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Hauwa Love Tales (Episode 4)

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Hauwa was confused on what to do. She didn’t know what she would do and how to escape the wrath of Alhaji Usman. She had heard gory tales about Alhaji Usman. She was incapacitated in the turn of the whole events like her mother was. Many thoughts ran through the mind of Hauwa. They were at Alhaji Usman’s mercy because her father owed him. Why did her father borrow money from Alhaji Usman? What did he use the money for? Why didn’t he pay up? How come he disappeared and no trace of him has been found since? These thoughts worried her big time.

She didn’t know if it was to run away from all of these. But if she runs away, then who would take care of her mother? What if Alhaji Usman also makes her mother missing like he made her father? How would she cope? She was exhausted about it all.

Hauwa didn’t know who she would turn to right now. Her mother wasn’t of help as she kept talking about the possibility of Hauwa marrying Alhaji so they would stay out of trouble. She also knew that some of the extended family members would support her mother and ask her to consider the possibility of the marriage. Alhaji, too, was very influential in the town and wealthy, and this made the matter worse.

As she lay on her mat in her room, she thought about where she could go and get succor. Everything, everyone, seemed to be against her. None of her family members could really offer her the acceptance and calm heart she needed at the moment. She stood and began to walk around in her room. Finally, she stopped and clicked her fingers--she knew the right place she would find succor and help.

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She changed her clothes into a black skirt, a pink long-sleeved shirt she had worn for her graduation ceremony and her black hijab. She put on her fancy sandal and used powder on her face. Next thing, she was out of the house and walking on the main road leading to the town’s market. It was past mid-day and Kano’s sun burned her skin. There were trees along the road, so she walked under them as she trudged to where she was going.

Where she was going wasn’t that far. It was 20 minutes walk from their house and very close to the market. As she walked to the place, she let her thought run wild in her mind. She was going to meet Hamza, her classmate, who was very close to her heart. Hamza was not just a good friend, he also knew all her details or worries right before she announced them. Hamza was like that.

Hamza was one of the hottest guys in her class with his caramel skin, tallness and his muscled looks. He was the in fact the hottest when they assess the boy based on the looks of their bodies. Most of the boys were lanky and tall, some were even more handsome than Hamza, but none was firmly and strongly built with muscles like Hamza. This was the reason why most girls clustered around him. He was a gentle boy and very smart as well. While they were in school, everyone loved Hamza and wanted to be with him. But Hamza never got into anything with anyone. If he loved anyone among his admirers, he didn’t show or say it. However, he was a very good friend to Hauwa and they shared a lot of thoughts between themselves.

Many of the girls who didn’t know Hamza’s thought about them thought Hamza too serious to love and spoil girls like the other boys, but he was close to Hauwa, and should be because Hauwa was intelligent. Hamza was also one of the smartest in the entire class, among the top 20. Hauwa was super smart among the top 3 and had been the deputy head prefect.

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Hauwa got to Hamza’s house when Hamza was outside his house clearing some grasses. Like Hauwa, Hamza lost his mother at a tender age and have since been looked after by his father. His father was also poor and his shoe making petty business didn’t give him much to cater for the family pretty well, and so Hamza did odd jobs to survive and add to the little his father gives to him.

Immediately Hamza saw Hauwa his eyes lit up and he dropped the cutlass he was using in cutting the grass. He walked towards her and smiled. Hauwa smiled too. They shook hands. “Welcome, Hauwa,” he said. “This one you have come to see me, I am surprised and happy. It has been long we last saw each other. I think since after our graduation ceremony, we haven’t seen each other that much.”

“You’re right, Hamza,” Hauwa said, giggling. “But I don’t think it is that long. It is only three weeks ago and you make it look as if we haven’t seen each other for like forever.” She laughed and Hamza laughed too.

“Well, don’t mind me. No matter what, I am still happy to see you. I am truly happy to see you,” Hamza said. He held her hand and began to draw her towards the veranda of their squalid mud house. Theirs wasn’t even plastered withe cement like that of Hauwa’s. Hamza showed her a stool to sit on while he walked inside to get the stool he would sit down on. When he came back, he sat on the stool and looked at her brightly.

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He was the first to speak and when he spoke, it was very certain that he was very excited to see her. It showed very much in his voice. “I am so happy to see you, Hauwa,” he said, smiling. “This one you have come to see me, I am certain there must be something you want to discuss with me. By the way, how are your processing your university stuff? You told me you would be applying to study optometry in Zaria?”

“Yes. You know I wrote JAMB then when we were in school and scored 260. Now, I heard the screening form is out and would love to get the form immediately.”

Hamza’s face turned sad right then. When next he spoke, his voice sounded dejected. “I wish our parents had money to sponsor us like Isah’s parents do. I don’t even know whether I would be able to get my desired course, Electrical Engineering with my 210?”

“Allah will provide for us,” Hauwa said. “Besides, for your score, I am sure it is enough to vie for engineering. I heard engineering course cut so low. You should be able to get in somewhere and somehow.”

“What if we get in, how are we going to train ourselves?”

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“Allah will provide,” Hauwa said. She took a deep breath. “Since you said you want to do electrical engineering, you can go and learn how to do it from Mallam Sule before school resumes next year. I will learn catering and all the making of cakes and buns and all these stuff. With the money made from these, we can be able to survive and go further in out education.”

Hamza shouted excitedly and didn’t even know when he lost control of himself and hugged Hauwa. Hauwa held herself back and didn’t hug back. She was surprised; Hamza had never hugged her. “This is why I like you, Hauwa,” he said. “Your brain is always sharp, looking for solutions and increasing everyday. I like you very much.” He was still hugging her and Hauwa could feel the heaviness of his chest, the thickness of his arms and his steady heartbeat. He mouth smelled of Close Up toothpaste.

Hamza stopped hugging her and returned to sit on his stool. Hauwa recollected herself and even when Hamza apologized afterwards for hugging her too close. Hauwa wished he wouldn’t apologize and that she enjoyed every bit of the hug. Every bit of it. It felt like she had chocolate in her mouth.

They were silent afterwards and didn’t even look at each other. Hauwa took a deep breath and began to speak calmly. “I thank you for how you have welcomed me here, I really feel excited about it all. Remembering your friend and classmate this good.” She paused and took in a deep breath. “I have come to tell you about a problem in my heart that I have been looking for who to discuss it with.” She paused again. “There are many people coming for my hand in marriage, and I don’t know what to do about it. The worst of them all is Alhaji Usman. You know him, right?”

Hamza nodded. “Yes, I do,” he said. “Who doesn’t know Alhaji Usman?”

“I told you about suitors that sought my hand in marriage since I was 14, right?” Hauwa asked and Hamza nodded right then. “Alhaji Usman came into the picture just recently and he is already threatening my mother and I.

“What kind of threat is that?”

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“He says I should marry him and that I should keep in mind that my father owed him some money … It’s as if he is threatening us … That if we don’t provide the money, he is going to ask for the money and put us in prison.” Hauwa began to sob. “Hamza, I am scared. I don’t want to marry that man and I don’t want my mother nor I to go to prison. The man sounded so brutal.” Hauwa began the real cry then and let it all out.

Hamza walked close to her and hugged her. He carressed her hair gently and continuously. “It is all right,” he said as Hauwa wept and sniffled and wept and sniffled. “It’s all right. You don’t have to cry anymore. You won’t marry Alhaji Usman while I am here. We’ll find a way around it.”

Hauwa cried out the more. “Please I don’t want to,” she cried more. Usman hugged her closer and could smell the mustiness of her hair. Hauwa could feel his heartbeat. She was in deep pain but she felt better that she had someone to talk to that really understood her plight.

* Does Hauwa and Hamza love each other? How would Hauwa be able to avoid getting into marriage with the dangerous Alhaji Usman? How can this case be solved? Find out in the NEXT EPISODE.

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Hauwa Love Tales (Episode 3)

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On Alhaji’s next arrival, Hauwa and her mother were confused on the exact thing to do. They didn’t know if it was to bid him welcome with their full heart or run away totally from him. They had not made up their minds on what they would do with Hauwa insisting they can pay up the money and her mother insisting that they could not. They didn’t know the exact amount, but for Hauwa’s father to be missing showed the money was likely not a small one.

Alhaji chose to have his second visit in the evening. His jeep speeding in the front of their house and raising dust. In his mind, he wondered how poor Rukayat was able to survive with a little 5-year-old girl after her husband went missing. He knew Hauwa’s father was a failure that depended so much on Divine Help and didn’t put much work into his clothes retailing business. He had come to Alhaji Usman claiming he needed to expand his failing business and asked for the loan before he disappeared. At that time, their house was a two room mud house.

Alhaji stopped his jeep and waved all these thoughts from his mind. He hadn’t come there to sympathize with them. He had come to know Hauwa’s mind and if she was accepting his proposal or not. She should be reasonable and smart enough to accept it because they were dirt poor and her marriage to him would alleviate their suffering in many ways.

He stepped out of the jeep and took along with him the slim wad of cash and pieces of clothes he brought the other time. By this time, Hauwa and her mother were already seated in their veranda waiting for him. Alhaji Usman forced himself from not smiling even though he wanted to smile; he really loved Hauwa’s looks, her supple skin and her very radiant smile, her perfect breasts and hips. To him, Hauwa also had good fashion sense in the way she wore hijab that blended with the color of her skirt.

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Alhaji stepped onto the veranda and cleared his throat. “Good morning,” he greeted. “I do hope you people slept fine?”

“Good morning,” the two women greeted with Rukayat adding, “Alhaji” at the end of hers.

Alhaji walked calmly and sat on the only plastic backseat there. The women sat on a long bench and fixed all their eyes on him. He cleared his throat again; their eyes on him weren’t making him comfortable. He began to speak, measuring his words and holding back his own fear as they were holding up theirs.

“See, I am very sorry for how I behaved the last time I was here,” he said first, his eyes on the direction of Rukayat. “I shouldn’t have overreacted like I did. You know it has been a long time since I have been here and it brought up all these emotions. My anger that came forth was unnecessary and shouldn’t have come out like that. I deeply apologize.”

“Nagode, Alhaji,” Rukayat said. She spoke slowly as well. All of them were being careful with the tone of their voice and the fastness of their words. “I am also sorry for how I spoke to you on that day. It was also out of emotions of my missing husband that I said that and shouldn’t have said anything incriminating you in the crime.”

“Ah, Rukayat,” Alhaji said, chuckling. “We also things we don’t mean whenever we are angry. I really understand.” He stopped talking and chuckled again. The women chuckled as well, their moods unsteady, the atmosphere tense. Alhaji stopped chuckling and made a straight face. “Rukayat, it is based on what I told you the other time about my interest in your beautiful daughter.”

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“Yes,” Rukayat said, nodding hurriedly.

“I find Hauwa really beautiful and I have heard a lot of things about her. I have heard that she is not only beautiful, but smart as well. She is kind, and I know you have trained her so well. This is the reason I would love her to be my final wife. And you know the final wife is always the most loved and official wife. I will take care of her than I do for my other wives. I also promise to give all that she wants. Soon, insha Allah, I will be contesting for Senate position and grow in politics from there.” Alhaji paused, pointing at Hauwa. “You, Hauwa, would be the face of my campaign and who knows? You might become the first lady of this state after. This is an opportunity girls of your age would kill for. I think you should consider this wisely.” He cleared his throat and stopped talking.

Rukayat looked at him and smiled. “Alhaji, sorry for our poor manners, we didn’t offer you anything. Would you love to have juice or minerals? We can get them for you. It seems you are thirsty?”

“Ah, Rukayat, you worry yourself too much. I am not hungry or tasty.” Alhaji chuckled.

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“Alright, Alhaji, I have heard all you have to say and your plans for my daughter,” Rukayat said. “However, you know kids of these days. We cannot force them to do what we want. Marriage is no longer a thing of the past where parents decide who would marry their children. Now, children decide who they would marry on their own. This is why I have left it all in Hauwa’s hands. If she says she wants it fine. I will not be there in the marriage with her. It’s her life decision.”

Alhaji Usman was nodding in agreement as Rukayat was speaking. “Yes, Rukayat, you are wise. Most of the decisions would have to come from Hauwa since she would be the one staying with me,” he said, smiling. Then, he looked at Hauwa and made a smile that revealed more wrinkles below his cheeks and on his forehead. “Hauwa, what do you say to my proposal?”

Hauwa wanted to looked at him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She simply spoke without looking at him. She didn’t even look at her own mother and was resolute on the deadly plans she was making. She won’t tell anyone about it. “Alhaji, I have heard about your proposal and would love to have two weeks to think about it. Besides, I need time because I have a college entrance exam I wish to write within this time …”

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Rukayat’s eyes widened and she looked at her daughter. “An exam?” she asked. She was surprised and confused.

“An exam?” Alhaji asked, too.

“Yes,” Hauwa said, moving her eyes from one person to another.

Alhaji got up. “Alright,” he said. “I would come back in that two weeks time to know your decision. You have to choose well because there are many things at stake. By the way, Hauwa, you know your father still owed me some money?” Alhaji asked in a sarcastic way, chuckling.

“Yes, I know,” she replied. Hauwa was irritated by the question really.

Alhaji Usman handed the clothes and gifts to Rukayat who gently collected it. Alhaji Usman walked away without saying anything more. Before he finally entered his car, and drove off, Hauwa saw the grin on his face.

Next thing after that was Rukayat shouting, “You see the wickedness in the man’s face? You see the brutality? We are dead! What would we do?”

* Is Alhaji Usman going to wickedly snatch and marry Hauwa and deny her from her dreams? Find out in the next episode.

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Hauwa Love Tales (Episode 2)

Alhaji Usman’s deadline approached fast and Rukayat didn’t know what she would do. How could he have given just two days in a matter as important as this? How did he think she would be able to convince her daughter of the marriage proposal within that time? How did he think it would even be possible to raise such money? Where would she see the money? She is just a poor tuwo seller close to the town’s market.

She didn’t speak to her daughter about the situation on the day Alhaji came. She let that day go and prepared herself on the task of speaking to her daughter about the matter on the next day. Even though her daughter disturbed her a lot to reveal the matter to her. She did not. She carried on with her duties and could barely sleep that night. Many dreadful thoughts ran through her mind. She wasn’t ready to lose Hauwa. Of course, Hauwa could get married to anyone she so wishes to, but with Alhaji Usman whom everyone in the town knew so well. It is either he had his way or he destroyed and maimed. It was that terrible!

The following morning after Alhaji Usman visited, Rukayat called her daughter to come to the veranda and told her to sit when she came. It was still morning, so the weather was chill and the day was dull. The sunlight had not appeared in full, and the little that appeared was just enough to provide light for seeing.

The mother and child were silent and didn’t even look at themselves. They were silent for over three minutes and what went through Rukayat’s mind was how Hauwa’s beauty managed to attract such attention to them. Hauwa got her beauty from Rukayat’s mother--Hauwa’s maternal grandmother. Rukayat herself wasn’t that beautiful, she was average in looks even though she had the perfect body shape when she was younger. Now, Hauwa’s perfect face and body was getting them into troubles instead of opening doors for them.

Rukayat cleared her throat and began to speak, “I called you here to tell you that we are in trouble …”

“Ah, Mama, which trouble?” Hauwa said as her eyes lit up and turned towards her mother.

“I know you must have had stories of your father’s disappearance, ba?” Rukayat asked. “You must have heard about how your father borrowed money from Alhaji Usman and when it was time to pay up, your father couldn’t.”

“Yes, I have heard about it.”

“Who told you about it?” Rukayat said, turning towards his daughter.

“In primary school, I fought with Amina and I beat her. After beating her, when we were exchanging words, she mentioned it that day …” Hauwa was trying to say before she was cut short by her mother’s inquisitiveness.

“How did she say it? In what particular manner did she say it?”

Hauwa took in a deep breath, not really knowing where all the conversation was leading to. “She said I had bad attitude like my father. That this is the reason why Alhaji Usman killed my father, because he couldn’t pay up the money he borrowed.”

Anger rose in Alhaji Usman’s heart then. The anger filled her heart and head so much that she felt like punching someone. “Shege banza to that girl!” she cursed. “And who is her father and mother? Her father that cannot even take care of his many children. All he knows how to do is sleep with his wives and contribute nothing to their upkeep …”

“But, mama, what is the problem? You couldn’t have just called me here to talk about my fight and to remember what Alhaji Usman did to my father? Why was he here yesterday?”

Rukayat paused and took in a deep deep breath, her eyes fixed on the empty air above her head. She spoke very slowly when she decided to speak. “You see, Hauwa, you are a beautiful girl and this your beauty has brought you fame in this town. Many suitors have come seeking your hand in marriage. You are yet to accept any of them. You said your desire is to enter university, even though you know I don’t have money. However, there is a new twist. The person your father owed and had problem with is interested in marrying you …”

“What!” Hauwa shouted, looking at her mother. There was disbelief in her eyes as if her mother should quickly tell her that it was a joke. There were men the age of Alhaji Usman who had also come seeking her hand in marriage in the past, when she was around 14, but they were poor and haggard and thought they could deceive her mother to give Hauwa away. Now, those people hardly came as they knew Hauwa was mature now and intelligent. She won’t even let them speak. None of them is as powerful as Alhaji Usman. Alhaji was educated, rich and powerful. When he says he wants something, he never fails in getting it.

“My daughter, I don’t know what we did to deserve this!” Rukayat shouted in agony. She breathed in heavily. “How are we going to do this now? Where would we start in fighting Alhaji Usman? Where are we going to get the money your father owed him so that he would leave us alone? Where?”

“Mama, I don’t think he can ask us to provide the money. We aren’t Papa, haba! Besides, he might have a hand in Papa’s disappearance.”

“This is Nigeria, my daughter. Any big man is a god here and is in control of the police and the law court. If he decides to arrest us, who is rich enough in our extended family to come and bail us? Who would pay the lawyer fee for us? We are all in this alone.”

“Mama, is he saying it’s either I marry him or we pay his money?” she asked, her eyes widening and looking at her mother.

“Yes, this is what he is saying!” Rukayat shouted in agony and looking at her daughter. Her daughter was obviously more confused than she was. Where would they start in discussing or planning this? Where would all the whole problem start and end? They were in a mess they couldn’t do anything about.

“Mama, I cannot marry him oh,” Hauwa declared calmly. Her mother looked at her. Rukayat’s face didn’t show surprise and she wasn’t even ready to feign any surprise. “Alhaji Usman already has three wives. Again, he is educated, but he is not young, and he doesn’t support his wives being more learned than him …”

“How did you know?”

“Ahn-ahn, Mama,” Hauwa said, her voice rising a bit. “You don’t know about his first wife who he married when both of them were young. She was studying to be a teacher. She was in a teacher training college and planned on moving on to university. What happened? Alhaji Usman married her and told her to stop going to school. This is the same thing that can be said for his other wives. Meanwhile he studied at Zaria. Why can’t he train his wives like he himself is?”

“I have heard you, Hauwa!” her mother stated. “Now that you have said you don’t intend marrying him, what ways can we use to keep him off? How do we solve this problem that has befallen us?”

“Do you know how much father owed him?"

“I don’t know. How am I supposed to know? Even your father was not straightforward about the whole thing!” Rukayat’s snapped, glaring at nothing in particular.

Hauwa took in a deep breath and when she spoke, she spoke calmly and measured the tone and pace of her words. “I think we should find a way of getting to know how much Papa owed and see ways to raise it …”

Rukayat flared up then, deep anger in her voice and trepidation in her mouth. She got up and glared at Hauwa. “Sometimes I think that you aren’t really as brilliant as they said! How can you just suggest this nonsense. Where would we get the money? You must be out of your senses!”

Hauwa stood up as well. “Mama, I have a plan. Please, listen!”

Rukayat placed her hand in her daughter’s face. “Enough of your nonsense, Hauwa!”

Hauwa went silent immediately and watched as Rukayat entered the house saying nothing to her. Hauwa knew they were in a deep mess but didn’t know her mother would take it like this. She stood and stared away, lost in thought.

* What would they do now? The deadline given is the next day. Hauwa and her mother’s life are still at stake. What would happen? Find out in the next episode.

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Hauwa lost her father to Alhaji Usman when she was five because Usman was a strong and powerful politician in Kano. He had too much money that he killed five cows every Sallah and distributed it to the community. He had three wives, but there was rumour going around that he was looking for the fourth one. Alhaji Usman was also very religious and made sure he went to Mecca every year. He controlled a town in Kano and was the lord who said what could be done or not.

People see Alhaji Usman as a good man; however, they also know that like everybody on earth, no one was without sin. Alhaji Usman loved money and generated lots of wealth. He lent money and expected that every penny or cents or kobo borrowed from him is returned. So, people who went to him asking for help are sure to receive loans than the real help. Other big men in Kano sometimes gave out loans without seeking anything in return but this was not so for Alhaji Usman.

Alhaji Usman could give out five cows to be killed on Sallah day or even give out rams as Sallah gifts to families but he couldn’t give such as money equivalent to people. This is how he lent people money and when they couldn’t pay he forced them to pay. This is how it is told as a story that Hauwa’s father borrowed some amount of money from Usman and when he couldn’t pay up, Usman quarreled him and in a month’s time, Hauwa’s father was never to be seen.

The question that have continued to be in the town people’s lips is what happened to Mallam Adamu, Hauwa’s then young father and the husband to sweet Rukayat? How did he just disappear? Why was Alhaji Usman feeling lost about the whole story as if he is innocent? So, the town people concluded that Alhaji Usman had a hand in the death even though they couldn’t prove it. Besides, Usman was high-handed whenever he wanted to collect back his money, there was no way he didn’t have a hand the death.

Hauwa grew up from an innocent 5-year-old girl to a young beautiful ebony lady. The rest of this story took place on her eve of finishing from secondary school and not knowing what to do next with her life. She was 18. Among the girls in her town and all her agemate, Hauwa was the most gorgeous. She had a chocolate-tone skin. She had a moderately big hip and breasts. Unlike her mates that are either skinny or too chubby or too local, Hauwa was fit to be an international model with all the right shape and brilliance.

The town people were surprised she turned to be such a big girl. Her mother was only a poor woman who sold tuwo close to the market and apart from feeding Hauwa and buying some cheap clothes, she didn’t do anything much. What intrigued people more was that Hauwa wasn’t only beautiful, she was also smart and was always top three in her set of over 300 students. How did her poor mother train her to become this?

So, on the eve of her graduation from secondary school, many suitors had already started to come to show their interest in marrying her. They started coming earlier when she was 14, but Hauwa said no and encouraged her people to also say no. Who wouldn’t? Hauwa was beautiful and very intelligent. Her entire family believed she would go to university and become a big woman, maybe a nurse or lawyer or accountant or a doctor or even the first female governor of the state. Even though she carried herself carefully and wasn’t local like the other town girls, she was still humble.

The other girls laughed at her that she pampered herself too much. They would say, “Hauwa, haba mana, is this how you would carry yourself when you are married? You carry yourself like you won’t bend down to cook for your husband? You carry yourself too much like you won’t make babies for your husband? You carry yourself so much like you won’t get old?” They laughed at her.

However, their focus on husbands and marriage wasn’t her own focus. At 18, even after secondary school and after more than half of her mates had been married off, she still rejected most of the suitors that came seeking her hand in marriage. She rejected young men who were good looking and owned a car or a few cars. She rejected graduates who were doing well for themselves. She rejected in a big way the big men who had other wives and wanted to make her one of their wives. She told everyone she wanted to go to university and not marry at the moment.

There were concerns about her decision, even her mother was concerned. Who would train her in the university? Where would they see money? What if she gets older and changes and so becomes unattractive to suitors? These were serious concerns.

The first turning point of this Hausa romantic novel story is when Alhaji Usman came in his jeep with some pieces of clothes and a slim wad of cash to also seek Hauwa’s hand in marriage. He had heard stories of how beautiful and intelligent Hauwa is and considered marrying her as his last wife. It was Rukayat, Hauwa’s mother that saw him first and stood transfixed at the point where she was sweeping the house.

Alhaji came out of his jeep in his sparkling and reflecting senator wear. He wore beautiful neck chain, wrist watch and anklet all made of gold. As he came towards their house, he had the slim wad of cash in one hand and the pieces of clothes on the other hand. Rukayat stopped what she was doing and rushed to stand at the door.

“Alhaji Usman, what are you looking for in my husband’s house? What are you doing here?” Rukayat asked. She glared her eyes at him.

Alhaji Usman stopped and looked at her, incredulous. “Why are you asking me such question? I am a nobleman in this town and at such I am permitted to go anywhere in this town. Everyone is permitted to go anywhere. You shouldn’t ask me such question,” he said.

Rukayat hissed. “You are permitted to go anywhere you like but not into people’s homes. Even in the US, my daughter say there is a law they call trespassing law. Right now, you are trespassing.”

Alhaji Usman laughed out loud. He laughed at what he perceived to be Rukayat’s foolery. Rukayat wasn’t moved, she stood her ground and covered the entrance to their house. Their house was a mud house of three rooms covered with cement plaster. They had a pit toilet and a makeshift bathroom at the back of the house. Rukayat knew they were poor and wondered what Alhaji Usman was looking for in their house.

“Haba, Rukayat, is this how you welcome me to your house, kwo?” Alhaji Usman asked, laughing. “I haven’t come here since how many years now and this is how you welcome me to your house? It is not good.”

“Alhaji Usman, the last time you were in this house you quarreled my husband. Then, my husband vanished without a trace after that. Why haven’t you come since then? And why are you even here?” Rukayat’s voice was raised and her heart was boiling. She poured all her anger and pain into what she said.

Alhaji Usman paused and stared at Rukayat in surprise. Rukayat moved her eyes from him. She looked at the empty air, shaking her right leg and avoiding looking at those murderous eyes of his. “Wait are you accusing me of having a hand in your husband’s disappearance? How can I? What nonsense,” he said.

“I never said that. Say what I said. All I know is that I don’t want you in this house right now. Please, Alhaji Usman, leave here.”

Alhaji Usman’s temper rose then, he moved the wad cash to the other hand and began pointing at Rukayat, “You don’t have to dare me or push me around, you hear? You don’t have to!” He paused to catch his breath. He was no longer as furious and bold and strong like he used to be in his youth. Now, he was almost clocking 60 and becoming frail. “Is it because I didn’t care to involve you and your daughter in the loan your husband collected after his disappearance? Well, I just want to tell you I have come to marry Hauwa and if you keep acting like a mad dog, I would push for my loan. Tell Hauwa I will be here to see her in two days time. It’s either you people act well or produce your stupid husband to provide my money!”

Alhaji Usman walked away with his cash and clothes. He opened the Jeep’s door, got into it and slammed the door. Next, he drove away in anger and very fast, spilling dust everywhere. Rukayat stood there, her eyes and mouth wide opened; she was thoroughly shocked. Hauwa who had been at the back of the house came out, asking, “Mama, what happened?” to her mother. Rukayat had no words in her mouth and just stared at her daughter.

*How would they get the money to pay? How would they locate her husband? Will Hauwa even agree to marry him? Are their lives at risk? Read the next episode to find out.

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