Fadeelah Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

Page 1

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

KADUNA, THE CITY OF THE GOVERNOR

She was walking slowly, and it looked as though she was tired. She was wearing a brown hijab jalbab that reached the ground, along with a neat handbag hanging from her shoulder. Just by looking at the way she walked, you would know she was a sensible and thoughtful person, because even though she was walking quickly, that did not stop her calmness from showing. There was enough composure in her. She entered a modest house that, from the look of it, made one know the people inside lived under pressure, because the house was very small, and altogether it had only two rooms, plus a toilet and their small kitchen.

She entered the house quietly, greeting as she went.

An elderly woman came out of the kitchen, though she could not have been more than forty years old. From the look of her, she had been cooking, because her eyes were full of smoke. It was Fadeelah’s greeting that brought her out. She looked at the one who greeted and said, “Fadeela, did you only just manage to come back today?” The one called Fadeela, in a calm voice that showed it was even difficult for her to speak, said, “Sorry Mama, I hope Baba hasn’t returned?” The woman ignored Fadeelah and went back into the kitchen to continue her cooking.

As for Fadila, she found a place to sit and removed the hijab from her body. While she was still seated, a girl, who from the look of it was her younger sister, came and said, “Aunty, you’re back?” Fadila nodded to the girl, and the girl continued, “Aunty, Baba came back home earlier, and he was angry, saying you still haven’t come back, and he said from today you are done going to work.” Fadeelah, in shock at what her younger sister had said, lifted her big eyes and looked at her sister, unable to say anything. After a while she said, “Husna, has Baba been upset?” If I had gone out to work, we would have greeted each other.” Husna, being one of those girls who love gossip and talk too much, said, “By Allah, Aunty, I heard him saying that from t...” Her mother covering Husna’s mouth made her fall silent.

Fadeelah looked at her mother worriedly and said, “Mama, is what Husna said true?” “I don’t know. When your father comes, you’ll hear it from his own mouth.”

Fadila, in this world, if there was anything that could make her shocked, it was being told to stop the job she did at Rahama TV.

She felt that even the hunger she had been feeling had completely vanished, and that made her go into their room and lie down, thinking about what she would do or say if her father confronted her about it, because it had been one year since she started the job, but almost every time, it was always like this with her father. Almost every day it was the same matter, and she had begun thinking of leaving them the job and resting.

Fadila was still lying down when she heard her father come in. He had just arrived when the call to Maghrib prayer came. As the call was going on, he stood up and went out, and that gave Fadeelah the chance to come out into the courtyard and perform ablution quickly before returning to the room, because she was afraid of meeting her father.

After Fadeelah finished the Maghrib prayer, she sent her younger sister Husna to serve her tuwo and she ate.

She sat there waiting for her father to call her, but there was silence until sleep overcame her.

The next day, as usual, Fadeelah would leave for work at 7:00 AM. After she finished her prayer, she did her morning adhkar as she always did every morning, took her bath, got dressed, picked up her bag, and quietly set off. She wanted to leave softly, afraid that her father might hear her movement. She had just reached the door and was about to open it when she heard her father’s voice saying, “Fadeelah, come here.” Her heart sank, showing she was frightened that her father had seen her, and she moved closer to where he was.

When she got there, she bowed her head to the ground and, with trembling lips, said, “Good morning, Baba.” Instead of answering her greeting, he said, “Where are you going, sneaking around like that?” With trembling lips, Fadeelah said, “To work.” “Are you well that you’re sneaking around?” There was no answer here; silence followed.

Fadila’s father, raising his voice as though angered, said, “I said, are you well that you’re sneaking around? Does that confirm to me that you heard my message?” Fadila kept her head down and could not say anything. Fadila’s father continued, “Fadila, from today I have forbidden you from this job because it has no benefit for you other than the insults you bring me from people. Besides, I will give you two choices: you can take whichever one suits you, either bring me the man you want, or I will choose for you, because, God willing, you will not spend another three months in this house, because I can see what you are doing is not over yet!” After Fadila’s father finished saying what he had to say, he left Fadila there kneeling and went into his room.

With difficulty, Fadila managed to gather herself and stand up, then she called her co-worker. After they greeted each other, she said, “Jamilu, Baba has done what he always does. Today too he has forbidden me from coming to work, or rather let me say today he has been harsher than ever, because I don’t think he will allow me to come to work again. I think, Jamilu, I should just give up and leave the job.”

The one Fadila called Jamila said, “No, Fadila, don’t do that. The advice I will give you is that you should get married. If it is the work you want, the man you marry, if he agrees, you can continue your work.” “Jamilu, you know I don’t hide anything from you, right? Or let me say, you know everything about me; who am I supposed to marry if you say that?” From the other side Jamilu said, “Well, who is it? By God, Fadila, he truly loves you. Even if it means staying away from work for a few days, he won’t say anything to you. That alone should make you believe he loves you so much that he could mar...” Fadila stopped Jamilu by saying, “Please let us talk about something useful and leave this matter. Where am I going to get a husband from? God, I don’t want him.” Jamilu laughed.