Sakar Makafi Book Two Complete Hausa Novel

She broke into sobs and slowly sank down where she was, crying softly. With a trembling voice, she said,

“Apart from death, what else can separate a child from his mother? How can you say there is nowhere I could go that they would not follow me?”

She lowered her head onto the chair again and said in a shaky voice,

“Yah Amin, death separated me from you, and now your brother is going to separate me from Zaid and the others.”

When she felt her breathing becoming difficult, she stood up with her body trembling, took some water and drank it.

Still looking toward the door of the room, she returned to the bedroom.

She stared at the time on her phone in surprise. It was already 1:30 a.m.

Slowly, she got up and walked into the sitting room. Everywhere was silent except for the television, which was still on.

Quietly, she walked to the sitting-room door and opened it. It opened easily.

She peeped outside and looked around. Everywhere was quiet, with the bright lights making the surroundings look almost like daytime.

She quickly pulled the door shut again without entering the security PIN.

Slowly, she lay down and covered herself completely, even over her head, while trying to steady her breathing after all the crying.

In the morning, she stood in the middle of the sitting room in surprise and picked up Yah Amin's phone from the centre table.

It was 9:00 a.m.

She turned the phone around in her hand for a while, then looked toward the one-seater chair where his suitcase was placed.

Everything belonging to him was inside the suitcase.

After giving Zaid his medicine, she adjusted the way she was carrying him, stretched out her other hand to Zaitoon and walked with them toward the dining area for breakfast.

Kano

Preparations for Salim and Salma's wedding had become very intense. Guests from nearby places had already started arriving, while those coming from far away were also expected soon.

At Ummi's house, Amina had already arrived with her children. According to her, she would remain there until after the wedding and return the following Monday.

“So you're going to leave your husband all alone simply because of your younger brother's wedding?” Ummi asked, looking directly at her.

Amina quickly replied,

“Ummi, Daddy Hafiz travelled to Sudan yesterday. He'll be there for about ten days, maybe even longer. That's why I told him I wanted to come here. He agreed and said there was no problem, that I should come and enjoy the wedding. He also asked me to apologise to Abba and the others because he won't be able to attend the wedding ceremony.”

Looking satisfied with the explanation, Goggo Dada said,

“For us, your coming is good news. You and the children will help us forget how much we miss Zaid and his parents.”

Amina smiled and said,

“They'll be back soon anyway. Salim keeps complaining that Mahmoud won't be here to witness his wedding.”

Ummi said,

“I even spoke with Fariyda earlier. She said Zaid is doing much better now. They may even return before the wedding celebrations are over.”

Just then, Sulaiman and Salim entered, with Dr Fadil behind them.

Salim said,

“Ummi, you still recognise him, don't you?”

Ummi smiled and replied,

“Of course I do.”

As Dr Fadil sat beside Ummi, he said,

“How could a mother ever forget her son?”

Goggo Dada quickly said,

“But Fadil, where is Mahmoud's Fadila?”

He slightly frowned and replied,

“Goggo Dada, I'm still waiting for her. That's why I haven't married yet. As for Mahmoud, didn't you already arrange a marriage for him? From now on, stop calling her Mahmoud's Fadila. Call her Fadil's Fadila instead.”

They all burst into laughter as they listened to Amina begin recalling stories from their childhood, going all the way back to their primary-school days.

Ahmedabad

She remained silent, staring at the chair where he usually spent most of his time sitting or lying down.

He had left the previous day, and now it was already ten o'clock at night, yet he had not returned.

She stared at his suitcase in confusion, wondering what all of this was supposed to mean.

Then she sat down on the three-seater sofa and closed her eyes.

The way he had stared at her before leaving suddenly flashed through her mind.

She quickly opened her eyes as another image came vividly to her—the sight of tears continuously rolling from his eyes, one after another.

She said aloud,