A Weakness Called Love: Memoirs of an African Housemaid

CHAPTER 34: A NEW BEGINNING

Yalwa and I became fast friends. Everyone was kind to me. Hajiya has four Daughters and two sons. All of which are fully grown. Most of them were kind to me, while the rest simply ignore me(the men) but they all talked to me in a kind manner as if I am their relative. They have an elder maid, who also treat me well. There are also 2 boys, who were around 14-16 years who came to the almajiri school but are in need of side jobs and food, they help with outdoor work and run errands. They had a room for themselves and were given 3square meals a day, they even had their food flask, they wash their clothes and bathe there. They practically lived there but they don't spend the night in the house. Their school recommend that they had to spend the night in the Malams House no matter what. So the work load was pretty light. Sometimes we were idle and nobody bothered us.

Once, I had finished all my chores, then I heard one of Hajiya's daughter enter the kitchen, i heard her working, I quickly went to assist her. But she said it's okay, she was making a quick meal, she will handle it and that I had worked a lot that day, I needed to rest. She said I should go and watch tv, she even added that her sisters were going to start watching an Indian movie and she was sure I was going to like it. She smiled at me. At first I thought she was being sarcastic, but I then realized she was serious. This lady was not only asking me to watch television while she worked, she was asking me to watch it with her siblings. What world is this?!

I was still worried that maybe the kindness these people showed me was a facade, their motive will reveal itself soon. I couldn't understand why they be kind to me. It felt wrong, I couldn't accept their kindness just like that. Maybe they are one of those people who sell people's organs or heads for rituals, now my head is next.

But, again I wondered why Yelwa still has her head? Besides all the girls that went back to the village are very much alive. What was their deal? I thought to myself. I couldn't live with the anxiety anymore. So I decided to ask Yelwa directly.

one evening I asked her. She laughed so hard I thought she was going to choke. She couldn't believe I will ever think that. That was when she decided to open up to me and narrate her story.
"I am nothing but a village girl. Well to be accurate, we lived in the outskirts of a village. Beyond our borders, like across the street were pagan Hausa people( maguzawa). My mother was from there.unfortunately for us, my father had only one matured male child.  He is my senior brother. The rest are very little. So we lack the requisite manpower to till our lands. My father was getting old also. During the rainy season I helped with the farm work, if you would have seen my foot only a year ago you wouldn't like it one bit, it will put a hard working barefoot laborer's feet to shame! Mine was nastier. you wouldn't recognize me at all, I was dark, slim, had scaly feet, one of my teeth was barely hanging from my gums. I was a mess. Hajiya must really be compassionate to have taken me in.

After harvest, the little food we got was never enough it never lasted till another rainy season. Hence, My dad's main job was to carry heavy loads in the village market for little money. Because of such hard labor his hairline had mounted up to his eyebrow, and the mid region of his hair had become bald. Yet he made little so little that we cannot afford to send my brother to the almajiri school, although my brother longed to be in that school. It was something he always dreamed of. It was sort of his fantasy." she smiled with nostalgia.
"But we could never afford it. My mother was chastised for accepting Islam and marrying my father rather than worshipping the old gods. She was totally estranged. Her people cut off any relations with her. The land in our village were becoming dryer by the day and very much infertile, we could only plant sorghum. The maize we planted grew poorly. But we still grow a bit of it. It was a delicacy. Many of our neighbors migrated to the next village and erected houses. They build it with clay bricks that they made with their bare hands. Migration requires money, Money was something we lack. we couldn't afford it so we remain in our deserted village. Our villages were located very remotely that no person knows anyone from town, the only town we know is the larger villages, therefore taking someone to the town to work was foreign to us.

As it is said when God decrees your destiny nobody can prevent you from obtaining it. Everything is preordained and is written in the book of decrees that was written before our creation. Fortunately, it was written that I, Yelwa will be the first girl to ever go to town to work from my village. When God wants something to happen he open many doors and pathways to your destiny. my father's cousin lived in another distant village. She had put to bed, and was blessed with a beautiful baby girl. My mother wanted to attend the wedding. My mother is very close to all my fathers relations, they love her and welcomed her into the family with open hearts, they treated her like a sister. Reluctantly my father let her go. He was able to put together the transport fare and so she went. At the naming ceremony the women were discussing about taking girls to town to work in neighboring towns and that there was a woman who says she can also help with the girls from that town. My mother listened with keen interest. She later asked my fathers cousin, Sahura. Sahura explained everything to her. She even told her if she was interested she can get the woman Hajiya Tani to take me there. All she has to do is to come back after 3 market days, and she can arrange everything. My mother bubbled with excitement. Because, she knew that now she does not have to worry about getting me married. I can even help out. But when she told my father about it, he did not consider the news good news, he was not excited about it. He vehemently refused. She begged him but his mind was set, he remained unmoved.

After two market days, she told my father she needed to go and check out on Sahura, that she had promised to go and see her after three market days. She said she was taking me with her, so I can also see the baby. She wanted me to be close to my family and learn how to kip ties of kinship.

He did not wanted to let her go, but he is a principled man who believes in keeping promises. His life has been wired on this basic principle. He is a man who rarely make promises because he recognizes the burden of keeping promise and the need to keep them no matter what.
Religiously, it is good to keep promise and lack of keeping promises is a sign of hypocrisy. So he agreed. Besides has not God ordained jointing ties of kinship? What type of a man would he be if he tries to forbid what God had instructed? No! He had to see beyond women's foolishness who make promises as if it meant nothing. So, on the third market day we went, there. She told Sahura about my fathers decision but says she was willing to send me without his approval.

So Sahura supported her and called the woman who promised to collect the girls, Hajiya Tani. There and then Sahura paid my transport fare. My mother went back home and the next day I was in town. But Hajiya Tani had no contact in town. Turns out she wanted to get into the business.  She is a daring woman, compelled by desperate situation to make a lively hood. She became widowed 6months ago and had children to take care of. What she did was she went to a public hospital's waiting area and announced

"Please, the ummah(community ) of our blessed Prophet, Peace be Upon him, who will do a humanitarian act, who will lend God a goodly loan, God will pay you back in multitudes. Who is ready to be rewarded by the Most Generous, The Most kind. Please help me out with these girls, take them to your home, let them work for you and give them what you can. God always reward kindness. Perchance if you do this one goodly act God will avert the ill fortune of having a co wife. God will make you the sole object of your husband's affection. Please my dear women, I implore you to look at us with the eyes of mercy,wouldn't  you want God to be merciful to You also?"

A woman says she wants us, one for herself and another for her in law. We followed her to her house. She chose Lantana. I was taken to the in laws house. Fortunately, this is the in-laws house.
When I came to this house I knew nothing about town. The house is overwhelmingly big, I became apprehensive. But when Aunty Mayyam the youngest daughter of Hajiya came and saw me for the first time, she smiled at me warmly. It was a smile that came from her heart. Her heart and her eyes smiled with her lips. It made me felt at ease. I knew immediately everything will be fine. We became close friends . She taught me everything I need to know. From how to use a water closet to how to mop floors."

She concluded with tears in her eyes, clearly moved by her own story. I was also touched by it.
Her story did to me what Aunty Mayyam's smile did to her. It made me at ease. In that moment I was happy in my good fortune. I trusted my good luck and I felt at ease.