Unforgettable Days(A Hausa Story)

Chapter 1: Ummul Khairi.

     "Khairiyya stop talking and eat that food before it gets cold, I've warned you countless times to do away with talking until after eating but you wouldn't hear." Hajiya Maryam scolded her daughter like a 2 year old child. She and her brothers had being talking since, forgetting they were eating.

     "But mummy I was just showing Sabir something on my phone, he had been pestering me since to sh.."

     "And you are still talking right?"

     She was left with no option but to keep shut and continue eating her food but her mother wouldn't stop complaining, she went on with the everyday lectures they were already used to.

     "How many times would I have to keep warning you to stop bringing these things here" she pointed at their phones on the table.

     "Idan an gama cin abinci ba se a cigaba da danna waya ba since that's all you guys are good at, finish eating your food then afterwards you can use your phones from today until eternity."

     Khairiyya and her brothers exchanged glances before shaking their heads. Their mother would scold all of them from the oldest to the youngest whenever they talk or use their phones while eating, and they were used to that habit, that they couldn't abandon it. They continued eating their food in silence until their mother noticed something again.

     "Young lady and what's that you're doing?"

     Khairiyya dropped the bottle of coke she was drinking from and looked at her mother wondering what she had done wrong again.

     "Where are your exquisite manners? A lady is not supposed to have a drink directly from the bottle but put it into a cup and sip slowly in a tasteful manner, or better still use a straw, even a man wouldn't do that because it's so gross, stop it. Ke kullum ina nuna miki hanya kina kaucewa? Haba Khairiyya."

    Her brothers couldn't hold back their laughes so they laughed out loud, it annoyed Khairiyya, because she saw nothing wrong in seeping from the bottle, it was sweeter than pouring it into a boring cup. Her mother had being scolding and correcting her about that for as long as she could remember but it was in her blood, so she couldn't stop.

     "I'm sorry mummy." Her soft gentle voice was soothing which made her mother smile sweetly at her.

     "It's alright baby, next time always use a cup."
she pout after her mother said that and her mother smiled.

     "What's wrong my baby?"

     "Mummy you know I don't like it when you call me that, I'm no longer a baby, I'm a big girl."
Her mother laughed wholeheartedly and the boys joined her.

     "But you're my baby, and you'd always be that, ko kinyi aure da ya'ya, you would always and forever be your mummy's baby my dear."

     "Come on mummy I'm 23, look at me all grown up so I've automatically left that baby stage back then." She threw her hand over her shoulders dramatically. It made her mother laugh the more. They were now sitting down on the royal chairs in the ultra expensive sitting room. Sabir and Ibrahim had gone to their rooms leaving mummy and her two favourites Khairi and Sadeeq alone.

     "Even after Sabir, you were still my baby because you were such a beautiful and clingy baby, kullum kina biye da ni unlike the boys who wouldn't look for me until they are hungry which is still happening now even though they're all grown up men. That's why you're still my clingy baby." She gave Khairiyya a side hug making her lean her head on her mother's shoulder.

     "Kai mummy, but I was closer to you than baby, until she came and took away my place forcefully." Sadeeq feigned hurt placing his hand on his chest.