From the Breeze of Karri

The town of ‘Karri’ was a beautiful settlement of a few people up the northern part of the country that was located two hours from its main city. The small town had produced all kinds and calibre of people from the high end successful ones who have long moved to big cities, to the ‘no future ambition’ ones who still reside in the under civilised community of thatched rooftops and mud houses, just like in Malam Haroun’s home.

The man, who was a rope and pot maker had never in the length of his life been passionate about wielding himself out of poverty, or even striving to make a change out of the miserable life that had become of him and his family. With a wife that could care less about civility as much as she cared for a piece of trash, there was nothing to give the man motivation to at least be the best version of himself, top it off with the greed and self indulgence they had made a habit out of.

Lali, the second daughter of Malam Haroun and a sister to her two siblings was a seventeen year old young woman—average height, caramel skin and a stature that was skinny like a languished stick. Apart from the sharp facial features she possessed, she was as fierce and untamed as a wild flame and as sharp-mouthed as a knife. She was her mother’s daughter so long as it was concerned with how manipulative and unruly she was, and as dormant as a sloth so long as it came to her self-improving ambitions, exactly like her father.

Uwani, Lali’s mother sat by the pot blowing the embers with a hand fan and adjusting the rocks that her pot sat on when Lali walked into the premises, sneering and spewing insults while holding a stove on one hand and a bucket tucked under her other arm with her sister treading closely behind.

‘What is this about?’ Her mother asked and the girl glared at nothing in particular as her sister dropped the burnt logs of leftover wood on the ground and began narrating their ordeal.

’It’s Saminu. He ate a hundred naira Awara (tofu) and left without payment. And Hajo allowed him go scot-free. When I confronted him he threatened that he’d beat me.’ Lali narrated with a bitter twist of her mouth and an unruly cluck of her tongue.

‘God forbid the day a useless boy the likes of that raggedy one will raise a hand on my child.’ Their mother stood up with a squint of her eyes from the smoke of the cooking fire as sweat trickled down her face and neck, drenching the worn out blouse she wore. Extending a hand to a grumbling Lali and her apprehensive sister, they handed all that they had earned for the day to their mother who counted the money with such expertise and a face that was as clouded as a brewing storm.

‘Now keep these stuff and get ready to eat. You’re going to get that money from that boy later.’ She directed the last part to Hajo. ‘Your father will be home any minute.’ She gestured quickly for them to leave putting the money into the edge of her wrapper and knotting it then going about her chore.

Lali glared at her sister and stormed into the room first, all the while muttering under her breath how she was going to make Saminu pay for messing with her as she took off the tiny scarf wrapped on her head and threw it on the sagged and worn mattress that was spread on the floor. Hajo grabbed a plastic bag and pulled out a tattered book then took a seat on the corner of the room.

‘Didn’t you hear what mama said?’ Lali muttered whirling around to her sister’s direction with nothing but a visible scowl on her face. Hajo looked up and plopped her hands on the pieces of paper that laid on her laps.

‘She said we should get ready to eat, and I am.’ She looked back at the task at hand and ignored her sister’s glare that ran a deep hole into her head.

‘Get up or I’ll tell her you said you won’t eat.’ Lali threatened and Hajo just shook her head, writing down something with a very short pencil where its tip could barely be visible in her palm.

‘I didn’t say that and you know it.’

‘Mama! Hajo said she won’t come out as you said.’ Hajo quickly got up and tried clamping her hand on Lali’s mouth but she smacked it away.

‘That was not what I said Ma! I didn’t say that.’ Hajo whisper-shouted the last part at her sister and walked out of the room in haste to make sure how much of their banter Uwani heard. Thankful that their mother had taken a foot to the latrine, she released the breath she was holding and took a seat on the mat that was spread against the mud wall of the house. Lali came out as well just as their father and brother stepped in, ropes in hand.

‘Welcome back Baba.’ The girls greeted and took the items from their father. Hajo grabbed the old bowls from the thatch roofed kitchen and brought them out for dinner when her mother emerged. They sat after the food was served and devoured it in silence, until their father absentmindedly broke it.

‘I heard Isa is back.’ With just the mention of the boy’s name Lali almost choked on the miserable food she had passed unto her mouth. ‘From school.’ Their father scoffed at the last word and asked Uwani to pass him the water container.

‘The district head’s son? It’s been long since he was here. People go to cities and immediately forget their roots.’ Lali’s mother commented shaking her head with a disgusting expression right when her son chimed in.

‘I even saw him earlier at the mosque Baba. He looks different.’

‘At the mosque? But I haven’t seen him.’

‘He looks different.’ The boy emphasised and his father threw him a look.

‘That’s all you see when the people that were born and raised in this town leave. They come back different, feeling as if they’re better than all of us.’ Malam Haroun nodded at the bitter statement made by his second child, then took a look at a quiet Hajo who sat opposite her sister taking small bites of food.

‘You’re quiet Hajo.’ At the mention of her name she looked up and cleared her throat then smiled slightly in the direction of her father. He locked her with a suspicious stare and she swallowed before speaking, knowing that the look he gave her was a silent message that she should speak up.

‘Baba…I need some money to register for the upcoming qualifying exams and—’

‘Allah! So this has been what you were sulking for all day? Going about being miserable and making me lose money to a good for nothing boy just because you need money for exams? Bring a husband Hajo! You’re getting old! This love you have for school won’t take you anywhere. You’re nineteen as it is and all your friends already have kids but look at you!’ Uwani’s outburst rendered Hajo speechless as she stared at the ground.

‘I don’t have money to spare for anything school. Try and make enough with your mother’s business. You might be able to pay for whatever it is.’ Tears teased the back of her eyes at her father’s nonchalance and her throat clogged at her mother’s mutterings that she was never going to waste her money on anything education, that it was the girl’s choice to go to school, not hers. Lali got up and washed her hands then excused herself to leave for the room as she had a lot to fantasise about especially Isa’s return. Exactly and only about his return.

For the last three years he hadn’t visited the town that much, only once or twice a year and now that he was back and she had grown into a woman, he might finally notice her. Smiling to herself at the prospect of being the most sought out young man’s bride, she patted her head and sighed longingly as she sat on the mattress and leaned on the wall, coming up with multiple ideas on how to bring Isa’s attention to herself.

**

The next morning Lali woke up early, freshened up and did her chores. She decided to leave for the stream just before noon knowing that it was exactly where she’d find what she wanted, it was where the eligible men passed on their way to their farmlands, or simply to hang around because of how peaceful and beautiful the place was. Not that she had been there enough to appreciate its beauty, hell she had no idea why people from the cities even visit and take pictures of the place. It was literally just water, trees and grass, but that aside, she was going to shoot her shot the way a rock pebbles through the depths of a stream and flows to an unknown destination, not hers though. Her destination was known and meant to be to Isa.

Bearing all that she did in mind, she giggled and picked up a gourd with a container of fresh milk then knocked on her parents’ door to wake her mother up for the fresh balls of ground millet (Fura) she made in the morning to sell. The news sounded like music to Uwani’s ears that her daughter was dedicated to earn as much money for her as she could, so she hastened to prepare everything Lali was going to take with her to the grounds of fortune.

The day was of a beautiful weather where the sun felt like a warm blanket and the breeze that passed like a whisper of success on her endeavour to capture the heart of Isa. She excitedly skipped easily through the eroded streets of Karri, passing by the houses and waving at the women that pounded grains in mortars and greeting the men that had displayed their goods and items of business when she passed by the market, all the while avoiding their questions on why she was venturing south instead of selling off in the market or motor park with them. It took her a little less than fifteen minutes to reach the stream and she took a seat under a shade of tree.

Her timing was perfect because it was close to afternoon, and it was the right time men passed —usually exhausted—to enjoy either the beautiful running water or are just eager to go home after a long morning of farming. As she sat and worked on preparing the appetizing slush, her mind drifted into wishful thinking, thoughts about how the man she had an eye on will appreciate her expertise in what she was preparing and she couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up her throat.

‘What are you doing here young lady?’ An elderly voice enquired and she whirled around with a hand over her chest to calm the erratic pounding of her heart.

‘Um.. um..’ She stuttered as she grappled for what to say while the man, one of the community elders regarded her questioningly.

‘You shouldn’t be out here all alone.’ He said and chewed on the chewing stick that hung from the corner of his mouth. Lali pursed her lips in annoyance but got up nonetheless, brushing off the dirt that had stuck itself on her skirt and picked up her stuff. She was about to pass without a word when the man called on her attention.

‘Which house are you from?’

‘Malam Haroun’s.’ Was her brief response when she turned and he gave a nod, the ‘ah, explains it’ kind of acknowledgment. Without anymore exchange Lali left and he shook his head before going about his business.

The girl rolled her eyes for the uncountable number of times while grumbling and mocking the old man’s words then steupsing at the unfortunate fact that he found her there, regretting that she hadn’t settled somewhere a little more private than under the shade and now, there was no way she could meet with Isa. At least not on that day.

I must find a husband soon. And it has to be the one I want. I can’t be like Hajo, I do not want to be like her.

With the continuous pressure that her mind mounted on her apprehension till she was unaware of her surroundings as she walked, voices —male voices—stopped her in her tracks when she followed the route back home. Twisting around, her eyes landed on him. Isa. Tall, light skinned and slim. The afternoon sun reflected on his skin like a golden glow that gave his form an alluring air of glory, a kind that rendered her mouth dry. He definitely doesn’t look like someone who was born and bred in the heart of Karri, and that intimidated the daylight out of her. An intimidation that was as exciting as it was terrifying. Her heart dropped in her stomach at the sight of him laughing at something one of his childhood friends said while clapping him on the shoulder.

His voice sounded like a melody to her ears, and immediately her eyes saw him, her mind had already reeled her back to the bridal position she had spent a night and half a day envisaging. His curly hair was full and sat like a mane on his head, and she had truly never seen anything better.

Some younger girls passed by and shyly extended their greetings, the reply they got earned the men a round of giggles before they moved on. In one swift moment that felt like it went in slow motion, Isa’s gaze flickered on Lali. Their eyes met, gazes collided that her breathing turned shallow as if a phantom hand had wrapped itself around her throat, blocking the air out of her lungs and rooted her legs on the spot that she couldn’t move nor look away. But Isa averted his eyes from hers, turned to his friends and cleared his throat. An indication of discomfort. Lali let out a ragged breath and went on, the humiliation of Isa’s rejection so loud it rang like an uncontrollable alarm in her head with hopes that nobody—of the surrounding people—saw what just happened.

Knowing her mother will devour her whole and alive for staying late without selling out, she switched routes and followed up to a site that was under construction. There, at least she had hopes that she’ll make money out of the labourers that worked on the buildings.

By the evening, Lali walked back home from her venture into town where she had already made an acquaintance with the site workers and had marked them to be her new regular customers and the place, her new territory. Thankfully most of the hawkers have not found out about the spot yet. Because of the men at the site she had sold out for the day, money in hand with the promise that she’d be at their services everyday from then on.

Lali had smiled to herself, her mother makes the best Fura and she and her sister make the best Gyada (peanuts), so with these men, they could undoubtedly make a fortune, at least for the time they’d spend on the building project. A project that was just beginning to take shape.

The girl excitedly laughed, eager to go home and relay the good news to her mother and tell her about how they can make everything work for their benefit when she saw Isa again. This time he was alone on the culvert—his home being the only one having an enclosed drainage — typing away on his phone. Lali’s mouth almost dropped to the rough ground as she stared at how big of a phone he owned, a kind she only sees from people who come into their town from the city. It was the last straw that confirmed her surprise at how polished Isa had become over the years, and a motivation enough for her to move her feet in his direction. Swallowing the pride she had lacking ever since the news of the young man’s return, she tucked her container under her arm and spoke.

‘Hello Isa.’

Hearing his name from a female’s voice, he raised his head in its direction and saw that it was Lali. If there was anybody he wasn’t looking forward to meeting, it’d be the Haroun sisters because one of them has his heart and he wasn’t ready to confront her yet, while the other has his repugnance and now he had to deal with the bad one of the two.

Ever since the time Lali caused a scene and claimed that one of his friends had raised a hand on her, Isa had avoided getting into the girl’s bad shoes like a plague. She cried that all she asked was for Isa’s friend to give her the money for the peanuts he took from her, and the next thing she felt was a slap on the face. Unfortunately, a lot of the town’s people had known his friend to be a bad tempered and hotheaded young man that it quickly led to some of the people around dealing mercilessly with him until Isa’s father had to intervene.

‘Lali. How are you doing?’ He asked after awkwardly clearing his throat, unable to ascertain if the faint smell he could perceive really came from the young woman that stood before him.

‘I’ve been good. I..I heard of your return from my brother.’ The shy smile she gave him only made his eyebrows crease in trepidation at what the meaning behind it might be knowing how troublesome she can become depending on her mood or how the small talk she was making turns out.

‘Yes. How’s Hajo?’ Lali’s expression hardened for a brief moment before she concealed it with a smile, a fake one that couldn’t be missed.

‘She’s fine.’ Lali gritted out a response as he nodded.

‘Has she graduated?’

‘Who even knows?’ The girl gave out a funny laugh and waved him off. ‘She still hasn’t graduated.’ She finally answered.

‘Well, do extend my greetings to her. It’s time for Asr prayer. See you around.’ He smiled and got up to head inside his home, leaving Lali in the depth of yet another round of rejection. Folding her lips in irritation, she stomped her foot and moved on in the direction of her home. Finally walking into its premises, she met her mother washing some old linens while Hajo picked on a miserable tray of beans. Lali glared at her sister unprovoked and trampled towards their mother.

‘Here mama, I need to get some sleep now.’ She handed her earnings for the day and was about to pass when Hajo called out.

‘You haven’t prayed Lali.’ Lali glared, sneered and got into the room while their mother was too busy counting the amount of money she got to pay attention on what her daughters were saying.

‘Lali! How did you get this much today?’ Uwani excitedly asked from her position outside.

‘I went to the construction site. There are many workers there.’ Lali shouted back as she laid on the mattress to rest, not wanting anything that’d interrupt her relaxing time even though the quietness only amplified the pain of Isa’s dismissal which was raw and burning. The girl decided to put everything at the back of her head for the mean time because she was truly exhausted and worn out. As it is, tomorrow was going to be a long day. With that in mind, she allowed herself to be immersed and consumed into a deep sleep.