STIGMA

CHAPTER 12

It was a Friday morning and the fifth day of field school. Saleem and his colleagues went out to the field for their usual morning exercise Immediately after the morning prayers.

The field was behind the camp and after an hour of jogging and other forms of exercise, they all went back to the camp to freshen up.

They had breakfast of the usual traditional tea and bread and all got set for their outing.

Tuesday was for oral tradition which was the interviewing of the locals about their origin of history while Wednesday was for reconnaissance and site identification. Thursday was for surveying and gridding. Day 5 on the timetable was for excavation which was the most stressful part of the work.

Dress code during field school was an important aspect and Saleem was dressed in a field short that was above his knees with a shirt and canvas.

They all left the camp to the identified site that was meant for the excavation and following the instructions of their coordinator, the excavation work began.

They all worked tirelessly till noon and took a break. They went back to the camp and ate lunch and then rested for 30 minutes before going back to the site.

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After attending the Friday prayer with her parents, Salamat ate lunch and told her mum she was going for a stroll.

Going for a stroll had become a regular habit of hers.

She had been looking for an escort to go rock climbing along with her but was not able to get one. Her previous experience was an obstacle to making a friend in the community.

She gave up going rock climbing and decided to take a stroll instead.
She stepped out of the house telling her mum she would be back soon. She walked for 15 minutes and got to Nasara which was the old settlement of the people of Radda.

The Radda settlement was a rocky area and the atmosphere was cool. She walked around and finally decided to sit on one of the rocks.

She sat down and different thoughts began to run through her mind. She thought of her discussion with her parent that morning, they were looking for ways to process her admission.

She remembered her late grandmother and realized how much she had missed her. She thought of Abeokuta, their former residence in Ogun State, and how much she missed her former room which was her only place of solitude.

Remembering Habib, she flinched thinking of the incident that happened before they departed from Ogun State.

She also thought of Habibah, his twin sister who was always antagonizing her. She remembered Habibah's threat to kill her when she saw her with Mr. Obi at Masara hotel.

Salamat always knew Habibah had a distaste for her but was always pretending to like her whenever Habib was around. Salamat wasn't surprised when Habibah threatened her and she assumed the threats were empty.

She wondered why some humans despise other people for no reason. She also thought of how their lives have changed drastically over the years and how different they have been living compared to when they were in Ogun State.

They were now living in a room self-contained apartment with their kitchen and toilet. Her father's friend who was supposed to accommodate them was not due to be back.

Mr. Ade tried securing a house in the city of Katsina by himself all to no avail and then they decided to settle in Radda till things got better.

Salamat stood up abruptly from the rock and tried ascending it, but she came stumbling back and fell flat on her buttocks. She heard giggles beside her and saw 3 little children. They were all girls and they ran down the hill as they saw her standing up from the fall.