Tears of Zubaida.

•••••TEARS OF ZUBAIDA••••• •••Chapter five•••

Sule couldn't close his mouth because of how the people at the teburin mai shayi were hailing him for being a warrior or rather how he refers to himself.

"Ai da ka tsinke shi da mari before Malam Musa could stop you." The tea seller said.

"That was what I wanted to do. Or even, punch his jaw till blood began oozing." Sule said blowing the air triumphantly.

"Hmm, first time in history, anyi abun azo agani." A man who was seated on the bench opposite Sules' said.

The laughter of others echoed at the place, making Sule leave the place cursing them under his breath.
"Why did I even tell them?" He murmured and headed home.

Zubaida sat on the buzu that was in her father's room and waited till he finished going through her continuous assessment scripts. He nodded his head in satisfaction until he came across her mathematics and economics papers.

"Can you explain these?" Her father roughly shoved the papers towards her.
On a normal day, he would have counselled her and assured her she could do better, but today even the looks she had received from him were more than enough explanations to her that he was in a no-nonsense mood.

"Baba, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have done what I did earlier but..."

"Ba wannan na tambayeki ba. But, it's a good thing you brought it up. Who do you think you're to tell people you don't know what to do?" Malam Musa said in a soft tune. "Zubaida, not even your friend's father addresses me with 'Malam' or will you also go to him and destroy his property or slap him on your way to school?"

"Baba, I was reading and he came and was honking so loudly that I couldn't concentrate."

"Oh really! What subject were you reading? Economics? Or were you solving some equations?" Her father asked.

Zubaida began feeling uncomfortable with the way her father was talking.

"He's coming tomorrow with His father, make sure you apologize. Or will you also slap his father if he addresses me with Musa without the 'Malam' title or even, break their window if they honk?" Malam Musa said folding the scripts and keeping them where he keeps his papers.
"You may leave."

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming." She said picking his file jacket from the ground.

"Ke! What are you doing here? Must you follow me anywhere I go? Ko ke aljana ce?" Mu'az said snatching his file jacket away from her.

"Hmm?" Ruqayyah stated confused.

"Won't you slap me again?" He said walking closer to her.

"I'm sorry mister, you're talking to the wrong person," Ruqayyah said and quickly stopped a rickshaw.

"Do we have to go there again?" Mu'az whined.

"Don't make me say we are to spend the night there." Alh. Ibrahim replied to his son.

"Ahh! Please no. I'm quiet." Mu'az said.

"Zubaida go and apologize to both father and son for breaking their window." Malam Musa ordered.
"And here, take this tofu to him." He passed a flask to her.

Zubaida walked towards the Mango tree Mu'az was seated on the mat spread for them.

"Good afternoon." She greeted.

Mu'az stood up in fright and said "Amma ke aljana ce ko?"
Then he sat at the end of the mat.
"I saw you today on my way to the garage where we bumped into each other and you even helped me with my file jacket. And now look at you."

Zubaida stared into the space trying to remember something before it dawned on her that he must have seen Ruqayyah.
She looked back to see if her father was there but he wasn't so she looked at Mu'az and said.

"I'm sorry, for what I did yesterday and the day before."

"It's alright, I'm sorry for what I did too," Mu'az said with a smile.

"Please..." Zubaida started and looked back to see if her father was there.
"Don't talk about the girl you bumped into today, not in these premises. Here have this..." She said dropping the flask. "Awara ne. My mother made it specially for your visit." With that being said, she left.

Glossary.

Teburin me shayi ... Tea joint.

Ai da ka tsinke shi da mari ... You should have slapped him.

Anyi abun azo agani ... You've done something useful.

Buzu ... A carpet made by drying a ram's skin.

Baba ... Father.

Ba wannan na tambayeki ba ... That's not what I asked you.

Ke! ... You! (Feminine).

Ko ke aljana ce? ... Are you an evil spirit?

Amma ke aljana ce ko? ... You must be an evil spirit right?

Awara ne ... It's tofu.

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Thank you🙏.