Unedited.

****

"Research have shown, there are hundred cases of sickle cell in Nigeria every year. And it's due to ignorance, negligence or so. I'm glad you've taken the measures to avoid giving birth to sickle cell victims. Hajiya, you're not supposed to panic. Advancements in the global health technology have been made. This days it's easier to manage. I will prescribe some drugs for you and offer some advice." Mimi's eyes were still closed. All she could see was General Aliyy. And Asnah.

"I advice you to feed her with honey-raw, unprocessed and pure honey every morning and night. Black seed oil should be used in preparing her meals. She will be just fine, with no crises in sha Allah." The doctor finished his little explanation and left.

"Is that all he could say? No permanent cure?" Mimi croaked, staring at Maama.

"There is bone marrow transplant but Mimi it is risky. Let's stick to what he's going to prescribe. Please stop worrying." Mimi threw her head back for a moment before she wore her flipflop. She went to where Asnah was lying on the bed.

"Is she going to wake up now, mummy?" Worried Yusrah asked.

"Yes she will wake up. Pray for her." Mimi caressed Asnah's head and kissed her forehead. Mimi felt her heart getting heavier as she stare at the kid. She had never thought of giving birth to a kid like that. It has never crossed her mind.

"She will be fine." Sadiqu assured her. Mimi turned around and hugged him tight. The tears fell like downpour. She had been withholding them in.

"She will be fine." He hugged her back and placed his chin on her head.

****

Sadiqu shook his head when he sighted Mimi curled to the end of her bed.

"You're still here?" He took gentle steps to the bed.

"Why me?"

"Why not you? No one told you she's dying. Asnah is not dying. She will get well."

"But General tried his best. Why will it happen?"

"Listen here. Allah tests whom He loves. Those who believe in Him. Let me give you an overview of some of the prophets' history. You see they're chosen, special and close to Allah. Yet, Allah tested them in several ways." Mimi looked up.

"Start listing them. Do you know them all?" Mimi kept quiet before she slowly nodded. She knew their names when Maama enrolled her in that islamiyya. That time when Mimi thought Maama was punishing her. Although she wasn't paying much attention, she's grabbed something.

"Prophet Ibrahim." She said, at random.

"Masha Allah. You've chosen the most eventful history of prophet. Prophet Ibrahim went through several of tests. The first test was when Allah decided to test his faith. He had to choose between worshipping idols which was what his father and family members worship. Prophet Ibrahim was never an idol worshiper despite the fact his father was an idol maker." Mimi's eyes grew like saucer.

"After that, he was thrown to the pit of fire but because he's trust Allah, Allah ordered the fire to be cool for him. Later his father chased him away. When he got married, he wasn't granted a child until when he became old. After he was given children, Allah tested him again. He saw himself slaughtering his son Isma'il, in a dream. And he knew Allah wanted to test him via that."

"Slaughter? You mean to slaughter him like the way we slaughter rams?" Sadiqu chuckled.

"Yes. When he told his son, the son agreed and laid for his father to slaughter him. And so, prophet Isma'il was replaced with a ram. This explains why we slaughter ram during Eidul Kabeer."

"Well, prophet Isma'il was a prophet and messenger. Allah described him to be a keeper to his promise. I was named after him. 'Sadiqal wa'ad' and then people shortened it to Sadiqu. That's what my father told me." Mimi smiled.

"A nice name."

"Although it's a good name, I wish I was named Muhammad or Ibrahim. I love these names."

"If I was a boy too, I will choose Muhammad or Aliyu." Mimi said without thinking twice. No pun was intended.

"Forget about names. Let me continue with the story." His voice sounded different but she shrugged it off.

"I forgot. Before the slaughter test, He was asked to leave his family behind in a dessert. That's where prophet Isma'il was born. And so many things after that but at at long last, Allah called him Khalilullah which means 'Allah's friend' how beautiful? He was praised severally. When we're praying in our tahiyyats, we ask Allah to send a lot of his peace to our Prophet Muhammad and to Ibrahim? Have you ever pondered? Allah called him as the father of Islam. We are all following his footsteps." Sadiqu sighed.

"You see, those tests made him stronger. We will read on the full and complete history later. I just picked some episodes for you to understand that— Tests from Allah doesn't mean Allah loves you less. It doesn't mean Allah wants to punish you just like that. Allah tests his servants to check who's patient among them, who's strong in belief and so on. So, instead of you to grief, I urge you to hug this with your all. Believe that you can pass through it and see what will happen at the end. Okay?" Mimi nodded and wrapped her hands around him.

"Thank you. It's really inspiring." Mimi's spirit got boosted and uplifted after the story. She released a breath, giving out the weight on her chest, to the atmosphere.

"Don't forsake what the doctor tell you. I will get honey from a neighbouring farm once I get out. She will be fine." Mimi nodded and melted in his hold.

****

The forest was less thicker than it was from the previous years. Hot wind was blowing from every angle. The leaves of the numerous trees were falling due to dryness. It was very hot and the light supplied from firewood wasn't helping at all.

The leader, a giant man on his chair rocked around with an evil laughter.

"You thought you've escaped? Oh sheikh Jameel, this place is inescapable." Jameel shuddered. He has totally forgotten what it felt like to be there. After his therapeutic sections with Matthew and co, he's regained himself back. Plus Khadijatou's care.

"Sheikh Bashir, give him a welcoming bath." The boss ordered. The man who's addressed as Sheikh Bashir turned to face a lady. A single blink of an eye informed her about what she's supposed to do.

She knelt down and fetched iced water from the leader's leathered skin cooler.

"It's enough." His hand communicated to her. He collected it, and gave the leader. The leader kept quiet muttering some incoherent words. He spat twice before he gave it back to Sheikh Bashir.

Jameel's head was down, he was wallowing in self pity and anguish. He  was sweating profusely when he saw that, those people were really serious. Jameel took in his breath as he felt the water running down his face.

"Innalillahi wa inna ilaihirrajiun!" Jameel shook his head, raised and opened his eyes only to find Khadijtou with a cup of cold water, laughing at him.

Jameel didn't know when he supplicated again. Then said out the tahmeed. So it was only a nightmare!

What an escape!

"I'm going to get you Khadijatou!" She giggled and sped away. Jameel released a sharp breath and clutched his chest.

When will he go back home?

****

"Is this where we will keep staying?" Mimi asked. She saw how Sadiqu's demeanor lowered but it was the least on her mind. She had been thinking of asking him when they're moving to a better and bigger house. He doesn't expect her to keep staying here, does he?

"Where else? This is our home." He gave her the right answer. Mimi rolled her eyes to the direction he's not seeing.

"Asnah has been asking me when we will go back home." She decided to backup her speech.

"You showed her an incline that we're leaving some time. Had it been you let her know this is our permanent house, she would've adjusted fully to the new environment." Sadiqu stopped to dust off the windows of the unused store.

"The girls will be occupying this room once I finish packing the stuffs to backyard." He unjammed the door and peeked through the slide of the door.

"That's a good idea." She remarked and sat on the bed. So many things were on her mind. She wanted to talk about them but she didn't know how.

Her car. The foundations. Her clothes. Her systems. Asnah's toys. And the list goes on.

"I am still applying for jobs. I'm tired of this teaching honestly." Mimi hummed to him as an answer. Then an idea clicked to her brain.

"Maybe you should bring your credentials so I could send them to Baaba. You can get work at NNPC. You know it's all by connection." Mimi suggested with a gleam.

"No." He turned down the offer with a stoic voice.

"I'm not forcing you Malam. Look at yourself in the mirror. This hard expression you displayed on your face doesn't fit you at all. Nothing is by force. You want to keep suffering, then so be it." Mimi let her mouth blabbered whatever it contained therein. She hated it when she's being turned down.

Sadiqu felt his ego hurted. If it was Leek, she would've been worried by now. She would've beg him and try cheering him up. But this girl . . .

Mimi checked her trolley and noticed that, all her clothes were dirty.

"I will be going home tomorrow to fetch my clothes."

"What are you thinking about the heap of unwashed ones?" He asked, licking his lower lip. Sadiqu hasn't realised his lip has tilted to a smile. It's a wicked smile though. He's going to punish her for caring less about him.

"You're not going anywhere. I hope you know the rulings on going out without one's husband's permission. I also command you to wash those clothes between today and tomorrow. I have some clothes to launder too, I will be happy if you will pack them altogether with yours and wash them." Sadiqu didn't gave her any room to talk. He stuck his tongue at her before leaving the room.

Mimi kicked the trolley and dropped the abaya she's holding.

Sadiqu yawed the curtain that served as barrier between the room and the parlour. "Please use May soap. Detergent makes the cloth's color to fade out." He released the curtain and left laughing.

"Maama!" Mimi yelped angrily then lowered her voice. "I miss you so much Maama."

****

Mimi's back ached for three days. After she's washed the clothes, Sadiqu allowed her to spread them. He didn't talk until when the clothes were dried then he started inspecting them and showing her places with stains of food or mud. To avoid fight, Mimi rewashed them.

She could say washing's the hardest chore in the house. She had never knew how it felt like. Even those times when Maama wanted to punish her, Mimi would let the dirty clothes turn to a heap and at the end of the day, Maama would ask the maids to take it to the laundry.

Mimi may be self-centered person but she had came to a realisation that Sadiqu was more than that. Random person may regard him as a simple person but reverse was the matter. He's selfish, dedicative and authoritative. He loved to order her around. Because, Mimi was mindful and was afraid of Allah's wrath, she followed every instruction Sadiqu laid for her.

For a moment of thought, she remembered the times they spent with General Aliyy. May Allah forgive her for thinking of him whilst she's married to someone else. But Allah knows she missed him. He was close to perfection. Although he's always busy, whence he's around, he dedicated his full time to her.

She's learnt a lot from him. He had shown her that she's his wife; his companion not a slave. Between spouse's supposed to be friendship not otherwise. Spouses were to be friends of one another, siblings and lovers, all combined. Nowadays, men treat women with disregard. Because they feel they're at the top. They feel they're the superior beings.

Allah described spouses to be 'garments' for each other. Mimi felt like telling Sadiqu these. But she's afraid that he may ask where she knew it. Mimi shook off the thought from her head. General Aliyy was a noble, pious and generous person. May Allah forgive him.

"Mummy serve us our food!" Asnah and Yusrah jumped. Mimi stirred the soup and scooped it into a bowl for the both of them. She sliced boiled yam in a different bowl for them.

"Mummy put food for dodo." Yusrah said, excitedly.

Mimi turned off the stove and properly closed the lid of the pot.

"Who's dodo?"

"Dodo in the tale Abba told us yesternight. Dodo is out. We saw him together with Abba on our way back from school." Asnah answered in lieu.

"He has one big blanket on his head and his face is black. But he's lonely, even spider and praying mantis don't like him. Everyone is afraid of him in the story Abba told us but I'm not afraid. I pity him. Give him food." Mimi dismissed the girls and went in to pray.

Yusrah picked two slices and dipped them unto the soup. She spied around and told Asnah to shush.

Yusrah saw the man she referred to as dodo ( a word used, to describe somrhing scary especially to children) sitting were she had seen him earlier.

She tiptoed then stopped to confirm he won't harm her.

"Dodo zaka ci doya? Gizo da o'i shuna shoron ka ko? Ni bana shoro. Gashi. (Dodo will you eat yam? Spider and praying mantis are afraid of you right? Me I am not afraid of you)." The  covered man spread his palm and she placed the slices on it, still calculating her moves. She's afraid but was trying her best.

"Thank you." He groggily said. Yusrah ran back jumping. And since that day, she shared her food with Dodo without her parent's knowledge.

****

Sadiqu thought to start farming once again since he's gotten back his farm. It was maize season and it would be great to plant maize that time. He prepared to go and see the farm together with Dahiru, the farmer.

"To say the least, you will get almost four hundred thousand at the end of the day. If the yield is good that is." Sadiqu chuckled at Dahiru's dream in the day.

"Mal Da, stop counting the chickens before they hatch." The man cackled.

"Once I set my eyes on a plot of land, all I could see is crops so don't blame me. I'm in a haste now, when you're ready, you call me." He hung his axe to his shoulder and exited the farm after Sadiqu had told him that he will call him when the need arises.

Sadiqu walked and inspected everywhere. When he's tired, he found a shade and sat. He doesn't know why. But whenever he sees the farm, it reminded him of the three of them.

He remembered narrating his story to Nazeer. Nazeer had told him to let things go. Nazeer was a good advisor before he joined those boys. Sadiqu felt guilt washing him over because he felt to offer his advice very well to Nazeer. Fact was, no matter what he did, Nazeer must leave. Sadiqu prayed for him and closed his eyes.

"Why didn't you believe what Maleekah was telling you the other day?" Sadiqu sprung on his feet.

"When will you stop getting scared of me? Please sit back. This time around, I come with the intention of telling you some important stuffs."

"Neither you or Maleekah is making sense."

"You can say that again. It's human to say that. I know you're still trying to register my presence in your brain. Do that as I sit beside you and wait for you." Sadiqu shifted.

"Don't you dare sit near me." He warned.

The atmosphere laughed. "I have been sitting with you since the day you were born my love. I was just not instructed to talk until recently."

"You're kidding me."

"I think if I stop to convince you, we will waste a lot of time whilst I was given only ten minutes to talk with you." Sadiqu tried to imagine her face but he couldn't form any feature in his head.

"You're too special. Special to us- the jinns and special to humans like you." Sadiqu hissed.

"Patience my love. Be patient." Sadiqu casted his hand in the air.

"You can't catch me because you can't see me. I will become visible to you when pappy orders me to be." Sadiqu's heart was beating less faster.

"You're a lover and enemy. Several batches of jinns lost their lives because of you. Some died in the cause of protecting you, others in the process of afflicting harm upon you. I myself was defeated years ago and bedridden for several years that's why some damages were done. It was due to my absence and none among my siblings was able to overcome it. So, now is the time to fix it up. Ouch, time's up. Bye. Bye my love. I love you a lot." Sadiqu turned and turned. He talked and talked but as she said, time was up and she was gone.

Lover?

Enemy?

Jinns lost their lives?

Harm?

Protection?

Damage?

Fixing?

Nothing made sense. Perhaps he's hallucinating. Perhaps he's developing a mental problem. How could he be thinking of nonsense? What's going wrong. And again, she's calling him her love. How? Why?

Sadiqu went into confusion. His leg slowly led him to Malam mai tawada's house. Maybe it's a sign he's going psych.

Mayhap Leek's right. He will never understand.

*****

Su malam Sadiqu sai a kama hanyar dawanau!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Okay, are we getting it?

****

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