Ikram Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

Mami followed her with her eyes, shaking her head. Then she smiled and said, “Let us go, dear.”

He slipped the phone he had been pressing into his pocket, got into the car, started it, and reversed out. Looking at Mami through the mirror, he asked, “Where did you find that little girl, Mami?”

Mami said, “Wallahi, she just followed me from the market. I do not know her.”

He said nothing more and returned his attention to driving.

At about five in the evening, Ikraam arrived home carrying the bowl Ammi had sent her with. She stopped at the entrance to their compound and gently lifted the sackcloth curtain hanging at the doorway, peeping carefully into the courtyard. Her eyes met Ammi’s, who was sitting by the fireplace scooping tuwo in the courtyard.

Ammi said, “So you are peeping at me carefully, eh? Today, the only one that can save you from me in this house is Allah.”

Ikraam immediately ran outside, let out a loud scream, and threw herself to the ground, crying, “Wayyo Allahna!” She rolled on the floor, kicking wildly.

The vulcanizer at the end of the street, who was sitting there watching her because they were not far apart, shouted at her and even moved toward her threateningly. He said, “You little rascal! After two days of leaving this nonsense, now you have brought it back again?”

She got up without looking at him and ran farther away, because she knew he might really get up and beat her.

She ran to Altine’s house, collapsed by the gate, and continued rolling on the ground. Altine’s mother looked out and said, “Oh, so you have brought back this your mischief again, Ikram? Get up and go back to your house, useless girl.”

Then Baba Mai Nama, who was passing by and whom she knew because of his meat business, asked, “Who beat you, Rabi?”

Crying, she said, “Ammi did.”

He held her hand and said, “Kai! Aisha too, honestly. Where exactly did she beat you?”

Altine’s mother said, “Wallahi Baba, even if you check her, you will not find anything done to her. It is just Ikram’s stubborn mischief. For two days now she has not gathered a crowd for us in this neighborhood, and now she has started again.”

Baba held her hand and walked with her toward their house, saying, “Children are meant to be endured with patience. Leave this little angel of Allah alone. What does she really know?”

He kept greeting loudly at the entrance of their compound. Ammi came out, adjusting her veil, and said, “Good afternoon, Baba.”

He did not stop to answer the greeting. Instead he said, “Haba Aisha, what did this little girl do to you like this?”

Ammi replied, “Wallahi Baba, I did not do anything to her. Since two o’clock I sent her just to the nearby market and she did not come back until now. The moment I said I would deal with her, she ran outside.”

Baba said, “But Rabi is only a child. Be patient with her and leave her.”

Ammi answered, “Okay Baba, thank you.”

Baba turned to Ikram and said, “Go inside now and start listening when you are told something.”

She nodded, wiping the bits of tears from her face, and slipped past Ammi, knowing that now Ammi would not do anything to her. Ammi thanked Baba again and went back inside.

Inside, she found Ikram sitting by the fireplace, gathering some dry sticks and pushing them into the fire. Smoke had already filled the house. The moment Ikram saw her, she said, “Ammi, do you know what? Today I saw a very nice girl, she gave me—”

Ammi cut her off sharply, saying, “Get up and leave this place before I beat you properly with this firewood.”

Ikram stood up, pouting, and entered her room. She took out the money Mami had given her and stared at it, thinking of where to hide it so Ammi would not find it and beat her for it. She pushed it into a small hole near the window, then came back out and looked at Ammi.

“Didn’t you say that when you are cooking, I should sit and watch?” she asked.

Ammi ignored her.

Ikram brought a small chair and sat down, watching the pot on the fire. She kept talking to Ammi from where she sat because if Ammi took her eyes off her, she would throw anything she saw into the fire and make it smoke even more. In irritation, Ammi chased her away from the place.

She went and sat near the entrance to her room, almost in tears. After Ammi finished cooking the soup and took it into their kitchen, she came back out, looked at her, and said, “Get up and go bathe before you start telling me it is already night.”

Without replying, Ikram stood up, removed the clothes she was wearing, and hung them on the clothesline. Ammi turned and looked at her, saying, “I am really in trouble with this girl. Ikram, did I not warn you not to remove your clothes before entering the bathroom?”

Pouting, she said, “I forgot.”

She went into her room, came out with her soap container, then took a bucket, opened the water pot, and began fetching water for her bath. Ammi just kept staring at her as if she might swallow her. When the bucket was half full, she carried it and headed toward the bathroom.

Ammi shouted at her, and she rushed back out in fear. In a harsh voice Ammi said, “Did you go and bring your towel from the room, or must I beat you? Every day I teach you something, but your foolishness refuses to let you learn. I do not know what kind of girl this is.”

Almost crying, stamping her feet, she went back into the room, took her towel, and headed for the bathroom.

When she came out from bathing, Ammi served her tuwo so it could cool down. Then Ammi made her perform ablution because it was already Maghrib prayer time. Ammi went into the room and brought out a small gown and long trousers for her to wear.

Almost crying, Ikram said, “I do not want these ones.”

Ammi threw them toward her and said, “Then do not wear them,” and walked away.

After enough pouting, Ikram finally wore them, prayed, and came out. She sat on the mat beside her tuwo and cup of water, waving her hand over the food and saying, “Ammi, the tuwo is hot.”

Ammi ignored her until she finished tidying the small courtyard. Seeing that Ikram still refused to eat, she washed her hands, came and broke the tuwo into pieces for her, then stood up and said, “Just wait for it to cool.”

The moment Ammi went in to bathe, Ikram pushed the tuwo away from in front of her, stood up quietly, washed her hands, wore her slippers, and ran out of the house.

She headed straight for the market.