Chapter 27: Chapter 27

“sweetheart, darling, kayi hakuri wallahi I didn’t mean to upset you. I just want you to understand my plight. If Halima continues getting pampered wallahi everything will come back to us ne. Is it not better to let her suffer here and enjoy in her husband’s house and hereafter? You know that every woman’s Jannah is under her husband’s feet. We have to train her to earn that Jannah. When do you want us to start, a day to her wedding? Think about it please.” Hajjo said as she leaned down on her husband’s chest, feeling his warmth.

She was wearing a short pajama gown that was transparent and a pajama kimono that reached her ankles. Instead of using the rope of the kimono to tie it to her torso, she let it fly.

She made all this efforts to seduce and make her husband fall into her trap. He looked like he had seen a ghost but once he set his eyes on her, he calmed down.

Only two people had that effect on him, Hajjo and Uwani. He sighed then said, “you’re right though. So what measures have you taken?”

“I’ve told Lauratu to pack. She’s going back to Borno tomorrow In Shaa Allah. I’ve splitted the chores between me and Halima. I’ll clean every nook and cranny of the house while she cooks dinner, washes the plates after dinner and does anything she needs to do to herself on her own which includes washing her clothes, cleaning her room and bathroom and I guess that’s all.” Hajjo said nonchalantly.

“lahaulafisha atillah!!! This is too much for her haba reduce it.” Audu said with eyes wide open as saucers.

“haba mana I’m just doing what I think is best for our daughter. Amma since you don’t like it bah matsala.” She sniffed forcing herself to cry.

“sai da safe. A kwana lafiya.” She stood up to leave the room. He held her hand and dragged her to sit on his thigh. She tried to stand up again but he kept her in place.

“haba Hajjo. Toh shikenan. You can do it.” He said sighing in defeat. She smirked but replaced it almost immediately with a sad smile.

“Allah ya barmu tare habeeby.” Hajjo said hugging him tight as she sniffed.

“Ameen Qalbee.” Audu responded hugging her back.

“can’t you see that our daughter is turning to something else? I don’t like this even one bit. I support their friendship but anything that can spoil the good conducts we’ve managed to force into my daughter’s head is bad news to me. And Halima is that thing.” Abba Sulayman said.

After what happened earlier he had decided to stop cutting some slacks for Fatima because of Halima. Halima would just have to adjust to Fatima’s lifestyle not the other way round.

“dan Allah give them sometime. Tashen balaga ne ke damun su.” Innayo said trying to reason with her husband but he wasn’t having any of it.

They’d been arguing for the past one hour and her husband didn’t look like he was ready to give up.

He had told her earlier on that even if it would take them all night he wouldn’t agree with her. And she knew he would do just what he said so she tried making him understand through another way.

“amma ai they are not the first to mature in the world neither will they be the last. So you better find a solution to this or… You know the rest.” Abba said taking off his jalabiyya.

“Toh In Shaa Allah I’ll call Halima’s mum tomorrow and talk to her about it.” Innayo said finally giving up.

“yawwa innayo na.”Abba said smiling.

“I told you to stop calling me innayo. My name is Aisha Abubakar.” Innayo said pouting and feigning anger.

“amma ai I first knew you as innayo”, he chuckled at the memory.

“it was all Inna’s fault. She started calling me innayo wai calling me Aisha gatsau is disrespectful.” She said also chuckling at the memory.

And that was how they were going down memory lane with innayo in her husband’s arm on their bed.

Halima’s POV

I twirled on the bed as I received another hot slap, “an yafe miki sallah ne wai nikam? I know you’re not off so you better get up before I use your dad’s belt on you.” Mummy said and that last sentence made up bounce off the bed.

“they won’t allow somebody to sleep in peace. It’s just 4:30 in the morning for crying out loud.” I mumbled under my breath.

“me kika ce? Kin fara koyan rashin kunya koh? Wallahi zan miki illah. Amma why should I blame you? It’s all mine and your dad’s fault. But now is the time to rectify that mistake. Oya before I injure you or break on of your bones you better get up, pray raka’atanil fajr and start your chores. I’ve decided that you’ll do everything except for cooking lunch”, mummy said as I stood stiff in my position.

This is going to be one long day, I thought. I trudged into the toilet and performed ablution. I came out and picked out my only cream hijab and sat on my bed to think.

What is this raka’atanil fajr? How’s it performed? What’s its benefits?, those were the questions that were running through my mind.

But one that kept pestering since the previous night was, why did mummy change all of a sudden?.

I wanted to ask her but I knew better than to do anything. I sighed and decided to ask her because if I didn’t it will cause another problem for me.

“waton kina jira sai na zo na karyaki a wajan koh? Dallacan get up and pray, it’s almost time for subhi and you need to sweep the whole house and clean up your room before leaving for school. That means you have only two hours to do everything.” Mummy said with hands akimbo.

“uhmm, mummy what is raka’atanil fajr and why must I do it?” I asked looking down at my fluffy pink pompom carpet.

“raka’atanil fajr is a nafilah. It’s performed before or after subh prayer. It’s just like every normal nawafil just that no surah is read whilst performing it. And before you ask, nawafil and nafilah is the same thing.” Mummy said then walked out of the room.

I performed it on my pompom rug and waited for subh prayer. But then I thought, instead of sitting here and wasting my time why don’t I just get some work done before it’s time for subhi.

I stood up and made my bed. I went straight to the parlor and it wasn’t even dirty. We were just five in the house except for Adda Afrah, Teemah’s cousin who stayed with us as she was schooling in maitama.

I just dusted the carpet and chairs and swept the parlor. No need to mop, I thought. I went into the dining and took the used dishes to the kitchen and kept them on the sink.

I saw a rag on the door that lead to the back and used it to clean the dining table and chairs. I washed the rag and used it to clean the cooking gas, cupboard and the table or whatever it is called.

The part where one works on in the kitchen. I washed the dishes and dried them with another clean white dried towel I saw in the store room in a small basket.

After that I swept the carpet on the stairs and the corridors. It was 6:48 so I went to my room and picked out my uniform and everything I’d need for school then placed it on the bed.

I noticed that my uniform was ironed but my shoes weren’t polished. I groaned in frustration then checked for the shoe polish in my bed side drawer then I finally found it.

I polished my shoe and remembered that I needed to make pap for daddy and lemon mint tea for mummy. Then a sandwich for myself for breakfast.

I knew how to prepare lemon mint tea but pap, now that was something I didn’t have an idea of how to prepare. I picked my phone and connected to the wifi and went straight to YouTube. I browsed how to make pap and it seemed kind of easy.

I just needed to boil water, mix some kulli in cold water and add the hot water to it then mix. That was all.

I went to the kitchen and when I saw the kettle I remembered that I had to boil enough water to fill our large flask to the brim for mummy’s constant tea.

I poured some water in the kettle and connected it. I mixed the kulli as I waited for the water to boil and after mixing the kulli I decided to chat a bit before the water would boil.

I entered whatsapp and there were more thank one thousand messages waiting for me. I decided to leave the group chats and reply to the private ones.

I was replying the messages when I came across Ya Sa’eed’s message. Meet me at 10:30 at the carpentry workshop at school.

I replied with an okay and apologized for running off the way I did and said I’d explain in school.

I heard the kettle make that wooo sound before switching itself off. I quickly dropped my phone and made the pap. It turned out bad, real bad. It was lumpy and wattery. And to make matters worse, the pap tasted like I was taking raw millet.

I poured it away in the sink and tried it again. I had to attempt seven times before I got it right but it was still lumpy. I seived it and kept it in a mug that had a cover and kept it on the dining.

I quickly made the lemon mint tea and by the time I was done with everything, it was 7:30. I took a quick bath and got dressed as fast as I could.

I rushed out and got into the car as the driver was waiting and he drove me to school.

I remember that I hadn’t put my pajamas in the right place neither had I washed the toilet. I’m so going to get in trouble, I thought.