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THE MEAT IS COOKED
UNCOOKED BROTH
BADI'AT IBRAHIM MRS BUKHARI B4B GIDAN ƘAMSHI
PAGE ONE (1)
IYABO:
"Iyabo, hardship is unlikely to kill you, so you might as well let a good life do it. Remember the kind of help Saleem rendered to us when we desperately needed it. Look at how his family accepted you despite you being a Black, Yoruba woman. Consider the wealth Saleem has spent on you. Look, our belongings have already arrived and are at my house. Consider how Saleem left his own country and came all the way to you, Iyabo. Is this how you plan to repay him in your homeland?"
Uwani’s words completely paralyzed me, binding every nerve in my body. My entire being felt thoroughly weak and lifeless. Truth be told, Saleem did not deserve this kind of reception from me.
I offered a faint smile and looked at him. He had already sensed that something was wrong; his demeanor had shifted, and his energy had sapped.
"Did my coming cause a problem, Zauja (my wife)?" he asked me in Arabic.
"No, Saleem. How was the journey? I hope you arrived safely?"
He smiled and let out a deep sigh of relief, even placing his hand over his heart.
Uwani gave me a sharp glare and handed me a cardboard shopping bag, which, due to my confusion, I hadn't noticed until now. "Here, this is a gift brought for you from your mother-in-law."
I snatched it from her because Uwani was truly getting on my nerves. She simply laughed and said, "Oh, Iyabo. The dark traits of you Yoruba people with your dramatic, wide eyes have flared up again, I see?"
I ignored her completely and turned my attention back to Saleem. I thanked him for the gifts and asked about the health of his mother and his entire family.
"They are all doing well, and they asked me to extend their warmest regards to you. They also wished me success. What is wrong with Mother that she looks like this? And why was she brought to this hospital, and into a room so crowded with people?"
I offered a small smile. Throughout this entire exchange, my mind was actually fixed on Hamma.
"It is nothing. The hospital is quite good. Besides, her health has improved significantly; we are about to be discharged to go back home, In sha Allah (by God's grace)."
"Well, alright then. I am going to find a place to pray, and when I return, we shall discuss further. I want to be introduced to your elders so we can finalize everything once and for all, so that my heart can finally find peace."
I gave him directions to the mosque. As soon as he walked away, I turned to Uwani and said:
"Now, Uwani, what am I supposed to do? Hamma and I are only waiting for the right moment. I assure you, if it weren't for Dada's illness, we would be discussing a completely different matter right now, not this. I swear to Allah, Uwani, my heart finds far more peace with Hamma than it does with Saleem. Forget about all this talk of villages and being provincial; I have weighed it all, and I choose to embrace my marriage and settle in my own country. That is a better cover for my dignity. Remember the bitter torments we suffered at the hands of the Arabs.
As for this Saleem, you know very well he is an unrepentant womanizer—a certified adulerer, in fact. You, me, and Faty all know this. I am fully aware, and I will not marry a philanderer. His wealth does not blind my eyes. Think about it, Uwani. Infidelity spreads and taints an entire lineage. Look at most Arab men; their excessive obsession with women makes them as insatiable as sharks."
Uwani fell silent for a moment, then looked at me and said, "Now, you've made up your mind that it's Hamma you want, and you're willing to endure whatever you encounter once you enter that household. But since you've laid out your arguments for rejecting Saleem, Iyabo, what stops you from simply calming down, running your business, and eventually Allah will bring someone else along for you? Or are you just desperate to be married?"
"Very much so, and we hope for the best. I am genuinely terrified of how Arabs handle things, and even if a rabid dog bites me, I will never marry Saleem. Uwani, please explain things to him. Tell him I have already been arranged in a family marriage to my cousin, that they have already exchanged formal greetings, and there is only a week left until the wedding. Let me just part ways with him in peace."
We spent a long time deliberating. Uwani spent a while trying to persuade me, urging me to think deeply before making a final decision. In her mind, she wanted me to avoid future regrets. As for me, there was absolutely no regret in my love for Hamma.
By the time Saleem returned, we still hadn't reached a resolution. I went inside and brought him fresh cow's milk in a gourd. He drank heavily and kept praising its rich taste. Uwani took the lead, calmly explaining the situation to him in Arabic, as she was far more fluent in the language than I was.
Saleem was deeply shattered—to the point that he actually shed tears, I swear to Allah.
"Allah is my witness to how much I love you. I know that fear is part of the reason you refuse to accept me, Iyabo. What am I to do with my love for you? Do you know that loving you could drive me mad?"
Thin streams of tears began to roll down my cheeks. Saleem was completely distraught. Being a fair-skinned man, his face flushed bright red, and his eyes turned bloodshot.
"Salim, please understand. I cannot disobey my parents just to satisfy my own desires. They have chosen my cousin for me. I ask for your forgiveness. May Allah bring someone into your life who is far better for you, for your life, and for your faith. I appreciate and am grateful for your love, but please, let it go."
He looked at me and smiled faintly. "I love you, by Allah. But I accept it, truly for God's sake. And I pray that Allah grants you a peaceful life with your husband and blesses you with righteous offspring. If I ever have a daughter, I will name her Iyabo after you."
At that moment, my heart sank completely. Uncontrollably, tears began to stream down my cheeks. By God, if it were within my power to accept Saleem’s love, I would have. But alas, every heart has its own desire, and every lid has its matching pot.
"You should name your daughter Jabu instead. That is my name from my mother's side."
He laughed and said, "Jabu, what a nice name."
He stood up, hands tucked into the pockets of his jalabiya, staring at me as if studying me, or perhaps trying to read between the lines.
"I am going back to Kano. The day after tomorrow, I will return to where I am best suited. You will receive a message from me once I return. In the meantime, take this as my wedding contribution; use it to buy the bed that you and your groom will sleep on to fulfill the sunnah. I believe I will earn a spiritual reward for it. Promise me you will buy the bed and not break this vow, Jabu."
He handed me a thick stack of cash, which, if converted at the time, could have amounted to around five hundred thousand naira—the value of old times, not this current difficult era of Tinubu.
I thanked him, and Uwani and I escorted him all the way to the motor park, as she had decided to stay for a couple of days to help me nurse Dada. We watched until their vehicle departed; he kept waving at me, his eyes brimming with the tears of a final farewell.
I burst into a heavy, agonizing sob and closed my eyes, goosebumps breaking out all over my body. Deep pity for Saleem overwhelmed me.
"Stop crying, Iyabo. I realize it’s not that you don't love Saleem. No. It's just that your love for that scrawny fellow outweighs what you feel for Saleem. Just as Hamma loves you more than Saleem does. Let's go, Maghrib prayer is setting in. Take heart and figure out how to handle your man; I can see he’s quite heated. Fulani men possess an intense, unyielding sense of jealousy, honestly. Hamma's erratic behavior is genuinely starting to baffle me."
"I swear to Allah, Uwani, he just moved me to pity. Look at how he was crying like a small child. Uwani, I know the sting of unrequited love. Furthermore, I am trying to avoid the complexities of life. I am terrified of marrying a man from a different tribe. The Fulani and the Yoruba have a long, deeply rooted history of coexistence and intermarriage. What's more, Hamma is my own flesh and blood. I am afraid that the love of worldly materials might tempt me into choosing Saleem, but truly before God, it is Hamma I love."
Uwani drew a long, heavy breath and said, "Iyabo, I understand. I myself hadn't deeply weighed these thoughts. Though as the wise say: only that which has been roasted truly knows the heat of the fire."
We left the park and hailed a ride back to the front of the hospital. There stood the big man himself, stationed at the entrance. It was obvious he had anchored himself there, waiting to see exactly where I would emerge from. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the suspicious, accusatory look Hamma was casting our way.
"Uwani, has the guest departed?" he asked, his eyes locked firmly on Uwani.
"He has left, Hamma. He was just very insistent on seeing Jabu because of the heavy luggage he brought; it wouldn't have been right for him to leave without seeing her."
He simply smiled and stared deeply into the center of my eyes, examining my pupils one by one. Uwani slipped past my side to go indoors.
"If I stay out here watching this intense romance of yours, Hamma, my heart might just give out," Uwani joked as she made her way inside.
"What did he come looking for from you? And what made you cry to the point that your face and eyes have changed color?"
His barrage of questions left me flustered all over again; I didn't know what to say to him.
"Go on inside. Hama and Daso are in there. I am going to the mosque, and when I return, I will escort Hama home."
"Alright then, see you when you get back."
I hurried past him, letting out a sharp sigh of relief. It seemed as though his anger was beginning to cool down slightly.
Near Dada’s bed, Daso and her friend Hama were sitting on a mat, chatting away. Beside them were the food bowls they had brought. Uwani was sitting on the plastic chair where I usually sat. The moment I arrived, Hama stopped talking, knitting her brows tight in a severe scowl. Even on Daso’s face, I could see a massive shift in mood. I knew it was connected to the finalization of my wedding date with Hamma.
"Welcome, Daso, so you've come. Good afternoon to you."
Daso answered with a lukewarm, indifferent greeting, while Hama didn't say a single word; she just played idly with the hand of her daughter who was lying in her lap.
"Uwani, this is Daso, the daughter of Dada's younger sister, Yafendo Jabu, who shares my name. And this is Hama, Brother Hamma's first wife."
"Oh, lovely. We've already greeted. So she is your senior co-wife? Hama, may Allah bring blessings and unite your hearts."
"To be honest, my good woman, you haven't done well at all; things are not handled that way. You know full well that no woman welcomes a co-wife. If Jabu herself were the one facing a incoming co-wife and it was done to her this way, she wouldn't find it funny at all."
It was Daso who spoke, her words laced with anger on Hama's behalf. Knowing the volatile nature of my friend Uwani, I quickly intervened. "Please forgive her, she didn't mean it in a bad way."
Hama let out a loud, dismissive hiss. Uwani snapped back, "Lord have mercy, listen to the co-wife of a prominent backside! May Allah grant you patience, but let me tell you, I am no stranger to drama. You better watch your mouths, because if you don't, blood will flow. Miserable village lowlifes, filling up the whole place with your sour, unwashed stench."
Throughout this entire clash, Dada was fast asleep. The stream of Fulfulde insults that Hama began to unleash was what finally woke her up. I knew for a fact that Hama wasn't saying anything pleasant. She tied her daughter to her back, fuming with rage.
"Daso, what is happening?" Dada asked.
"Nothing, Dada," Daso replied dryly.
In the middle of this, Hamma arrived. "Well, let's head out, it's getting late. Dada, when I return, I will take them home."
"Actually, you should stay home and rest. Jabu and her friend will spend the night here. You should rest too. Inform Baffa Musa that I want to see him very early tomorrow morning."
"Oh come on, Dada. Even if I return to the house, I won't be able to sleep. Besides, the doctor assured us that by tomorrow or the day after, we will be discharged to go home. Hama, let's go."
Hama stormed out furiously without even bidding us goodbye. Only Daso muttered a quick farewell to Dada, though she left me with a heavy, deathly glare. I simply smiled back at her. I knew it was jealousy over losing Hamma that was tormenting Daso; she wasn't actually fighting on Hama's behalf. Given the chance, she herself would gladly become Hama's co-wife.
"Here is some food for you to eat, Jabu. The guest has left, right?"
"Yes, Dada, he has left."
She slightly lifted her pillow from the side, pulled out the money Saleem had given her earlier, and handed it to me. "Keep this with you. I don't even know how much it is. Jabu, Yusuf and the others still haven't come to visit me."
I smiled at her, reached out, and took the money. "Dada, I was actually the one who told them not to come yet. Have patience, we are about to be discharged to go home soon."
Instead of seeing her face light up with joy, the exact opposite happened—deep worry clouded her expressions. Without a second thought, I moved closer to the bed and sat at the edge.
"My dear Dada, I am going to buy a house for you where you can settle down, rest, and reap the fruits of motherhood. And In sha Allah, I will furnish it with all the luxuries to ensure you enjoy your old age. Your care is fully in my hands now, Dada. Cubu and the others will live with you. I have taken over the burden of all your expenses, Dada. I know you're probably worried about where you'll stay."
A tear rolled down the side of her cheek. She closed her eyes tight and said, "May the Almighty Lord bring light to your grave, Akintoye. Truly, you left a beautiful legacy behind. Jabu, just as you became the reason the hardships of my life were cut short, I pray to Allah that Hamma becomes the source of wiping away all the sorrows of your life.
However, I must tell you: handle Hama with extreme caution, and handle Daso with extreme caution as well. Earlier, I wasn't actually asleep; everything they discussed was entirely in my ears. In their sinister plans, they want to ensure this marriage doesn't even take place. Hama is actively visiting witch doctors just to tear your love apart. You must stand firm in praying to Allah to protect you from their evil. I believe if Jabu, Daso’s mother, finds out what Daso is doing, she will utterly curse her. Therefore, hold your tongue, stay silent, everything is coming to a head. From tomorrow, the final showdown begins."
I gripped Dada's hand tightly and closed my eyes. I realized that on this journey, I was bound to be tested by the trials of a co-wife, and I would have to narrowly escape the schemes of a mother-in-law, while a bitter co-wife was actively hunting for my life.
"It is nothing, Dada. Allah holds power over all things. Just support me with your prayers, and I will brace myself. Stop crying, Dada. May Allah have mercy on Baami."
I walked back over to Uwani on the mat. I began dishing out the jallof rice that Daso and the others had brought for Dada. Just as I was about to hand it over, it looked a bit small, so I picked up a spoon to add more to the plate. I swear to Allah, right there, I spotted a congealed, rolled-up ball of local charm medicine sitting in the rice, not fully blended into the food.
"Subhanallah! Uwani, look at this!" I pointed it out to Uwani. She clutched her chin, her eyes widening in shock.
"Iyabo, this is a rolled-up charm ball! Did your co-wife bring this food?"
I nodded in confirmation. I poured the food back and covered it. I reached for the flask brought by Karima, Amaduyal's wife, and dished out that food for Dada instead—it was rice, stew, and fish. I handed it to her and gave her water. I then placed two spoons into the flask for Uwani and me to eat from, because in typical village fashion, the stew had been mixed thoroughly into the rice.
"Iyabo, my body has gone completely cold, and the fear of God has gripped me. Well, here is a fresh plot, as the gambler would say. In this marriage of yours, I can see you're going to have a brutal showdown with a co-wife. Personally, I want no part in anything involving dark magic. If it's standard jealousy, I prefer we engage in witty, psychological warfare; whoever plays her cards well wins. But before you've even stepped foot into the house, they've already started tracking you with dark conspiracies?"
As for me, I couldn't even utter a word at this point. I just kept eating the food. The food was heavily drenched in oil, so I quickly brewed some tea for us to wash down the discomfort.
Sometime after the Isha prayer, Brother Hamma returned. He handed me two plastic bags; one was packed with tsire (suya meat), and the other contained bottles of Mountain Dew. Dada had fallen asleep a short while ago due to her medications, as some of them clearly induced drowsiness.
"Jabu, what on earth happened between you, Hama, and Daso?"
I looked at him and instantly noticed that he was visibly upset, so I said, "It was nothing. Did they tell you something happened?"
"Yes! Hama told me that you claimed you are far superior to be competing with her, and that the moment you move in, you will drive her out of the house. Terrible words. Daso even claimed that you thoroughly insulted Hama's mother. For God's sake, what is the absolute truth regarding this matter?"
Uwani and I locked eyes in a tense, telling gaze.
Wow, a fresh plot from the gambler, I thought. Is this the kind of household I am about to dive into? Dark magic combined with malicious manipulation? Can I survive this?
Uwani took it upon herself to calmly explain the truth of what had actually transpired to him. He simply let out a dry laugh and said, "It is just jealousy tormenting her deeply, which is why she and Daso cooked up this lie. But I will take strict measures regarding Hama; I hold absolute authority over my own home. Jabu, I am waiting for you outside to give me answers to my questions."
The moment he finished speaking, he marched out, his hand clutching the herding staff that a Fulani man is rarely separated from, especially those who go out to graze cattle. I closed my eyes; my head was throbbing with a severe ache.
"Uwani, eat this meat. Let me go extinguish the fire you kindled for me. When I return, we will thoroughly discuss these problems, Uwani."
I left Uwani stuffing suya meat and onions into her mouth. I found him at his usual spot, his head bowed low as he repeatedly tapped his staff against the ground. Even after I sat down beside him, he refused to look up, and he even refused to acknowledge my Islamic greeting. The anger of men had truly flared up.
"My groom, my love, the one who became my choice and the object of my longing. Why did you refuse to answer my greeting? Or is it the lies Hama claimed I said to her that are bothering you?"
A heavy silence lingered for several seconds before he finally raised his eyes and fixed them on me. I couldn't fully decipher the absolute depth of what lay within his gaze; I could see raw jealousy mixed with a love that defied simple explanation. I let out a deep sigh and lowered my gaze, acutely feeling his eyes scanning every inch of my face.
"I swear by Allah, I possess a vicious, consuming jealousy over anything I love. It is the exact reason I nearly killed Hama's brother at the Shadi traditional whipping field when he became one of the champions who stepped forward to contest for her hand in marriage. Jabu, before you left, I placed the custody of my entire life in your hands, and I made you vow to me that you would never allow another man a foothold into your life.
What a tragedy! It turns out you were busy carrying on a romance over there. You left me here bearing the heavy burden of your love. Missing you completely stripped away my peace of mind; I only ever got decent sleep on days when I dreamed that I had married you. Look at how withered and out of sorts I have become! My wife and my friends spend every day gossiping about how ruined I look. Yet, it turns out you kept two of us in the compartments of your heart. You have profoundly shocked me, Jabu. What is Saleem's status to you, what did he come to do here, and Allah forbid, did you cry out of love for him?"
I sat in absolute silence, as if swallowed by water, from the moment he started speaking until he finished. There was a unique blend of softness and searing heat in his voice.
"Brother Hamma, please believe me. You are the only one in my heart; I have never mixed my love for you with anyone else. Even the father of my children, I did not love him the way I love you. The absolute truth is that Saleem helped us during our stay in Saudi Arabia. He was the one who made a way for us to return to Nigeria. We never had a romance, but he loved me deeply. The reason for his visit was to seek my hand in marriage, and I told him the plain truth of the matter. As for the crying, please forgive me; it was simply deep pity that moved me."
He stared at me intently, a piercing look that clearly translated to: I do not believe you. I closed my eyes and opened them back, looking directly at him.
"Brother Hamma..."
He swiftly raised his hand to cut me off. He spoke in a low, strained voice from deep within. "That is enough, for God's sake. Do not become the reason I end up hanging a noose around my own neck. Go back inside. (🤣🤣) Uwani is waiting for you. Goodnight."
I made an attempt to make him understand and soothe his anger, but he gave me absolutely no chance. Defeated, I stood up, my body and heart drained of all energy. I walked back inside and found Uwani on the phone.
I collapsed heavily beside her, muttering prayers under my breath.
"Why do you look like this, Jabu? Did you run into a misunderstanding with Hamma?"
"Don't even start. He completely refused to understand the truth about Saleem's visit, Uwani. But I will give him time; once his anger cools, he will understand me. Honestly, I've lost interest in everything else; Hama's actions have completely drained the life out of me. I fear Allah, and I deeply fear dealing with anyone who associates with witch doctors, Uwani. What kind of cohabitation are we going to have? What kind of dark conspiracies is she going to track me with when our husband belongs to both of us?"
Uwani shifted her position and said, "Prayer is the weapon of a believer. Sleeping and leaving your mouth undefended is not an option for you. Personally, I think it's better this way; otherwise, they would have blindsided you, launching dark magic attacks against you without your knowledge. It's better that you know so you can plan exactly how to live with her. Just remain extremely vigilant. Never eat anything that comes from her hand; that is the golden rule since you insist on marrying him. Allah brings the ailment, and Allah brings the cure. Besides, even if you moved to the city, you never know what kind of mad woman a man might bring home to join you. If you saw the way Hafizu's new bride flaunts her absolute lack of manners—typical of village folks, Iyabo—you would literally hold your mouth in shock. You know what they say about an untamed village girl."
Despite myself, Uwani managed to wring a forced laugh out of me. Even though the story she was telling me carried its own pain for her, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"Tell me the story of how it went down between you and Hafizu the day you returned."
"Hahaha, you are wicked, Iyabo! On that very night, I didn't let him step a foot into my room. Before he returned, I bolted my door firmly. He knocked at length, but I completely ignored him. Eventually, his wife came and dragged him away, claiming he should leave me alone, that I was probably asleep.
The next morning, when I opened my room, he walked in, and we exchanged incredibly cold greetings. I completely refused to soften my expression. He kept trying to draw me into conversation, but I gave him the cold shoulder. My goodness, then his wife walked in and served me some reheated thick tuwo pudding and some filthy-looking millet gruel that even had a long strand of hair floating inside!
You know I am not one to take insults lightly, Iyabo. Long story short, I went ahead and bought a house further down the street by the main road. It has three rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and even a shop space at the front of the house. I have fully moved in. My plan now is that once I settle down properly, I will renovate the shop and start my business inside. If Allah blesses my efforts, that will be it for me, Iyabo! If Hafizu shows up, he's a husband; if he doesn't, he and a ghost are practically the same. I swear to Allah, I will not kill myself over men. Even if he serves me my divorce papers right now, I will gladly catch them and celebrate my single life!"
I nodded my head, laughing at her final remarks about him being a husband if he shows up, and being no better than a ghost if he doesn't.
Uwani was truly a wild force of nature. "With this volatile temper of yours, living in the same compound with a co-wife is definitely not for you; separating households is much better. For me, if only Hamma would agree, I would gladly buy a plot of land, build a house, and live independently in my own space—I would find far more peace that way. But you know how these village folks are; they insist on the extended family communal estate system, where everyone occupies their own corner."
"But you will at least renovate your own section so you can enjoy living there, right? I deeply pity you, Iyabo; you truly do not know the malice of men, hmm."
I smiled and replied, "I will only fix up the inside of my room. I swear to Allah, Uwani, I don't want to do anything that will make it look to Hamma like I am looking down on his financial status. So, any renovations I do will be strictly confined within my own room."
She threw me a sharp glare, let out a long, disgusted hiss, turned her back to me, and lay down.
"Uwani, what is the meaning of this?"
In an irritated tone, she snapped, "For Allah's sake, Iyabo, let's drop this topic. I am sleepy, and I can see you've already become completely lovesick and helpless over this Hamma."
Inevitably, the conversation had to end there. As for me, I spent a long time tossing and turning, building up thoughts and tearing them down. It was with great difficulty that sleep finally claimed me, filled with unpleasant, unsettling dreams. Consequently, I woke up the next morning completely enveloped in anxiety and a dark apprehension that immediately brought on a fever.
Very early in the morning, Yafendo Kaboji and Baffa Musa arrived.
Dada instructed us to give them some privacy. What they discussed remains unknown, but they didn't stay long before heading on their way. The moment we stepped back inside, the discharge papers were ready, along with the bill for the remaining balance we owed. Curiously, Brother Hamma had left the hospital very early that morning. Uwani stayed with Dada while I went to settle the outstanding medical bills.
Upon my return, I found Amaduyal and his wife, Kari. Kari helped me pack up all our belongings neatly. I then requested Amaduyal to go outside and secure a small vehicle to transport us back to Girai.
And indeed, that was exactly what was done; the vehicle...
