DEATHLY PRETTY

CHAPTER TWENTY

BAUCHI

2006

Three women dressed in wrappers and blouses with veils draped over their shoulders and large handbags strapped over their shoulders stepped out from Baba's house.

I waited for them to pass, looking over my shoulder to see if I remembered them from anywhere, but I couldn't place them in my memory, so I stepped into the house and found Aunty folding the rug she had spread over the mat for them. She always did that when special guests visited.

"Aunty, who were they?" I asked. She grinned and it was so wide that I was momentarily dazed. I didn't remember seeing my stepmother this happy in a long while.

"They are the party women," she said.

"The party women?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got a job."

My mouth fell open, and I blinked twice to clear my hazy brain. "A job?"

"Yes, I'm responsible for spreading awareness regarding the party to the women in this area."

"But you have never worked a day in your life. How would you start that?"

The smile now fell off her face. "How did the other people start? I will learn on the job. Besides, what is difficult in talking to women I have stayed with for years? They are all my neighbors. Now that your father is gone, we won't sit and fold our hands for your uncles to fend for us. We have nothing apart from this house. So, we need to all put our hands on deck. You and your brothers should also work out a plan."

Aunty picked up a tray filled with fresh daddawa she had made earlier and began to separate them into another tray.

"That is true. I'm happy for you. Ma sha Allah," I said, fetching some water from the rubber drum near the kitchen in a cup, and took a seat on a squat chair I found near the small living room door.

"So, tell me about this job, how does it work, you say?"

"We distribute campaign materials like wrappers, sugar, and detergent to the women in the area and tell them our manifesto and whom to vote for. We also mobilize them during elections to secure our votes." I sipped my water and scratched the side of my face.

"That is interesting. When will you start?"

"This is the second meeting, but we have another one next month.

Blood rushed to my ears as I asked, "Can I come with you to the meetings? I want to help too. This holiday isn't helping matters and I'm bored out of my mind staying idle."

"Sure, why not?" Aunty replied as she placed a tray of daddawa on the slanted roof in the courtyard to dry. She had taken up the business after her four-month waiting period following my father's passing, and I think it helped her move on faster.

She always had things to do around the house, including running a commercial grinding machine and a poultry coop. That's what I wanted for myself, a purpose.

My days at Shadawanka school gave me that, something to wake up to, but my state of mind ruined it for me. I wanted something that would take my mind off of everything, so all my pain would go away.

When I went to see Sa'adah she was neutral towards me, if a few months would make her tepid then I wonder what a lifetime would do to us, I needed something to do to earn enough for me to take my daughter someday. I was glad she was getting enough care from her grandmother but I craved my daughter's tiny fists circling my fingers and wiry arms around my neck before it was too late.

Perhaps being a teacher wasn't a bad idea after all. I had had numerous experiences with kids. I could keep exploring that after having my diploma. But that would have to wait. I needed to see what all the fuss about politics was.