Jiddatulkhair Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

The next morning, an older woman, not more than about fifty-five years old, entered a big room. She locked the door and looked at the person lying sprawled face-down on the bed. She walked further in and knocked on the bed. He quickly turned and sat up. Seeing her, he said, “Aunty, good morning.”

She said, “Where did you go last night that you did not come in until after Isha?”

He replied, “Aunty, I was at Ahmad’s house, and we even came back here together. I thought you had slept, that is why we did not come in.”

She said, “Oh, so Ahmad came back yesterday?”

He said, “Yes.”

She said, “I thought maybe you had gone to Tadi.”

He gave a small smile and said, “Tadi again, Aunty? She is in Abuja.”

She replied, “Well, I know. Or have you secretly found another girl and thrown dust in my eyes?”

He did not say anything more to her, only smiled. She turned and headed for the door. He watched her until she left and locked it. Then he stood up, looked at the clock showing nine o’clock, and went into the bathroom.

Since it was Saturday, it was close to eleven o’clock before Abuturrab came out of his room, dressed in casual clothes that suited him very well. At once, the scent of his perfume filled the whole sitting room. His younger sisters were sitting in the main parlor of the house. The moment they looked at him, they looked away. He headed toward his mother’s section, but Ramlah followed him with her eyes and said, “Ummi has gone out.”

He turned and went toward his stepmother’s side instead. He found her in her parlor, plaiting her daughter Aisha’s hair.

He said, “I am going to Ahmad’s house, Aunty.”

She said, “What about breakfast?”

He replied, “I already had breakfast at dawn.”

She said, “Oh, so you are just returning to claim the breakfast you had at dawn?”

He said, “Yes.”

She then said, “My friend will be going to Lagos on Monday, so I was thinking maybe you will be the one piloting the plane…”

He replied, “As long as it is a morning flight.”

She said, “I think it is in the morning.”

He said, “May Allah take us there safely.”

After that he turned and said, “I will be back,” as he left the parlor.

Hajiya Amina, whom they called Aunty, looked at her daughter and said, “Why did you not greet him?”

Aisha spread out her hands and said, “Honestly, Aunty, he was the one who told us not to greet him in this house whenever he is around, and he was serious about it.”

Aunty asked, “What did you people do to him?”

Aisha said, “Nothing at all. That day, Thursday, when he came back, all of us were in the parlor with Aunty Safiyya and we greeted him, but he said nothing. We greeted him again. Then after he left and came back, he seriously told us not to greet him again because he does not like it. Since then, no one greets him anymore, and he is very comfortable with that.”

Aunty clicked her tongue and said, “Well then, that is strange.”

Abuturrab found Ahmad in his room when he got to Ahmad’s house. Abuturrab went to the window, drew the curtains aside, and opened it, saying, “Allow natural ventilation.”

Ahmad laughed and said, “True, white man. So should I switch off the AC?”

Abuturrab sat down and said, “No, leave it. How are you?”

Ahmad said, “Fine. How are your people?”

Abuturrab said, “Cool.”

Ahmad asked, “Are you flying on Thursday?”

Abuturrab went quiet for a moment, trying to recall his piloting schedule, before saying, “Yes. Kano to Lagos, then Lagos to Abuja, and on Friday Abuja to Port Harcourt.”

Ahmad said, “Okay. Maryam will be going back to school on Thursday, and I thought maybe you would be around so we could take her together.”

Abuturrab pursed his lips and said, “Ahmadu Bello?”

Ahmad said, “Yes.”

Abuturrab said, “Take her to the motor park and put her in a vehicle. She is just a little girl, yet she is making you go round and round.”

Ahmad glared at him. Abuturrab brought out his ringing phone and checked who was calling.

The bedroom door opened and Maimuna came in carrying a tray with a food flask of danwake and a jug of tamarind drink. She set it down and greeted Abuturrab with a smile on her face.

He said, “How are you, Moon?”

She replied, “Alhamdulillah. Yaya, I will be going to Abuja.”

He said, “Then come, let me attach you to an airplane.”

She laughed hard and said, “That is exactly why I told you.”

He smiled but said nothing more. Then she got up and left.

Ahmad opened the food flask. Abuturrab, who had been staring at the danwake inside it, said, “This thing looks like that thing you bought yesterday at Hayin Rigasa.”

Ahmad widened his eyes and laughed, saying, “Oh, this is danwake, while that one was awara. It is as if you know that I will even go and buy some again today. So, did you enjoy that awara?”

I can also make it more polished and novel-like in English, instead of this direct translation.