By Maryam Altine Baba
Chapter Twenty six
“So, what do you think about the proposal, Malam?”
Malam Tijjani looked at his wife briefly and then let out a sigh. An opened book of the risala laid on his lap. He hadn’t read past the first page when she walked in with that.
It was unlike her to interrupt his reading session. He was sure the proposal from Marka bothered her more than she was trying to let on.
“I really don’t know Dija. Have you talked to Hauwa about it?
“Not yet. I promised to take it up with you first.”
“Well, it is a proposal for her. The decisions to accept or reject it solely rests on her.” He pretended to get back to his reading.
She kept quiet for a while before she divulged, “I don’t think the young man is right for her though. To top it all, his mother seemed to think they are doing us a favor by asking for her hand on his behalf.”
Her voice had a bitter tone, her eyes narrowed. Malam knew she didn’t approve of the prospective suitor. He didn’t like Uzairu either, but it really wasn’t up to them. And as they’d promised not to interfere in their children’s affairs, things got more difficult every time.
He closed up the book and regarded her, “It is still her decision to make Dija. We have failed twice, it is pertinent this time we actually do right by her.”
“What then do we do? We allow ourselves to flounder?”
“Dija….”
“What if she agrees to the proposal?” she asked, almost panicky.
He let out a short laugh, “Oh come now my dear, her sisters have made far worse choices. She’ll survive even if she made one. But the most important thing is to let her make the decision. It isn’t our own life to live.”
“But…”
Malam kept his book aside and held her hands, their fingers intertwined. That seemed to have calmed her down, a bit. “Why don’t you have a talk with Hauwa’u, find out if she’s interested in the proposal first, before you go all paranoid on me.”
She pouted and released her fingers from his, the action causing him to feel the impact of the separation, “Oh, so now I am paranoid?”
He gave a toothy smile, showing off his boyish charm. It had in the past mesmerized her, still does, “Oh come now Dija, enough of the children’s talk. I am hungry, I could eat an elephant.” He exaggerated as he patted his stomach.
Her mouth twitched as she stood up to her full height, “Let me go get your elephant for you then.”
He laughed a little as she left the room. She only got half way to the kitchen when she heard the salam by the door. She almost pouted at the rate which people visited the house, even at such odd hours.
But then she remembered Malam always told her that the best amongst people is the one who treats his neighbors and guests well. She also knew he hated to keep people waiting, so she rushed back to the room and informed him that someone was at the door.
He stood up to see who his guest was almost immediately. Moments later, he returned to inform her, “Bring my lunch to the zaure, I have a guest joining me.”
“Yes Malam.” As she watched his retreating form, she knew the guest had to be Yahuza, his young assistant. He came by any time of the day for study sessions.
The young man had impressed her from the very first time she’d met him. He still did. He was the sort of man she would want to have for an in law.
She’d secretly wished he’d be interested in Hauwa’u and asked for her hand from her father. She would have gladly agreed without the slightest hesitation to the union. She’d admired his composure and attractive qualities and was sure he’d make a great husband.
She sighed. That was wishful thinking on her part. Things do not happen as and when we wished them to. That was one reason why she’d never talked to her husband about it.
Like he had rightly said, things were not in their hands. Hauwa had the upper hand and they were bound to respect whatever decision she had taken.
With a brisk movement, she served lunch of tuwon masara and fresh okra soup with fura da nono on the side to her husband and his young student.
Yahuza wasn’t always one to refuse anything given to him by Malam Tijjani. One, he considered everything given by Malam as pure, harmless and felt privileged to receive it.
And two, his wife Khadija cooked delicious meals, one he couldn’t always resist all the time. Just perceiving the aroma of her meals made his mouth water.
However, on a day like this, he didn’t feel like taking anything. But as always, he accepted the dish of tuwo miyar kubaiwa or fresh okra soup from Malam and reluctantly took two morsels.
He’d deliberately picked on the food, bearing the weight he had carried with him all the way to the house.
That hadn’t escaped Malam’s eyes. But being one with a lot of respect for food, he had ignored it till after they had eaten. Or, on Yahuza’s side, gotten by it.
“What seems to be bothering you, young man? Is it the cow issues again?”
Yahuza swallowed the water he had gulped and shook his head as he tried to avoid looking at Malam in the eyes. “No, the cows are a long-forgotten matter Malam.” He had assured.
Yahuza had had a few brawls with his father’s brothers and their children over the few cows his father had owned in recent years. Despite knowing the cows had belonged to his father, they seemed determined to usurp them, taking advantage of his health conditions.
Yahuza had taken the matter up with the head of their family and later to the court and fought hard to give back Malam Zubair what was his rightfully.
That was how he had gotten to know Malam Haruna, the court clerk and had also studied more with Malam Tijjani to gather knowledge regarding the situation.
At last, Yahuza had won, the judgement, in spite of the money spent by his uncles and the threats they had given to Yahuza and other members of the family whom had supported him, was given in his father’s favor.
But Malam and his father Zubair had admonished that he left the cows to them. They all knew any further attempt to get back the cows in reality was a lost cause, as nothing would be done to them if, for instance, the cows were found dead all of a sudden.
“I am happy to know that.” He was truly glad that nothing had come up regarding the cows. Yet.
Malam Tijjani had been apprehensive. Yahuza had proven the point that the cows had belonged to his father. To his uncles, that had been the ultimate blow to their ego. They would go to any length to give him a counter blow in a bigger way.
Yahuza hadn’t known that, he was sure. Children of nowadays took to those matters lightly, especially those that had western education.
“I am here regarding a different matter.” Yahuza stated matter-of-factly and went ahead to extract the letter he had stashed in his pocket before his short trip from the court house.
“What is it?” Malam knew for sure that whatever it was all about, he wasn’t going to like it. For that, he’d began to recite salient prayers in his mind.
Yahuza stretched out the letter, “I was asked to deliver this copy of the court summon to you on behalf of Zainab, your daughter.”
Malam stared at Yahuza, and then his hand, his jaw tight. He was used to dealing with blows to his ego or alter ego. But not any longer. He had no idea that Zainab had taken any matter to the courts regard her.
When Yahuza looked at him with a questioning glance, he asked him what the summon was all about. He tried not to look shocked or that the element of surprise had caught up with him. The last person to show him he had weak control over his renegade daughter would be him.
Then he really wasn’t surprised when he was told of the contents of the letter. He just nodded, took the letter and went back in to the house to deliver same news to Khadija as he had received it. That is, if she hadn’t known about it already.
All the talks about him not giving attention to his daughter could make her support their daughter’s madness. First she wanted to marry Ali, now she wanted a divorce from him.
Hmmm, the irony of it all was that he was back to being stuck in the middle again.
Dear readers, this is the last chapter of this book. We hope, you have learnt a lot from it.
On behalf of the author, we say thank you for reading.
