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TALE OF ZAINAB
CHAPTER ONE

"Mallam i would have given you the money if i have, it's just this days the market isn't moving and some people are even yet to bring me my money,
But i will see what i can do."A woman in her late 30's say to the elderly man foaming in anger.

"You better find the money,
If not because of ungratefulness how can you even sell all those things without giving me a dine,
Did you know what it takes to be a man and have a family,
Nonsense,
You women will always take things for guaranted."he say and flip the wrinkle Agbada he's wearing before storming out of the house.

The woman sigh and look up at the sky as if a miracle will come down from the sky to save her from the hell she's living for the past 23years of her life.

"Kamal!"she call and pick the wooden chair that's by the room door and sit with a sigh.

"Karimah!!"she call again and two children exit from the room,
The little girl who's about 5years old is the first to come out and a boy probably around 16years of age lift the torn pink curtain hanging carelessly on the door and come out.

"What is taking you two long,
Hurry up and leave you two will be late."she say as she adjust the little girl uniform with a sigh.

"Ummah the money for the Exam i told you about,
Today is the last day,
If i didn't pay i have to wait for another year."the boy say and the lady sigh.

"Kamal can't they be patient until end of this week,
Beg them please, by Friday insha Allah i will find the money and give it to you,
By God grace you will write this exam this year."she say and the boy sigh but didn't comment.

"Ameen ummah."he say and his mum give him a worried look,
She grab him by the hand.

"Kamal be patient please,
I know it's not easy, I also want you to have a good education, it's just things aren't the way the supposed to be,
I will give you the money on Friday,
Or do you want me to come with you to the school so i can beg them?"she ask and he shake his head.

"Is okay ummah,
Don't stress yourself if you didn't get the money i will write it next year."he say with a weak smile and she smile at him.

"May God bless you,
Take this."she say and let go his hand.

Kamal watch as his mum removed the dirty looking 100naira note from the edge of her wrapper and hand it to him.

"You two should eat something since i didn't cook anything today,
Make sure you look at the road carefully before crossing,
Hold your sister hand."she say and Kamal smile at her.

"Thank you ummah."he say and she nod.

She watch as the boy hold his junior sister hand and they both exit the house before she sigh tiredly.

Zainab was 15 when her mum passed away, her step father married her out instantly, her highest level of education was junior secondary school that too her mum was the one that sponsor her throughout,
When she first married jabir he promised to take her back to school but all that promise collapses when she became pregnant a year after there marriage, when she bring up the issue he gets upset especially do to the fact that he himself is uneducated, she doesn't know much about her mum relatives the only thing she knows is they left from Maiduguri during the Book haram crisis,
her mum then married her step dad and passed away 5years after the marriage after suffering from a chronic malaria.

There's nothing very special about her life, she's a 100% full housewife, she just sell some few food stuffs in the house, it was thanks to the 20,000 naira the government once shared jabir was the one that make all the arrangement and after she received the money he pressure her to give him 15,000naira out of it leaving her with 5000naira,
She started the business with just 3000naira and she thank God the business was bless, ever since her husband notice she have started making small money he stop feeding the house, leaving all the responsibility to her including the children school fees and clothing.

It's too much responsibility for Zainab especially with the little amount of money she's making but she's left with no choice whenever she try to complain her husband get upset and call her all sort of names, if she refused to do cook or the children where sent back home from school he doesn't care, all he will say to her is
"If they die if hunger it's none of his business and for education he didn't go to school so he did not see anything wrong if the children stay at home"
So Zainab is left with no choice than doing all she can to survive the hell she's living all in the name of marriage.

She's blessed with 3 children 2 girls and a boy.
Raliya who's her first daughter and seems to take after the father foot steps and ungrateful attitude refuse to attend school only to gallivant around town and getting into trouble.
Then kamal who's 16years and is in ss3,
And karimah who's in primary 3.

For Zainab even do her life isn't very perfect she try as much as she can to be happy because she do know and fully believe that the Almighty will blessed her abundantly for her patience,
She always wonder if she's the only housewife going through such horrible situation until she one day ran into a lady call Amina, she was in the market purchasing her foodstuffs and she saw her, sitted in the driver seat of the black luxurious Range Rover with her head on the steering wheel crying, the car door was ajar and was parked in a secluded part of the Market which makes her to curiously approach her, it was there the two women first met, Amina shared her story with Zainab and it was a beginning of a Beautiful friendship, That day Zainab realises there's no perfect marriage and No matter the amount of wealth at the end of the day we all have a battle we are fighting which only Allah SWT can solve it for us.

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