Uwar Sadiku Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel

He met her in the kitchen while she was washing dishes. The movement of his entering made her turn around. She looked at him and smiled; he too was smiling at her. He said,

“Stop moving your lips and tell me what’s on your mind.”

She burst into laughter and continued arranging the plates she had washed, saying,

“No! I just noticed that they said we’re going to Bichi to greet Baffa, yet I see someone bathing as if he’s going to visit a widow.”

“Oh, so I didn’t tell you that there’s also a young lady I’ll do something with a bit…”

Before he could finish, she cut him off, laughing,

“There’s nothing you’ll do. It’s just you and me—me alone.”

“When I come back and tell you to pack your things out of one room, then you’ll understand.”

She laughed again.

They teased each other for a while, then said goodbye. She wished him a safe journey as he set off for Bichi, where he was going to greet his paternal grandparents.

That was how they lived their lives—in joy and love—together with their two children, Abdallah and Farha, aged four and two.

……

That day didn’t sit well with her. Abdallah and Farha, who usually kept her company, were at their uncle Baba Sani’s house. Nothing in particular was bothering her, yet she felt uneasy. Ever since they said goodbye and he left for Bichi, she had been gripped by a fear whose cause she didn’t understand. That feeling lingered until the Asr prayer time.

She was sitting in the living room watching TV, though her mind wasn’t really on it, when she heard a knock at the gate. She put on her hijab and went to the gate. As she peeped through, she saw Baba Sani standing there holding car keys. She hurried over, opened the gate, and stepped aside for him to pass.

“Welcome, Brother. Please, come in.”

She said this as she turned toward the house, expecting him to follow her inside. But he pulled back and stopped at the gate. Seeing this, she also turned and stood, looking at him. Before she could say anything, he said,

“There’s no need for me to come in. Umma asked me to come and take you to the house now.”

Her heart skipped a beat. She had already been surprised to see her brother alone, especially since Abdallah and Farha were at his house.

She looked at him, clutching her chest, and began saying Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un silently. She prayed that nothing had happened to Abdallah and Farha—perhaps that was why her heart had been uneasy since morning. She couldn’t speak; she just stared at him, trying to read the worry on his face, when his voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Just lock up and come. They’re waiting for us.”

He turned and went back outside to wait for her.

With difficulty, she dragged herself back into the house, her heart pounding hard and fast. She had to press her hand to her chest.

“Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un,”

she said aloud.

She picked up only the house key, tossed her phone into her bag, came out, and entered the back seat of Brother Sani’s car. He drove off, and they went on in silence. She kept praying that nothing had happened to the children. This was the first time they had ever gone to Baba Sani’s house without her—and even spent the night.

As they approached Umma’s house, she saw people standing in clusters. She clutched her chest in extreme fear. Surely, she thought, it must be Abdallah or Farha who had died—may God forbid it wasn’t both of them.

Tears were already streaming down her face as she opened the car door and rushed into the compound, pushing past people.

No one stopped her until she reached the courtyard. Before she got to the living room door, she saw Umma sitting on the veranda, seated directly on the floor. Women surrounded Umma. Though she wasn’t calm enough to recognize them clearly, she knew they were all crying. She hurried forward, stumbling as she went. The women parted slightly to let her through until she reached Umma. She collapsed in front of her. Umma wiped the tears from her own face, held both of Aisha’s hands tightly, and said,

“We must be patient, Aisha. This is how Allah’s decree is.”

Aisha’s tears intensified. She looked at Bushra, who was sitting beside Umma, wiping her tears. Their eyes met, and Bushra broke down further, crying as she said,

“Brother is gone, Anti Aisha! Brother Mustafa is gone—death has cut off our hope.”

Aisha froze. Her tears stopped instantly. She opened her mouth wide, staring in shock. She looked at Umma, then at Bushra. In disbelief, she said,

“Mustafa? But he went to Bichi, didn’t he? I thought it was Abdallah or Farha. Their father is at Baffa’s house, isn’t he?”

No one answered her—only the crying grew louder. Trembling, she began to open her bag, saying,

“Let me call him. He left for Bichi just a short while ago.”

Anti Rakiya, Umma’s younger sister, held Aisha’s hand—the one she was using to open the bag. She looked into her eyes and said,

“Aisha, please be patient. Allah has taken the life of Abdallah’s father. He had an accident as he was about to enter Bichi town, and only his body was taken to Baffa’s house.”

Aisha stopped opening the bag and stared at Rakiya, her heart pounding even harder. In a trembling voice, she said,

“Abdallah’s father has died?”

She clutched her chest with both hands as her breathing became heavy. Bushra moved closer and supported her, then looked at Anti Rakiya and said,

“Anti Rakiya, check her bag and bring out her inhaler before her asthma attacks.”

Immediately, Rakiya emptied the bag, but there was no inhaler inside—only a phone and the house key.

“There’s no inhaler here. There’s nothing in the bag at all—just the phone and the key.”