The young Cavalry

Chapter 3

**I TURNED 7**

I turned 7 while my Sani turned 11 years old and I learned how to beg alone.

It was an early morning i entered one house close to our school and begged, I was given a food that has unpleasant odour and tasted terrible so I had no option but to eat -- which I did. About an hour later I began to feel dizzy, from there I ran to my brother and told him that I ate some spoiled food. He quickly fetched me some water which I wasn't sure of it's cleanliness too, so I drank, instantly I felt an abdominal cramp and started vomiting.

My brother took me to me to Malam Idi and he explained to him all that had happened. I was very weak and I heard Malam Idi's voice through the blowing wind, "who asked him to eat some spoiled food?, I am not to be blamed. Take him to the toilet may be he'll be fine there." He said.

My brother took me to the toilet where I vomited there again. I wasn't rushed to the hospital due to Malam Idi's wickedness, I spent 3days in a severe abdominal pain and a serious headache. My brother felt sorry for me and he broke his piggy bank which he saved from the shoe making he did, he bought me some medicine with no prescription of a doctor. I used it for two days and it wasn't helpful though I felt better the next day, I recovered my health and stood up for daily struggle again.

The following day Malam Idi took my brother and some other students to his farm to work for him, they spent seven days at the farm while I spent the same seven days being bullied by a group of some students. They forced me to beg for food for them in the morning, lunch time and dinner. And alot of things beyond my strength.

One of those students was using Sani's shoe making kit and unfortunately it got stolen, the student warned me of not to tell my brother that he was the one that used his kit.

One the eighth day Malam Idi brought them back from that farm and they were physically dehydrated by a mere look, Sani my brother came to me after he got settled "Ali, how have you been?" He asked. "I've been better" I replied, because they warned me about telling him what they did to me. Sani looked around and asked.

SANI: Ali where is my kit?

I kept quiet as I was warned too. He got mad and i told him, he went ahead and meet the student that lost his kit at the side of the road. They got in a fight and the other boy pushed Sani over the road and he was bashed by a speeding car.

He was unconscious and was rushed to an emergency unit in the hospital where the doctors told the man driving the car that the boy has died instantly. The man went back to Malam Idi and told him everything, Malam Idi wasn't so shocked about the incident that happened. The man and Malam Idi decided to buried the body in the city since there was no contact to Mr Mudi, and the man brought the idea that they should take me along with the two of them to Balili village to inform our parents.

Nobody told me that Sani was dead.

The next day Malam Idi called me "go and pack some of your rags and your brothers we're going to your village." He said. Which I did, then the man arrived later and brought me some food and a fine clothe for me to wear. All I was thinking was we were going to pick my brother from the hospital he was taken, non of the two of them talked about Sani in the car.

We reached the village late and it was getting dark while I was sleeping at the back seat of the car, Malam Idi gave me a dirty slap and asked "can you lead us to your house?" I said no and he hissed. The man got angry with what Malam Idi did to me so he pulled over near a tree and stepped out of the car. He approached some men trying to perform ablution, he asked them of Mr Mudi and they directed him to Mr Mudi's house.

We drove to the house. As we approached the house we sighted a man resting under a tree, we reached him. Mr Mudi stood up, he looked uneasy and was anxious to know what brought us back from the city.

Malam Idi was nervous too "good evening Mr Mudi" he said. "Good evening Malam, you may sit please" Mr Mudi replied.

They sat there along with the man and greeted while I was standing behind the man, "can't you see your father, Ali?" the man asked me in a silent manner. I kept quiet and the man noticed that I was afraid of Malam Idi and Mr Mudi, then the man brought some sweets from his pocket "take this to your mother inside" he said. I smiled and ran into the house.

Mrs Rabi my mother was amazed the time she saw me, she picked me up and embarrassed me "where is your brother Sani?" She asked, "he was taken to the hospital in the city" I replied. She instantly dropped me "who are you with now?, why is your brother not with you?" She asked again. She went into their single room where she brought her veil and stepped out of the house to see who was i with and I followed her. She saw three men sitting and a car parked, I was saying "MAMA MAMA!" She ignored me and hurried back in to her room and brought out a lamp because the place was dark already.

She approached them,

Mrs Rabi:[angrily] who's is Malam Idi here?

Mr Mudi: Rabi calm down, what is this that you're doing?

Malam Idi: Here I am.

Mrs Rabi: Where is my son and why is he in the hospital?

Mr Mudi: Rabi, you must take it easy, Sani was bashed by a car and ......

Mrs Rabi: And what?

The man: I'm sorry mam, I was the one who bashed him with a car and he's dead already.

Mrs Rabi shouted "YA SALAM, Somebody should please wake me up from this dream." She fainted there.

The man quickly rushed into his car and brought some water, he spilled it over her face. After some seconds she came back alive, she asked again "where is my son?".

Malam Idi: Mrs Rabi, the incident happen yesterday and that's the reason why we're here.

Mrs Rabi:[crying] Why? Why? Please why?

The man: Yes this is the reason we're here and if you didn't agree with our statements, I did a police report in the city so that we may have some proof.

Mr Mudi: It's ok, indeed everyone will die.

The man gave Mr Mudi some money and told him that he and Malam Idi were going to the town near Balili village to spend the night and were going to be back in the morning.

My mother cried through out that night while Mr was jubilating about the money he got