By Maryam Altine Baba
Chapter sixteen
The loud doleful wail echoed from within the walls of the house and did attract people’s attention even beyond, but not a single person picked interest in saving the situation. Or they’d pretended not to. It was dearth of the night when even the slightest sound could be picked up.
So, Zainab knew no one would come to her rescue let alone save her from the beast that pounced at her like she was a punching sack. But by morning, the women would shamelessly loiter about her quarters just so they would mock her bruises.
Some pretended to greet her and would ask her how her night was. It was more like she’d become an art masterpiece that was punched and polished just so she could be displayed at a gallery for all to look at.
“Useless girl, you have made my life very miserable.” Ali scowled at her.
That was the second time in three days that she’d received such beatings. The weeks that preceded it was twice. They kept coming in higher numbers like it was winning contest. Yet, she kept tolerating it. The reason eluded her.
Maybe it was because she had turned against every sense of good reasoning to be with an addict; Or because everyone in the house had turned their backs against her. Everyone she knew, which included friends and family; every single person that mattered.
So, what if she had erred? Wasn’t she entitled to a second chance? Was she the only one who committed the mistake of marrying someone she loved? Asma’u made the same mistake, yet no one rejected her.
Now Asma’u and the rest of the world had forsaken her, turned a cold shoulder and face of indifference to her ordeal.
So, she’d thought she was successful in her quest and had thought if she had given so much for love, her dreams would be realized. True, she had taken delight in trying to prove how wrong people had been about her whole saga, had sacrificed so much. In the end, she had realized a little too late that it wasn’t worth it at all.
When Aliyu had slapped her for the first time, she’d forgiven him then and things looked promising between them. He didn’t hit her again and their relationship became cordial, taking things slowly, one step at a time. She’d always been the one to initiate intimacy between them. He’d never bothered with it.
Oh, she hadn’t minded at all. To her, it felt like the path to healing and felt elated, ecstatic even. As the months glided, Ali became the sober loving and caring man she’d envisaged him to be. They spent more time together, ate together. He’d even started to work as a bricklayer to make ends meet. It was satisfyingly exhilarating.
Zainab was sure soon enough, everyone in the village that had thought him to be a hooligan will be shamed.
On one Sunday afternoon, Ali had announced that he had acquired a piece of land against the following year’s planting season. Zainab was on top of the world happy then and had begged to accompany him to see the land.
On their way, he had laid down his plans of buying a house for them immediately after the rainy season. He even mentioned purchasing a second-hand bicycle and Zee’s happiness couldn’t be contained.
She wanted to raise her voice and shout on top of her voice to call on the people that had doubted her choice, had felt sorry because she gave her heart out to the one person it has chosen to be with. It was surreal, almost real.
But there was something about a dream that was true….it isn’t reality, just what it was – dream.
What ensued after they had reached the farmland was nothing short of horrific scene played out straight from a horror movie, or even worse. Although what he had intended hadn’t happened, she’d never imagined that sort of thing ever happening to her.
She still shuddered just remembering it as every scene played out in her mind, engulfing her senses. Try as she had, she couldn’t shake it off, so she did what she was reduced to doing best – crying. Ali had disappointed her; he had violated her physically and emotionally.
She wasn’t sure if she would ever forgive him for almost what had happened on that day. Ali had offered her to his three friends for few wraps of weed so they would satiate their fantasies sexually. She had struggled, screamed and cried out to no avail. She then begged to be spared which also fell on deaf ears.
She was hit severally on the head and was almost strangled as the beasts pounced mercilessly at her. Ali just sat by the side on a rock and urged her to willfully give in to their desires, so they could go home.
She couldn’t believe what she’d heard him say, but she wasn’t about to offer her dignity for weed. She fought on, scratching, kicking wherever she could get at them. She was no match for their surprising strength in numbers; hence they just laughed at her hard and still carried on. Ali had the nerve to excuse himself from the scene, saying he would be back when they were done.
When he had left, Zainab felt a compelling pain pierce through her heart. She wasn’t hurt by his betrayal; she was rather hurt by her trusting him explicably in spite of all the odds showing not to.
She realized that she’d fooled herself and that she was to blame for all of what was happening to her. One last time, she decided she was going to keep fighting these rogues to the death. It was a matter of her honor and prestige.
“Whoa, you’re a feisty one, aren’t you? Aliyu was right about you, you’re quiet the bomb. He was kind enough to let us share in his pleasure. Just cooperate with us, and you shall be glad you did too.”
The hoodlum winked at her conspicuously as if she was a willing party. She wanted to kick him hard where ever it would hurt him so bad. But she was constrained by the other two thugs that held her down.
She’d became worn out emotionally and might as well let everything happen and be done with. She’d resigned to her fate when she heard the sound of dogs barking.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the hooligans at their worse!”
The voice of a man cut through across the lot and it seemed to have wielded the magic of stopping them.
“What are you doing here?” One of them asked as he struggled to straighten himself up and his eyes opened. “You can’t do anything to us.”
“We will maim you with our machetes right now if you don’t go away!” one other went ahead to threaten.
Zainab felt a sudden rush of adrenalin mixed with hope by just seeing another man that walked upright and looked normal. She’d once again tried to wiggle herself from their clutches, craving for freedom and at the same time, implored him not to leave.
She didn’t know him, had never seen him, let alone trust him. But he was the only one there who wasn’t bent on violating her. To her, he was the good guy. And from the way the thugs panicked when they saw him, she knew he was her only lifeline.
Her rescuer, all dressed up in jet black traditional attires, let his dogs loose at them while at the same time brought out his locally-made Dane gun and shot a bullet and the ash gun powder was released straight in to the air! The sound up close was almost deafening that Zainab placed her palms to save her ear drums.
That did the trick! They all bolted, dropping their weed and all and disappeared in to the bushes with the dogs hot on their trails. He then walked up to her slowly, giving her ample time to stand up from her squatting position.
“Are you alright?” He’d asked with a genuine concern pasted on his face.
Too shocked to respond, she nodded with more energy than she had intended.
“Very good.” He then passed on a small gourd that probably contained drinking water and continued, “Here, just wash your face and leave before they return.”
She reluctantly took the gourd and eyed it suspiciously. She didn’t want a case of a rescue turned nightmare. She washed her face and felt pangs of pain and saw fresh blood oozing from her freshly cut wounds. She carefully cleaned it before she handed the gourd back to him.
He busied himself with tying it back by his shoulder. “Which village are you from?” he’d asked without looking at her.
“Gaji.” Her reply was curt.
That was when he’d looked at her but only for a brief moment. He wore a solemn expression on his face so she couldn’t read anything. He said nothing further, not so much as asked her name. He just turned and made to take his leave. She stood there, rooted to the ground as if she had glue on her feet.
After a few steps, he turned when he realized she wasn’t following, “We don’t have all day. If you leave now, you might make it to Gaji before dusk.”
Slowly and reluctantly, she’d walked past him, picking up her pace as she limped due to injuries inflicted on her. By that time his dogs were back, wagging their tails as they approached him. He patted them on the back lovingly.
“Bala will accompany you home from here.” He’d declared.
She looked at him with a thousand questions in her head. Who was Bala? Where had he been? What if the hooligans came back to attack her and the so called Bala? She was usually cautious, but right now, she was placing the ultimate trust on him; her life!
He squatted close to one of the dogs and whispered gently to his ears, “Make sure she returns home safely Bala.”
The dog barked his consent and charged forward, wagging its tail. Zainab looked on, shockingly. So Bala happened to be a dog? Hmm, well, she supposed having his company was better than walking all alone by herself.
The young man had given her a small dagger also, “Use it when the need arises.”
And before she could respond, he’d walked away and disappeared in to the wilderness. Who was this man? Despite not knowing her, he’d helped her without asking for anything in return. He hadn’t judged her presence there, nor had he questioned her morality.
The dog barked again and she was jolted from her thoughts. She then hurriedly followed it all the way back to the village.
It was dusk by the time she’d reached the village. Luckily, the Magrib prayer was being offered then and so she was hardly noticed. The dog had returned to the bush upon their arrival at the village.
She’d slowly slipped in to her room, grateful for the cover the darkness offered. She had no choice than to go back to her matrimonial home, even if it was reduced to a mere joke of the century.
She knew she shouldn’t, but she hadn’t prepared to face her father, yet. She had no intention of saying anything about it to anyone. She’d made her bed, so she must lie in it.
Later that night, when she tended to her wounds, she kept thinking about the stranger that had rescued her. She knew it was wrong of her since she was still married, but she couldn’t help herself.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to her ordeal and then him. Was he from the same village as she? Or maybe he was from a neighboring village. She wondered, if that was so, if she would get to meet with him again. She hadn’t had the chance to thank him. And she had to return his dagger.
She knew one thing though. It was time she fought back whenever Ali got violent with her. If she was going to stick around with all her vital body parts intact, then she had to fight back hard. She’d stopped playing nice.
When she saw Ali again, it was a week after their stunt. He’d shamelessly walked in to the room completely wasted. He went straight to bed, snoring deeply without a care in the world. She was angry, flustered, but she ignored him completely. It wasn’t easy but she pulled it through.
The following morning when he was sober, he’d demanded for his breakfast. She wasn’t surprised, Aliyu had a lot of nerves. It’s been weeks since he gave her money for feeding. She’d been fending for herself. So, she refused to serve him any meal and had asked him to work for his meal and earn it before demanding for it.
Then he’d hit her, hard across the face. It stung and she’d hit him back. She could tell that he was just as surprised as she was. Never had she thought she would hit the man she loved, but this wasn’t the Ali she knew. He was a complete beast, one without a heart.
Hitting back gave her back confidence and boosted her morale. But it hadn’t stopped him. Ali had become a violent man, more abusive. He would hit her just for looking at him.
Slowly came several blows, left, right and center till she was defenseless and reduced to a whimpering mess. No one ever came to rescue her within the family or outside.
She had once taken him to the police station when she’d had enough, where he was detained and was forced to pay for her medical bills. Since he had nothing, his drug supplies were seized and he was almost arraigned before a court for assault and drug possession.
That was when one of his uncles had intervened and resolved the issue. The bills were settled and the matter rested. She was given a month’s worth supply of food and more money.
Malam Hamza had then insisted that they looked for another place to stay. According to him, they were corrupting his instilled values in his house and were threats to the family’s continued peace and co-existence with their never-ending drama.
“I have no intention of housing a girl who’d dragged her family to shame or an infidel ungrateful son who’d hit his very own mother! I do not want there to be a homicide one day here.”
As her father in law uttered those bitter truth words, it was then that reality had sunk. All those times Asma’u had warned her played out in her mind. All were given in time for her to use her brains to make her decisions then. She heeded none and had used her heart instead. Now she was paying the ultimate price.
On a Sunday afternoon, Iyami visited her quarter and had given her money, which she claimed was from her father-in law. Knowing the man, Zainab knew the woman had lied. He hated her presence and had spared no opportunity to show it. The man asked her out of his house for crying out loud!
Iyami would however, want her to stay for her son’s sake. She’d always encouraged her from the beginning, giving her so much love and hoping she would help her son to heal and redeem himself, to become a well-mannered man the society would accept.
“It is so you could start off a small business with it in order to fend for yourself.”
For weeks after the courtyard incidence, she wasn’t served food again from the main house. Actually, she had rejected the meal, twice. At that time, she was full of her hurt ego that consumed her. Now she knew better.
“You know, the world is full of evil. There are many people that are envious of Gadanga (name she’d affectionately given Aliyu). They have always been jealous of his relationship with his father, couldn’t tolerate it that he was his favorite. Now they want to his downfall, to destroy me too.”
As she shed her tears, her expression sullen, Zainab wondered between Iyami and herself, who’d been delusional, had lived in a fool’s paradise. Both were, no doubt. They seemed to have created a whole world around Ali and had devoted their all for nothing, traded their happiness for pains and misery.
As she sobbed herself to sleep, her thoughts drifted to her elder sister Asma’u. Oh, how she missed her. She missed both her sisters. Ever since that spat they had immediately after her marriage, she had not set her eyes on her. That was six months ago!
To be fair, Asma’u had called on her twice but met her absence. She sent her the news of her successful delivery of a healthy baby girl, but still, she had not reciprocated the gesture.
She had stuck to her stupid resolve of raising her family alone and differently. But one does not break off old ties simply because they wanted to forge new ones. It was one lesson she had learned the hard and bitter way. Now she’d made up her mind not leave her quarter, she’d learned to tame her emotions well.
She had nowhere to go even if she wanted to leave, so she was going to keep pretending everything was alright. She had no idea how, but she could always try. She just had to eat, sleep and wake up each morning with the same pain, same bruises in the same hell. She chose the hell; she was going to remain there for only Allah knows when!
Her business of oil extraction from the groundnuts took off rather roughly. She wasn’t used to hard labor due the endearment she’d enjoyed at home, but she adjusted fine. She became a pro at the art and skill and could extract two gallons of oil in one day alone. That was a feat.
She sold at the local market because no one within the family bought from her at the normal rate. It was like they were hell bent on making her business fail. That, no doubt was going to affect how she would sustain her fragile life. Still, she kept going. She was able to keep little cash in a piggy bank, which she kept securely away, for Ali also took every penny his eyes could see.
Out of her personal savings, she was able to purchase a young pregnant goat. She was happy that things had turned out well for her. It was short-lived however, when everything had disappeared one after the other.
In the end, she’d given up.
Zainab’s stay was once again miserable and her existence now threatened by series of violent acts from Aliyu. No police station would handle her case or take up her plea any more. And worse of all, there was nothing she could do about that. She didn’t know anyone that would stand up for her.
There were times she’d contemplated running off to an unknown destination but thought better of it. More so, she told herself she was stronger than that. Not giving up was her stronghold. It wasn’t a choice any longer, it was necessity.
She crossed her hands over her stomach and clenched them in a protective stance. She was pregnant; all the more reason for her to endure more than she’s bargained, to tolerate everything silently. She would do anything to protect her unborn child. At worse the marriage might be a bad idea but having her child would mean the world to her.
She sighed and her body shuddered. She had failed woefully, in her determination to change Ali. The leopard does not change its spot after all. Maybe it was what she was destined for. Or she had failed because she readily accepted defeat. If she had kept trying, things might have been different.
By morning she tried to stand up so she could get to the hospital, but her world crumbled further when she realized her room was locked as she attempted to open the door. It was locked from outside. At first, she thought it was jammed till she realized otherwise. Apparently, Ali’s heinous acts have not ended. He had locked her, again.
What little hope and aspiration she had evaporated as she was left with the staggering pain in place. When will these all end?
Zainab had then collapsed with a thud on the floor. Life became colorless suddenly to her and she was determined to close her eyes and hoped everything would end sooner. Nothing held any meaning any more, not her existence, not Ali’s love.
She couldn’t end her life, but she wished death would visit her and take her away from all the misery. She figured it was time she vanished from this cruel world.
Then she heard it. Someone was at her door! Suddenly, there was light at the end of the tunnel.
