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Ke Maryam! I heard a young lady calling in a whispered voice. Quickly, I saw the girl called Maryam turn around. Tabarakallahu ahsanal khaliqin (Blessed be Allah, the best of creators) was what I muttered the moment my eyes landed on the tall, stunning young lady named MARYAM. She flashed a mischievous smile and said, "Without you even saying it, Halima, I know why you are calling me like a blind person."
In response, Halima said, "You know how this brother of yours is; he has no shame, and now he is going to ruin our plans."
Maryam gave Halima a rebellious, defiant look and said, "Hey, as for me, I don't see anyone who has the audacity to stop me from doing what I please. My mother and father have never corrected me like that, let alone some random person elsewhere. Look here, my dear, let's go back and continue setting up the place so we can avoid the embarrassment of our friends."
Halima just nodded without saying anything because she knew Maryam's stubborn and rebellious nature. If Maryam set her mind on something, no one could change her except YAYA MUHAMMAD, who had her figured out and mastered her stubbornness. To top it all, he was a fierce, disciplined military man whom everyone under his roof feared intensely. He was a strict, unsmiling introvert. Unless pushed to the absolute limit, it was rare to hear him speak much. Even his friends and colleagues were so used to his ways that often, he would just give them commands with his eyes, and they would execute them immediately out of familiarity with his stern demeanor.
Just as she turned to go to Anwar’s house—an age-mate of hers whose older brother was a tailor, and who handled all her clothing needs—little Nasser rushed over and said, "Adda Maryam, come, Ammyna wants you."
She shot him a vicious glare and snapped, "Go tell her to come drag me here. I'm not coming, and if she can, let her come drag me herself."
He glared right back at her, since there was no submission between them whatsoever, and retorted, "God forbid you come, useless person who doesn't respect her elders!"
Filled with rage, she lunged at him and shouted, "You bastard brother, are you insulting me?"
"Yes, I insulted you! Is my mother your age-mate that you sit around bossing her and running errands with these stupid words of yours?"
She charged at him with the intention of pouncing on him. He quickly dodged, continuing to hurl harsh insults at her about her mother. He didn't hold back at all; every insult she threw at him, he returned in kind, saying that since God didn’t create her with any decency, he saw no reason to spare her.
As he pushed open the gate, he caught sight of "Bros." He flashed a sly smile, braced himself, and let out a blood-curdling scream so loud that Bros instinctively covered his ears and spun around in a panic, thinking a scorpion had stung him. Seeing Nasser running toward him while still faking his cries, Bros shot him a murderous glare that made Nasser instantly swallow his tears and step up close. With his eyes, Bros silently asked what had been done to him, and Nasser replied:
"It wasn't me, Adda Maryam just went crazy because Ammyna asked me to call her. She started cursing both me and Ammey. When I said 'Not my Ammey,' she slapped me and chased me, saying she was going to my mother's presence to trample on me and show me what she's capable of doing!"
Before he could say a word, Maryam marched in furiously, still hurling venomous insults at Nasser. This further infuriated Bros, who gave her a wicked, piercing glare. Totally ignoring him, she marched right into the center of the house, turned up her nose with a scudding expression, and acted as though she knew nothing of their presence.
"You, come here!" he commanded in his deep, unyielding voice that held no hint of playfulness. She frowned deeply, shot him an ugly glare, let out a hiss of irritation, and headed into the house. That infuriated him to no end. He grabbed Nasser by the hand and went after her. The moment she saw him approaching, she sprinted inside.
Her mother (Mama) and Ammey were sitting in the parlor, chatting amicably. They generally got along fine thanks to Hajiya Amina's incredible patience and sheer obedience to her co-wife, Hajiya Lubabatu. Because of this, peace reigned in the house—unless Maryam was touched or provoked. If anyone touched Hajiya Luba's daughter, Maryam, you would immediately witness a storm of fury and drama.
In the middle of their chat, Maryam rushed in and hid behind her mother, whining in her usual habit, "Mama, look at him, he's going to beat me!"
"Who is that?" Mama asked, looking toward the doorway. The moment she saw who walked in, her face twisted in absolute hatred. If there was anyone in the world she loathed with a fiery passion, it was Muhammad, because he had completely stripped her of her peace, meddling in her affairs and leaving her unable to find a way to deal with the nuisance and get relief.
Frowning deeply, she snapped, "By his father's life, if he dares come near to touch you—this sheer madness and obsession with disturbing a young girl's peace—I swear I am fed up! Let the Alhaji return; he will have to settle scores between us and you, because my daughter is not a worthless nobody!"
Before she could finish her rant, Muhammad outsmarted her. He yanked Maryam forward and dealt her a resounding, cracking slap that instantly knocked the wind out of her lungs, halting her breath before she could even emit a sharp shriek. That scream alerted Mama. "The wizard has grabbed her!"—that was the name she called him, because no matter how furious she got, if he decided to punish someone, no one could stop him except Baffa, their father.
Her heart heavy with bitterness and rage, Mama screamed, "If you ever beat her again, Allah ya isa (God is sufficient judge)! I will never forgive you, you bastard, wicked tyrant! Your evil ways will never triumph, hypocrite! I swear, when Alhaji returns, he will settle things between us and you, since God created you with the heart of a infidel!"
Despite all the curses and vile language she hurled at him, he ignored her completely until he made sure he had thrown Maryam against her mother's body. Then he turned and walked out huffing, while Mama continued to rain curses and invoke divine wrath upon him.
Mama pulled Maryam into a tight embrace as the girl wept hysterically. The beating had been no joke; her fair skin was left red, blotchy, and throbbing with excruciating pain. Catching Nasser's eye across the room, Maryam stuck her tongue out at him through her tears and yelled,
"That hypocritical mother of yours is the one you should make faces at, you bastard son of a bitch looking like an imp of the jinn! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I have to laugh, because whoever looks at Maryam sees Abdul Nasser, they see BLOOD!"
As she finished her tirade, Bros poked his head back in. He had stayed right by the doorway because he knew very well she wouldn't stay quiet and would inevitably blurt something out.
Summary
The story revolves around a rebellious, spoiled young woman named Maryam, who lives in a household shared by her mother (Hajiya Lubabatu) and her co-wife (Hajiya Amina). Maryam is arrogant, stubborn, and constantly defies authority, relying on her beauty, wealth, and doting mother to escape consequences. The only person who instills fear in her is her step-brother, Muhammad (often called "Bros" or "MD"), a strict, unyielding military man.
After Maryam insults and physically abuses young Nasser (Ammey's son) for simply delivering a message, Bros steps in to discipline her with a harsh slap. Despite the punishment and her mother's fierce verbal defense, Maryam remains defiant. She sneaks out later to attend a birthday party/walima for her lover, Muhseen, where she dances and revels with friends. However, Bros tracks her down, confronts her publicly for her defiance, beats her severely in front of her peers, and drags her back home in disgrace.
Description
- Setting: A multi-family household in Northern Nigeria, shifting between the home environment and an upscale social party/walima venue.
- Themes: Family dynamics, sibling rivalry, discipline versus enablement, stubbornness, and social class/pride.
Tone: Intense, dramatic, and fast-paced, filled with emotional outbursts, cultural colloquialisms, and domestic friction.
Analytics
- Character Dynamics:
- Maryam: Arrogant, stubborn, stylish, and deeply rebellious. She holds no respect for elders outside her immediate circle and relies heavily on her mother's coddling.
- Muhammad (Bros/MD): Disciplined, stern, silent, and feared by everyone in the household. He acts as the ultimate check on Maryam's unchecked behavior.
- Mama (Hajiya Luba): An enabler who fiercely defends Maryam and holds a deep resentment toward Muhammad.
- Ammey (Hajiya Amina): Patient, peace-loving, and submissive, suffering quietly under the domestic tension.
- Nasser: A typical cheeky younger boy who triggers Maryam's wrath, leading to the central conflict.
- Plot Progression: Fast escalation from a minor household argument to physical confrontation, a brief reprieve centered around a social outing, and a dramatic climax where domestic discipline spills over into the public sphere.
