THE GOOD NEWS

★★★★★

My exam finished around twelve. It was a three-hour paper. Lucky for me, it wasn't as cumbersome as I had dreaded. The moment the invigilator left the hall, I went around the Faculty of Engineering, looking for Imran, and found him engaged in a conversation with a white girl in a common room full of freshers. I stepped into the crowd willing myself to ignore the awful music that was playing from some loudspeaker.

"Why does it look like we are having a freshers' week party in here?" I stood near them by the counter, watching for a moment as the crowd went wild. It looked like someone was performing some awesome dance moves.

"Welcome to the Father Faculty where every end of semester calls for a celebration." The white girl turned to face me and I realized she was one of my close friends all along.

"Salma, I couldn't recognize you in that outfit. What are you wearing?" I said, and smiled at her choice of clothing; She was wearing a grey woolen sweater over a patterned Ankara gown that reached her ankles and a small black hijab that stuck to her head like a stocking cap.

"I look stunning, right?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"Well, not a bad match. At least you are fully covered." That was all that mattered. I was about to say something to that effect when the crowd screamed again and I wanted to run out of there. Who was this person whom everyone was looking at as though he were a superstar? I looked over at Imran to see him smiling at his cousin, the one who was causing the massive stare. Khalid was his name if I could remember correctly.

"Relax, Hannan! noise doesn't hurt anyone!" Imran screamed over the counter, dismissively. He was standing by the other side.

"Well, it does hurt me. My tympanic membrane won't be able to function properly if I stand here any longer."

When Khalid and his friends arrived at our counter, Salma was looking flushed with embarrassment. She looked down at herself, realizing only then that her dress was not so presentable.

"Oh, look who's here!" She said, stepping gingerly toward him and I followed slowly.

"What is he your boyfriend?" I whispered with narrowed eyes.

"No, he's just a very good friend." She smiled, looking up at the newcomer whose gaze on me was lingering longer than I had wanted. "Khalid, welcome. Meet my friend..."

"Hannan," I offered, and let my eyes do the observation. He was a fine young man, tall, dark with a confident smile and a red underlip. He was drop-dead gorgeous I had to admit. I now know why Salma had been acting so nervous around him. Oh well, his beauty didn't matter much to me, not when he had that cheeky smile playing on his lips in a way that reminded me of Mubarak, the bully who had kept Imran on the edge since year one. He had made me grow to dislike boys like him that flaunt their wealth and good looks on campus. They were the topics nearly every girl in school discussed.

"Hannan, what a fine name you have there." He remarked and my expression remained firm, despite his jocular tone. "I'm Khalid Jaffar al-Ali. And these are my guys." He turned to his squad of five junkies. They nodded at me with sly smirks plastered on their faces as he introduced them one after the other. All I did was wave a hand from a small distance.

"Saal, can I talk to you for a minute." I saw him grab her hand and pull her along. There was no single respect in the way his hand curled around her wrist. What was wrong with our youth? I had to warn Salma to be careful of her male friends. I watched as they wandered off, along with his mute friends. Not like I wanted to exchange words with them anyway.

Everyone seemed to recognize Khalid, or at least pretended to know him as they called out to him or even came close enough to shake hands with him. Apparently, he was a very popular guy at Baze University. How come I didn't know him until that very moment?

Hold on! Saal? Well, she did mention they were just good friends, given that even I couldn't call her that.

"They say he's a prince." Imran chuckled, earning my attention. He must have noticed my disgruntled expression.

"Why am I not surprised? Is there anyone of your cousin brothers who isn't a prince?" That was my first encounter with one of them, the one he had spoken so much about and I happened to not like him. I wasn't even planning to make a good first impression. I hope I didn't sound like a critic or a fault-finder.

"Do you care for lunch or do you want to stand there, counting the number of princes we have in my family." Imran couldn't be less sarcastic, he was just as guilty as his cousin. Well, guilty of good manners and a humble personality.

"I would love something delicious and spicy," I told him as we headed out toward a nearby cafeteria.

"Like goat head pepper soup?"

"Something like that."I nodded with delight.

"How about we run down the cafe? The last one buys the food." He offered me a challenge that I didn't want to be part of because he knew I couldn't run, not when I was hungry.

"Then I'm buying," I said and watched him race ahead. I walked majestically until I caught up with him.

"You really are lazy." He whispered, leading me into the cafeteria.

"Yeah, I know. I'll take that as an excuse not to buy you lunch." I played along as we looked around for a place to sit. We spotted a nice corner and sauntered there.

"And I wasn't planning to let you buy."He offered me a chair to sit on before heading to the counter to order our lunch.

While he was gone, I busied myself with my phone. I lifted my head once I sensed him returning with our order. He was carrying two disposable cups and two foiled Shawarma in a rectangular tray when two boys bumped into him, spilling the drinks and subsequently, the tray fell from his hands.

"Hey! Thick head watch where you are going," I said crossly as I approached the scene. I recognized Mubarak from the boys and I didn't know who the other misfit was. He looked like a modern-day Goliath compared to the rest of us.

"Maybe your boyfriend here ought to look where he's going." Mubarak countered with a humorless laughter that had me believe the accident was a planned one.

"Said a hobo jerk who doesn't have any sense of direction." I retorted, knowing that Mubarak was a wanted member of a secret cult who went by the nickname Razor and according to everyone, I was supposed to fear him because everyone else did, including Imran. I had bad news for them; I was not at all threatened by the likes of him who have no respect for human feelings.

"Leave them alone, Hannan," Imran whispered, gently restraining me from the scene. At that moment, all I wanted to do was plant a bomb there and watch it explode in their ugly faces.

"No, someone needs to teach these simps some manners." I started to protest and I could feel a throng gathering and staring in shock at us. That was what Imran didn't want.

"And who's going to do that?" The Goliath blurted.

"So you do agree that you are a simpleton?" I assumed a fierce stance, placing my hands on my waist.

"Call him that again and the doctor wouldn't know where to sew your lips back on." Mubarak looked dangerous and I refused to feel intimidated, so I stood my ground.

"Try it let's see if you will make it out of this place alive." I could hear the crowd exchanging quiet gasps. They were probably questioning my audacity.

Mubarak inched closer, towering over me as I looked up at him, noticing his short dreadlocks and tanned skin. There was something sinister about his appearance. "Listen, little princess, Baze University is not a playground for smartmouths like yourself, it's a battlefield for men. So it's better to go home while you can unless you want to take part in an organ donation service."

"Maybe you should donate your brains since it's of no use."

"I don't want to be responsible for any damage that is coming to your pretty face."

"Come on, let's go outside." Imran insisted, quietly brushing the drink off his shirt. I agree with him because I wasn't comfortable around the throng. I didn't want to see myself in an internet video shouting at some douchebag.

"Fine! Let's get out of here." I said, then pushed past the crowd and stormed outside. Maybe I'd be doing our society a favour if I became a jurist and threw lawbreakers such as Mubarak and his friends behind bars.

"Are you okay?" Imran asked softly the moment I slammed the door behind me.

"Yes, I am fine." I lied. I felt like punching them.

"Alright, let's go home."

I nodded and started to walk away alongside Imran. I looked up at him and found him looking nervous. There was only one question in my mind and I knew if I didn't try to figure it out right that instant, I may never know what was going on with Imran. I wanted to know what business he had with that bully.

"What does he want from you?"

"Who?" He stared at me, wide-eyed, as if the question was unexpected.

"Mubarak."

"Nothing, I don't know." I sensed that he was hiding something. I raised my eyebrows, wondering if he was lying or afraid to speak the truth, but he seemed to have noticed my skepticism. He began to talk about something else to distract me.

*****

I was almost starving to death by the time I got home. Teslim and Mother were beading a necklace in the living room. My mother was a nurse and usually would be in the hospital by this time of the day but it turned out she was on a night shift.

I was relieved that I had finished my exams after weeks of intense work and study-I was finally going to take a break. I was in my second year and the thought of graduating at twenty-one had me excited. It was my biggest wish to graduate early and start earning to save my mother the stress of caring for my needs. For some reason I was tense; Maybe the thought of me being independent because I had no idea what the future had in store for me.

I lazily plopped down on the cushion in our living room and rested for a while before I made my way to the kitchen to fix something for myself. Teslim had already prepared some beans porridge but I didn't want to eat that. I hate to admit it but she was a good cook compared to me. She took after our mother.

Moments later I heard Mother screaming. "Menene (What is going on? ) Are you trying to burn down the house?"

"What! No! Just that something went wrong with the toaster."And before I knew it there was smoke everywhere. It finally dawned on me that I was the one getting roasted, not my bread.

I turned off the switch and tried to open the device but it was stuck. By the time I finally opened it, the bread was burned. Luckily for me, the toaster was still functioning.

"What have you done?" Teslim rushed in and started opening the kitchen windows so the smoke could escape. Great! Look who was here to play the hero.

"Don't give me that crap. I honestly don't know what just happened here. One moment I was making hot chocolate, the next thing I knew my toast was roasting." I didn't realize I was shouting until I choked on my breath.

"You still don't know how to cook, do you? Is this how you're going to end up in your husband's house?" She folded her arms over her chest and shook her head at me as if what had transpired had anything to do with marriage, husband, or whatever.

"Oh No! Please don't go there. This has nothing to do with that." I breathed in smoke and started coughing heavily.

"Umma was complaining about you to me. She said you're stressing her a lot these days. You don't do your daily chores. You end up procrastinating until the day runs out and you always leave her to do the laundry for you. All you care about is your academics." Oh wow! I made the news headline. They've been discussing me, or should I say they were gossiping about me.

"That's not true." I furrowed my brows and started to walk away. I couldn't just take the heat. Those words hit differently. It could have been best if I didn't know what they said behind my back.

"So, you're saying mama is lying? Get back here we're not done talking."

"Well, that's for you. As for me, I don't want to have this conversation." I walked out of the kitchen and started to head outside.

"You insolent child." My mother reproached me."You don't walk out on your senior. Ke wawane! (Are you a fool?)" That was the last thing I heard her say before slamming the door behind me.

*****

I stood barefoot on the lawn outside our apartment, the weather was cold. It was always cold in December due to harmattan. I looked up at the sky, the clouds were so clear that I could only see blue. When I tried to look down, I felt something warm and wet on my chin. These tears that I had fought so hard to hold back since my father died always did find a way to reappear and anytime they did, it was always because of my mother.

She had a way of restricting us to societal expectations, like telling us what to do with our lives, what to wear, where to visit, who to associate with, and even how to breathe. Teslim had willed herself to succumb to these rules-that was why she was seen as the impeccable one and I was labeled the rebel.

My mother always complained about my slothfulness and the fact that I paid more attention to my academics than anything else in the world. She didn't care much that I graduated with good grades. Just like every other Kanuri woman, her ultimate goal was for her daughter to become an excellent cook so that I could attract a good suitor.

I gave my academics much attention because I didn't want to end up like my mother and my sister. I couldn't imagine myself tying my soul to a man who would expect me to always be in the kitchen, running errands for him and living up to his expectations. I wasn't cut out to be a housewife. I just wanted to graduate with excellent grades, secure a good job, and be independent. I felt like our society need more learned women because when you educate a woman, you educate a generation.

I was still staring subconsciously at the grass when my phone buzzed, bringing me back to reality. I saw Kulthum, my best friend's name displayed on the screen. Without a second thought, I picked it up.

"Hello!"

"Hey, Keilah, what's up?"

"I've got great news for you Hanny...first I want you to hold your breath" I could tell she was excited from the way she was squeaking on the other end.

"Well, start spilling."

"Guess what baby girl."

"Nope, I can't guess a thing. You know I suck at it." I heard her laughing on the other end.

"Where are you right now?" She asked.

"I'm at home."

"I'm coming over, we are coming right now."

"Why, what happened?" I asked inquisitively.

"Nothing, I'm coming along with Salma."

"Just tell her already!" Someone squealed in the background. She sounded like Salma, my other friend.

"Anyways to save you the stress of guessing harder." She dramatically said and I rolled my eyes.

"Just drop the bomb already"

"We got the job!" The both of them screamed happily in the background, it was as if they planned it.

"We got the job?" I repeated as though I didn't hear them clearly.

"Yes baby, we did. The mailman just brought the newsletter to my house. We are coming over to celebrate it together." It was at this moment that I started screaming along with them. I put my hands up in the air and twirled around like a child, screaming: "Yes! Yes! We did it."

Before I could say anything else to them I accidentally hit the wrong button and hung up on her. I wanted to confirm if the newsletter was for both of us or hers only.

Wait! What if it was kuthum alone that got the job? A scary thought hit me but soon I remembered that we both put down the same address because her residence was easier to locate.

For a moment I had put a brocade over the situation with my mother and my sister. I was happy again, and that was because I'd worked so hard to secure this job for myself. I sacrificed a lot of my time and energy going for interviews after interviews, both virtual and physical ones. I even went as far as attending the company's training for the new intake. That was how desperately serious I was about this thing.

I was doing this for my mum because she was overworking herself for my sake. I just wanted to assist her financially in any way I could. So I decided to take up a part-time job. kulthum and I were online every day, searching for any available jobs within the city. We finally came across this one on a very good day. We immediately applied for it online and after a month of series of interviews, our dreams finally came true.

The hardest part of it all was convincing my mother to let me take up this job. She considered it a distraction since I was still in school and too young to work. At least that was what she had me believe. I didn't feel that I was too young for the job, besides at nineteen, I had the conviction that I could handle the stress.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I needed to feed the worms in my intestines. So I made my way inside without a second thought

"What was that screaming all about?" That was the first thing I heard the moment I stepped into the house. It was my mother questioning me. She didn't have that dreadful expression unlike earlier before.

"Oh, that?...uh! Remember that job vacancy we saw online? So Kulthum just called to inform me that we got the job." I studied her face to see how she'd react.

"Alhamdulillah! That's great news." She surprised me by putting on a bright smile. "To think that I didn't think they would consider both of you since you're undergraduates and inexperienced," I swear I had thought so too. But I hoped for the best while expecting the worst.

"Ba na giamaku zamu samu aiki na (Didn't I tell you we were going to get this job)."

"You girls are lucky." I was taken aback when my mother stood up and pulled me into a tight hug. "Congratulations! My priceless jewel. I'm proud of your achievements, all of them."She said into my right ear and squeezed me even tighter. She could be this happy for my success, yet she didn't allow me to concentrate on my studies. Once I picked a book to read, it was always that time she wanted to send me on an errand.

"Na gode, Umma (Thanks, Mum,) but we weren't lucky. It was our hard work that paid off." I said so because I didn't believe in luck. I only believed in hard work and prayers.

"You applied for a job? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Teslim inquired as she gently put the already-beaded necklace inside the baskets of beads beside her. That was what she did for a living. She made jewelry from beads and traded them, one of the numerous talents inherited from our mother.

"Yes! I did." I answered the first question, excited as Umma released me from her hug. "And probably because you're no longer part of the family." I jokingly answered the second question with an evil smile.

"That is not funny. Anyways, congrats." She stood up and came to me, setting her arms wide for a hug. I slowly slip myself into her arms. It had been a long time since I last hugged my sister.

"If there's anyone who misses you more than myself, it's definitely me and not Umma. I miss this warmth exuding from you. I'll choose you over a pillow, any time."I snuggled her a little tighter.

"There's no way you'd mean that. Now shut up and stop talking nonsense."

"I swear, I mean it even though I can't convince you." And it was true because nobody ever believed me when I said such things. It was not my style.

"I can't believe it. You're Sharing height with me now. Look how tall you've grown." My sister was saying as she pulled out of our hug.

"Oh! You finally noticed that I'm almost taller than you." I giggled.

"In your dreams. You aren't even close." She said and after a small silence she prayed for me and ended it with; "Barak Allah Feek (May Allah bless you)"

"Ameeen!" Umma and I said in unison. I had to look at her again to be sure it wasn't Mother who was putting on my sister's face because she was acting more motherly than usual.

After the sweet moments with the most precious family, Allah blessed me with, I finally entered the kitchen and served myself some beans porridge, while Teslim and Umma went back to beading.

"Where are my little minions?" I asked as I put a spoonful of porridge in my mouth, noticing that I hadn't seen any of my sister's three kids. Since I got back from school.

"They're sleeping in Umma's room."

"Oh! No wonder this place is so quiet. If they were here Mum would probably be screaming for help. They are always stalking her like little ducklings." I laughed at my thoughts.

"My kids are not ducklings. Would you please stop comparing them to animals?" Teslim complained, almost looking hurt. She was always so sensitive when it came to her kids.

"I was just pointing out that they're always stressing Umma whenever they're around. Kids bring trouble and pain. They are a headache."

"Now, is there any scientific proof to what you just said?"

"It has not been scientifically proven. You see, marriage and children are a strain on a woman's liberty. That's the truth they don't teach you in school. Adults with common sense try not to open Pandora's Box and see the world for what it truly is. We are afraid to accept the truth."

"What truth?" Teslim snapped, turning to face me almost immediately. I could see her shooting lasers at me from her eyes. "Can you even listen to yourself? You sound like a feminist. You think education is everything a woman needs?" When Teslim spoke like this, I felt like she was naive and completely out of touch with my way of thinking.

"Yes, education is the solution to all our problems. A woman's education must not always end in the kitchen. If we don't continue to educate more women, we may end up tearing the very fabric of which our civilization is made of."

"Mama is right, you are rebellious. You don't even know what you are saying. I pray you don't wake up one morning and tell us that you want to embrace celibacy."

My mother flinched at Teslim's words.
"Eh! Not in my house." She exclaimed, grabbing my attention."I will send her packing." She turned to me in protest. "We'll see how much of a headache kids really are when you get married and have your own kids."

"Oh please! Don't say that again." I said almost choking on my porridge. So, I quickly pushed it down with water. "No offense, but I don't want to end up like the both of you."

"And why is that?" My sister questioned quizzically. "What is so shameful about getting married and having kids?"

"I'm not mentally prepared for such slavery. Marriage is a burden nobody is willing to accept. It's like tying your destiny to someone else's. You'll have to be in the kitchen every time preparing God knows what when you can just order food from a restaurant. You're always running around caring for the kids, while their father couldn't care less, eat, sleep, and order you around. Somehow you're obliged to worship your husband."

"Wow! So that is your own idea of marriage. What a childish concept." That was Teslim being annoyed again. She sounded seriously angry this time.

"When the time comes for you to get married you will not only be mentally prepared but also physically prepared for every step of the journey," My mother stated and excused herself to her room.

A couple of minutes passed and an awkward silence ladened the air since Teslim had refused to talk to me. This was my first time seeing her taking my words to heart. I assumed she thought I was making a mockery of her situation considering she dropped out of the University to take the plunge. I was only airing out my opinion, besides this was not my first time saying things like that. We'd had these arguments times without numbers.

I cleaned up the dining table once I was done eating and excused myself to my room.

★★★★★

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