Baccin So Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel
At seven different places, people came saying, “Take the bride there, take the bride to Ammi so that her son can receive her blessings.” But Maman Baby refused and said they should move on without her. Ammi herself wanted to step out, but fear of being embarrassed in public made her remain where she was. Besides, Amira could not move without following her, and Miemie, who had finally managed to crawl her way there and settle down, preferred to remain seated among her children, since they were the joy of her life.
They quickly arranged the sitting room where people had gathered and mopped everywhere. Miemie burned incense, and after they prayed Isha, Ammi turned on cartoons on the TV in the parlor for her, because she agreed to stay there while Ammi went to bathe.
She said,
“Stay here with Miemie while I go and bathe. Sit and watch your cartoon, blessed child. Let me go and freshen up.”
Ammi did not wait for her reply before leaving. As she went, she signaled Maryam with her eyes to keep an eye on her. Amirah followed Ammi with her eyes until she entered her bedroom, then slowly turned her head back to the TV. Quietly, Miemie said,
“You really love Ammi. You cannot live without Ammi, Amirah.”
Then she heard her phone ringing from their room, which was close to Ammi’s room. She quickly stood up and said,
“Ya Amirah, I’ll be back. Ya Umar is calling me.”
She left for their room, and the room was left with only Amirah inside. For about ten minutes, she sat there alone watching TV when the sitting-room door was opened and someone greeted from inside:
“Assalamu Alaikum.”
Amirah gave a sudden jump and came down from the chair she was sitting on, quickly lowering her head. An elderly man had entered, dressed in a suit. His face was hard and devoid of mercy. He gave Amirah an unpleasant look, then said resentfully,
“You, where is your mother?”
Amirah kept her head down, playing with her fingers and rubbing her hands on her thighs, as though the question was not directed at her at all. The old man hissed in irritation.
“Tch! Useless girl!”
He walked past her, the sound of his covered shoes clicking sharply against the tiles of the parlor. He opened Ammi’s bedroom door, entered, and then shut it hard behind him, making Amirah start again in fear. She raised her head and stared at the door, then touched the side of her face with her hand, unable to return to her seat. Her hands trembled as she kept rubbing them over her body again and again.
The loud bang of the door made Ammi rush out of the bathroom in confusion, trying to tie her bath wrapper properly, because she had thought Amirah had fallen. When she saw the man, she stopped, then let out a small sigh and said,
“Welcome, Daddy. Honestly, I thought Amirah had fallen. You should have seen how frightened I was.”
He shot her a dark look, raised his hand toward her, and said,
“That’s not why I’m here, Madam. What exactly did you say to Asiya today?”
Ammi said quietly,
“How do you mean?”
Very angrily, Daddy advanced toward her as if about to strike her and said,
“You have no respect. How dare you disrespect my wife? Weren’t you the one who said you would cook and then failed to do so, and instead started insulting her in public on her daughter’s wedding day? Why are you so mannerless? You are a very, very useless woman. No wonder you gave birth to that useless, foolish, dumb-headed girl over there!”
The insults he directed at her did not hurt her much, but the ones he aimed at Amirah pierced her deeply.
Ammi’s heart dropped. She glanced at the door because she knew the way shouting and quarrels triggered Amirah’s condition, especially since Amirah was never at ease around her father, who could hardly tolerate her. Full of worry and trying to lower the tension, Ammi said softly,
“Daddy, please be patient and don’t raise your voice. Amirah is in the parlor, and you know she is not fully well—”
Slap!
He hit Ammi with a painful slap before she could even recover herself. Then with both hands, he shoved her hard. Because the bath water was still around her feet, she slipped and fell heavily to the ground.
Daddy, breathing hard with rage, said,
“So now you are lecturing me? Because of that mad girl you gave birth to, I should not speak to you? Who do you think you are? Are you telling me how I should behave because of that dumb mental girl?”
The bedroom door opened slightly. Ammi, who felt as if her leg had twisted, raised her head toward the door. Daddy also turned when he heard it open. It was Amirah. She had opened the door, but her head was lowered, and she was wringing both her hands together.
With effort, Ammi forced a smile and said,
“Amirah, didn’t I tell you that when I’m talking with your Daddy, you shouldn’t come in? Go and watch your cartoo—”
Daddy, burning with anger, shouted,
“What did you come here for? Go back to where you came from, idiot! Stubborn fool! Mad girl!”
Amirah did not move at all. She only continued wringing her hands.
Daddy grew even angrier. Furiously, he turned toward her and said,
“I’m talking to you, and you act as if I’m not! I said leave this place!”
Even though Ammi felt as though her leg had been badly hurt, when she saw he was about to go toward Amirah, strength suddenly came into her. She struggled but could not stand up. Instead, she reached out, grabbed his hand, and said in panic,
“Daddy, please don’t touch her. Please be patient. It’s not that she isn’t hearing you, she just does not fully understand what is being said. Please forgive her. Don’t beat her, please.”
Daddy turned in a terrible way, furious that Ammi was clutching his leg. Without hesitation, he jerked himself free and kicked Ammi hard.
Amirah, still wringing her hands, suddenly began hitting her head against the door, and her whole body started trembling.
Daddy was shouting loudly:
“Nonsense! Empty talk! So this is how you speak to me? I will deal with you! Right in front of your daughter, I will finish with you, then I’ll come for her too, since you’re becoming bold!”
He began beating Ammi. At first Ammi tried to endure it without screaming, but soon she started struggling against him, trying to free herself, and then she began crying out loudly.
Amirah kept banging her head against the door, repeating in her small trembling voice,
“Ammi… Ammi… Ammi…”
Daddy bent down and punched Ammi in the nose, saying,
“I will show you today that you cannot reduce me to a nobody!”
Then something strange began to happen to Amirah’s head. Her eyes started rotating in circular motions, and her head moved like a lizard’s. She saw the plate of tuwo and soup that Ammi had given her food in earlier, lying there in the room. Her whole body shaking, she rushed over, picked it up, and came toward them. Neither of them noticed her.
Without hesitation, she lifted the plate with all the strength Allah had given her and smashed the food tray onto Daddy’s head with full force.
It landed with a violent, horrifying blow, and the tray shattered instantly.
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