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Part 5
"Nazif, did you come because she is watching?"
She said, "No, he is not around, he just came back and found the house empty."
Uwani was about to speak when they heard Baba’s greeting. He lifted the room's curtain and asked, "Who just came in looking like Maryam?"
Uwani replied, "It’s her. Living there has become unbearable. Ever since the night she was taken there, they have been plotting misery against her without giving her any rest."
Baba said, "I don't understand how living there has become unbearable, but did you forget that she was taken to her husband’s house only two days ago? So much so that she could just pack up, come back, and feed you lies for you to believe. Get up and go back to your matrimonial home."
Uwani let out a gasp of shock, clapping her hands before saying, "By God, Mallam, people like you are the ones who sell their daughters into marriage. She went there to serve under the guise of marriage. At least you should have stayed to hear what brought her back before chasing her away."
He asked, "What kind of impatience would make her return home just two days after her wedding?"
She began fabricating lies piece by piece, even claiming that today Gwaggo had slapped her right in front of him and he said nothing, that every day she had to cook tuwo for her, and that Gwaggo’s granddaughter kept insulting her. Baba remained silent, thinking deeply before saying, "Uwani, even with all that, this is not even enough reason for her to run back home. Even if there was a problem, she could have phoned someone to mediate. Now that people realize she has come back home, what will the world say?"
Uwani said, "As for life, if you keep trying to please the world, you will end up in misery. What do you care about the world or the people in it? The way they will gossip because she returned is the same way they would gossip if the husband and his mother destroyed her."
Baba just hissed, unable to engage in a long argument, and walked out of the house.
Uwani turned to Maryam and said, "Maryam, you must open your mouth and fight for your freedom! If you don't, by God, he will carry you back. You are young, will you end up in misery with a mother-in-law? No matter what happens, say you will not go back. Don't you dare give up. What is the difference between a two-day marriage and being an unmarried girl? Soon another young man will come to marry you who is far better than him. May God grant that he didn't place you on iddah."
She stared at her, waiting for a response. Maryam said, "I just hope it doesn't happen again."
Uwani said, "He has wronged you! May God recompense you."
Summary
In this continuation of "Miji Goma... (Ba Uba Goma Ba Ne)" by Sadiya Abdulrazak, the domestic tug-of-war intensifies. Maryam's return home continues to expose the ideological rift between her parents. While Uwani aggressively validates Maryam's rebellion, coaching her to treat marriage as disposable and urging her to seek immediate separation, Baba remains a voice of reason. He attempts to counter Uwani's toxic narrative, recognizing that abandoning a marriage two days in over minor household friction is unreasonable and brings shame. Despite the chaotic interference from her mother, the chapter highlights Maryam's growing defiance and the central proverb of the story: that husbands can be replaced ("miji goma"), but a parent cannot ("ba uba goma ba ne")—though here, Uwani dangerously misuses this concept to encourage broken homes rather than stability.
Analytics
Character Dynamics & Conflict Progression
- Uwani vs. Baba (Ideological Clash): This section sharpens the contrast between parental roles. Baba represents societal accountability, stability, and patience, while Uwani embodies reactionary sabotage, encouraging her daughter's worst impulses under the guise of "fighting for freedom."
- Maryam's Indoctrination: Maryam is increasingly desensitized to marital failure. By absorbing Uwani’s biased fabrications (such as the exaggerated claims of physical abuse by Gwaggo), she internalizes a deep resentment toward Nazifi, cutting off any internal avenue for reconciliation.
- The Weaponization of Traditions: The narrative uses Uwani's dialogue to interrogate the psychological weight of the novel's core idiom—miji goma ba uba goma ba ne (ten husbands are not ten fathers)—showing how toxic guardians twist a proverb meant to highlight parental irreplaceability into a weapon against marital endurance.
