Amariya: The Runaway Bride

3• I'm Sorry

~Khadijah~

I stood up from my mat after my refreshing nap and said my prayers. I rinsed my face with water from our drum at the backyard before leaving for Hassana's place.

Her house was very close to mine and it took me less than 20 minutes to get there. I knocked on the front door and her elder brother, Usman opened it for me. "As Salamu Alaikum." I greeted "Wa Alaikum salaam. Come in. " he replied and gestured for me to come in.

~°~°~°~

The four bedroom bungalow was so beautiful and scented of turale wuta. (sweet scenting perfume mostly used by the hausas)

Khadijah looked around until she noticed two thin wooden sticks arranged in a cross from which the perfume was coming out in form of smoke. Usman signaled for Khadijah to take a sit on some furniture in the sitting room. She gladly sat and enjoyed the coolness of the air conditioned room while he went in to call his sister.

Few seconds later, Hassana came in and salam-ed. Khadijah replied. The room went silent for a long time. She contemplated on how to tell Hassana that she was sorry for what she had done. Seeing that Khadijah was reluctant to speak, Hassana broke the silence.

"Khadijah, I'm sorry for how I talked to you this morning. I know that you don't feel comfortable with the way I talk to you sometimes, I'm really sorry. " she said.
Classic Hassana, she had no reason to be sorry but she still blamed herself for everything. "You don't need to say that, it was all my fault. I'm really sorry for the way I embarrassed you in front of your friends. I hope you forgive me."
"I forgive you." Hassana said and pulled Khadijah closer to her in a warm embrace.

Hassana went into the kitchen and came back with a tray in her hands containing a plate with some chin-chin, puff puff and some orange juice. She dropped it on the table in front of Khadijah. "Thanks so much Hassana but this is too much." She even wanted to repeat the popular cliché 'don't bother, besides I ate before coming' but she decided not to lie. Khadijah felt really hungry and this was no time to be unreasonably nice.

"Don't worry, my mother is okay with it. Besides, you're our visitor and you can't leave on an empty stomach you know. " Hassana said.
Hassana is a really nice person. Khadijah thought. Why did she have a quarrel with her in the first place. Only a crazy person would be more than ready to give up a friend like Her.

Khadijah ate the puff puff and packaged the rest to take home for her siblings. She stood up to leave since it had already become dark and Hassana bade her goodnight. "Sai wata rana (till we meet again)" Hassana said as they waved at each other.

~°~°~°~

I got back home feeling relieved and excited. I gave Aisha and fatima the chin-chin and orange juice I brought back and they thanked me. I stepped into the kitchen and brought out all the ingredients I would need to cook our tuwo shinkafa and Miyan kuka. I poured some water into a pot and kept it in the middle of three logs of firewood then poured some kerosene on top of the logs and lighted a match. I left it to boil for sometime.

When it was done, I carefully carried the pot and dropped it on the concrete floor. I grabbed a wooden spatula and slowly poured the tuwo which was still in powdered form then mixed it in the hot water and stirred it until it became strong. I eventually became tired and hauwa took over for me.

I went into the house and I saw mama seated on her mat through the passage. She looked worried. I entered her room to inquire about her anxiety. "As Salamu Alaikum." I greeted. Mama didn't hear me so I repeated myself, raising my pitch a little bit. She jolted and replied.

"Wa Alaikum salaam,"

"What happened, Khadijah. Aren't you supposed to be cooking by now?" She asked trying to cover up her fear.

"No, Hauwa is assisting me. What's wrong mama? You look troubled."

I asked then sat beside her on her mat, folded my legs and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She burst out crying. This had to be serious. I patted her on the back as tears kept on flowing from her eyes.

"I sold our farmland today."

I was immediately shocked. She sold the only land uba had when he was alive and the only property he left behind for us? I was dumbfounded. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. We got all our food from the farm and sold the rest to traders for profit. Although, it was very small, it was all we lived on and our last memory of uba. I just couldn't decipher any situation that would make mama sell our farmland.

"Mama, why did you do that?
You just sold our last inheritance."

A/N: Hey gems 💎

Why did Khadijah's mother sell their only farmland and their last inheritance? 🤔

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Dedicated to black_nature120, christabel1232, HeraScribbles, Siyyamah , eeshaaarh and NeymorhNderitu❤️
T

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