She is a girl of about nine years old, dressed up beautifully in an English-style gown. Her hair was tied neatly with a lovely baby-pink ribbon. She isn’t very fair-skinned, but she’s quite pretty—one of those children everyone loves. She has dimples on her cheeks that show whenever she smiles or laughs, which adds greatly to her beauty.
“Aunty Aina! Aunty Aina, give me the chocolates Uncle Datti bought for me,” she said as she headed toward the parlour at top speed, because she truly loved chocolates. That’s why every time she visited, she made Uncle Datti buy them for her.
“Allah Khadija, I won’t give you. Haven’t I been stopping you from eating sweets? Or do you want it to harm you?” she said briefly, with a slight frown.
“Eeyyaaa, aunty, I’m sorry. Please give me. Just one today, I won’t ask again,” she pleaded.
“Hmmm, Nana, you’re just a child—you won’t understand the harm sweets can cause a woman. But since you said so, hand me my eyeglasses so I can wear them and go get one for you,” she said. Rana suffered badly from chronic eye problems; she couldn’t see without her medicated glasses. Without them, everything looked dark and blurry to her, even her own hands.
As if she had been waiting for that moment, she picked the glasses from the glass table and handed them to her. She took her by the hand and led her into the room, telling her to wait outside so she wouldn’t see where the chocolates were kept.
She came out with just one and handed it to her. “Here, this is the last one—don’t disturb me again.”
Instead of taking it, she pouted and burst into a spoilt cry, insisting she wouldn’t take it unless she was given more.
Her crying grew louder, and Uncle Datti came out angrily. He couldn’t stand seeing his “baby angel” upset, let alone crying. Any day she cried, he wouldn’t have peace until he satisfied her demands and she calmed down.
Sometimes, when he hovered around Nana, Aunty Aina would wonder: between her and Nana, whom did he really love? Why didn’t he pamper her the way he pampered Nana? Or did Uncle Datti love Nana more? All these thoughts ran through her mind without answers.
She saw him rush to Nana, completely flustered, comforting her like a fool. “Shhh… calm down, my angel. Tell me what’s bothering you. Who touched you?” he asked anxiously.
Aunty Aina stood speechless, staring at him in shock. What shocked her even more was Nana breaking into louder sobs, forcing Aina to get angry while he seemed completely beside himself.
With a pout, Nana said tearfully, “Uncle, I want chocolates. Aunty Aina refused to give me more.”
“Alright, alright, stop crying. Let’s go and buy some,” he said. They left the house together, leaving Aina standing there stiffly, astonished.
Seeing it wouldn’t end, she went to the kitchen and cooked rich jollof rice, filling the kitchen with an enticing aroma. Afterward, she went to her room, changed, and bathed. She dressed elegantly in a grey lace outfit—blouse and wrapper. One glance at her showed she was truly beautiful; her beauty wasn’t from her clothes but from herself—she was naturally beautiful.
She returned to the parlour and sat quietly. There was no sign of them until the Maghrib call to prayer. She performed ablution and prayed. Just as she finished, she heard Datti greet her from her room. She replied and turned, seeing him staring at her intensely.
“Hey madam, what’s that look for?” Datti said, tapping her lightly.
Slightly annoyed, she said, “Dear, how long will I keep telling you to reduce buying sweets for that child? You know my reason—we have diabetes in our family, and it’s hereditary. Have you forgotten?”
“Come on, wife,” he replied calmly. “I know. I haven’t forgotten. I wouldn’t want anything to harm her. Diabetes doesn’t usually affect children; it’s advised to be careful after forty.”
“Still, reduce it. You spoil her too much.”
He smiled and said, “Whatever I do for Nana is because she’s our blood.”
Seeing her mood, he told Nana to go to her room. After she left, he hugged Aina lovingly until she calmed down.
Since he was a government worker, he left early the next day for the office. He was a senior doctor at Plateau Hospital in Jos. On arrival, they had a patient scheduled for breast surgery, diagnosed with breast fibroadenoma. They worked until about 3 p.m., as it was a hectic day.
Afterward, he called Aina. She picked up.
“Wife, it’s been quiet from my side, right?”
“Hmm,” she replied softly.
“I haven’t heard from my baby angel in a while.”
“She’s in her room playing with her teddy bear. Wait, I’m braiding her hair.”
He laughed. “That’s Nana—the queen of trouble. Anyway, I’m heading home now. What should I bring you?”
“We have everything, my man. You’ve never lacked us anything.”
Her words pleased him; Aina knew how to speak sweetly.
After the call, he stopped by the family house and met his grandmother, Hajiya Rahane, watching TV happily. He greeted her, joked, and chatted, mostly about Nana. Later, he went home, missing Nana deeply.
He arrived home around 8:30 p.m. due to traffic. Nana was asleep on a three-seater chair, wearing a shirt and shorts, hair untidy. He stood watching her, smiling. Despite her age, her beauty showed. He lifted her gently and took her to his room, then checked on Aina, who was praying.
Later, a misunderstanding arose when Aina couldn’t find Nana and feared she’d been kidnapped, only for Datti to reveal Nana was asleep in his room. They laughed, ate together, and went to bed.
That night, Aina lay awake, troubled by her fate, praying to God to protect her digni
She is a girl of about nine years old, dressed up beautifully in an English-style gown. Her hair was tied neatly with a lovely baby-pink ribbon. She isn’t very fair-skinned, but she’s quite pretty—one of those children everyone loves. She has dimples on her cheeks that show whenever she smiles or laughs, which adds greatly to her beauty.
“Aunty Aina! Aunty Aina, give me the chocolates Uncle Datti bought for me,” she said as she headed toward the parlour at top speed, because she truly loved chocolates. That’s why every time she visited, she made Uncle Datti buy them for her.
“Allah Khadija, I won’t give you. Haven’t I been stopping you from eating sweets? Or do you want it to harm you?” she said briefly, with a slight frown.
“Eeyyaaa, aunty, I’m sorry. Please give me. Just one today, I won’t ask again,” she pleaded.
“Hmmm, Nana, you’re just a child—you won’t understand the harm sweets can cause a woman. But since you said so, hand me my eyeglasses so I can wear them and go get one for you,” she said. Rana suffered badly from chronic eye problems; she couldn’t see without her medicated glasses. Without them, everything looked dark and blurry to her, even her own hands.
As if she had been waiting for that moment, she picked the glasses from the glass table and handed them to her. She took her by the hand and led her into the room, telling her to wait outside so she wouldn’t see where the chocolates were kept.
She came out with just one and handed it to her. “Here, this is the last one—don’t disturb me again.”
Instead of taking it, she pouted and burst into a spoilt cry, insisting she wouldn’t take it unless she was given more.
Her crying grew louder, and Uncle Datti came out angrily. He couldn’t stand seeing his “baby angel” upset, let alone crying. Any day she cried, he wouldn’t have peace until he satisfied her demands and she calmed down.
Sometimes, when he hovered around Nana, Aunty Aina would wonder: between her and Nana, whom did he really love? Why didn’t he pamper her the way he pampered Nana? Or did Uncle Datti love Nana more? All these thoughts ran through her mind without answers.
She saw him rush to Nana, completely flustered, comforting her like a fool. “Shhh… calm down, my angel. Tell me what’s bothering you. Who touched you?” he asked anxiously.
Aunty Aina stood speechless, staring at him in shock. What shocked her even more was Nana breaking into louder sobs, forcing Aina to get angry while he seemed completely beside himself.
With a pout, Nana said tearfully, “Uncle, I want chocolates. Aunty Aina refused to give me more.”
“Alright, alright, stop crying. Let’s go and buy some,” he said. They left the house together, leaving Aina standing there stiffly, astonished.
Seeing it wouldn’t end, she went to the kitchen and cooked rich jollof rice, filling the kitchen with an enticing aroma. Afterward, she went to her room, changed, and bathed. She dressed elegantly in a grey lace outfit—blouse and wrapper. One glance at her showed she was truly beautiful; her beauty wasn’t from her clothes but from herself—she was naturally beautiful.
She returned to the parlour and sat quietly. There was no sign of them until the Maghrib call to prayer. She performed ablution and prayed. Just as she finished, she heard Datti greet her from her room. She replied and turned, seeing him staring at her intensely.
“Hey madam, what’s that look for?” Datti said, tapping her lightly.
Slightly annoyed, she said, “Dear, how long will I keep telling you to reduce buying sweets for that child? You know my reason—we have diabetes in our family, and it’s hereditary. Have you forgotten?”
“Come on, wife,” he replied calmly. “I know. I haven’t forgotten. I wouldn’t want anything to harm her. Diabetes doesn’t usually affect children; it’s advised to be careful after forty.”
“Still, reduce it. You spoil her too much.”
He smiled and said, “Whatever I do for Nana is because she’s our blood.”
Seeing her mood, he told Nana to go to her room. After she left, he hugged Aina lovingly until she calmed down.
Since he was a government worker, he left early the next day for the office. He was a senior doctor at Plateau Hospital in Jos. On arrival, they had a patient scheduled for breast surgery, diagnosed with breast fibroadenoma. They worked until about 3 p.m., as it was a hectic day.
Afterward, he called Aina. She picked up.
“Wife, it’s been quiet from my side, right?”
“Hmm,” she replied softly.
“I haven’t heard from my baby angel in a while.”
“She’s in her room playing with her teddy bear. Wait, I’m braiding her hair.”
He laughed. “That’s Nana—the queen of trouble. Anyway, I’m heading home now. What should I bring you?”
“We have everything, my man. You’ve never lacked us anything.”
Her words pleased him; Aina knew how to speak sweetly.
After the call, he stopped by the family house and met his grandmother, Hajiya Rahane, watching TV happily. He greeted her, joked, and chatted, mostly about Nana. Later, he went home, missing Nana deeply.
He arrived home around 8:30 p.m. due to traffic. Nana was asleep on a three-seater chair, wearing a shirt and shorts, hair untidy. He stood watching her, smiling. Despite her age, her beauty showed. He lifted her gently and took her to his room, then checked on Aina, who was praying.
Later, a misunderstanding arose when Aina couldn’t find Nana and feared she’d been kidnapped, only for Datti to reveal Nana was asleep in his room. They laughed, ate together, and went to bed.
That night, Aina lay awake, troubled by her fate, praying to God to protect her digni