Bafullatanan Ruga 1 Aysha Maman Teddy

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Bafulatana Ruga Book 1 By Maman Teddy

With joy and happiness, Mamah welcomed Ahyaan along with Asma'u (Autah), who had not long returned from school as she was currently in Junior Secondary School 3 (JS3). Meanwhile, Ummah only exchanged cold, formal greetings with Ahyaan. Ummah was deeply displeased by how Ahyaan kept changing and glowing in appearance every time she returned. Inside her heart, however, Ummah muttered, "It's all for nothing; beauty without a husband is useless. You won't even get a job as long as I am breathing."
As for Khadija, she reluctantly muttered, "Ahyaan, how are you?" Without even waiting for a reply, she pulled the curtain to Mama's parlor and walked away.
Ahyaan pulled a face, hissed, and said, "Mama, is this little girl going to call me by my bare first name? Even Khaleel and Abdul Aziz call me 'Anty', but not her?"
"I didn't tell you to mind her or stress yourself over her," Mama replied. "In this life, whatever you do—good or bad—people will talk about it. As far as I know, she is about twelve years younger than you. Anyway, I didn't say you should worry about anything. Get up, go freshen up, or if you prefer to bathe here, that's fine. I'll go take mine in Mamy's section."
Mama smiled and added, "Ammah called me earlier asking if you had arrived. I just told her yes. But you should call her, right?"
"Yes, I was going to call her anyway. Has Abba returned?"
"You'll only see him by evening. As for Abdul, he has exams today along with Affan; you won't see them until evening as well."
"Okay," Ahyaan said simply, standing up. She walked over to the fridge, opened it, and saw rows of Swan bottled water and soft drinks. "Ahhh, you and Mamy have become high-class! Everything here looks much better," she remarked, grabbing a bottle of soda, closing the fridge, and taking a seat as she looked around the parlor.
"Oh, you have no idea, Ahyaan! It's all thanks to Nura. When he returned, he replaced our furniture with brand-new ones and had the place painted. As for the drinks, Khaleel and Abdul stocked them so we'd have refreshments for guests."
"True, I guess my brother is making money now!" Ahyaan smiled.
Mama smiled and said, "Well, for now, he's just running his chemist shop, but he's about to start real work. In fact, this morning I spoke with Alhaji, and he told me he was just waiting for your return. He said he has a friend he discussed you with, and you should bring your credentials so they can secure a job for you, In sha Allah."
Ahyaan let out a shriek of joy and threw her arms around Mama in a hug. "Will you ever grow up, Ahyaan?" Mama asked, smiling.
Smiling back, Ahyaan said, "My greatest desire after finishing my studies was to get a job, Mama, especially so I could take good care of you and Mamy and bring happiness into your lives..."
Just as Mama was about to reply, Inna Asabe (Abba's older sister) pulled aside the parlor curtain and walked in with a scowling face, shooting hostile glances all around.
Ahyaan gave her a single, brief greeting: "Inna, good afternoon," and immediately stood up to leave.
With cold condescension, Inna Asabe ignored Ahyaan, looked at Mama, and said, "Zainab, give me 300 Naira. I need to pay the NAPEP rider waiting for me outside."
Mama offered a faint smile, knowing full well the woman was consumed by envy. Even when Inna Asabe went to Mecca, she never stopped calling Mama bluntly by her first name, Zainab. Mama replied, "I don't have change."
"Then go get change for me!"
Smiling calmly, Mama replied directly, "I have no intention of giving it out. Why don't you go to your sister Luba and ask her?"
"Oh! Wow, Zainab, you've really grown bold! Even Iliyasu lowers himself before me, let alone you. If not for the fact that I know this money belongs to my brother, would you even dare tell me no when I asked you for it?"
Mama completely ignored her, picked up the remote control, and turned on the television.
Furious, Ahyaan stormed out of the parlor, her heart boiling with anger. Her hatred for her father's side of the family grew deeper by the second. If not for Mama stopping her from meddling in their affairs, she would have given Inna Asabe a piece of her mind.
As she stepped out of the parlor, Mubarak was entering the courtyard. He was sporting a wild, reckless haircut characteristic of youths lacking upbringing and morals. His T-shirt was pitch black, darkened further by the secret drug addiction he indulged in.
To her surprise, the moment Mubarak saw Ahyaan, he scowled, turned his head away, and refused to even look in her direction. She did the exact same thing, acting as though she had never known him, because if it came to pride and arrogance, she could outdo anyone.
Just as she tried to enter the parlor and he tried to exit, she quickly stepped back to avoid colliding with him. He twitched his face, stood his ground, and refused to move aside, fixing her with a stare. Instantly, he sensed that her mood was foul.
"Hey, mister, fix your posture so I can pass!" she snapped angrily.
Since he was deliberately provoking her, he blocked the doorway and refused to budge. She let out a small cry of frustration, shoving him slightly while calling out for Mamy.
Right at that moment, Inna Asabe's voice echoed as she arrived. "Please, brother, or whoever, if she asks you for 300 Naira, tell her you don't have it. Move so I can pass!"
Mubarak said nothing; he just stepped aside just enough for her to rush past inside. But he didn't leave the spot, a gut feeling telling him that Inna Asabe had likely mistreated Ahyaan. Honestly, even he didn't like his father's side of the family, except that because of Mamy and Mama, he wouldn't even exchange greetings with them.
"Good afternoon," Mubarak managed to say with difficulty as he tried to slip past Nura (who had just arrived).
"Evening, Nura. Do you happen to have 300 Naira? I need to pay the NAPEP rider; honestly, I don't have change."
"I don't have it," Nura replied flatly, walking right past her without a second glance, internally cursing her under his breath. The woman was well over sixty years old, yet she stood around begging for pocket change.
Ahyaan, who had been eavesdropping from the window, watched everything. After Inna Asabe left, Ahyaan went inside and recounted the whole incident to Mamy, who was sitting and watching.
"Honestly, Ahyaan, those people have no shame," Mamy said in disgust. "I don't know what they want to turn your father into. From her to Harira, not a week goes by without them showing up. They eat dinner here, they eat lunch here, and demand transport money! Now that they've eaten and fattened themselves up, whenever they visit they demand money to pay a NAPEP rider. If she had come in here just now, wallahi, I wouldn't have given her a dime either. They have no sympathy; they only care about themselves, always begging and putting your father in awkward positions, destroying his dignity."
Filled with indignation, Ahyaan left the parlor and retreated to her room.
After Isha prayers, Ahyaan was sitting in the parlor on a couch, having taken a refreshing bath and dressed in casual loungewear while watching an Indian film. Mamy was over at Daddy's section. Earlier, she and Khaleel were chatting in the parlor until he stepped out to run an errand for Hamza and hadn't returned yet.
While engrossed in the movie, she felt a sudden flutter in her chest. Right on cue, the parlor door was pushed open, and the heart-piercing scent of his cologne filled her nostrils. With supreme arrogance, he walked in with the customary greeting, dressed in an ash-colored short-sleeved jallabiya that rode up slightly, accentuating his tall frame.
Ahyaan knew very well that it was him, but she deliberately turned her head away as if she hadn't noticed him. Even his greeting she answered only in her heart.
Darma walked straight over, sat right beside her, and dropped a paper bag containing ice cream squarely onto her lap. With strict composure and an air of haughtiness, he said, "Can't you even answer a greeting properly?"
She refused to speak, smiling inwardly because the cold sensation against her thigh told her it was ice cream. So, because she had earlier claimed she didn't eat ice cream, he maliciously went out of his way to buy it just to spite her! Of course, she actually loved ice cream, but she knew if she asked for it, he wouldn't buy it. He bought it precisely because he wanted to torment her.
His smooth foot slid over hers, stepping on it gently, which yanked her right out of her thoughts. She felt goosebumps ripple across her skin as their bare feet made contact—neither of them was wearing shoes.
Concealing her reaction, she lifted her head, shot him a fierce glare, and demanded, "What is the meaning of this?!"
He leaned his back leisurely against the sofa, looking as though he had no intention of answering. About three minutes passed before he finally spoke in his deep voice:
"The kind of lesson I learned in London is what I'm beginning to apply to you. Here is the ice cream I bought for you. You must do two things: first, say 'Thank you, Yaya Nura'; second, finish every last bit of it right now like a good girl, because I am not wasting my money. I don't care whether you eat it or not for whatever silly reason you have. If you argue or talk back to me, it will force me to do something you've never imagined. By the way, do you know that the Mamy you rely on so much is currently at Daddy's section?" he finished with a mocking smirk, maintaining his arrogant, unbothered posture.

2. Summary

In this chapter, Ahyaan receives a warm welcome from Mama and her younger sister Asma'u, though she faces cold hostility from Ummah and Khadija. While catching up with Mama, Ahyaan learns that Nura has completely renovated and upgraded their living space, and that arrangements are being made through Alhaji to secure a job for her. However, the peaceful atmosphere is soon disrupted by the toxic entitlement of Inna Asabe, who comes over to beg for money, echoing the bad behavior of Ummah's son, Mubarak.
Later in the evening, Dr. Nura enters the parlor and deliberately provokes Ahyaan by buying her ice cream—knowing she had claimed she didn't like it just to spite her. He asserts his dominance by stepping on her foot and laying down strict rules, testing her patience and setting the stage for more fiery interactions.

3. Description

• Setting: The family home courtyard and parlor in Katsina, shifting between warm family moments with Mama and tense psychological chess matches with Dr. Nura.
• Themes:
  • Family toxicity, entitlement, and generational friction (Inna Asabe and Mubarak vs. Mama and Ahyaan).
  • The ongoing psychological tug-of-war between Nura and Ahyaan.
• Atmosphere: A mix of domestic warmth, petty family drama, and charged romantic tension.