hirar ita takeyi, a lokacin take gaya min cewa wannan ne zuwan ta kano na farko "in munzo Nigeria gida muke zuwa, Maiduguri, sai Abuja sometimes, mun dai taba zuwa Kaduna once" jin haka sai na fara yi mata bayanin guraren da muke wucewa a hanya, and she looked very interested.
Da muka je gida ina kallonta ina jiran inga tayi wa gidan mu wani kallo haka, ko kuma in an bata abinci inji tayi wani comment marar kyau amma sai naga sam babu abinda ya dame ta, she is the most down to earth person I have ever met. Ta zauna ta harde kafa tana ta cin tarin abincin da Inna ta jera mata tana kuma yiwa Inna hira. Sai tace "ina 'yar Asama? Kullum sai an bamu labarin Yar Asama da Diyam, Diyam this Diyam that. Ko kaya muka saka sai yace "ku kun mayar da kanku turawa, kuyi ta saka kananan kaya, why can't you dress like Diyam?" Ta fada tana kwaikwayon yadda Sadauki yake maganar sa.
Na kai mata kayanta dakina sannan na hada mata ruwan wanka a toilet nace tayi wanka ta huta. Bata tashi ba sai da Asma'u ta dawo daga school, ina jin Inna tana yi mata bayanin bakuwar da akayi sai kuwa naga ta tura baki tana kunkuni, Inna tayi mata warning kar ta sake tayi mata wata magana marar dadi.
Na shiga daki na tarar ta tashi daga bacci tana sallah, na zauna ina jira har ta idar sannan na tambayeta ko da akwai abinda take so. Kafin ta bani amsa Asma'u ta shigo tace "nazo gaishe da matar yayana" sai naga Murjanatu ta kalle ni sai ta cigaba da nineke abin sallah. Asma'u ta sake cewa "matar yaya barka da zuwa" sai Murjanatu ta kalle ni tace "ana miki magana" nace "ke take gaisarwa fa" sai tace "matar yaya naji tace, wanne yayan?" Na gyara zamana ina so inyi confirming suspicio dina Nace "Sadauki mana" ta dan bata fuska tace "waye Sadauki?" Na sunkuyar da kai nace "Aliyu, mu anan Sadauki muke ce masa" cikin mamaki tace "yaya Aliyu? Nice matar tasa kuma?" Nace "well, not legally yet, yace dai an bashi ke an kusa biki" sai ta zauna a bakin gado ta dafe kanta tana dariya tana kallona tace "tsokanar ki yake, he is my brother, my half brother, baban mu daya".
Har dare Murjanatu tana ta tsokana ta. Ina jinsu suna waya da Sadauki tana bashi labari suna dariya sai na harare ta daga ita har wayar tata, ina jinta ta gaya masa wai ina hararar ta sai naga ta saito ni da wayar kamar zata min hoto sai na rufe fuskata ita kuma tayi ta min hotuna a haka.
Sosai Murjanatu ta sake a gidan mu, nan take muka kulla kawance mai kyau a tsakanin mu. Tana ta yimin hirar gidan su, Papa, Mama, Adama, Sa'adatu, Yani. Amma ban taba yi mata tambaya a kansu ba, na saka a raina cewa Sadauki ne ya kamata ya bani labarin su. Na fahimci kuma tana tsoron Sadauki, duk da kuwa na kanga suna yin waya suyi hira amma kamar bata taba ketare maganar sa, bata yi masa musu, kuma tana bani girma sosai saboda shi.
Ranar nan bayan Murjanatu ta kwana uku da zuwa muna waya dashi tace gobe mu shirya gabaki daya zai zo mu fita yawo "mu zagaya da Fanna taga garin Kano" nace "Fanna?" Yace "yes, Murjanatu. We call her that a gida".
Ina gaya musu sai murna, nan da nan Asma'u ta fara making list na guraren da zamuje, aka fara ware kayan da za'a saka da irin kwalliyar da za'ayi. Murjanatu ta kalleni ina yi musu dariya tace "gobe sai na yi miki kwalliya. Asma'u zata rike min ke in kinki tsayawa".
Na dauka wasa suke sai washegarin na fito daga wanka sai gasu da make up kit, nace bana so amma haka suka tilasta min suka yi min kwalliya. Na dauko abaya ta na saka sai Murjanatu ta tsaya tana kallo na tace "wannan rigar is too loose, bai fitar da duk abinda ya kamata ya fitar ba bayan kuma akwai abin" sai ta dauko wani belt a kayanta ta daura min, na kalli kaina a mirror naga yadda hips dina suka fito sosai, ni kaina bansan ina dasu har haka ba, sai na girgiza kaina nace "bazan iya fita haka ba. Mutane zasu ke kallona fa" sai ta dan dake ni a kafada tace "dalla in sun kalle kin sai me kuma? Ke wallahi halin ku daya da yaya Aliyu yanzu zaku fara wa'azi" nayi dariya kawai amma na hakura ne kawai dan bana so in gwale ta amma ni nasan bazan iya sakewa ba sam.
Muna gamawa yazo, muka fita ni dai ina ta rabe rabe a bayansu. Muna fita muka hango motarsa duk da bama ganinsa but I felt his eyes on me sai na kara buya a bayan Murjanatu ina jin kamar zan gurde in fadi har muka karaso inda yake, Murjanatu ta bude min kofar gaba tace "entere" nayi murmushi na shiga ina jin still idanuwansa a kaina amma na kasa kallon side din da yake, sai naji yayi gyaran murya yace da Murjanatu "koma ciki ki samo mata hijab" sai ta kama bubbuga kafa a kasa kamar mai shirin kuka sai yayi mata tsawa "are you still there?" Da sauri ta koma cikin gida.
Nayi kasa da idona ina wasa da fingers dina, still feeling his eyes on me. Sai yace "kinyi kyau sosai Halima. But I can't let people see you like this. Ina da kishi da yawa I might end up fasa wa wani hanci akan hanya. In son samu nane ma bayan hijab har nikab zaki saka ki rufe fuskarki" tunda ya fara magana nake murmushi, ina jin feeling mai dadi a raina cewa nima ina da value. Sai na tuno da ranar da Saghir yake fito min da gashina "let's show them abinda matansu basu dashi".
Ta kawo min hijab din na saka ya saka hannu ya gyara min fuskar hijab din sannan yace "that's much better" sai kuma ya leka waje yace da Asma'u da Murjanatu "duk wadda bata shigo ba zamu tafi mu barta" da sauri suka bude baya suka shigo suna dariya.
Yawo mukayi sosai a garin kano, har gidan sarki sai da muka je muka shiga ta kofar gudu muka fito ta kofar arewa muka ga grand central mosque. Muka je gidan mesium muka je gidan makama da gidan mutan da. Muka hau badala, muka hau dutsen dala da gwauron dutse. Muka je har government house muka yi zagaye a ciki muka fito sannan muka tafi Abatcha Motors.
Murjanatu tace "yau dai finally zanga wannan precious Abatcha Motors din da yake rike yayana a Nigeria. Ko da yake ban sani ba ko ba shi kadai bane yake rike shi ba" ta fada tana mintsini na ta baya. Na juya na harare ta shi kuma yana mana dariya muka shiga building din.
Da yake weekend ne duk babu ma'aikata sai security kamar zasu ci mutum. Muna zuwa suka taso kamar zasu durkusa mana ni dai duk sai naji inajin nauyin su. Ya saka su bude ko'ina a gurin sannan yace dasu Murjanatu su zagaya duk inda suke so mu kuma sai ya saka aka kawo mana kujeru gaban wani fountain muka zauna.
Sannan ya dauko waya yayi kira, da alama abinci yayi mana order. Sai kuma yace min "ranar nan, you asked me some questions. Are you ready for the answers?" Na tuno tambayoyin da nayi masa farkon zuwa na office dinsa. Sai nace "eh. Ina son sani please". Yace "okay. Let's start from the beginning".
"Tun farko na san cewa Alhaji Bukar ne ya hada auren Ummah da mahaifina, amma bamu taba maganar dashi ba saboda ganin kamar umman bata so".
"Sunan mahaifina Alhaji Umar Mustapha Abatcha" nayi saurin cewa "Alhaji Umar Mustapha dai wanda muke jin labarin sa?" Ya gyada kai yace "shifa. Family din Mustapha Abatcha family ne da yayi suna ba'a Maiduguri ba kadai har ma da sauran Nigeriya. Suna da kudi tun asalinsu but kudin Umar Mustapha daban ne dana sauran. Tun yana saurayi ya mallaki kudin da shi kansa mahaifinsa a lokacin bashi da su. Harkar man fetur yakeyi yi, tun yana yin gidajen man fetur a gari gari har ta kai shi ga fara siyan rijiyoyin man fetur din gabaki ɗaya. Bashi da lokacin aure, dan haka ya jima baiyi ba, wannan yasa yan'uwansa, musamman da yake duk yan uba yake dasu dan shi kadai ne a gurin mahaifiyarsa, suka sako shi a gaba, suna saka ran in ya mutu suci kudi. A lokacin ne Alhaji Bukar, tsohon amininsa da sukayi secondary school tare yayi masa tayin auren bafulatanar yarinya Zainab. Shi kuma sai ya karba yana ganin tunda ba auren soyayya bane ba ba zata ke demanding time dinsa ba. Ta gaya masa labarin wanda take so aka raba su and he was sympathetic, yana nuna mata kulawa sosai ita kuma ta kwantar da hankalin ta sukayi zamansu lafiya a nan family house dinsu dake Maiduguri. A haka har ta samu ciki. A lokacin ne kuna ya fara business da Canada yana exporting crude oil daga Nigeria zuwa Canada wanda har yanzu shine sana'arsa, a yanzu yana daya daga cikin manyan dealers na crude oil a kasar Canada.
Tunda zainabu ta samu ciki shikenan kuma sai al'amurra suka cabe mata, gashi lokacin baya zama a kasar ita kuma taji duk duniya babu inda ta tsana irin gidan aurenta, babu wanda bata son gani kamar mijinta, babu kuma abinda take son rabuwa dashi irin cikin jikinta. Ta zama kamar mahaukaciya, sai ta fita da gudu sai an bita ana kamota ana dawo da ita gida, wani lokacin kuma sai ta zauna tayi ta dukan cikin wai sai ta kashe abinda yake ciki. Alhaji Umar yana zuwa ya ganta a wannan halin yasan asiri ne dan haka ya hada malamai aka zauna addu'a da magungunan karya sihiri akayi tayi mata, in abun ya lafa kwana biyu sai ya dawo. Ta sha wahala sosai. Ranar nan cikin dare suna bacci ta tashi tafita ko dan kwali babu ta kama doguwar katangar gidan da aka zagaye da waya da kwalabe amma a haka ta haura ta var gidan cikin jinin ciwuwwukan da taji, Alhaji Umar yana tashi yaga bata nan ya fito yayi ta nema babu wanda ya ganta sai ya dauki mota ya fita hankali a tashe. Cikin ikon Allah sai ya samo ta tana ta tafiya kamar zautacciya a kamata da kyar ya saka a mota daga nan sai airport. A can ya samu yayi mata adduoin ta dawo hankalinta ya sako ta a jirgi ta taho Kano ya kira Alhaji Bukar ya gaya masa, shi kuma sai ya koma ya nuna cewa bai same ta ba. Akayi ta nema har da cigiya a gidajen radio daga baya aka hakura.
Ita kuma ta dawo gurin yaya ladi ta zauna a kano. Har ta samu lafiya sosai aka tabbatar duk sihirin dake jikinta ya fita. Anan ta haife ni, Alhaji Umar yazo da kansa yayi min huduba da suna Aliyu "saboda ka zama jarumi ya sa na saka maka Aliyu" daga nan sai ya datse igiyar aurensa da zainabu, ya kuma roki Alhaji Bukar cewa ya nemo wannan wanda take so din yayi kokarin hada su aure, bayan an samo Baffa kuma Alhaji Umar da kansa ya bashi amana ta. "Dan Allah ka rike shi tamkar kai ka haife shi. Ɗa na kowa ne ai, wata kila ma kai zaiyiwa rana bani ba. Ni dai kawai ina son shi da mahaifiyarsa su kasance safe". Through all those years da nake gurin Baffa ashe duk Alhaji Umar yana biye da rayuwata, kuma yace ko da sau daya Baffa bai taba neman wani taimako daga gare shi ba.
To bayan rasuwar Umma da Baffa, bayan na koma gidan Alhaji Bukar, sai yake gaya min cewa ya gaya wa mahaifina zancen rasuwar, amma baya kasar a lokacin yasan da zaizo gaisuwa ma amma yace a gayamin in saka rana da kaina sanda na ke ganin am ready in gaya masa zaizo Nigeria sai mu hadu a Maiduguri. I fixed the date, sai muka tafi. But cikin rashin sa'a sai ya zamanto shi din wani abu yarike shi a can kasar da yake zaune, Canada, dan haka bai samu tahowa da wuri ba. Ban sami kowa a Maiduguri ba sai step grandmother dina a uncles dina. A lokacin ne kuma kika kirani da maganar za'a hada aurenki da Saghir. Nan take naso in yi musu dan karamin hauka a gidan na dage akan lallai sai an taho anzo Kano an nema min auren ki. Duk kallona suke kamar tababbe, irin suna ganin ban isa aure ba ai. Aka kira Papa aka gaya masa yace a rabu dani, wanne irin aure kuma? Sai na karbi wayar na gaya masa ko dai ya ajiye koma me takeyi yazo ya nema min aurenki ko kuma in kama gabana kuma babu wanda zai kuma jin labari na. Sai na gaya masa ko wa cece ke da dangantakar mu. Wannan ne ya ja hankalinsa. Sai ya bani hakuri akan cewa ba zai iya zuwa ba sai dai mu taho tare da Alhaji Babagana, daya daga cikin uncles dina. Muka taho din kuwa and you know what happened a gidan Alhaji Babba. Sanda muka fita I was beyond broken. Sai nace bazan koma Maiduguri ba, a gidan Alhaji Bukar zan zauna. Na zauna gidan Alhaji Bukar trying to find a solution amma na rasa ko daya, babu irin tunanin da banyi ba ciki kuwa har da in shirya mana visa tare zuwa Canada sai in dauke ki mu tafi can mu cigaba da rayuwar mu. But sai na tuno da kalaman Baffa da yake cewa ba yaso ya bani aurenki in dai babu amincewar Inna a ciki, nasan kuma yadda Inna bata sona in na dauke ki zata hada daga ni har ke ne ta tsine mana kuma ba zamu taba ganin dai dai ba a rayuwa. And I didn't want to put you through that. Sai na fara bincike ta karkashin kasa, Alhaji Babagana ya bani kudi sosai kafin ya koma Maiduguri dan haka bani da matsalar kudi, I followed Alhaji Babba, I watched him a lokacin da ya siyar da garejin Baffa, I also watched him lokacin da ya siyar da filina, I watched him lokacin daya siya wa dansa gida na bishi har gidan na gani. But bayan ya tafi sai na tsaya ina studying gidan, bai yi min ba kwata kwata. Unguwar was deserted dan haka babu security kenan, ko menene zai samu mutum a gidan babu wanda zai sani. Na haura na shiga har cikin gidan sai naga locks din kofofin ba masu kyau bane sosai sai naje na siyo wasu na dawo na cire wadancan na saka sababbin da kaina. But still ban gamsu ba dan nasan wannan mijin naki ba lallai yake zama a gida bake kadai zai ke bari so I hired a gate man for you. Malam Iliyasu" na kalle shi da sauri nace "Malam Iliyasu dai maigadin gidan Saghir?" Yace "yes. Tsohon soja ne yana gadi anan kusa da gidan Alhaji Bukar to sai wanda yake yi wa gadin ya rasu. So I took him zuwa unguwar na nuna masa gidan, mukayi sa'a Saghir din yazo sai na nuna masa shi nace yaje ya nuna masa cewa gurin zama yake nema, yana son zaiyi masa gadi free of charge abinda yake so kawai a bashi dakin mai gadi ya zauna anan. And he took the bait. Nace yace masa free ne dan na fahimci babu yaren da Saghir yake ganewa sosai irin na kudi. So, Malam iliyasu yayi muku gadi, ni nake biyansa duk wata, in return shi kuma yana supplying dina with information musamman abinda ya shafi lafiyar ki"
Ban bar kano ba sai da nayi attending daurin aurenku da Saghir. Daga nan airport na wuce straight na tafi Maiduguri ina zuwa kuma na tarar takarduna sun gama haduwa zuwa Canada dan haka kwana na daya a Maiduguri na tafi Ottawa, capital din Canada inda anan ne mahaifina yake zaune da iyalinsa.
I had been holding on, ina ta gayawa kaina cewa ba gaskiya bane ba, cewa ban rasa ki da gaske ba, but sai a jirgin nayi loosing din sauran hope dina. Gani nake yi na rabu dake kenan har abada and I couldn't picture my life without you, gani nake babu wani sauran meaning a rayuwata. Daga airport maimakon gida sai asibiti aka wuce dani, ji nake kamar tsaga kirjina akeyi da wuka ana yankar zuciyata sala sala. Mahaifin da naci burin gani sai a asibiti na ganshi and the first thing da ya fada min shine "are you this weak? Do you really want to die saboda mace?" Nace "she is not just any woman. She is mine and they took her from me" yace "to me zakayi akai? Zaka kwanta ka mutu ne while tana can tana sabuwar rayuwa da wani ko kuma zaka tashi ka rayu and show them that abinda sukayi is wrong?" And I decided, maybe gwara in rayu din, maybe one day I will be able to see you again, and get you justice from whoever wrong you.
But it was easier said than done. A watannin farko na aurenki I spent more time in hospital than at home. In ina gidan ma kuma ina daki a rufe. Bana kula kowa bana yi wa kowa magana. All I kept thinking about was you, you and you. Kullum tunani na a wanne hali kike ciki? Kinyi missing dina ko kuma kinyi accepting auren ki kin cigaba da rayuwarki da mijinki. Na kira Malam Iliyasu sai yake gaya min cewa Saghir yayi tafiya sai ke kadai a gidan tare da wata mata. And the agonizing months suka wuce, the most terrible times of my life. Ranar nan ina gida da rana kawai sai ga wayar Malam Iliyasu, nayi mamaki dan nasan cewa dare ne ku a wajenku na dauka sai naji cikin