When she reached the road, she looked for him but he was gone — only his scattered belongings remained. Then she found him again, sitting under the car with a bag of bread. She breathed a sigh of relief and thought, “Perhaps someone took pity and bought him bread.”
She walked on the new road by the small shop until a kind young man helped her shorten the way.
She entered the house and met their younger sibling, Walida, carrying a small tray of millet cakes on her head. They glanced at each other, then the young girl sniffed disdainfully and passed without speaking.
By now she was accustomed to the kind of contempt and humiliation her siblings showed her; although she was the eldest, she felt that no one recognized her dignity.
She greeted them as she entered. Talatu was in the kitchen distributing food while her eldest, Hadiza, was slicing watermelon and tomatoes. Jamila was hanging her school uniform to dry.
Talatu returned the greeting and said, “Is that Aunty Shahida coming today?” Hadiza glanced at her and kept working, concentrating on the watermelon pieces.
Jamila said, “Talatu, Aunt Shahida is here.” Without turning, Talatu said, “What will I do for her?” Jamila shook her head and didn’t answer. She took Shahida’s hand and led her into a room, trying to ease the anger that weighed her. Shahida disliked the way her mother treated her; she deserved pity because of her loneliness and hearing impairment. It was concerning how their father had shown bias and neglect toward her — leaving her care to her grandmother (Baba Asabe) who bore the burden, providing what she could for Shahida’s food, clothing, and education. For this, Baba Asabe deserved respect — she had taken on tasks like a man despite the burden on her shoulders, doing her utmost to care for the girl.
VIEW ALL
03, November 2025
Hauwa Abdullahi bida
It a nice website