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[12/17/2019, 19:15] Takori: GOODNESS (ALHERI) - PART 2
His relentless murmuring completely exhausted Alhaji, who was trying to focus on the doctor's medical explanation. Alhaji raised his eyes, which had turned bloodshot and heavy with anger, and snapped:
"Get out of my sight before I lose my temper and drag your wretched wife to court! You modern youths and your cursed, reckless copying—you go out and bring home a burden far greater than I can bear. When you want something, your desperation is like a child fighting to force its way out of its mother’s womb. You don't care about seeking God’s guidance, let alone obtaining your parents' blessings. No, all you care about is your own desires, and we are forced to indulge you just to maintain peace. Otherwise, I see absolutely nothing to love in that towering giant of a woman; she looks like the ancient people of Thamud—one look at her and you see not a shred of faith, let alone the fear of God..."
Saifuddeen stood up abruptly and fled the room, seeing how completely enraged Gadanga (Alhaji) had become. Yet, he did not leave the hospital. Instead, he lingered pitifully by the office door, leaning in to eavesdrop. He simply could not bring himself to walk away without hearing what the ears of his heart desperately needed to know: the fate of Rukayyah’s future.
Inside, Alhaji pleaded, "So, doctor, what can you do for us now? Please, save Rukayyah’s life. She hasn't even experienced her first marriage yet. She is such a good girl, with beautiful dreams in her heart..." Tears of profound pity for Rukayyah began to stream down his face involuntarily.
Dr. Abayomi replied, "This type of memory erasure is not the first of its kind. A minor freak accident can trigger it. No doctor in the world can definitively tell you exactly what he can do to reverse it. We can only offer guidance and strategies to help the brain recover its memory on its own. Rukayyah could snap back into her consciousness at any moment—be it today, tomorrow, or even forever! For now, she will function using whatever fundamental life skills she was previously taught, because her hearing and eyesight are perfectly intact. Her brain will absorb actions through imitation—meaning, by copying whoever is in front of her. However, her past has been completely eradicated from her memory. Just the present remains!"
Alhaji wiped the tears streaming down his cheeks with his palms. In a choked voice, he asked, "Doctor, do you mean... do you mean she won't recognize anyone belonging to her?"
Both doctors nodded in unison. "But if you make a patient effort to gently reintroduce things to her, she will learn to recognize everyone under the new roles her brain assigns to them."
He asked, "Doctor, how long will Rukayyah remain in this condition?"
Dr. Abayomi answered, "As I told you, there is no fixed timeline."
Dr. Kenny thought for a brief moment before adding, "It will happen as soon as the pooled blood that has blocked the memory pathways of her past completely drains away. This will happen very gradually; there is no specific timeframe. What she needs most right now is absolute peace of mind. You must also constantly expose her to her past incidents—the things she used to do routinely—and surround her with people who have the patience to teach her the various facets of daily life. For instance, her husband, who is closer to her than anyone else..."
Alhaji cut him off furiously, "I told you she hasn't even had her first marriage! He is lying, he is not her husband!"
"Cool down, Alhaji," Dr. Kenny urged.
Alhaji scoffed, deeply embittered by Salima’s actions and by the predicament forced upon the innocent Saifuddeen.
Dr. Abayomi offered a suggestion, "Advisably, Alhaji, why don't you just marry her off to him? I can see clearly that he loves her deeply. Just look at the state he is in because of her illness. He could be of immense help in providing her with peace of mind and helping her regain her memory..."
Alhaji stood up in a fit of rage, looking as though he wanted to slap Dr. Abayomi across the face. He unleashed a torrent of sharp, defensive words:
"Do you doctors sometimes have trouble hearing? Who in their right mind would take their daughter—healthy, let alone sick—and hand her over to a household with that cruel, insane wife of his? She is the one who caused all of this; she pushed her off the upper floor! You heard it directly from his own mouth; no one forced him to say it. If God hadn’t spared her lifespan, who knows how tragic the outcome would have been? And yet you sit there suggesting I marry her off to him? Even without being married to him, she is fighting for her life. Imagine if they were to live together under the same roof as co-wives? Wouldn't that woman just pick up a knife and plunge it into her? Saifuddeen’s house? Hmph! Not the people of Dambatta... and certainly not the people of Jalingo..." he repeated over and over with absolute finality.
He stormed toward the door like a venomous viper, spitting words: "Prepare her medical papers immediately. I am taking her to England to be examined. I refuse to accept that Rukayyah won’t recognize us, let alone her mother Hajiya... this is a fairy tale, just like your fake movies. I do not believe there is any illness on earth that has no cure."
His dismissive words stung Dr. Kenny deeply. The doctor smiled tightly and responded, "I’m Irish. But I crossed over to Harvard to earn my degree in neurosurgery. When it comes to professional mastery, I could teach British doctors a thing or two. What I have just told you is exactly what any neurosurgeon in the world will tell you. So, I will be waiting for your return, just to see what progress you make. Here are the files; gather them and go."
Alhaji snatched up the documents, crumpled them in his hand, and walked out after signing a cheque for the medical bills they had handed him.
Right outside, he collided with Saifuddeen, who was leaning heavily against the door frame, turned away, quietly processing everything he had overheard. Alhaji gathered all his strength and delivered a hard, resounding blow to Saifuddeen's back. Caught off guard, Saifuddeen staggered sideways, rubbing the painful spot.
Alhaji continued to dump the heavy basket of his rage onto him, raining down furious reprimands: "Go in there, take her by the hand, and let’s leave. If she can’t walk, carry her on your back! After all, you and your family brought this upon her."
Saifuddeen quietly hurried toward the room where Rukayyah was admitted, silently thanking God in his heart that his own name wasn't Aliyu. Otherwise, he might have ended up as cursed and plagued by misfortune as Aliyu Dambatta.
Rukayyah was still lying on the hospital bed, her eyes gently closed. Looking at her, you would swear nothing was wrong with her.
The same nurse from earlier was administering an injection into a vein in her arm, but Rukayyah didn't even flinch, acting as though the needle were piercing someone else’s flesh.
"Dear God, poor RAK!" Saifuddeen muttered softly to himself. It hit him then how incredibly fragile human health and life truly are in the eyes of the Almighty. If He wills, He can strip it away in a single minute. All of Rukayyah’s vibrant energy, her stubborn pride, and her expressive mannerisms were completely gone; she was now entirely at the mercy of how others handled her. Her sharp mind, which once refused to tolerate disrespect or teasing, was now a blank slate waiting to be re-programmed. God is truly to be feared!
He walked up to the bed and asked the nurse to help him lift Rukayyah to the car. This time around, Rukayyah remained completely silent; she did not parrot his words. Perhaps the burning sting of the medication from the injection had finally knocked her out. The nurse helped Rukayyah up, supporting her around the waist, and they walked out with Saifuddeen following closely behind. He opened the car door, laid her down gently across the back seat, and closed it.
He walked around to the driver's seat, got in, and started the ignition. Only after Alhaji saw Saifuddeen reverse the car and head toward the hospital gates did he instruct his own driver to follow them.
As they pulled into the mansion’s driveway, the driver who had fetched Hajiya from the airport along with Asi and Rukayyah's mother (Amina) also drove into the compound.
Poor Hajiya, dragging her painful legs with immense difficulty, hobbled toward Saifuddeen’s car where she saw him attempting to lift Rukayyah out. Asi rushed over to assist him, and together they carried her out. However, Amina—her Fulani pride and emotional restraint kicking in—could not bear to stand in the yard; she hurried straight inside the house.
Asi carried Rukayyah into Hajiya's bedroom. As she gently laid her down on the bed, she sighed, "Welcome, Rukayyah. Oh, what a world! While we were over there busy planning your wedding, look at the terrible tragedy fate had in store for you."
Right on cue, Rukayyah’s new habit of echoing words kicked in. But because Asi’s sentence was too long, Rukayyah forgot the rest and only repeated the middle fragment:
"While we were over there busy planning your wedding."
Asi tapped her lightly on the head and said, "Oh! Are you trying to play tricks on me?"
Rukayyah mimicked instantly, "Oh! Are you trying to play tricks on me?"
Asi exclaimed, "What a wicked girl! Are you really mimicking my voice now?"
Once again, Rukayyah repeated the exact words, perfectly mimicking Asi's tone. Terrified, Asi bolted from the room into the living room, frantically screaming for Hajiya and Mama Amina.
She found them sitting in a somber, frozen silence, listening to Alhaji as he briefed them on the medical diagnosis. Asi sat down to listen, and the reality of Rukayyah’s condition finally clicked in her mind. Good heavens! The puzzle pieces had fully come together. Otherwise, how could the real Rukayyah look at Asi—no matter how sick she was—and not immediately ask about her beloved cousin Yasmin, whom she adored so deeply?
Asi burst into soft tears, crying, "Oh, poor Rukayyah! Dear God! Is this the state she is going to be in when her marriage is contracted tomorrow?"
Before anyone could react, they noticed Hajiya Umaimah had already reached the doorway. She was walking by supporting herself against the wall, dragging her feet with extreme effort, all while wiping away the hot tears streaming down her face.
Alhaji quickly intercepted her, blocking her path. "Umaimah, where do you think you are going?"
"Let me pass, Alhaji," she cried out. "For God's sake, step aside and let me through."
He insisted, "Not until you tell me where you are heading. I will drive you there myself."
More tears spilled over. Wiping them with the edge of her veil, she spoke through her sobs, "I am going to court to file a lawsuit against Babangida's wife!"
Alhaji said, "Listen to me for just two minutes. Let me change my clothes, and then we will go." He took her by the hand and gently led her back to the sofa she had just abandoned.
Sitting down right next to her, he used a soothing tone to reason with her, "Now, Umaimah, look at your social standing. Entangling yourself in the petty dramas of children does not befit your dignity."
She retorted, "You show restraint and tolerance to someone who possesses integrity. But where there is no integrity, tolerance is utterly useless."
He countered, "Going to court is equally useless. If it had any value, I would have gone on your behalf long before you even returned to Lagos. I feel her pain just as deeply as you do; I love Rukayyah as if she were my own flesh and blood. But it degrades our standing to have our family name dragged through the courts. And the biggest embarrassment would be involving our own in-laws. What happened to your long-held principle of treating everyone's child as your own? Is your own blood suddenly different?
Rukayyah is already broken. This is what Allah has ordained for her. Before we were even brought into this world, our destinies were already written in ink; no one can alter the course of their fate. And that’s Rukayyah’s destiny—meaning, this is simply her ordained path in life. What can a court possibly do to wash away this bitter sorrow from your heart? Nothing. At most, that woman will be imprisoned, but she is currently carrying your grandchild in her womb. That would be entirely improper. Or perhaps you want them to award us blood money (diyyah) to fund Rukayyah’s treatment? How much money could they possibly give you that Allah hasn't already blessed you with?
Therefore, I, Alhaji—the father of Salima, Saifuddeen, and Rukayyah—take full financial responsibility for seeking Rukayyah's cure anywhere in the world. For I know there is no illness Allah has sent down to this earth without also sending down its specific cure alongside it. We will seek a cure for Rukayyah, and by God's grace, she will regain her memory at a time when none of us expect it. She will return to her beautiful, vibrant life just like before. She will continue to fill your belly with her delicious cooking, she will continue to rub soothing ointments on your aching legs and back, she will continue to organize your bedroom and sanitize your restroom, and she will fill this house with grandsons and granddaughters for you..."
A faint smile finally broke across Hajiya's face, and they began to discuss realistic possibilities.
She said, "But in this condition, I am supposed to pack her up early tomorrow morning and head back to Jalingo. I’ve already purchased our travel tickets."
Alhaji asked, "Why the rush? What's the urgency?"
She sighed heavily and said, "It's because of that unyielding father of hers. As we speak, he has already finished distributing the wedding cola nuts and has formally announced on television and radio that he will proceed with her wedding tomorrow. He even sent your share of the wedding cola nuts—a whole sackful—and gave it to Asi to bring to you. I personally refused to touch it."
Alhaji raised his hands in shock, invoking God's name. "Usman! Usman! What kind of backwards, rigid man is he?"
Hajiya replied, "Leave him be with his stubbornness. He wants to prove a point to me—to show me that I am not the one who gave birth to the girl, that she belongs exclusively to him. So, I will step back and let him proceed with this forced marriage; whatever consequences follow will have absolutely nothing to do with me. May God forgive me, but in this day and age, even marriages built on mutual love struggle to survive, let alone a forced one!"
Alhaji noted, "In her current state, it is entirely inappropriate to marry Rukayyah off tomorrow. My plan was to travel to Abuja tomorrow morning to secure a medical visa to the United Kingdom so she can get a proper, comprehensive evaluation."
Hajiya shook her head, "No, it is better I take her back exactly as she is. Let him see her condition with his own two eyes so that he might call off the wedding out of sheer conscience. Because if we merely send word that she is sick and describe what happened, he will claim it is a grand conspiracy that Amina and I cooked up to deceive him. You still don't truly know Usman. I am completely at a loss as to why he is so stubbornly fixated on marrying her off to this particular boy, as if someone told him Rukayyah would never find another suitor in her life."
Asi chimed in, "Do you think he would let it slide? He will deploy all his rigid, old-fashioned Dukku stubbornness. If you saw the way he was throwing a tantrum and raising his voice over this wedding, you would be astonished. Honestly, Hajiya, he treated you with kid gloves only because he respects your status, which is why he claimed he would overlook your involvement. Ever since Rukayyah packed her bags and fled that house, Sister Amina hasn't been able to swallow a single drop of water in peace. He constantly tells her that only Rukayyah’s corpse on the wedding day would stop him from handing her over to Aliyu’s household. He even said that her dead body would first have to be driven to Aliyu's house, sat upright on the edge of the bridal bed, before anyone would be allowed to take her to the cemetery!"
Alhaji covered his mouth in absolute horror. "May Allah protect us! May God never allow such a thing to happen. What on earth warrants such bitter anger? It seems I must join this journey as well. I would hate for anyone to say I failed to attend my daughter Rukayyah’s wedding." He paused to think, shaking his head in profound sorrow. "But still... oh... how can a wedding be conducted for her in this state? In her current condition, Rukayyah is no different from a newborn baby born this very day!"
A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the room for a long time. This was especially true for Rukayyah’s mother, whose internal agony was known only to God.
Alhaji broke the silence, asking, "But by the time we arrive, won't the wedding ceremony have already concluded?"
Asi responded, "No, it won't take place until after the Friday congregational prayers."
He sighed, "May God bring us safely to that time."
It was only then that Alhaji turned his attention to Saifuddeen. Ever since they had entered the house, Saifuddeen had kept his head bowed, sitting quietly in a corner, not uttering a single syllable throughout their long conversation. He was drenched in sweat, despite the massive split-unit air conditioner that was blasting crisp, cold air into the living room.
Alhaji was overcome with intense pity for him. He was certain the boy hadn't eaten a single morsel of food since morning, and it was now midnight. In just a single day, he had visibly leaned down, looking completely gaunt. Alhaji had never seen him look so thoroughly disheveled and broken. He was breaking out into a cold sweat for no apparent reason, his mind clearly consumed by an unspoken agony.
Alhaji knew that if there was one thing Saifuddeen despised above all else in this world, it was facing his anger. Saifuddeen always preferred his father’s corrections to be delivered calmly and gently. Yet today, Alhaji had subjected him to a brutal tongue-lashing for a mistake that wasn't even his fault.
Alhaji turned to Asi and said, "Go find Hajiya Rabi and have her set up some dinner for us."
Asi stood up and went into the kitchen. Alhaji then instructed Saifuddeen, "Go grab some milk from the fridge and take it to Rukayyah, see if she will drink it." Saifuddeen was so lost in thought that he didn't hear him until Alhaji repeated the instruction.
Startled out of his trance, he stood up and walked into Hajiya’s bedroom, where her small bedside refrigerator was kept, and where Rukayyah was resting.
At that moment, Hajiya and Amina rose and went into the adjacent room so Amina could perform her ablutions (alwala) for prayer. Before Rabi could finish setting the food, Amina avoided looking anywhere near the room where Rukayyah lay. Hajiya had pleaded with her to go in and see her daughter, but Amina, paralyzed by emotional strain, insisted she would wait until morning. Respecting her space, Hajiya left her alone.
Hajiya and Saifuddeen walked into the bedroom together. He opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of Oldenburger whole milk. Looking at the bed, they realized Rukayyah had already drifted off to sleep.
Hajiya set her handbag down, and the two of them stood hovering over the bed. "I'm going to wake her," Hajiya whispered. "It isn't right to let her sleep through the night on an empty stomach."
She gently shook her. "Rukayyah, Rukayyah."
Rukayyah opened her large eyes, heavy with sleep, and stared blankly up at Hajiya.
Saifuddeen walked over, sat on the edge of the mattress, and snipped open the spout of the milk carton. He poured it into a cup under Rukayyah's watchful gaze. He extended the cup toward her, but she didn't reach out to take it; her eyes remained locked on his face. He offered her a warm, gentle smile, and instantly, her face mirrored his exact smile.
He coaxed softly, "Take it, Rak!"
She mimicked immediately, "Take it, Rak!"
Hajiya turned her face away, wiping away fresh tears. She could barely process how the vibrant Rukayyah had been reduced to this overnight.
Saifuddeen gently took Rukayyah’s hand and wrapped her fingers around the cup. She held it but made no move to lift it to her mouth. Recognizing this, he took the cup back, brought it to his own lips, and took a sip to demonstrate. He drank it all down while she watched him, that identical, mirrored smile fixed beautifully across her face.
He refilled the cup and handed it back to her. This time, without any hesitation, she accepted it, brought it to her lips, and began to gulp it down. She finished it so rapidly her hands were practically trembling with hunger.
Just then, Rabi walked in carrying a plate and a fork piled high with Rukayyah’s absolute favorite meal: faten doya (yam porridge). Rabi was still in the dark about the true extent of Rukayyah's condition; Asi had merely told her that the girl was unwell.
Rabi rushed into the room, talking quickly: "Oh, look at you, Rukayyah! Falling so terribly ill out of nowhere? Just earlier today, Nafisah was calling the landline, asking me to tell Hajiya that she couldn't reach Rukayyah on her mobile. I told her Hajiya had traveled to Jalingo and that Rukayyah was at Babangida's house. Nafisah said she knew that because they had spoken extensively this morning, but lately she had dialed your number over a hundred times and it just kept ringing out. Her gut told her something was wrong, especially since she couldn't reach Babangida either. I told her you had probably just gone out and left your phone behind. Who would have guessed you were all at the hospital! What on earth happened to you?"
To Rabi's utter bewilderment, Rukayyah didn't react at all, completely ignoring her words. If it hadn't been for the sheer hunger driving her to focus on the milk, she would have started echoing Rabi's long paragraph. Instead, Rukayyah just sat there upright, looking completely healthy and unbothered. She didn't even lift her eyes to glance at Rabi.
Undeterred, Rabi pressed on, "So, did you leave your phone back at the house?"
Again, absolute silence. Rukayyah lowered the empty cup, and Saifuddeen took it from her. He pulled out a piece of tissue paper and began gently wiping her lips. Hajiya reached out and said, "Hand me the plate, Rabi, let me try."
A bewildered Rabi handed the plate and fork over to Hajiya. Hajiya scooped up a piece of yam, ate it to demonstrate, and then offered the fork to Rukayyah.
Rukayyah instantly pulled her hands behind her back and recoiled, indicating she wouldn't take it. Saifuddeen intervened, "Give it to me, Hajiya. Let me see if she will accept it from me." Without a word, Hajiya handed it over.
He shifted closer to her on the bed, scooped up a portion of the porridge, and brought it to her lips. She stared intently at him but kept her mouth firmly shut. Saifuddeen opened his own mouth wide; immediately, Rukayyah imitated his movement and opened hers, allowing him to feed her. She began to eat eagerly, but her eyes remained transfixed on his face, watching the slow, rhythmic way he chewed his food, mimicking his exact chewing motions.
By the fifth mouthful, tragedy struck. With a loud, choking gasp—mukut—the unswallowed food came rushing back up, spilling all over Saifuddeen's chest and ruining his clothes.
Rabi quickly pulled out some tissues and handed them to him. As he began wiping himself down, he urged, "Hurry, bring some water."
Rabi hurried over to the fridge, her face now entirely washed in tears. She kept asking herself: Is this sudden madness that has seized Rukayyah overnight, or has she suddenly become deaf and mute?
To the absolute astonishment of both Hajiya and Saifuddeen, Rukayyah reached out and took the tissue paper right out of Saifuddeen’s hand. She began dabbing and wiping his stained clothes, mimicking the exact cleaning motions she had just seen him perform. Her facial expression softened, showing a touching sense of remorse for what she had done. He smiled warmly at her; she immediately mirrored his smile and shyly cast her eyes downward.
Hajiya Umaimah found herself struck by a profound realization: Saifuddeen is going to be absolutely vital. Even if Rukayyah never fully regains her cognitive memory, he has the unique capacity to guide her, teach her, and help her navigate the basic functions of daily life just like anyone else.
Rabi returned with a bottle of Eva bottled water that was at room temperature and handed it to Saifuddeen. He took it, twisted the cap off, tipped it back, and began to drink. Before he could even lower the bottle, Rukayyah lunged forward and grabbed it tightly, terrified he would finish it all before she got a sip. Saifuddeen and Rabi burst into laughter at her possessiveness. He let go of the bottle, and she began drinking directly from it, perfectly matching the way she had seen him do it.
Just then, Alhaji sent Asi back into the room to call Saifuddeen to the dining table to eat his dinner so he could head home, given how late it was. He rose from the edge of the bed slowly, looking completely drained of energy, like someone whose very strength had been sapped away. Hajiya stopped him to ask if he would be able to make the journey to Jalingo the next day for Rukayyah's wedding.
Instantly, his entire facial expression shifted. The whites of his eyes flushed a deep, angry red, as if sharp peppers had been thrown directly into them. In a tense voice, he muttered, "Highly unlikely!" With that, he turned on his heel to leave.
The moment he took a step, Rukayyah leaped off the bed. She sprinted ahead of him, throwing her body across the doorway to block his exit. She spread both her arms wide, gripping the door frames tightly to form a physical barrier, making it absolutely clear that she would not let him leave.
Both Saifuddeen and Hajiya were struck by absolute astonishment. Rukayyah, who hours ago didn't even understand how to shed a tear, suddenly burst into deep, agonizing weeping. She looked exactly like a nursing infant whose mother had abruptly pulled her away from the breast before she was full, abandoning her to walk out the door.
Saifuddeen, Rabi, and Hajiya stood frozen in stunned silence. Seeing that Rukayyah had no intention of stopping her intense weeping, Saifuddeen turned to Hajiya, his face silently pleading for guidance on what to do.
Hajiya gently instructed, "Take her by the hand and bring her along to the dining area."
He extended his hand to grasp hers, but abruptly froze. He pulled his hands back in a panic, locking them tightly behind his back, his body stiffening. The devastating accusation Hajiya had leveled against him earlier that day echoed fiercely in his mind:
“...I wouldn't be surprised if you raped her.”
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his voice trembling as he asked, "Hajiya... do I have your explicit permission to hold her hand?"
A deep, suffocating wave of shame washed over Hajiya herself. She immediately realized the painful memory her previous words had triggered, and she knew she had committed a grave error in judgment. As the Islamic tradition dictates: ‘Always harbor good thoughts toward your fellow Muslim, let alone your own biological child. For whatever words you pronounce over them—be it a blessing or a curse—will surely follow them.’
She offered a soft, apologetic smile and said gently, "It is perfectly fine, my son. Take her hand. This is a medical necessity, and Islamic jurisprudence fully permits touch under these circumstances."
He gently took her hand, and the two of them walked out side by side.
Story Summary
This dramatic chapter unfolds in a tense domestic and medical crisis in Lagos. It opens with a furious Alhaji (Gadanga) dressing down his son, Saifuddeen, for bringing home a massive crisis: his unstable wife, Salima, has violently pushed Rukayyah off an upper floor balcony, fracturing her skull. Alhaji meets with Dr. Abayomi and an elite Irish neurosurgeon, Dr. Kenny, who deliver a devastating diagnosis: the trauma has caused a profound, total erasure of Rukayyah’s long-term memory. She has zero recollection of her past identity, family, or history, and can currently only process the immediate present through pure, childlike sensory imitation (mimicry).
Despite the medical team advising that a familiar figure like Saifuddeen is crucial for her psychological rehabilitation, Alhaji angrily rejects marrying her to him, fearing Salima’s lethal jealousy. He demands her medical files to fly her to the United Kingdom for treatment.
Back at the mansion, the family converges in absolute despair. Rukayyah’s rigid father, Usman, back in Jalingo (Taraba State), remains utterly unyielding; he has announced the arranged wedding on national media and demands the ceremony proceed the next day, brutally declaring that only her corpse would stop him. Realizing that Usman will dismiss her illness as a fabricated conspiracy to avoid the wedding, Hajiya and Alhaji decide they must travel to Jalingo immediately with the incapacitated Rukayyah.
In a touching concluding sequence, a deeply traumatized Saifuddeen serves as the sole anchor for the childlike Rukayyah; she refuses food and comfort from anyone else but mimics his movements to eat and drink. When he attempts to leave, she throws a desperate, weeping tantrum, physically blocking the doorway. Overcoming a past false accusation of sexual assault leveled by Hajiya, Saifuddeen receives her formal blessing to safely hold Rukayyah's hand, leading her out in a unique bond of survival.
Character Descriptions & Profiles
1. Alhaji (Gadanga)
- Attributes: An affluent, highly influential family patriarch. He possesses a fiery, intimidating temper (compared to a "venomous viper"), but hides a deeply compassionate, fiercely protective heart.
Role in Excerpt: He is the financial and logistical anchor of the crisis. He pays the medical bills, confronts the doctors, and takes total financial accountability for Rukayyah's lifetime recovery. He represents traditional honor mixed with rational paternal care—rejecting both a messy court battle to protect family dignity and his brother Usman's abusive rigidity.
2. Saifuddeen
- Attributes: Alhaji's son; a deeply internal, sensitive, and emotionally traumatized young man. He is caught in a horrific marriage to a violent woman (Salima) and bears the unjust emotional guilt of Rukayyah's accident. He is deeply respectful of his father and incredibly conscious of Islamic boundaries of honor.
Role in Excerpt: The accidental caregiver and psychological anchor. Despite being physically abused and falsely accused earlier, he demonstrates immense tenderness. He becomes the single entity that the amnesiac Rukayyah trusts, instinctively establishing a foundational role in her new reality.
3. Rukayyah (Post-Trauma State)
- Attributes: Formerly a proud, expressive, independent, and pampered Fulani beauty, she is now reduced to the cognitive level of a "newborn infant." She possesses fully functional vision and hearing but suffers from complete retrograde amnesia. She interacts with the world purely through echolalia (vocal mimicking) and behavioral mirroring.
Role in Excerpt: The tragic center of the narrative. Her immediate, intense attachment to Saifuddeen serves as the emotional core of the chapter, highlighting her vulnerability and her mind’s instinctive search for safety.
4. Hajiya Umaimah
- Attributes: The elegant maternal figure who struggles with a severe, chronic leg ailment. She is prone to initial emotional outbursts (demanding a lawsuit) but displays a deep capacity for self-reflection, remorse, and spiritual humility.
Role in Excerpt: She serves as the domestic matriarch. Her transition from falsely accusing Saifuddeen to formally granting him Islamic permission to hold Rukayyah's hand represents a profound moment of emotional reconciliation.
5. Usman (Off-Screen Antagonist)
- Attributes: Rukayyah’s biological father residing in Jalingo. He is depicted as a pathologically rigid, unyielding, and hyper-patriarchal figure representing old-world tyranny ("Dukku stubbornness").
Role in Excerpt: He drives the external ticking clock of the plot. His horrific ultimatum—that Rukayyah must be married off even as a corpse—forces the traumatized family to undertake a dangerous immediate journey back to Taraba State.
Analytical Overview & Literary Themes
1. The Psychology of Imitation and Cognitive Rebirth
The chapter offers an insightful exploration of trauma-induced amnesia. The author uses behavioral mirroring not just as a clinical symptom, but as a profound narrative device. When Rukayyah echoes Saifuddeen’s words ("Take it, Rak!") and copies his physical actions (chewing food, wiping stains off his shirt, grabbing the water bottle), it symbolizes her absolute tabula rasa state. Her mind has instinctively stripped away all social conditioning, leaving a raw, primitive drive to attach to a protector.
2. The Weight of Spoken Words (Al-Lafz) in Islamic Culture
A pivotal thematic climax occurs when Saifuddeen pauses and refuses to touch Rukayyah’s hand, recalling Hajiya's past accusation of sexual assault. This highlights a deep cultural undercurrent regarding the power of words within Muslim households. The text explicitly cites a theological principle: harboring bad thoughts and speaking ill of a kin can manifest as actual misfortune. Hajiya's intense shame and her subsequent formal, explicit blessing for him to touch Rukayyah acts as a literal and spiritual absolution, shifting Saifuddeen’s role from an alleged predator to an Islamically validated guardian.
3. Structural Pacing & Rhetorical Devices
- The Ticking Clock Technique: The narrative tension is masterfully sustained by overlaying a medical emergency with a logistical crisis (the Friday wedding deadline in Jalingo). This forces a sense of urgency, moving characters from a state of mourning into immediate action.
- Contrast and Irony: The author utilizes bitter irony—the family is preparing a massive celebration (distributing sacks of wedding cola nuts and media announcements), while the bride herself has mentally ceased to exist as a functioning adult.
- Vivid Onomatopoeia: The use of precise Hausa descriptive terms, such as mukut (the heavy, choking sound of regurgitation) and jugum-jugum (a heavy, somber, frozen state of silence), injects deep visceral realism into the domestic scenes.
