Mummunan Zato 2 Complete Hausa Novel

She slowly closed the door, then turned, intending to enter the room. Her eyes widened and she pressed her hand to her chest, saying, “Innalillahi.” At the same time, she turned back and shut her eyes—all because she had seen Uncle come out of the bathroom wearing only short pants, drying himself with a towel.

She reached for the door to open it, and he said, “Baby.” She replied, “Um…” She stammered, “Wait… um… wait, I’ll come back when you’re done. I didn’t know you were in here. Please, forgive me.”

He said, “What did you do for me? Come and do your work, okay?”

She turned, but kept her gaze downward as she walked, bumping into the bed. Quickly, she lifted her eyes to rest them on the bed, noticing with surprise that the bed wasn’t as big as hers. The mattress was thin, covered with a patterned bedspread. She lifted her head to glance at Uncle, then quickly lowered it again to check—he still hadn’t put on a shirt. He didn’t seem bothered; he was just rubbing himself with the towel.

She stammered, “Ah… ah, you… have you already put on a shirt?”

He looked at her, and she froze. He picked up a short-sleeved white shirt and put it on, then stepped toward her.

He grabbed her hand, making her sit down while holding her fingers in his. His eyes were fixed downward; she still couldn’t look at him because his short pants didn’t cover his thighs, and all his private parts were visible. He lightly massaged her fingers and said, “Baby, you’re not forbidden from seeing me like this, just as I’m not forbidden from seeing you.”

She looked at him quickly. He said, “Yes, because we are lawful to each other.” She lowered her gaze, but her heart wanted him to explain everything, because she didn’t fully understand his intentions.

He said, “Right now, Baby, who am I to you? What is my position?” She looked at him, then lowered her head, and slowly said, “Husband.”

He asked, “What do you mean by ‘Husband’?” She paused, then replied, “The one who is married.” Uncle smiled slightly at her earnestness. He asked, “Okay, what is marriage?” She said, “Marriage? Um… it’s when people gather to tie the knot, then the woman is taken to the husband.”

He asked, “Then what happens after that?” She glanced at him, then hid her face. He said, “Tell me, once she goes there, what does she do in the house?” She said, “She sweeps, cleans, cooks, and takes care of the children.”

He rubbed his hand, saying, “Good, so you know. How are the children born?” She said, “Yes.”

He asked, “How are they born?” She said, “She will give birth to them.”

He said, “That’s how she gives birth?” She said, “Yes, when she’s pregnant.”

He adjusted his position to hear clearly, then asked, “Okay, how does the pregnancy come about?” She hesitated, then said, “I don’t know, maybe by eating certain foods.”

He laughed. Among all the women he had married, none were as naive about married life as Aisha, even though some of them were fortunate in other ways. He looked at her.

“Do you want to know how pregnancy happens?”

Her head went down. She said, “Yes.” He smiled slightly and said, “If I ask you one thing right now that you don’t know, I will explain it to you. But if you already know, I’ll let you figure it out yourself—it will be an assignment. But you cannot ask anyone else, do you agree?”

She said, “Okay, how will I know if I can’t ask anyone?”

He said, “You will know, today or tomorrow.”

She said, “Alright, ask me so I can hear.”

He said, “Do you know about Haila?”

Immediately, she buried her face in her thighs, because he had touched on something she felt most embarrassed about in her life. Even if Haila or her mother asked, she would feel shy telling them. But she struggled until her mother discovered it herself, let alone Uncle, whom she had only recently met. They had not yet had any discussion where she would talk about this to him.

He laughed and said, “Come on, tell me, Baby, have you ever done it?” She jumped up and ran out.

She returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed, her heart pounding. She felt intense embarrassment toward Uncle; how could he ask such a question?

He kept laughing, knowing he had to be gentle with Aisha now because he didn’t want to pressure her. He preferred everything to be done with ease and proper guidance.

Meanwhile, Jummai was in her room, happy. But at the same time, she felt anger welling inside her. If she had the power, no other woman would be allowed to sit on a husband’s lap, let alone a man she had sworn to. That was why she had vowed that if she ever saw another woman attempting to take a position in her married life, she would eliminate her. She knew that soon this girl would be gone; her heart was at peace, Insha’Allah. She spent the day moving around her room because she couldn’t restrain herself.

Aisha was sitting, performing her dhikr, when suddenly someone forcefully knocked on the door. Terrified, she stood up, and Hajiya Jummai had already begun reciting prayers in her heart.

Hajiya Jummai shouted, seeing Aisha standing. “No! Whose scream is this? I thought it was something else in this room.”

Aisha said, “Really, it’s not here.” She snorted and said, “Truly, it’s not here.” Hajiya Jummai walked around, her heart trying to confirm if she really heard Aisha, but surprisingly, Aisha herself assured her that nothing had happened in the room. Aisha said, “Allah, it’s not here, Hajiya.” Then she lowered her gaze slightly and said, “Where is the bed, Hajiya?” She sniffed angrily and left, slamming the door.

Aisha remained silent, her mind trying to understand what it all meant. Later, she clicked her tongue and shrugged, signaling that they already knew. She returned to sit and reflect on the conversation she had with Uncle yesterday. Eventually, she went to the kitchen—not because Uncle had asked her the question about Haila, but because she knew Uncle was not a licentious man.

Uche was already working. They greeted each other, and she joined in preparing Uncle’s breakfast. Uche helped her a little, and she moved to her room with the tray, finding him sitting at the edge of the bed, ready to eat. She checked the clock—it was almost eight o’clock. She placed the tray in front of him and began preparing his tea. She served him, adding potatoes and eggs, and spread butter on his bread.

He said, “Oh! I almost forgot, where am I supposed to eat at home? Let me put it on the floor, Baby.” She stood and fetched a prayer mat for him to sit on. He sat down to eat, and she sat to greet him. He responded warmly and said, “Did you get tired running around yesterday with all those questions, Baby, that’s why you ran off?”