Zara

Chapter 14:Niqabi Lady

Not edited

"Maman Abdul!!! " He called her for the umpteenth time.

"Why is it that some people are dump ne wai? Haba I don't have your time try to understand, I'm married, what part of marriage is it that you don't understand? " She asked heading to her car.

She was already dealing with the Super hot exam she had, all thanks to their lecturer; Dr Badamasi Musbahu, though they called him 'Bad Mus' before they progressed to 'Bad Mouse',of course he was a Mouse both literally and technically, he is the type that will cunningly steal your easiness most especially in examination hall, trouble and trouble your brain like no tomorrow,it is when students sit for his special exam that you will be seeing pens being chewed, papers being soaked with tears, people staring at ceilings and fans maybe in sought for answers.

She was among the strong ones that will squeeze their wet palms, and manage to answer one question out of three, and then fast,pray at night crying their hearts to Allah,and then at the end pass with C, when lucky enough B.

"Maman Abdul please hear me out, wallahi I love you I can't do without you, I've been yearning for your love since the first time I set my eyes on you... "

"Shazali!!!, if you are out of your mind better talk senses into your head, I'm married ,don't you know what it means to be married?" She cut him mid sentence.

"Wallahi if you dare talk to me again, I will sue you,Mtswwwwwww."

With that she entered her car igniting it, she kept clenching
and unclenching the steering wheel, hissing and cursing under her breath, she is still unaware of the reason behind men chasing her, she isnt so beautiful afterall and had it been she wasnt a married woman she would have given them a listening ear, but she was married, it even reached to the extent where only the bridge of her nose, then her eye balls are seen;she would wear Hijab that reaches her ankle, socks, hand glove and Niqab. But all in vain. Why? Why? There was a time she took her son, Abdul to their school, Bayero University just to prove that she was married but when he called her 'Yaya',they denied it saying that she was his sister not mother.

"Allahumma Sa'idini " She prayed as she sighted her son playing with her 'cutyyy'.

*********
"Abdul I don't have a mother, my Daddy bathe me, cooksh, plait and do everything for me. " Zara said smiling.

"Ya Jala(Yaya Zara), we have a lot in common, I don't have a father, itsh my mother that does everything for me ." Abdul replied as he unzipped his bag.

"Daddy!!!" They squealed as Muhammad approached them.

"Hey my children,hope you studied well" He answered as he hugged them.

"Yesssh Daddy, Abdul is now my new friend since Uncle Ash has removed Ummi from thish school, but he ish not in our classh he is in prenujely" Zara blabbered.

"That's nice of you, Abdul how are you?" Moh asked with a smile.

"I'm fine Daddy, but somebody stole my pencil, I don't have the one to use for my homework and Yaya will beat me for being careless."Abdul complained as he used his sleeve to clean his eyes.

"Shtop clying Abdul I will give you mine don't worry. " Zara held his hand and headed to were they left their bags when they saw their Daddy.

"Here have it" Zara gave him a new pink pencil.

"Thank you Ya Jala you are the best " He grinned as she cleaned his face.

"You are very stupid Zara!!!, so you're the well trained thief that steals my son's pencil right? Is it your father that buys him or is it from your father's house that I pluck the money? Ill mannered goat kawai.Rashin uwa ai ba hauka bane."

"Wallahi Yaya I didn't... "

"Don't Yaya me here idiot, I caught you red handed,I have to meet your good for nothing father, he should train you well or atleast get another wife... "

Even though she was shouting, her voice seemed familiar, he knew the voice but where?

"No ! It can't be ! This can't be 'her'" He scolded himself.

"Here I am mysterious Niqabi lady." Came Muhammad's husky voice.

It was an unfathomable feeling, her heart skipped on hearing his voice but she quickly masked it with a loud hiss.

"From the way you talked, you have knowledge about her not having a mother, instead of you to be so nice to her, you turned out to be rude and cruel,I wonder if you are his biological mother. " He finished his statement gesturing at Abdul who held Zara's hand in a pacifying manner.

"I'm sorry Yaya, have you forgotten your cutyyy,wallahi I didn't steal his pencil, I was.. " She choked before she finished her statement.

"Are these people planning on sending her to her grave at this early age of hers, first it was Bad Mouse, then Shazali and now this stupid goat that is trying to deny her her motherhood. " She thought.

"Abdul let's go I have alot to do at home in case you don't. " She held Abdul sending Muhammad freshly prepared daggers.

"Zara!!!" Muhammad called exasperated.
"Daddy who ish Jala again? " Zara asked with her crying voice.

"That Niqabi...lady... Woman... Is her name not Zara? " He stammered as he watched Maman Abdul's retreating back.

"No Daddy her name is Maman Abdul but I and Abdul call her Yaya " She replied smiling as if she wasn't the person crying earlier.

"Interesting,lets get going." He said nodding his head.
****

"Yaya I was not happy you shouted at Ya Jala, she is kind and good hearted. " Abdul complained as he sharpen his pencil.

"She deserve that Abdul, I liked her but not until after what she did today, have you sharpened the pencil? "

She kept the handout she was reading on seeing the pink pencil Abdul was sharpening,

"Abdul that's not your pencil, who gave you? Or where did you get it? " She asked.

"Yaya, itsh Ya Jala that gave me, I told her that I lost mine, then she dashed me hers,she is very kind ko? She was trying to explain but you kept shouting at her. " He pouted.

"Ya Allah " She palmed her face.

She had never felt so embarrassed in her life than the way she felt at that moment, she could still see Zara's innocent teary face, her father's angry face though he managed to control it, What a monster she is.

She loved the girl the moment her son introduced her, she was a talkative though but she developed a liking for that, her dimples or wow, and the way she respected her,

"What have I done? " She asked no one.

"I have to really apologize it wasn't my fault, it was Bad Mouse that stole the real me. "