ABOUT THIS BOOK
Description
The Cold-Hearted Doctor
In the quiet luxury of a well-furnished sitting room, an elderly woman sat watching Al Jazeera. The echo of hesitant footsteps descending the stairs reached her ears. She didn’t need to look—she knew it was Abdallah, her son, known for his careful, calculated walk.
“Ina kwana, Mami?” he greeted calmly.
“Alhamdulillah, son. Hope you slept well. How was work yesterday?” she asked, recalling how she had advised him not to hit Ayrah, yet he still punished her.
“I’m fine, Mami,” he replied, heading toward the dining table to have breakfast before rushing to his hospital.
Two Faces of Abdallah
At Dr. Abdallah Hospital, patients and workers greeted him with admiration and gratitude. Unlike his stern home demeanor, here he was warm, generous, and full of smiles—handing out charity and medication to the needy without hesitation.
Ayrah's Resentment
Meanwhile, back at home, Ayrah, bruised from yesterday's punishment, sulked in her room.
“Mummy,” she fumed, “He beat me like a thief. Wallahi, I’ll make him pay!”
“Quiet,” her mother snapped. “Do you want people talking? Just let it go, Ayrah. He’s your senior.”
Reluctantly, Ayrah apologized, but her heart burned with vengeance.
Sisters’ Whisperings
Anisa, her younger sister, urged her to be patient. “Soon, we’ll return to school. Just hold on.”
The girls gossiped about Abdallah’s cruel temperament and the upcoming school resumption. Despite his position, Abdallah showed them no affection.
A Month Later
It was almost time to return to school. Ayrah had yet to get her hair done or buy new things. Abdallah had given them shopping money, but she handed hers to Anisa to go on her behalf.
On Sunday, Ayrah woke up burning with fever.
“I can’t go like this,” she complained to her mother.
“Your sickness is school-induced,” her mother muttered, unsympathetic.
The Spilled Drink
That evening, Abdallah returned home and went to his quarters. He was served dambun shinkafa. Mummy called Ayrah to bring sobor drink. Nervous and tired, Ayrah tripped and spilled the drink on his white outfit.
He sprang up, furious.
“Are you blind? Look what you’ve done!” He slapped her hard.
“Please, I…” she tried to explain.
“Get out of my sight, you useless thing!” he shouted.
Humiliated, Ayrah ran out in tears and sat outside, sobbing until she found strength to walk to Kaka’s room, where her sisters sat saying their goodbyes before returning to school.
Kaka's Kindness
Ayrah rested on Kaka’s bed, still burning with fever. Feeling hungry, she snuck to where Kaka kept her portion of meat and ate her fill.
When Kaka noticed, she joked, “So you’ve eaten what I kept for myself? You won’t hear the end of this!”
“I was hungry. Next time, I’ll buy you something better,” Ayrah replied.
Kaka smiled, but deep down, she knew the girl was hurting.
Morning Farewell
The next morning, Uncle Abdulrahman was to drive them back to school.
Seeing Ayrah sluggish, he asked, “Auta, are you okay?”
“I have a fever,” she whispered. “But if I don’t go, Abdallah will beat me again…”
Moved, he allowed her to stay behind and promised to explain.
She smiled weakly and headed back to Kaka’s room.
Lying for Rest
“I thought you left!” Kaka exclaimed.
“No, I faked my illness. I just want to rest.”
Kaka comforted her. “You’re a child, Ayrah. I’ll speak to your dad again. Abdallah’s ways are too harsh.”
Ayrah curled up on the bed and fell asleep.
The Meeting
Back at the hospital, Dr. Abdallah chaired a meeting with his staff, speaking fluent English and smiling kindly.
“We’ll be hiring more workers and increasing salaries. Let’s serve with integrity,” he said.
The contrast between his work persona and home behavior was sharp.
Mummy's Suspicion
Later that night, Mummy brought dinner to Kaka’s room—tuwon semovita and soup with a bottle of juice Ayrah had prepared as a farewell gesture.
She noticed Ayrah’s slippers at the door and became suspicious. “She didn’t leave?”
Kaka replied quickly, “She just wanted more pocket money. She’ll go tomorrow.”
Mummy wasn’t convinced. “She’s taking this Auta title too far…”
School Drop-Off
At 3 PM the next day, Abdulrahman dropped Ayrah’s sisters at Federal Bakori Boarding School in Funtua. The school was large, with both boarding and day students.
Even Ayrah’s bunkmate, a girl who returned a day early, felt her absence deeply.
Fear of Abdallah
Driving back to Kano, Abdulrahman began to feel nervous.
“What will I tell Abdallah?” he muttered to himself. “Even I can’t predict his reaction.”
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