Sakar Makafi Book Three Complete Hausa Novel

Ummi smiled at her lovingly as she approached. She took her hand, pulled her into an embrace and gently rubbed her shoulder before saying,

“My daughter, how was the journey? Why did you come out already? You should have slept and rested until around 11:00, then gotten up and come for breakfast.”

Filled with intense embarrassment, her voice weak and her eyes filling with tears of humiliation and shame, she said,

“Good morning, Ummi.”

Holding her hand, Ummi led her into the sitting room after noticing the slight tremble in her voice.

Samira, smiling happily, said,

“Aunty, go and sleep. At least rest today.”

Her mother smiled and responded to Fariyda’s greeting before taking Samira with her into the kitchen.

Goggo Dada quickly came into the middle of the sitting room and looked at Ummi, who was standing beside Fariyda after seating her on a chair. She smiled at Fariyda, sat on the chair beside her and responded to her greeting.

“I’m fine, Alhamdulillah. Fariyda, how was the journey?”

Fariyda still kept her head lowered. She wished the ground would open and swallow her. What was she supposed to tell them? When had she returned? Who brought her back? Why had she returned? Those questions only increased her embarrassment.

Ummi walked toward the dining area, picked up the flasks and mugs arranged on a tray and placed them on the centre table, saying,

“Come closer and drink some tea, then go back and sleep.”

She gently shook her head and said,

“Alhamdulillah, Ummi. Let me go into the kitchen.”

As for Mahmoud, immediately after the prayer ended, he headed home.

As they entered the sitting room, he was already passing through the corridor, so he did not see them.

He went straight into his bedroom and even checked the bathroom. When he saw that she was not there, he hurried out and entered her bedroom. She was not there either, and there was no sign that she had even entered the room.

He stood in the sitting room, turning his head from side to side, before checking the kitchen attached to the sitting room. She was not there either.

“Ya Salam, my Angel, have you run away?”

He finished saying that as he descended the stairs.

Just as he opened the door to Ummi’s sitting room, Salim and Sulaiman were entering through the corridor. It appeared that they had come with Abba, who had entered ahead of them.

They followed Mahmoud when they saw how quickly he entered Ummi’s sitting room.

He released a heavy breath of relief the moment his eyes landed on her. Keeping his gaze fixed on her, he entered and sat on the chair facing her.

Ummi responded to Salim’s greeting.

Goggo Dada, meanwhile, secretly watched Mahmoud after noticing the mesmerized way he was staring at Fariyda.

Salim and Sulaiman sat on the two-seater sofa and greeted Ummi and the others.

Fariyda lowered her head even more as she responded to Salim’s greeting.

Then she briefly looked at Sulaiman as he said,

“Madam, good morning. How was the journey? Although people like you don’t really get tired, do you?”

Rubbing her fingers together nervously, she replied,

“Alhamdulillah.”

Salim glanced at Mahmoud and said,

“You went and dumped my wife somewhere, then brought yours back with you. And this useless Sulaiman—I specifically told him to bring her back here, but because he doesn’t respect me, he dropped her at Baba Malam’s house instead. But you, since you know how to intimidate people, he had no choice but to do exactly what you ordered.”

Sulaiman hissed in annoyance while looking at Hafiz and Huzaifa, who had just entered together.

Then he looked toward Mahmoud, who still had his eyes fixed on Fariyda.

With a voice filled with emotion, Mahmoud said,

“Farriyyhan, won’t you go and sleep and get some rest?”

She tightened her face, pushed her lips forward in annoyance and gave him a discreet glare.

Ummi and Goggo Dada then turned their attention toward Sulaiman as he said,

“Ummi, please talk to Mahmoud and ask him to have Sa’ad and Faisal released. Wallahi, I tried everything with him while we were still in Taraba. When he told me he would pass through Abuja, wallahi I thought he was going there because of them, to close the case and have them released. Instead, he went there and ordered that they should continue holding them.

“Their parents have been troubling me constantly. I especially feel sorry for Sa’ad’s mother, wallahi.”

Ummi stared at Mahmoud and saw that his face had hardened as he looked at Sulaiman.

Ummi said,

“Mahmoud, have them released, even if only for the sake of their parents. Whatever they did to you, you were the one who gave them the opportunity in the first place. And now you don’t even have a valid reason to keep them detained. If this country truly operated on justice rather than money, connections and who knows whom, there would be no reason for them to still be held.”

In a tight voice, he replied,

“Wallahi, Ummi, they were detained for a valid reason. Going after another man’s fiancée is a serious enough reason. It is better they learn which women they should and should not pursue. Just leave them there, Ummi.”

Salim said,

“You have to let them go. By now they’ve learned their lesson, and they’ll be more careful in the future.”

Stubbornly, Mahmoud replied,

“Hmm. They won’t remain there forever anyway, but they must spend some time in prison.”

Ummi stared at him without saying anything.

Goggo Dada also remained silent because they both knew how stubborn he was. Once Mahmoud said something like that, there was usually no changing his mind. Somehow, he would make sure Sa’ad and Faisal spent time in prison.

Ummi clicked her tongue in frustration as she handed Fariyda the tea she had prepared for her.

Almost everyone turned toward Fariyda when they heard her say,

“Please, Appiy, have them released. Wallahi, I don’t talk on the phone with any of them. You already know that I used to give them Yah Amin’s number. Even when they called, it was you they spoke with. And even if you handed me the phone, I would hang up.

“Please, for Allah’s sake, have them released. Wallahi, Mom Sa’ad could fall seriously ill because of this.”

She finished speaking softly, tilting her head pleadingly as tears gathered in her eyes.

Mahmoud immediately began shaking his head at her. Then he stood up, moved to the arm of the chair where she was sitting and sat there.

In a gentle voice, he said,

“Don’t cry. If you truly want me to release them, I’ll have them released. But if you allow even one of those tears to fall, wallahi I will not release them.”

She quickly began blinking repeatedly, forcing back the tears that were threatening to fall, and said,

“See? They didn’t fall. Please have them released, even if only for the sake of their parents.”

Ummi and Goggo Dada stared at him in complete amazement, their mouths slightly open.

Sulaiman simply lowered his head. In truth, seeing Fariyda there was the reason he had raised the issue in the first place. He had realized that she might be able to persuade Mahmoud to do what they wanted.

Salim, meanwhile, looked completely stunned as he watched Mahmoud.

Mahmoud pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons and placed it against his ear. He spoke for about two minutes before ending the call.

Then he leaned slightly toward her and looked at her face.

“It’s done. Their bail will be granted this morning.”

She drew in a calm breath and released it, shifting slightly away from him.

“Are you happy now that I did what you wanted?” he asked, reaching out to lift her chin.

She quickly stood up in embarrassment and headed toward the kitchen, saying,

“Yes, thank you.”

Ummi released a long breath, completely astonished, then turned to look at Goggo Dada, who was also staring at Mahmoud as though she were looking at something unbelievable.

Today, Mahmoud was being given an instruction and obeying it.

And the person giving that instruction was Fariyda.

She asked him to do something, and he did it without argument.

They knew that in the past, no matter how much anyone pleaded with him, he would never have changed his decision. In fact, the more people pressured him, the angrier he would have become and the more he would have resented Sa’ad and the others.

A man who never accepted instructions from anyone had now become like a blind man, with Fariyda guiding him wherever she wanted him to go and making him sit wherever she wanted him to sit.

“Uhmmmmmm,” Ummi and Goggo Dada sighed together.

Sulaiman looked at Salim, who said to Mahmoud,

“By Allah’s power, please tell me, are you really Mahmoud or is this some other Mahmoud? Or did they somehow place Yah Amin’s heart inside you?”

Mahmoud frowned and moved to sit in the place Fariyda had just left.

Ummi went toward Abba’s sitting room, still deeply absorbed in thought over what she had just witnessed and unable to say anything.

Goggo Dada said,

“Hafiz, come and drink some tea. I noticed you’ve been looking at it.”

She said this as she handed him the mug of tea Ummi had prepared for Fariyda.

Ummi peeped in and said,

“Dada, Sulaiman, Salim, come in. Abba is waiting for you. Come and have tea.”

Almost all of them stood up together and headed toward Abba’s sitting room.

After they entered and sat down, Abba responded to their greetings before looking at Goggo Dada and asking,

“Where is Mahmoud?”

Adjusting her sitting position, she replied,

“He’s coming.”

Abba nodded slowly while watching Ummi prepare tea for them.

As for Mahmoud, once they entered Abba’s sitting room, he turned and headed toward the kitchen.

At the kitchen entrance, he met Samira carrying a plate of hot jollof pasta.

She said,

“Hafiz, here it is.”

Then she quickly moved aside respectfully and greeted him.

“Uncle, good morning.”

As he entered, he replied,

“Morning.”

She quickly left.

He then glanced at Samira’s mother, who was frying potatoes.

Smiling slightly, she said,

“Appiyn Zaid, good morning. So you’re back?”

With a neutral expression, he replied,

“Good morning.”

He finished speaking and moved closer to Fariyda, who was closing the flasks.

He reached out, took her hand and gently pulled her closer to him.

She quickly turned around because she had never expected him to touch her in front of Samira’s mother.

When Samira’s mother saw what was happening, she quickly finished removing the fried potatoes, poured another batch into the pot and hurried out while saying,

“Let me go and prepare Ummi’s room.”

Neither of them said anything.

Fariyda released a breath when Mahmoud let go of her and appeared to head toward the kitchen exit.

Then her eyes widened slightly when she saw him close the kitchen door and turn the key.

He turned around and looked at her, while she stared back at him.

Slowly, he asked,

“Are you running away from me?”

Annoyed, she replied,

“I don’t want this, please. Open the door. Since Ummi and the others have gone to Abba’s sitting room, wallahi I’m going back to our house.”

He stretched out his hand to pull her closer, but she quickly dodged him and headed toward the door, saying,

“I don’t want this.”

He quickly caught her hand, pulled her firmly against his body and pressed her back against his chest.

He released a soft breath and said,

“Please, my Angel, don’t punish me like this. If you leave, who will I stay with? How am I supposed to live without you close to me?

“Please, my princess, forgive me. Do what I want for me just as I did what you wanted. Have some pity on me.

“I need you close to me. I want to feel the warmth of your body against mine.

“Please, for Allah’s sake, don’t say you’re leaving. Ummi and the others have already seen you, and they didn’t say anything. They’re happy that you came back. You know my entire family loves you.”

She pushed him away and pulled her body free from his, her eyes filled with tears as she said,