Jariri Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

Halifa’s Worry and the Family Argument
 
Halifa’s face showed worry as he said, “Truly, going to Nusaiba’s house is a problem — I don’t even know if she’s far from me. I’m used to my wife; I don’t know if she just went. Please, leave her here.” Inno glared at him, noticing the shamelessness of today’s young people, then before she spoke, Goggo took up the remark: “Did you hear that, boy? With their new shamelessness, two-eyed brazen ones—are we going to test their shamelessness? We have seen signs even in matters of love: young people today show no shame. We refuse to leave her to you, you wretch!” Inno said, “No — leave him. Let him show us he is close to joining us. Since he has a child and we have children too, we are all one family. That shameless, disrespectful youngster with those rude eyes — look how proud he acts because we were blessed.” Nusaiba, standing nearby, pursed her lips and said, “Honestly, Inno, leave me here; I want one of you to come and stay with me.”
 
Goggo covered Nusaiba’s mouth and said, “La ilaha illallah Muhammad ibn Abdullahi — Inno, did you hear how the girl is boasting about her luck? Nusaiba chose a husband over her father’s house; you, daughter of my father, I will show you what shame looks like. If I don’t take away your blessing, you can say it’s gone?” Halifa replied, “Goggo, it isn’t that serious. By God, when someone goes to the house at the time of delivery it doesn’t mean you must leave my wife at home. I feel for her and the child she will bear, but you came and you are taking away our blessing. I can’t just let her go take a bath at home while you strip her of blessing. That’s not right.”
 
This time Inno scolded him sharply and said, “Shame on that behavior of yours; but Halifa, I will take away your blessing — to let that shameless two-eyed one stand before us? So we should let your girl, whether forty or not, show disrespect to another woman in front of us?” Halifa folded his hands and massaged his head because the older women were reprimanding him. Worried, he said, “Inno, please, why are you making a problem out of this? That’s why sometimes I don’t like your visits — because you spoil everything.”
 
Inno, frowning, shot back, “Your father Salisu is the one who causes problems, and by God, I will call your father now and ask if he gave you permission to take away my blessing.” He stood and left the sitting room, knowing that if he continued to follow them he would certainly be overcome by them.
 
Nusaiba hurried after her husband; in her haste she slipped and fell. Suddenly she began to convulse, and they started calling for help. Regaining their senses, they put her in a car and rushed to the hospital.
 
The Birth and the Missing Food
 
An hour after arriving at the hospital, by God’s grace Nusaiba delivered safely — a beautiful baby boy, just like his father. The nurse who received the baby began to wipe him, but something held her fast attention: the way the baby squinted his eyes and hardly opened them. She covered his eyes with her hand but his little eyes kept moving; if not for her own vision, she might have thought the baby was staring at her. After dressing him, they wrapped him and Nusaiba held her child and fell asleep. Before long relatives filled the hospital, each arriving with big pots of food. Because of the noise, nurses prevented them from entering Nusaiba’s room so she could rest.
 
After some time, Nusaiba woke with a stomach full of hunger — as if someone had filled her and then left her without knowing they had brought food. She called the nurse and told her to fetch Inno quickly. The nurse left to tell them, and Inno and the relatives came into the room, their faces full of joy. Some of them took the baby; Nusaiba, in a daze, said, “Inno, I’m hungry — make me some tea.” Inno, Goggo, and their helpers went to the food pots, but when they lifted the lids they found only small scraps: bones and remains, bits of food that had been picked clean. They opened a large food container and found it empty.
 
They even found the big bag of bread under the bed — it looked like the bread had been eaten and the wind pushed the crumbs under the mattress. Astonished, no one spoke. Inno took a thermos for tea and lifted the lid — it was empty too. In a low voice she spoke: “Today I see the worst shame of two-eyed shamelessness. Who ate all this food and drank the tea?” Goggo said, “We found that a young woman delivered and instead of being fed, others ate until they were full.”
 
Nusaiba’s mother asked in surprise, “Inno, all the food in the pots was eaten? Nusaiba, did you eat earlier?” Nusaiba shook her head. Inno said, “Apart from Nusaiba, none of those others could eat three full coolers of food. Men, you call them the ones in white clothes — I will take the blessing away from them if I must. There’s no one else who could have done such a shameless thing. Children today have no shame; they take the blessing like my devilish children.” Mami, Nusaiba’s mother, called the nurses and they came, thinking something must be wrong. Inno looked at them one by one and said, “Where did you take the food? You ate it away from the blessed mother and the newborn? If you were hungry you could have asked, but you showed such shamelessness — it is enough.” They all looked at one another and replied in unison, “What kind of food would be left sitting there like it belonged to some demons?” Goggo pulled the pots and said, “Look, see — you helped me bring one in earlier.” With surprise they said, “All the food in the pots is gone.” Inno said, “Listen to these shameless children asking us questions. By God, either you show it or I will take your blessing away and let the world suffer.”
 
A nurse, upset, tried to object: “Why are you accusing us when we are health workers? If any dirt is found it gets spread on us...”—Inno cut her off sharply: “But this child has been treated without shame; if you don’t close your mouth I will remove your blessing and expose you.” Seeing the situation heading toward a quarrel, Mami calmed things and called home to have another pot of food brought.
 
That evening Nusaiba and her baby were discharged, but arguments about her staying at the house continued — Mami kept quiet because Goggo and the others pushed the issue with Halifa, and Halifa resisted. In private Goggo said, “Rakiya, do we have to keep following this child? She and her child are our relatives — what should we do, follow her and her household? If she refuses to listen, I’ll take her and go with her.” Inno sighed and said, “Hansai, are you going to take Nusaiba? By God I won’t allow that lack of blessing. I gave birth to Halifa’s father — I have authority in this matter.” Goggo said, “Rakiya, by God you don’t deserve it — I gave birth to Nusaiba’s father, so I am more entitled to take her.” Inno said, “May God be witness, jealous co-wife! I won’t allow this shamelessness — I will stay here.” Mami suggested one piece of advice: maybe go and sit with the new mother. Everyone agreed with Mami’s counsel.
 
They set out for home with relatives and friends.
 
The Night Fright
 
That night, around two in the morning, Inno went outside to relieve herself and on her way back she noticed a tiny figure moving — whenever it took a step forward it would step back and cock its head to the side. Startled, Inno said, “What kind of shameless blessing am I seeing in the middle of the night?” She shone her small flashlight.
 
Peering closer she realized it was Nusaiba’s baby, dressed only in a short shirt or underpants. The baby rubbed itself and made a kind of whimpering sound like someone who’d drunk too much. In a strange voice it repeated what Inno had said: “What kind of shameless blessing am I seeing in the middle of the night?” It jumped as if about to pounce on Inno. In fear she threw down her water jar and began to run. It leapt and grabbed at the hem of Inno’s wrapper, tearing it so she fell to the ground, scrambling and screaming. By the time she reached their room she had already torn much of her wrapper and only a little of her skin remained covered.