Jalilah Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

Rushing Out Late
She hurried out of the bathroom without even stopping to dry herself properly. She quickly put on her clothes, slung her bag over her shoulder, picked up her socks in her hand, and headed toward the door. Her grandmother, Goggo, quickly called out,
“Jalila, haven’t you even had breakfast?”
As she struggled to put on her sandals, she replied,
“Goggo, leave the food. If Safeenah’s driver leaves without me, I’m the only one who knows how stressful this journey will be. If I joke around and eat now, I’ll be late when I get to school.”
She said this as she finished wearing her sandals. Goggo quickly handed her twenty naira and said,
“Here, when you get there, buy something to eat.”
Jalila replied and dashed outside. When she reached the gate, the car had already sped off. Her eyes widened as she tried to confirm whether she had really seen it or if it was just the car’s reflection in the mirror. House chores had delayed her that morning, but they did not wait for her. She was used to it already, though she tried to be careful, because her school was quite far. Even though they both paid school fees, her school was government-owned, while the other wasn’t very far from hers.
On the Way to School
She increased her pace, knowing she would definitely be late. The road was unpleasant to walk on because of the rain that fell the previous night. Since she wasn’t wearing her school socks, the splash from a speeding car made her quickly step aside. She followed the car with her eyes as it zoomed past, then shot the driver an angry glare and clicked her tongue. Turning back, she noticed most people behind the car were also glaring angrily, clearly upset by how recklessly it sped through them.
Jalila looked at the car again as it disappeared into the distance, clicked her tongue once more, and muttered,
“Some people really have no manners.”
She continued walking, completely exhausted. When she was close to the school, she stopped, brought out her socks, stood by the roadside to put them on, and dusted herself off before heading toward the school. She was surprised to see what looked like the same car she had noticed earlier pass by again. She only smacked her lips and went straight to the school gate.
At School and Friends’ Chat
She saw their new teacher standing at the gate, clearly checking latecomers. She lowered her head as she approached him. He had been watching her from afar, his face slightly stern. As she came closer, he said,
“Habiba Auwal, what is this?”
She quickly looked at him and said,
“Good afternoon, sir!”
He replied,
“Afternoon? Now?”
She hurriedly said,
“Oh sorry sir, good mor—”
He cut her short and asked,
“Don’t you come to school early?”
She looked at him and replied,
“No sir, honestly today was just an accident.”
His face hardened further.
“An accident on the very first day I’m standing at the gate?”
She lowered her head, playing with her fingers. He then said,
“Take the dustbin and do some picking.”
She looked at him, thinking he would punish her severely. A smile appeared on her face as she said,
“Thank you, sir.”
He smiled too and said,
“This is your last warning if you don’t want us to get serious.”
She quickly raised her head, picked up the dustbin, and started picking trash. She glanced back at him and thought to herself that she had never seen anyone look as good in NYSC uniform as Uncle Sagir.
After finishing, Jalila went straight to her class. Seeing that no one was there, she quickly turned and headed to the lab. In the chemistry lab, they were doing practicals. She rushed to her group, and Zarah looked at her and said,
“Jalila, you should have seen how our eyes were popping out in fear that we’d be caught, all six of us.”
Jalila replied,
“Just leave it, I even thought he would see me.”
They continued with their studies until break time. During the break, she bought a ten-naira biscuit, drank tap water, and kept the remaining ten naira.
After school, she and Zarah walked out chatting. Zarah said,
“Jalila, do you know that yesterday Ya Amud came with his JAMB slip?”
Jalila looked at her happily and said,
“Really? So your mind is at rest now. You were even afraid they’d force you into marriage.”
Zarah replied,
“Just leave it. Yesterday I slept so well, because I can’t imagine separating from my Nasir. And you know he’s in level three at BUK.”
Jalila smacked her lips and said,
“Adult love indeed. Looks like you’ll also apply to their school.”
Zarah replied,
“Just wait till you ask…”
They both laughed, and Zarah added,
“I’m heading home. I know you’ll stay back, right?”