ABOUT THIS BOOK
Description
"Fareeda, Fareeda, Fareeda!" This was the call my Umma was making to me from the kitchen, where she and Maman Fareeda were together trying to prepare the evening meal. At that moment, I had just finished my Maghrib prayer, and I hurried over to answer the call. Knowing that my Umma is a very hot-tempered person, I said to her, "Please forgive me, Umma. When you called me, I was praying. Here I am." Maman Fareeda, who was mixing the soup, said to me, "Fareeda, go and pack your things. You will be going to your Aunt's house. Her illness has flared up again. Moreover, by the day after tomorrow, God willing, Ramadan fasting is expected to begin, and the children will be going to school. Even though your Uncle is on leave, she will still need your help."
Aunty Raheema is the wife of Maman Fareeda's younger brother—that is to say, the senior wife of our Umma, Hajiya Asiya. Hajiya Asiya had been married to our father for many years, but she had never given birth, nor had she ever even had a miscarriage. Initially, everyone thought that perhaps the problem was from our father. However, by the power of God, just one year and a few months after our Umma was married, she became pregnant with me.
I am the firstborn child of our father. It was from that moment that everyone realized the inability to conceive was not my father's fault at all; the problem was from Maman Fareeda. But because she is a woman of immense patience, forbearance, and acceptance of destiny, she did not let it bother her at all or burden her mind. Furthermore, because there was an age gap of about four to five years between her and my mother, when my mother became pregnant with me and experienced severe pregnancy sickness, Maman Fareeda took over all the household chores. Likewise, from the moment I was born, she took care of all my needs and upbringing—everything involving bathing, carrying me on her back, and feeding me. She is a woman who loves to do good to anyone around her. Consequently, as I grew older and gained awareness, I didn't trust anyone but her. In fact, sometimes I would even reject our father and our Umma. Everything of mine was kept in her room. To tell the truth, I never knew she wasn't my biological mother until later on, when I reached Primary Five. This realization happened during a holiday visit to our mothers' hometown. Our biological mother is a native of Zamfara State, whereas our father and Maman Fareeda are natives of Katsina State. It was during that holiday that I discovered who my real mother was between them.
Maman Fareeda comes from a royal family; she is the daughter of the current reigning Emir. Meanwhile, our father hails from the Musawa Local Government Area.
In our father's family, there are five of them: four men and one woman. The sister currently resides in the U.K. with her husband and her only child, as God did not bless her with many children. In fact, this trait of not having many children seems to run in our father's lineage; their entire extended family is like that, they do not have many children. That is how it
is.
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