CLASSICAL MUSLIMAH

CLASSICAL MUSLIMAH: 6

Gbazango, Abuja, Nigeria.
Tuesday 20th February, 2018.

Do this, do that. The house was bustling with activities. The person they were even doing it for was looking like a zombie. She couldn't believe what was happening, how could her mother do that to her? Her mother knew all too well that she never loved Nuhu, so why? But she knew why. Her mother hated Abulkhair, if not that he was the giving type she would've stopped Nana Asma'u from even picking his calls.

"Asma'u come here and get dressed, they just asked where they should go when they reach pipeline mosque. You need to leave the house right now. I don't even know why your mum asked you to stay." Aunty Hauwa, Aunty Haule's twin shouted from the room.

Nana Asma'u entered and got dressed gloomily. She called UmmuSalma, her immediate younger sister and they boarded a keke {tricycle} for their trip to Kawu Ayyuba's house.

"Adda Asmee, have you told Ya Abulkhair?" Nana UmmuSalma asked the dreaded question.

"No. But I'll tell Kawu Ayyuba to call Mama and tell her to reject the gifts. That way I don't need to tell Abulkhair anything." Nana UmmuSalma hummed in response, agreeing to what Nana Asma'u wanted to do.

On reaching Kawu Ayyuba's house, Nana Asma'u found out that he had to travel early to Maiduguri as it was an emergency. One of the family farms was going to be turned into an industry if someone didn't claim it and being it that Kawu Ayyuba was with the papers that would serve ad proof, he needed to be there.

This revelation left Nana Asma'u devastated. What would she do? Picking up her phone, she called Kawu Ayyuba. They exchanged pleasantries in their mother's tongue, margi.

"Kawu, mama is accepting lefe from Nuhu." Ayyuba shouted, exclaiming in Margi. Just then, Nana Asma'u's airtime finished. She groaned in annoyance and opened her purse only to see that what remained there was just enough for their return home. If she made a dent on it then they would have to trek some distance which would be very inconvenient for Nana UmmuSalma who stepped on a nail the previous day.

She would've borrowed but she always forgot to pay back and only remembered when she recharges and they remove the money she owed them. She would've just bought from her account but she hadn't opened one yet. Abulkhair had suggested she opened an account to reduce her roaming with money anyhow but she wouldn't listen. See where that got her to.

Groaning in frustration, she asked Aunty Zee if she could help her with a hundred naira. She hated begging because her mother would always beat her if she begged for something, Hansatu would say that only poor people begged and she wasn't poor. What a lie!

"Habiba! Biba!" Aunty Zee shouted cranking her head to see where her irresponsible daughter would pop out of. She hated waiting for people. She also hated it when she called someone and the person took their time before answering her. And Habiba was always fond of doing both.

Aunty Zee's second and only male child, Zayyad popped his head from the curtain of his room to reply his mother on his sister's behalf. Habiba had told him to tell their mother she was going to visit her new found boyfriend's parents. He said he wanted her to get used to them a bit before informing her father, Kawu Ayyuba of his intentions and she couldn't be more happier.

"Mama na manta ne {mama i forgot}, Adda Habiba said to tell you she's going to Yusuf's parents house and Baba had approved of it." He popped his head back to avoid the flying slippers his mom had thrown at him.