The Northerner

FANNA(7)

I took in the sight of the room,it is spacious enough and well furnished ko dan gidan masu kudi irin haka ba abun mamaki bane, i quickly rushed to the bathroom and performed ablution,na fito na tada sallah, after all the only thing I have left is my faith, running hasn't worked out only God can get me out of this situation, and so i prayed for God to save me,i cried for the first time since I woke up in that cell, I couldn't help myself all the confidence and attitude I've been displaying all day left me living me feeling raw and afraid, so I cried for my mom and dad and all the things I lost, I cried and prayed so hard i fell asleep on the prayer mat,i didn't know for how long i slept before i felt someone shaking me as i opened my eyes i was greeted by the face of Hajiya Turai and another unknown face a middle aged woman with a Stern face.
"if you are done sleeping I'd like to show you to your station" haj turai said in a surprising calm manner, she was dressed elegantly in a hollandaise atamfa,her face perfectly made up, she looked like she was heading to a wedding not hanging out at home, maybe this is how rich people are, at home in the morning my mom is usually dressed in her oversized t-shirt she normally wears to bed with her faded zani wrapped around her chest,she only gets dressed up after breakfast, The clock on the wall displayed 7am, it's way too early and I felt like I haven't slept at all. If I could I would have told her to get lost but since I was going to be staying in her house indefinitely I didn't want to piss her off, it'll only make things worse for me.
I nodded and followed her,as we were passing by the huge palour i took into account what i didn't see last night, there were more than 6 rooms downstairs, including the one i was staying in,only God knows how many more there were upstairs ,i didn't even realize when we entered the gigantic kitchen ,the kind you drool over on the internet and fantasize about having something similar in your husband's house.it turns out the other woman that came with hajiya turai is called Uwani,she seems close with Haj turai, they kept whispering to each other,she told me she is the head of the staff and that the kitchen is my domain ,that all they needed me to do is cook, nothing more as the house cook took a break to attend to his grandmother's funeral ,so for the time being I'll be cooking for the entire family,they thought they were being menacing to me,i thought they did me a favor ,i love cooking and it will definitely take my mind off this useless existance, when she was done explaining they marched out of the kitchen and left me there trying to figure out what to do.

Its been a week of the same routine, I have finally adapted to my new normal,i wake up every morning and March to the kitchen, i make breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner Every day for the entire household including hajiya turai and her husband,i really was suprised when uwani told me they eat the same thing as the masters of the house, i am starting to get used to my miserable existance now, I even enjoyed the creative freedom I was allowed in the kitchen, I cook whatever I want and nobody questions me, it probably didn't seem like much to others but for a girl that has been deprived of her freedom the fact that I could at least make decisions for myself in the kitchen made me feel a little less miserable but the mundane routine and never ending silence of the house plus the isolated existance is what is deriving me crazy, everyone keeps out of my business ,the only person that ever talks to me in this house is Baba Musa the gateman , Everytime i take his food to him he always finds a way to make me smile. He was old enough to be my grandfather but he is a very jovial old man, always full of funny stories and he is from Kano as well so we talk about Kano and I feel a little less lonely. he is the only one in the house to ask me my name, all of them just refer to me as that girl, Everytime he refers to me by my name I feel like my old self not this shell of a person I have become. He didn't seem to know all the shady business that happens behind the scenes he just thought I'm a new house help and I didn't correct him, none of the other house helps have asked me who I am, but I could see the curiosity in their eyes, they never spoke to me I don't know what hajiya turai said to them to make them keep their distance but I was greatfull for it,I didn't want to build an attachment with anyone here.

For the life of me i couldn't figure out why I kept thinking about 'the devil or Sayeed as he is called by the others but not me,to me he'll always be the devil ,why i miss him i can't say but maybe it has to do with the fact that he's the only constant face I've been seeing since the abduction. I still haven't figured out how he is related to hajiya turai and her husband,I haven't seen him around since that night, I had no one to ask either since nobody talks to me. To them I don't exist until it's time to eat. Hajiya Turai never comes to the kitchen I only see Uwani and all she does is glare at me,I don't know why she doesn't like me but that's her own problem so I didn't let it bother me.

I closed for the day and retired to my room,i prayed and went to sleep ,I dreamt of my family like i do everyday.i woke up panicked and sweating despite the A/C in the room, if only there was a way I could get my hands on a phone I could call my parents let them know I'm fine and healthy so they can stop worrying, I didn't know the number for the police but my parents could call them to come and rescue me, but there was no phone lying around for me to grab, so I will bid my time,let them think I've accepted my fate and when they let their guard down around me I'll make my move.

Today is a Friday and the house has been buzzing with activity ever since i woke up , Uwani and Haj turai have been constantly coming into the kitchen to tell me what to cook and what not to, before i used to follow a menu of my liking and nobody seems to have a problem with it untill today,they strictly instructed me on what to cook and as the obedient slave that i was i just nodded God knows am tired of fighting "for now" but when the time comes I'll still fight my way out this situation ,Haj turai is fluttering with happiness,and the only thing i knew was that someone important was coming over ,when she went out of the kitchen leaving Uwani behind i asked her who was coming over,not that i was expecting her to answer,since she never talks to me anyway but she did by answering that it was Alhaji's son Sayeed that was coming back from wherever it is he went, my heart skipped a beat ,i couldn't pinpoint what was going on with me ,was it relieve that i felt or scared i couldn't say,"subhannallah! I should still be angry,where was all my hatred " I didn't want to examine this new feeling too closely because I didn't want to know the answer, i just went back to what i was doing thinking it will take my mind off things if I worked rigorously ,then i remembered haj turai's happy face,so that means she's sayeeds mom, but that can't be since the woman can't be more than 30 years old ,i thought to myself then i thought maybe she's his stepmom and they definitely get along since she's that happy to see him,at last i shook off the thoughts, I've always been a curious person, being a journalist I always want to figure out everything but not this time, Ni FANNA ina ruwana ,for all i care they should be siblings ma ,who cares right?

I finally finished all the dishes and made my way to my room, devil still hasn't returned,it was late evening already,I saw hajiya turai and her husband where already seated at the table as I was passing by,she seems to have lost her good mood as she sat there pouting while her husband seems to be on the phone. I walked pass quickly I couldn't help looking around one more time to make sure he really isn't back I locked the door behind me as disappointment consumed me.

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