with only dishwashing and drawing water—sometimes outside when there was a power outage. From the day she had gone out until now, she hadn't stepped out again unless she was sent to the shopkeeper or to fetch water in the small bucket she usually carried. To this day, she hadn't tasted delicious food like the one from the house she had visited. The food in Kawu's house was nothing but macaroni, *tuwo*, or rice and beans with oil and pepper. Since she disliked all of it, she remained constantly hungry. Hafsa came out, tossed some money at her, and said, "Khadijah, Mama says you should go to the shopkeeper and buy laundry soap, two sachets of Hypo bleach, and fifty naira worth of Star Maggi." Khadijah pouted and said nothing. She stood up after Hafsa went back inside, knowing that Hajiya might peek out to see if she had left. She entered the parlor, and Hajiya Salaha asked, "What about the errand?" Khadijah looked at her wet clothes and said, "Mama, I want to change my clothes." Hajiya snapped at her, saying, "Get out of my sight! You fool, you deliberately drench your clothes during dishwashing as if you don't know any better." She turned and went out. She looked down at her clothes, which were soaked from above her knees down to the hem. She headed for the gate with a cap on her head because the children of the house had inherited all of her hijabs. It was a long walk to the shopkeeper. As she walked, she toyed with a small stick in her hand. She passed the house where she had once eaten, her eyes fixed on the gate, but there was no way to enter. Arriving at the shopkeeper's, out of all the items she was sent to get, she could only remember the Maggi. She rushed back home, entered the parlor, and looked at Hafsa as if she was about to cry, asking, "What and what did you say I should get?" Hajiya Salaha gave a smirk, looked at her co-wife, and said, "What did I tell you?" Hajiya Maimuna replied, "Did you hear me argue with you? Has she ever been sent on an errand without returning to ask what she was sent for?" Hajiya Salaha said, "By Allah, your father ruined your life, and your stepmother clearly showed she didn't care about you since she spoiled and ruined you just because she wasn't the one who gave birth to you. Otherwise, how can a fully grown, mature girl like you forget what you were sent to buy every single time, only to return claiming you forgot, with nothing but your arrogant English? As for me, by Allah, ever since this girl came into this house, I have been dealing with nonsense that even the children I gave birth to never put me through. Allah will judge this, by Allah!" Hajiya Maimuna shrugged and said, "You are the one who chooses to tolerate her. Do you see me doing that? For me, it's nothing but beatings." Kabir repeated the errand to Khadijah, and she rushed out quickly, repeating what he said in her mind until she reached the shopkeeper and told him. Laughing, the shopkeeper asked, "Are you a firstborn child?" She widened her eyes and said, "I don't understand." He laughed and said, "Ah, I am not a white man. To make your back-and-forth trips easier whenever you are sent on an errand, just tell them to be writing down the list for you at home, you hear?" She said, “Okay then.”
The sound of a voice saying he should be given a phone card made her turn around quickly. Their eyes met, and she flashed her white teeth, saying, "Good evening." He looked her up and down from head to toe and said, "How are you?" She tilted her head sideways and said, "I should say fine." Nodding his head, he said, "Good." Receiving the card the shopkeeper handed to him, he said, "A tall girl like you shouldn't come out without a hijab." She said softly, "I don't have a hijab right now." He didn't say anything as he loaded the card before asking, "Then why are your clothes soaked?" She said, "I have been washing dishes since afternoon." He asked, "Where is your house?" She said, "Our home is three houses away from yours." He looked at her and asked, "Alhaji Jibril's house?" She nodded her head. He asked, "Are you his daughter?" She shook her head slowly. He asked, "When did you come to the house?" She looked up as if thinking deeply and then said, "Ten days ago." He nodded and said nothing more. She took her bag of items and change, looking at him. Before she could say anything, he asked, "What is your name?" She said, "Khadijah." He said, "Good." Softly, she said, "I want to come and eat food at your house, but I am forbidden. And I can't eat the food they cook; it's just a concoction." She finished the sentence in a low whisper. He asked, "Why were you forbidden?" She said, "The Mamas said they will kill me if I dare go anywhere again, and I am scared." He looked at her but didn't say anything. She stepped a bit closer to him and whispered, "Could you be bringing your house's food to me yourself?" He widened his eyes and asked, "Where?" She replied, "To our house, of course. Then I can hide in the backyard and eat it." As she spoke, tears filled her white eyes. Seeing that he remained silent, she continued, "I am always hungry..." He lowered his gaze from her face and still said nothing.
*Haske Writers Association*💡
Watching him, Khadijah softly said, "Please." He looked up at her before asking, "Where would I see you to give you the food?" She fell silent as if contemplating. Eventually, she said, "Okay, there are flowers near the gate. You can just be leaving it there for me, and when I come out, I will pick it up." He smiled and said, "Really?" She nodded her head. He said, "Okay." She stepped even closer to him and said, "Promise you will do that, please." He said, "I will." She widened her eyes, clasped her hands together, and said, "Thank you very much, may Allah reward you. Bye!" With that, she turned swiftly, left the place, and headed home while his eyes followed her. Nobody paid her any attention as she placed the items on the chair, went back outside, and happily continued her dishwashing. It was nearly five o'clock when she finished and went inside. Hajiya Maimuna handed her a huge pile of her children's clothes to fold and arrange in the cupboard. It was almost magrib when she finished. Seeing everyone making ablution, she also went to the tap, performed her ablution, and returned to pray. As she sat huddled against a sofa, a call was made for everyone to go to the kitchen to collect their food. She stood up too, knowing Hajiya Maimuna could hurl a barrage of insults at her if she saw she hadn't shown up. It was *tuwo* with *karkashi* soup that day. She came out after her portion was scooped out for her, staring at the middle of the *tuwo*. Sitting down, she dipped her hand into the steaming soup, scooped some up, and put it in her mouth. She couldn't swallow it and began stealing glances at the people in the parlor, trying very hard to keep her face normal. Everyone's attention was fixed on a Hausa movie playing on the TV. Since they didn't watch Hausa movies back at her own home, she didn't even bother looking at the screen. She slipped out quietly, holding the bowl of *tuwo*, placed it on the veranda, and rushed to the gate. She gently knelt by the flowers at the gate, praying that he had left the food for her. She carefully parted the flowers to look, and sure enough, she saw a white plastic bag. She grabbed it quickly, opened it, and saw a takeaway pack and a bottle of Five Alive. Setting the bag down, she did a huge jump of joy, then picked it up and, almost tripping over her own feet, hurried inside. She rushed to the backyard, found a secluded corner, sat down, and opened the food. It was jollof rice with chicken, plantains, and sauce on the side. Overjoyed, she began eating, nodding her head and even closing her eyes in delight. She ate the food quickly, opened the drink, and drank almost half of it, unable to finish the rest. She stood up, hid the drink bottle, took the takeaway pack, went out to the gate, tossed it into the large trash bin, and came back inside, wiping her mouth. She startled upon seeing the *tuwo* she had left behind; she averted her eyes quickly as if she had seen something repulsive, picked it up like trash with a grimace, and went outside. She found an *almajiri* (beggar boy), poured it out for him, and returned to the house to wash the bowl at the tap. Sajidah peeked out, indicating that it was only then they realized she wasn't in the parlor. The girl turned back inside, and Khadijah followed closely behind her, holding the washed bowl. Hajiya Salaha asked, "Where are you coming from?" Khadijah pointed to the bowl and said, "I went to wash it." Exclaiming in shock and clapping her hands, Hajiya Salaha said, "So you just went and threw away the food, Khadijah?" Terrified, Khadijah said, "By Allah, Mama, I didn't throw it away." Hajiya Maimuna chimed in, "You are lying! Are you the one who could eat all that *tuwo* until it's finished?" Khadijah pleaded, "But I didn't throw it away, by Allah." Hajiya Salaha asked, "Then what did you do with it?" Softly, she said, "I gave it to an *almajiri*." Hajiya Maimuna picked up a cup and threw it at her, saying, "Allah will judge you!" Khadijah bolted through the door and ran outside upon seeing Hajiya Salaha stand up. She went to stand by the gate, terrified. Just like yesterday, it was Kawu who brought her back into the parlor. After knocking her on the head and taunting her to his heart's content, he turned to his wives angrily, reiterating that if they caused Khadijah to get malaria, not a single cent of his would go toward a headache treatment unless they were going to take her to the hospital themselves. None of them answered him. He finished his ranting and went inside.
The next day, after everyone had left for school, Khadijah began washing yesterday's dishes. She looked as if she was about to cry because they were all completely dried up. She spent nearly an hour at the tap before leaving the rest of the dishes and going inside. Hajiya asked, "Are you done, you hypocrite?" She shook her head and said, "I am halfway through." Hajiya ordered her to get back out there and finish immediately. Khadijah came out, looked at the clock, and saw it was past nine-thirty. Stealthily, she headed for the gate, scanning the street to find it empty since it was a quiet neighborhood. She parted the flowers at the exact spot as yesterday and saw a white plastic bag. Flashing her teeth, she grabbed it quickly and went inside. She headed to the backyard, looking around suspiciously like a thief. She found the spot where she sat yesterday, sat down, opened the bag, and pulled out the takeaway pack. It was French fries with a generous amount of eggs mixed in. She closed her eyes with a smile. She pulled out a small water bottle that was also in the bag, opened it, and looking inside, saw it was tea rich with milk and Milo. Her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Wowwww!" Her hands were practically shaking as she brought it to her mouth, sipping slowly so it wouldn't burn her, though she found it wasn't too hot. From the moment she put it to her lips, she didn't set it down until the tea was completely gone. She put the bottle down, closed it, blinking contentedly, and picked up the fork inside the bag to start eating the potatoes and eggs. She struggled to finish it all because she was full, but she didn't want to waste the food. She stood up slowly, looking around cautiously, ran out to dump the takeaway pack in the trash heap, came back to the tap to wash the bottle, put it back in a plastic bag, returned to the flowers, opened them up to place it there, and then came back inside to continue her dishwashing. After she finished, she went inside, and Hajiya Maimuna scornfully pointed to a covered cup of *kunu* (gruel) and a piece of dry bread in a nylon bag, saying, "If you like, there they are. Because a servant won't indulge your attitude since she has support." Khadijah shook her head without even looking in the direction of the *kunu* and said, "I am full, Mama." Hajiya Maimuna dropped her jaw in disbelief, then gave a malicious smile, nodding her head as she said, "Well, Masha Allah." Khadijah sat down in her favorite position, and eventually, Hajiya Maimuna stood up and went inside. Khadijah lay down because she felt her stomach was quite heavy, and sleep overtook her almost immediately.
Later that day, rice with oil and pepper was cooked. She watched them scoop out portions for the household, while she couldn't care less. Instead, she was saddled with a pile of children's socks and panties to wash at the tap—something she had never done before. She just kept rubbing the socks, pouting, as she began to feel hungry around three o'clock. She started looking around cautiously before standing up like someone with a guilty conscience and heading out to the gate. She gently opened the flower bush and saw a fresh white plastic bag. Widening her eyes, she picked up the bag and noticed that the bottle she had drank from earlier wasn't there. She went inside quickly and headed straight to the backyard. The bag contained a snack and a bottle of Five Alive. She ate it rapidly, drank the beverage, went out to dump the wrappers in the trash, and returned to continue her washing. It was almost time for the Asr prayer when the guests left. Hajiya Salaha came out to see the laundry Khadijah had done, and she practically wept with frustration. She was foaming at the mouth with anger and insults, while Khadijah just stood against the wall, watching her and playing with the flower patterns on her gown. Hajiya Salaha ended up throwing all the clothes back into the bucket, pouring in detergent to wash them all over again. Khadijah certainly received a heavy dose of condemnation for wasting her detergent. Eventually, Hajiya Maimuna called her—as if she had overheard the advice the shopkeeper gave Khadijah—and handed her a piece of paper listing the items she was to buy for her, along with the money, and sent her to the shop. Upon reaching the shop, after handing him the paper, Khadijah asked him for a sheet of paper and a pen. As he handed them to her, she sat down while he proceeded to pack her errand items into a bag. She wrote the following note: *"Assalam, I am soo happy you fulfilled ur promise, I am no longer hungry anymore, I love the foods, may Allah reward u abundantly, I like you."* She stared at her neat, beautiful handwriting with a smile, then folded the paper, returned the pen to the shopkeeper, collected her items, and hurried away. She left the note inside the flowers where it could easily be seen and then entered the house. Hajiya Salaha, who was busy washing, threw a hateful glare at her and said, "That's why your own clothes over there in the laundry basket are practically breeding worms, waiting for the father who will wash them for you, since you haven't bought all those things." Khadijah said nothing; she went inside and delivered the items to Hajiya Maimuna. By five-thirty, all the children had returned, and food was served to everyone except her. She didn't even glance toward where their food was, completely ignoring it until everyone finished eating and took their bowls outside. Hajiya Salaha went into the kitchen to meet her co-wife, who was cooking, and said, "Maman Hafsa, do you know that girl didn't eat breakfast earlier, and even now she doesn't even care to ask where her food is?" Hajiya Maimuna replied, "By Allah, I am watching her. Just let us keep our eyes open; the day she collapses is fast approaching. As for me, I won't beg her to come and eat. If she doesn't eat, it's a gain for our own children." Hajiya Salaha walked out, saying, “Well, you see me, I am not paying her any attention either.”
In the evening, palm oil macaroni was cooked. Khadijah refused to go to the kitchen to collect her portion; she just kept watching TV. Hajiya Salaha barked a command at her, saying, "Well, get up quickly, go outside, and wash the bowls that were dirtied earlier. Surely you aren't just sitting there waiting for food to be brought to you..." Khadijah stood up and hurried out of the parlor. Hajiya watched her leave in surprise, thinking she was heading to the kitchen. Khadijah went to do a little bit of the dishwashing before quickly slipping out to the gate. She opened the flower bush, and there was another bag. Smiling, she picked it up, went back inside