Hearing Katagum mentioned, she looked up at him and said, “I think we should just stop at Misau, because that is where they are right now. The final decision rests entirely with Yaya Sale anyway.”

"Excellent," Amma replied. “So, this means the discussion about Aruwa returning to this house is back on the table? It seems I have a very important guest on the way.”

Hadiye responded by saying, “No, Fatima is coming back to live in this house permanently. To be honest, I didn't even know until now.”

Amma added, “You know how deeply secretive her mother is. She doesn't like discussing these matters openly; she prefers to keep things to herself, even if it eats away at her mind.”

Alhaji Sani smiled gently, glanced at them, and announced that he was about to head out. Knowing that it was her turn to handle the cooking and noticing that he hadn't formally dismissed her, she stood up and followed him out so they could speak privately.

After walking a short distance, he stopped and turned to look at her. With her gaze lowered toward the ground, he asked, “Yaya, I notice you seem a bit down. Has the plan to go get the girl been canceled?”

"Well, Amma, Yaya..." she started, but then trailed off into silence. He kept his eyes on her, trying to figure out what she was struggling to say regarding the trip. He prompted, “But what?”

“I just feel I ought to know the details of the journey and the destination. If I am to prepare some souvenirs or gifts to take along, I shouldn't just show up empty-handed like this, right?”

He gave a small smile and assured her, “That won't be a problem at all, as I have already taken care of all the arrangements on my end.”

"Thank you," she muttered, pausing momentarily without saying anything else. He reached into his pocket, pulled out an unspecified amount of money, and handed it to her, saying, “Take the rest of this for the trip, in case there is anything extra you need to add from your own side.”

She thanked him once again as he turned to walk away. She called out, "May Allah protect you and bring you back safely," to which he replied, "Amin," before exiting the section. Unbeknownst to them, Hajiya's daughter was just walking in and witnessed the entire interaction.

The girl cast a highly judgmental look at them. Without bothering to greet Maimuna, she tried to push past into the area, but immediately spotted her younger sister bowing respectfully to greet their father.

#### **Section 2: Cruelty and Conflict at Home**

Today, because of the biting cold, the streets were empty as everyone huddled indoors to keep warm. As for us, we were in our tiny room, which happened to be the coldest spot in the entire compound because it lacked a ceiling—there was nothing above us but bare corrugated iron sheets.

From the main house, we suddenly heard Umma straining her voice, shouting my name: "Hey, Fatima! Fatima! Or do I have to call you 'Aruwa' before you realize I'm talking to you?" Her voice drew closer until she reached our doorstep.

I snapped awake from a light morning nap. I had only just drifted off after a brief chat with Manjo following the dawn prayers.

Manjo tried to intervene, saying, "She's asleep," but Umma kept yelling for me as if doing it entirely out of spite.

I stepped outside, alerted by the harsh tone of her voice. She snapped the moment she saw me, “Get out here! The sun is already high, yet you haven't washed the dishes for us. Or did you hire someone else to clean up after you?”

I replied, “Umma, I was only waiting for this freezing cold to subside before coming out. I feel extremely cold today.”

She barked back, “You will go right now and rinse those dishes, or I will make you deeply regret it!”

"Umma, we weren't even given any of last night's dinner because you saw me cook pasta in the afternoon," I protested.

"Oh, really? So that means you won't wash them just because you didn't eat the food?" she sneered.

I pouted and stood my ground. Seeing that I hadn't moved, she snapped again, “Are you going to move, or do I need to slap you?”

I quickly said, “Umma, I will wash them! I never said I wouldn't.”

Before I could even finish my sentence, a sharp slap landed across my face. True to my nature, I let out a loud, piercing shriek. Manjo rushed out of the room in absolute panic, hurriedly adjusting her headscarf.

"What did this child do to you this early in the morning for you to beat her like this?" Manjo demanded, addressing her as Safiya.

Just then, the voice of Yaya—the household's notorious troublemaker—chimed in: "Oh, shut up! Look at this old woman acting as if the girl was brutally beaten." Umma Saude, peeking out from her own corner, added, “Of course, she only came out just to make a scene and scream.”

Manjo fired back, “For Allah's sake, have some fear of God! What has this poor orphan ever done to offend you all in this house? The girl can't even speak without being beaten! I watch your own children do whatever they please around here, and I have never seen you lay a hand on a single one of them!”

I kept crying uncontrollably, which only fueled Manjo’s anger as she continued to argue with them. Yaya snapped at her, “Shut your mouth, old woman, before I come over there and break you in half!”

Manjo challenged him, “If you're man enough, come over and try it, you useless, disrespectful brat!”

He threatened, “If she doesn't stop crying this instant, I am going to give her a beating she will never forget, and give her a real reason to cry!”

Hearing his threats didn't stop my tears. With Manjo there, I knew he wouldn't actually dare to beat me. Honestly, I was partly crying on purpose just to get out of doing the dishes so early in the morning.

Seeing that I had turned up the volume of my crying, he lost his temper. Before anyone realized it, he lunged toward me and began raining blows all over my body. He kept hitting me until even his own mothers grew frightened by his violence and yelled at him to stop.

Manjo charged at him with a heavy piece of firewood she grabbed straight from the cooking hearth, striking him across his body with every ounce of strength Allah had given her. He took a severe beating that day. Manjo completely went wild on them, throwing the entire household into chaos until they finally had to call Baffa to return home before she could be calmed down.

When Baffa saw the extent of the injuries Yaya Hashimu had inflicted on me, he was furious. He scolded him severely and laid down a strict decree that no one was ever to hit me or even look at me crossly again. Manjo added, “And that includes forcing her into hard labor!”

At that point, Umma Safiya chimed in sharply, “That is out of the question! As long as we cook food and give it to her to eat, she must do the dishes and sweep the compound for us.”

Manjo countered, “None of the other children do it, you shameless woman!”

Umma Safiya argued, “She is the youngest in this house right now, so it is mandatory that she handles these chores.”

Baffa Sale stood there completely helpless, utterly unable to assert authority or rebuke his wife. Manjo turned to him in disgust, yelling, “You just stand there staring while your wife humiliates me in this house without you taking a single step to stop it!”

Only then did he speak up, saying, "Safiya, that's enough. You've heard my decision." As he turned to walk away, Manjo burst into another round of loud sobbing.

That sight completely broke his resolve. Unable to leave as he had originally intended, he turned back, knelt down beside her, and began begging for her forgiveness.

Seeing this, Umma and the others turned their venom on me, shouting insults: “Look at what you've caused! This is exactly what you wanted. Your stay in this house has brought nothing but misery.”

“This house belongs to her late father's brother! If you don't like it, you can pack your bags and leave her here, because she has nowhere else to go. This is exactly what her mother saw that made her abandon her here, so the girl wouldn't ruin her new marriage elsewhere! No real mother would abandon a child like you without ever looking back, unless she wanted to be rid of a burden. If her mother cared, she would have taken her along. But she knew exactly what kind of nuisance you are, so she dumped you here like worthless baggage in broad daylight! Despite everything we endure raising you, no one appreciates it in this house, all because you are naturally deceitful. When your father was alive, he and your mother knew exactly who they were helping; if it were up to you, would he even look at us today?”

Manjo cried out in shock, throwing her hands over her head and wailing loudly. Her screams threw Baffa into a panic. Baffa's passive and quiet nature was exactly why his entire family had lost all respect for him.

With great difficulty, the chaos eventually subsided, and they retreated to their respective quarters. Even after Baffa left, they continued to hurl insults, speaking ill of me and wishing terrible things upon my future. I endured an endless stream of verbal abuse from them that day. May Allah correct their affairs, for they blindly supported their own children while making it blatantly obvious how much they discriminated against me in that house.

#### **Section 3: The Arrival of Maimuna**

She got fully prepared and took the children over to Amma's quarters, intending to leave them behind since they would be returning to town that very day. After locking her door, she and the children headed out. At that exact moment, the master of the house emerged from his quarters and headed toward Hajiya Jummai’s section to greet her.

Hajiya Maryam, who had just come out to greet Amma, cross-checked her path. From a distance, Maryam began sizing her up. Maimuna’s elegant attire made it obvious she was preparing for an important trip.

Hajiya Maryam offered a calculated smile, trying to sound friendly to probe where she was heading. As they met, Hajiya Maimuna greeted, “Good morning, Anty Maryam.”

"Morning, mother of two. Where are you off to looking so beautiful today?" Maryam asked, maintaining her smile.

"We are going to visit Gwago; she asked her to spend some nights there," Maimuna replied smoothly. Maryam nodded and said, “Alright, safe travels.”

Meanwhile, Alhaji entered Jummai’s quarters. Jummai was already furious because of what her daughter had told her the previous day—that she had seen him giving a substantial amount of money to Hajiya Maimuna right outside Amma's door.

After a tense, superficial exchange of greetings, he informed her, “I am traveling today. Maimuna and I are going to Bauchi to visit her daughter.”

Acting as though she hadn't heard him, she demanded, “I actually wanted you to come in and provide money for these children so they can go check their official documents.”

He looked at her in surprise and questioned, “Does checking documents require money now? And if you're talking about transportation, the driver is available to take them.”

"But you know they need to have pocket money on them! You can't just send them out on the road empty-handed without a single dime," she argued.

He replied, “You should give it to them today, because I had no intention of doing so.”

She sneered, “Hmph, that’s hardly surprising. You love to deny them money, yet you readily lavish it on those you consider your priority in this house whenever they ask for it!”

He stared at her in utter disbelief, shook his head in disgust, and turned to leave. She called out after him, “Whatever a person does, Allah is watching!”

"If I have wronged you, then leave my judgment to Allah," he shot back, walking out thoroughly irritated by her attitude.

He then checked in on Hajiya Maryam, but their interaction went just as terribly. The moment he mentioned that he and Hajiya Maimuna were traveling to visit her daughter, Maryam threw a tantrum. She began complaining bitterly, accusing him of deliberately blocking her from traveling to get her regular medical prescriptions, while gladly driving Maimuna to see her daughter himself.

He snapped back, “Didn't I offer to go with you initially? Did anyone force you to stay behind, or did someone cast a spell on you in this house? Even if I am going with Maimuna, I have forbidden you from going anywhere now. If you think you have the power to challenge me, go ahead and try leaving, let's see!”

As for Hajiya Maimuna, she didn't leave until she had gone to each of their quarters to bid them goodbye. Despite her politeness, she didn't receive any sincere well-wishes or safe-travel prayers from them, getting nothing more than a cold, dismissive “Safe journey until you return.”

With that, they commenced their journey toward Bauchi. Because they set out early in the morning and were traveling in a well-maintained vehicle, they made excellent time.

Maimuna knew the house well, so they didn't encounter any difficulty locating it. They arrived just before one o'clock in the town of Misau. At that exact moment, I had just finished a long, exhausting crying session and had drifted into a deep sleep. My entire body was aching terribly, and a fever was beginning to set in. Fortunately, Baffa had sent some medication for me to take.

The occupants of the house were sitting inside when they suddenly heard a greeting at the entrance. A young boy emerged from the living room where they usually hung out. The living room was completely empty of furniture, cluttered with nothing but heaps of their belongings and piles of dirty laundry they routinely hoarded inside. Because the bedrooms were too small for them, the teenage girls also slept in this living room, yet none of them ever bothered to keep it tidy.

Answering the greeting, the boy turned back to inform the elders since he didn't recognize the visitor. Umma Saude peeked out. At first, she didn't recognize Maimuna either, until Maimuna said, “Yaya, don't you recognize me? It's Maimuna from Kano.”

She gasped, "Oh my, Maimuna! It’s really you? I didn't recognize you at all! Welcome, welcome! Have you been on the road all morning?" She immediately began stammering over her words in sheer surprise.

"Saude, who is that with you out there?" Umma Safiya demanded as she walked out.

Saude replied excitedly, “I swear, Yaya, look! It's Maimuna, Fatima's mother, visiting our town today!”

"Which Fatima?" Umma Safiya asked, stepping out. She stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing Maimuna standing there dressed in pure luxury. There wasn't a single flaw to criticize; she looked incredibly sophisticated, like a high-class, wealthy woman. Her natural beauty stood out brilliantly.

Stunned, Safiya stammered, “Abubakar's Maimuna? Look at how sophisticated she has become! God is great, the world truly transforms people.”

They ushered her into their living room, which looked like the room of a deranged person—even an old lady wouldn't leave a place in such filth.

After exchanging initial greetings, Maimuna asked, “Where is Babba? Or have they moved back to Azare?”

"Babba is right here in her quarters. Let us take you to her," Saude said, standing up. Maimuna hadn't realized that Babba’s quarters were part of this exact compound until she saw Saude heading toward a tiny, cramped room that looked no better than a chicken coop. Maimuna sighed inwardly, feeling a deep sense of sadness in her heart.

They called out a greeting three times at the doorstep. Eventually, Manjo answered from within, telling them to come in. They lifted the curtain—which was made from one of Manjo's old, faded wrappers—and stepped inside.

"Babba, look who is visiting our town today! Maimuna has arrived," Saude announced as Hajiya pushed her way into the small room.

The moment Maimuna and Manjo locked eyes, the old woman burst into tears. Maimuna quickly walked over, sat down on the edge of the bed where I was lying, and began wiping away her own tears.

"Maimuna, so you've really come?" Manjo said after she managed to control her crying, adjusting the space to make her comfortable.

Saude glanced toward the bed and asked, “Is this one asleep?”

"Of course she's asleep! She had to sleep off the exhaustion after receiving a brutal beating today," Manjo snapped. Realizing the old woman was about to expose their cruelty, Saude quickly cut in, saying, “Let me quickly go fetch some water for you.”

Hajiya turned to the old woman and said, “I came with my husband; he is waiting outside. Could someone please take something for him to sit on?”

Saude replied, "Let me send a boy right now to call him into the shop so he isn't left sitting outside alone." With that, she left Hajiya and Manjo alone in the room.

#### **Section 4: The Bitter Reality Exposed**

Maimuna kept her eyes fixed on me, murmuring, "Is she really sleeping this deeply?" She was utterly amazed by how much I had grown in the short time she hadn't seen me.

With her eyes still fixed on me, a profound pity for the wretched condition we lived in filled her heart. Her mind drifted back to her late husband. She remembered the immense wealth and luxury he used to provide for his mother and siblings, but unfortunately, Allah had executed His divine will over his life. If he were still alive today, he would have been one of the most influential authorities in this region due to his dedication to his career; he was a man who went above and beyond to support his extended family.

Manjo, sitting beside her, wiped away a stray tear. She was thinking about the exact same thing—how their comfortable life had been abruptly cut short when Allah took away the very person they relied upon.

In a fragile, broken voice, the old woman said, “My child, look at us now. Allah manifests His divine will whenever and however He pleases. Today, this is my reality; Allah has brought us down to this.”

She wiped away more tears. Maimuna, who was also quietly weeping, replied, “Only Allah knows the reason why He took our dear one away from us, Babba, right at the moment when we all needed him the most.”

Manjo spat out bitterly, “Can you believe that today, Safiya has the audacity to insult this child, mocking her by saying her father achieved absolutely nothing in his lifetime? Look at how ungrateful that woman is! She completely forgets the days when her own husband used to impregnate her with all those children, and your late husband would shoulder every single expense for them. Did she think all that wasn't a massive favor to her?”

“This poor orphan of Allah that he left behind—his only child in the world—is who they have targeted with relentless cruelty in this house. After they finished plundering and sharing every single bit of the inheritance her father left for her, they turned around and began tormenting her with verbal abuse and physical beatings.”

Maimuna swallowed hard, a bitter taste rising in her throat. “Babba, all of that is endurable, but the physical abuse is what breaks my heart the most.”

"Exactly, my child!" Manjo exclaimed. “Look at how small this girl is compared to their massive, grown-up children. Yet, whenever anyone gets into a slight argument, they raise their hands against her.”

“My heart is filled with so much sorrow today. The beating that worthless boy gave this girl this morning over mere dishes was horrific, especially since they didn't even give us a single bite of food last night!”

A deep ache pierced Maimuna’s heart. She vividly remembered the days when her husband was alive; he would personally buy turkeys, chickens, or ram meat and order that a special meal be cooked and delivered to Babba, just so she could eat well and be happy. Today, those ungrateful relatives were rationing food and starving her.

Manjo continued, "I am so relieved you came, my child. She needs to become what her father couldn't live to achieve. Initially, when Asiya brought up the idea of you taking her, I wanted to refuse. But when she made me realize the long-term benefits, I agreed. Keeping