Auren Chochi Book 1 Complete Hausa Novel

“Excuse me,” she said, knocking on the door.

Without waiting to be invited inside, she poked her head into the room. She hadn't expected to find him standing there like that.

Stammering nervously because she was afraid of him, she said,

“I'm sorry, Uncle Obi!”

He didn't say a single word to her. He simply picked up his small bag and hurried out, brushing past her as he headed into the living room.

The young girl quickly ran after him.

“Uncle Obi! Uncle Obi!”

Although he didn't respond, she continued following him until she caught up with him. Slightly out of breath from running, she said,

“Momcy is on the phone.”

She stretched the phone towards him.

Still, he said nothing until he had entered his car. Then he looked at her sternly and said,

“Leave it. Tell her when I'm done with work, I'll call her, okay?”

She nodded.

“Okay, Uncle.”

She remained outside until she watched his car drive through the gate. Only then did she turn back towards the house, her heart filled with affection for her uncle.

---

The journey to the hospital took him about sixteen minutes.

He parked outside and calmly stepped out of the car.

He was a tall, heavily built, very fair-skinned man—a true gentle giant.

His hair was cut extremely low in a style commonly associated with mature, educated professionals, and the haircut complemented his fair face remarkably well.

From his appearance alone, it was obvious that he came from a mixed background—Igbo on one side and Hausa-Fulani on the other.

As he calmly stepped away from the vehicle, two female nurses immediately approached him.

“Welcome, Doctor,” they greeted respectfully.

They collected his bag and accompanied him towards his office.

---

He remained in his office for barely three minutes before getting up.

He began moving from one patient's room to another, examining them one by one and attending to their needs as he usually did.

Eventually, he headed towards the children's ward with three nurses following behind him carrying medical equipment.

The moment he entered the children's section, his expression changed.

Since arriving at the hospital, he had been wearing the stern expression of a strict boss. But now his face softened into a smile.

Cheerfully, he began examining the children and asking how they were feeling.

The children were equally delighted to see him and eagerly answered his questions.

Dr. Obi reached into the pocket of his white coat and began handing out mint sweets to them.

“Thank you! Thank you!” the children exclaimed.

Their parents also thanked him for the kindness and attention he showed their children.

Dr. Obi smiled.

“No problem. It's my duty.”

This was one of the reasons so many people loved his hospital, especially parents with young children. It was almost impossible to visit his hospital without noticing the exceptional organization and attention given to patients.

The nurses and other doctors also enjoyed working with him.

And naturally, many of the young female nurses admired Dr. Obi—not only because of his looks, but also because of his wealth and social status.

---

At exactly twelve noon, Dr. Obi returned to his office.

He was feeling extremely tired.

He pressed a button, and a young man dressed in white medical clothing immediately entered.

“Good evening, my boss,” the young man greeted respectfully.

Dr. Obi looked at him through tired eyes and frowned slightly.

“Evening. Prepare some breakfast for me.”

“Okay, my boss.”

---

A cup of tea was in his hand, while two pieces of cake sat on a small glass plate in front of him.

He slowly swivelled in his office chair, occasionally closing his eyes as he ate the cake.

Everything about Dr. Obi was done calmly—even eating. He took his time with everything, almost with the quiet innocence of a baby.

He placed the cup of tea down and picked up one of the phones lying on his desk.

He dialled a contact saved as:

**Sweetheart.**

It was almost as though she had been waiting for his call because she answered after the first ring.

“Hello, my baby!”

“Yes, Ma,” Dr. Obi replied affectionately.

Any anger she had felt towards him for not calling her for three days immediately disappeared when she heard his sweet voice.

Speaking warmly and with obvious affection, she said,

“I miss you, my baby! And where have you been hiding?”

He laughed softly, loudly enough for her to hear it through the phone.

“I miss you too, my sweet Ma. I'm around; I've just been extremely busy with work. I'm very sorry, Ma.”

She laughed, pleased by the sound of his voice.

“It's alright, my sweetheart. But this work is taking too much of your time. You hardly have time for us anymore—me, Daddy and the rest of the family.”

“Okay, Ma. I'll try my best to adjust my schedule.”

“That's my sweetheart.”

“Yes, Ma.”

Their loving conversation continued.

It was obvious that the “Sweetheart” he had called was actually his **mother**.

They finally ended the call at about 12:45 p.m. when Dr. Obi heard the call to prayer coming from the mosque within the hospital compound.

He removed his shoes and socks, pulled out a pair of flat shoes from a nearby drawer and put them on.

Then he entered the private bathroom attached to his office, performed ablution and headed towards the mosque.

---

## AUREN CHOCHI — BOOK ONE

### Page 5 & 6

“Radiya was the one who told you that?”

IB stroked his beard and lowered his head as though he were standing before a judge.

His father repeated the question.

“Enye, I asked you: was Radiya really the one who told you that?”

For the second time, IB nodded.

“Yes, Baba. That's exactly what she said. And this isn't something she started saying today. She's been talking about it for a long time.

“Many times, I assumed she was only joking or being her usual silly self. But ever since the wedding date was fixed, she has been saying it almost every day.

“And today, she made it absolutely clear to me that if our marriage isn't conducted in a church, then…”

“Then what?” Baba asked. “Finish what you're saying. Why have you stopped?”

IB reluctantly continued.

“She said the wedding should be cancelled.”

He finished the sentence with obvious frustration.

Baba merely smiled as he broke off a small piece of kola nut.

“Alright. I'll speak to her myself and confirm whether she truly means what she's saying.”

IB was astonished.

There was absolutely no sign of concern on Baba's face.

IB knew that Baba rarely found fault with Radiya and that there was an exceptionally strong bond between them. Still, he hadn't expected Baba to be this unconcerned about something involving both **marriage and religion**.

“You may go.”

Baba's voice pulled IB out of his thoughts.

“Thank you, Baba. I'll be going, then. I'll wait to hear from you.”

IB put on his shoes and headed towards Umma's room.

His entire mood had changed. He felt deeply discouraged by his father's reaction.

He entered Umma's room after offering salam.

Umma was standing on her prayer mat performing a voluntary prayer.

IB sat on one of the three chairs in her room and waited for her to finish.

She didn't keep him waiting long.

Knowing that IB was waiting for her, Umma made a brief supplication after finishing her prayer.

She looked affectionately at her eldest son.

“My son, is everything alright?”

IB adjusted himself in the chair.

“Everything is fine, Umma. It's about the remaining money I mentioned yesterday—the money Yahya gave me. You know I told you I'd rather settle everything early to avoid problems.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small plastic bag and handed it to her.

Inside was exactly **one hundred thousand naira**.

“Here. You and Ammi should decide how to divide and use it. Then I'll ask Usaini and Yahya to accompany you into Jalingo so you can buy the remaining things for the bridal boxes.”

“Madallah! That's good,” Umma replied. “May Allah put goodness in it and allow us to witness the occasion.”

She collected the money and prayed for him.

“Ameen, Umma. Let me return to the shop because of my customers.”

“Alright,” Umma replied.

---

## TARABA STATE

In Taraba State, within the wider Jalingo area, lay the community of Jukum.

It was a community populated by both Muslims and Christians, although Christians significantly outnumbered Muslims.

Many residents belonged to the Jukun ethnic group and were Christians. Some were dark-skinned while others were much lighter, partly because generations of intermarriage had taken place between Jukun families and Hausa-Fulani families.

Despite their religious differences, Muslims and Christians in Jukum lived together peacefully.

Alhaji Jamilu and Alhaji Auwal were Hausa-Fulani natives of Jukum.

They were biological brothers, sharing the same mother and father.

Both were reasonably wealthy, although Alhaji Jamilu was wealthier than Alhaji Auwal. Both men had also performed the pilgrimage to Makkah.

Alhaji Jamilu was the elder brother.

Their parents had died many years earlier, so the two brothers continued living within their extended family compound alongside close and distant relatives.

Alhaji Jamilu had two wives.

The senior wife was **Amina**.

His second wife was **Grace**, a Christian woman from the Jukun ethnic group. Grace was a beautiful and gentle woman.

Grace was the first to have children for Alhaji Jamilu because Amina had initially been unable to conceive.

Grace's first child was a girl named **Saadatu**.

After Saadatu, Grace had more children, including **Suwaiba** and **Aliya**.

Most of Grace's children followed Christianity, although Suwaiba became Muslim.

Amina remained childless until Grace had already given birth to four children.

Then, by Allah's will, Amina finally became pregnant.

Nine months later, she gave birth to a baby girl.

Remarkably, she delivered on the very same day as the wife of Alhaji Jamilu's younger brother, Alhaji Auwal.

Alhaji Auwal was already married and also lived within the family compound. His wife had previously given birth to a son named **Ibrahim**.

After Ibrahim, she did not have another child until around the same period Amina became pregnant.

The two women delivered daughters on the same day.

The entire family was overjoyed.

At their naming ceremony, the girls were named:

**Radiya and Mardiya.**

---

Exactly forty-six days after Amina gave birth, a fire broke out in Alhaji Jamilu's section of the family compound.

By the time anyone realized what was happening, the fire had already spread dangerously far.

People rushed desperately to help.

But tragically, **Alhaji Jamilu, his wife Grace and their daughter Aliya were burned to death.**

Suwaiba and the other siblings survived, although they suffered injuries from the fire.

Amina and her infant daughter, however, escaped unharmed. Even the smoke did not seriously affect them.

The deaths devastated Amina, Grace's family, Alhaji Auwal and their wider circle of relatives and friends.

Ibrahim was particularly heartbroken. He cried bitterly because he was already old enough to understand what had happened—he was approximately eleven years old at the time.

After Alhaji Jamilu's death, Alhaji Auwal assumed responsibility for Amina and her daughter.

The inheritance was distributed according to the appropriate shares.

Amina personally entrusted her daughter's inheritance to her late husband's younger brother, Alhaji Auwal, because she trusted him to safeguard it faithfully.

Grace's family, meanwhile, took Suwaiba and her two younger siblings with them, along with their inheritance. Alhaji Auwal initially opposed their decision, but they insisted until he eventually allowed the children to go.

After Amina completed her mourning period, Alhaji Auwal proposed marriage to her.

His intention was to continue protecting his late brother's family and the trust left in his care.

Amina accepted because she knew Alhaji Auwal's character very well.

Without unnecessary delay, they were married.

Radiya and Mardiya therefore continued growing up within the same household, and Alhaji Auwal and his family faithfully cared for Amina and Radiya.

Alhaji Auwal loved Radiya enormously—perhaps even more than his biological children—because of the deep bond he had shared with his late brother, Alhaji Jamilu.

He could hardly tolerate seeing Radiya cry.

Consequently, she became somewhat spoiled and stubborn, something that occasionally frustrated her mother. Yet even Amina often overlooked it out of sympathy for her orphaned daughter.

Radiya and Mardiya grew up almost like twins.

Their bond was so strong that anyone unfamiliar with their history could easily assume they were twin sisters.

Radiya started school before Mardiya. This was Alhaji Auwal's decision because Radiya appeared more intellectually advanced at the time.

In fact, Radiya had already reached Primary Two before Mardiya eventually started school.

And Ibrahim—the young man everyone called **Yaya IB**—had loved Radiya since she was a little girl.

At first, everyone treated his affection for her as childish teasing.

But as Radiya grew older, IB's feelings remained.

IB himself ended his formal education after secondary school because he was far more interested in business than academics.

He eventually established a large shop in front of their family home, where he sold fruits and provisions.