THE TIMOROUS DUNYA✅

ONE

Tues. 10th June, 2008

She let the tears descend down her big hazel eyes, dropping into the mat and easily to the ground, wetting it. Her left hand gripping the piece of jewelry draped around her neck while her right hand gripped her legs firmly. She was curled in a ball like position on the worn out mat.

She looked up the small window where droplets of water were coming through, it's raining again. It's a starless and moonless night, all saddened by the angry clouds.

The night marked exactly two years her mother passed away. She remembered everything vividly like it was yesterday. How she cried but there was no one there to help. Her father slept at the house in his farm that day due to the heavy downfall, he couldn't make it home. Inna saude and her children went to God knows where so, maryam and her mother were the only persons home. But Allah planned that her own mother too was going to leave her.

The night brings back the bitter sweet memories. So she has none other thing to do than cry all through it. Like she did the previous year... Alone.

*****

The struggling sound of someone trying open the old, rusted and almost out of place metallic door of her room made her realized it was already 3:30 am. She quickly wiped her teary eyes, hid the jewelry under her shirt and stood up.

"Inna na tashi- Inna, I'm awake." She said, her voice coarse from all the crying. But it was too late, Inna Saude as usual has emitted the cold water of the tulu (clay pot) she's holding in her hands . It was Inna saude's way of waking her up everyday.

'
"Munafika! Kin tashi shine kika ki fitowa!" (*insult * your awake but refused to come out). Inna Saude fired angrily.

''Zaki fito ko senazo na doke ki?!"
(will you come out or till I spank you)." She added.

Inna Saude is her father's, Mallam Kabiru's forst wife, she has two children, Suleiman(sule) and zainab (zee baby) both twenty five and seventeen respectively.

Maryam quickly walked out to start her chores. She started off by sweeping the whole compound of the house and then making breakfast for everyone which was koko and kosai (pap and beancake). When everyone was done eating breakfast, she collected and did all the dishes, boiled water for everyone to take their bath and washed the toilets when everyone was done bathing.

When she was done washing the toilet, she quickly performed wuduu (ablution) to perform subh salat, it's almost midday. Her mother had been very strict when it comes to salat, but Inna saude was the total opposite.

"Ina kike tunanin zuwa?(where do you think your going?)." Inna saude's voice stopped her in her trance. Subhanallah!

Now Inna saude won't allow her to pray, she thought she wasn't close by. The only time she prays is when Inna saude isn't close, so she takes the opportunity to quickly go and pray.

"Ina saude please allow me to go and pray subh, wallah I'll be really quick ." Maryam begged, though she was 99.9% sure Inna saude won't let her.

"Lallai yarinyar nan, muda bama pray din ko, mu arna!(wonders shall never end! So your calling us pegans now!)" Inna saude roared walking abruptly to her.

'"Ina it's not like that, ple..." She was cut off by a slap on her right cheek and another one on her left.' Inna lillahi wa'Inna Ilaihi Rajiun '. She kept muttering under her breath whilst holding both her cheeks.

"Ki jini da kyau ! You are no praayin enitin se kin gama min aiki!'( Listen carefully, you are not praying till you finish all the chores I assigned to you!)." She yelled in her horrible English whilst putting her hand in her dirty bra and fetching out a 100 naira note.

"Kwalet'(collect)." She shoved the money in Maryam's hands.

"Go to maman Ataye shago and bai po me pulawa, panke yau zaki talla(go to mama Ataye's kiosk and buy flour, your hawking buns today)."

Maryam had no other choice than to oblige. It's what happens everyday. Inna Saude must find one or the other reason to hit her or slap her.

She bought the flour and came back to prepare the buns, afterwards fried it and packed everything in a transparent bucket then head to hawking. If there's anything she hates, then it's hawking. It gives people thousands of reasons to insult and disgrace you. Some people don't even treat hawkers as human beings, To them they're just pathetic and useless peace of shit!