05 THE OTHER STORY

BINTA

After my mother had finished, we were all in shock. Mimi, that was against my mother at first looked guilty.

"Mama, may I sleep in your hut tonight?" I asked my mother. She looked at me and smiled; her smile was different. It carried deep understanding.

"No, my daughter. Do not change your lifestyle because of anyone's predicament. Whatever you do should always be because you want to, not because society expects it from you. I am a living example of people that make such decisions. I have lived with pain and guilt every day for twenty years now. Nothing and no one can make it stop. You are important to me. Your birth made the pain bearable, but a child can never replace the other. You, my dear, can never be replaced. Go to your hut and sleep well. Do not burden yourself. You are the gift given to us by the Almighty to put smiles on our faces, cover our shame and give us hope when the deity had tried to take everything from us. I see you like that one thing she could never and would never touch. Go to bed, knowing that you are our blessing." My mother's words touched my heart so profoundly. I never imagined she felt this way about me. I always thought that I was never enough being a girl but hearing my mother call me a blessing in the times of sorrow and trouble unburdened my heart and filled it with joy.

Although my father had cheated on my mother and broken his promise for reasons best known to him, I still loved him because he never made me feel as if I wasn't enough while he was alive. He always called me a blessing. I now understood why.

From my own point of view, my parents loved each other dearly. My dad must have been coerced by Nana and Kawu to do what he did.

I tried to stop thinking about it. It had happened long before I was conceived. I headed straight to my hut to try and sleep.

***

"I have to leave!" Was the voice that woke me in the morning. Realising that I had been jolted awake by conflict in the compound, I wondered if this was how all my mornings would be like onward. I had just woken up, so I still felt a little woozy. I decided to go outside and observe what was going on just in case it was my mother again; I would be able to prevent things from getting physical.

I headed out to get a chewing stick to clean my teeth. When I saw Aisha with her belongings. Nana was trying to hold her while Kawu attempted to communicate with her.

"No, Nana, I have to leave," Aisha said. This was too good for me not to have a first-hand experience of the event, so I sat in front of my hut's door and cleaned my teeth with my chewing stick while I watched the drama unfold.

"My daughter, please don't act like this." Nana tried to comfort her. "Please stay. These boys deserve to know their father's people and live in their father's house."

"Yes, my dear." Kawu agreed. "Don't leave."

"Nana, you heard what she said. This house, this family, is cursed. I cannot stay here for the sake of my children." She protested.

"What was said yesterday has nothing to do with you and your children. The curse is for Safia and her sons. Not yours." Nana assured her.

I broke my stick hearing this. To think she was the one that pressured my mother to give up her child, and now she can conveniently say that it was my mother's problem. I started hating her. She was clearly selfish, self-serving, self-centred and wicked. Since it did not concern my mother, I decided not to utter a word.

"Nana, how can you say this?" Aisha asked her, clearly shocked at what Nana said, "That woman gave up everything to save your son's life and look at how you dismiss her so easily and quickly. The burden was supposed to be yours, not hers. After all, you were his mother; instead, you forced another mother to give up her child so that yours could live. If I were in her shoes, I would not do what she did. Looking at how you have treated her between yesterday and today, I regret coming into this family."

Clearly, Aisha had some sense. I couldn't believe that she was on my mother's side. My heart was somehow at peace because she had defended my mother the way I would have, and she had said it all.

"What do you mean by that?" Nana asked, clearly getting angry.

"Calm down, Nana," Kawu said, trying to stop Nana's anger from spinning out of control.

"No, Kawu, let me talk." She snapped, "What did you mean by what you said? That you would have rather my son die? How dare you accuse me of being wicked? Is it a crime to want my son's lineage to continue?"

"He gave up that right the moment he killed the deity's spouse." Aisha shot back.

Nana raised her hands and landed a dirty slap on Aisha's face.

"You are not as important as you think you are." Nana said in anger, "Haliru's true wife is Safia. We just wanted someone that would bear him a son, and you fit the profile. If any serious family decisions were to be made, it wouldn't have been up to you."

Aisha nodded and did not shed a tear. What Nana said did not seem to move her at all. This woman was definitely tough.

"I know. I can count the moments I spent with my husband or, better still, the father of my children. In the ten years we have been married, we have spent a year together combined. I knew he loved his first wife. He told me so. Sentiments are not the reason for my wanting to leave." Aisha answered.

"Then why, my daughter?" Kawu asked her.

Aisha smiled and sat on the mat. She obviously had something to say. I looked towards my mother's hut and saw my mother, Gogo, Mairo and even Mimi standing and watching the drama unfold. After the incident yesterday, it was evident that Mimi had switched sides. She was no longer in support of what her mother had done, and it brought peace to my heart that my father's siblings still loved and sided with my mother even in his absence.

"Two weeks ago, Haliru visited me in my village, Rukum." She began, "he had brought roasted bush meats, and some farm produce. He also came with a goat. Even though Haliru spent less time with us, he always made sure we were well taken care of. I had had enough at that point, and I demanded he starts spending more time with me. He tried to explain that it won't be possible because his livelihood and life were in Rayuwa. For him to take care of us, he had to spend more time in Rayuwa. I wouldn't have it. I just couldn't understand. I knew his first wife did not know about me, but there was no harm in having two wives, so I offered to come with him to Rayuwa because normally, a woman is supposed to leave her home and go and stay with her husband. He refused but wouldn't tell me why. After persuading him and threatening to take his children away from him, he finally caved. He kept telling me, 'no, I can't lose my sons.' Then he agreed to explain to me why. He told me our sons' lives would be in danger if we came here. He said that he had offended a deity, and the deity had vowed to take all his male children as payment. That was why he married me because I was not living on the same soil that the deity had cursed him with. He said I was safest far away from Buchum until his death. That was why I came with the children," she paused. Everyone was in shock, but still, it made no sense.

"Being the daughter of a witch doctor, I now realise what had happened." She continued. "Deities are wicked, especially the one we all worship now in Rayuwa, Aljanan Daji. She is not only bloodthirsty. Aljanan Daji is not merciful and kind like the Almighty. Deities like her can never be appeased once offended. They will keep collecting until there is nothing more to take. Hearing Safia's story, everything now makes sense. Haliru died the way he did because he had broken his covenant with the deity by telling me what was between them. Deities always make you promise things they know will be impossible for you to keep. This way, they will eventually take what they want."

Suddenly her cries yesterday now made sense.

"That's rubbish," Nana said, "if it is so, why have I not gone blind yet? Why is Safia still alive?"

I couldn't believe what Nana was saying. Aisha smiled and continued.

"A man killed by wild animals and his corpse could not be found to bury for him to find peace is seen as cursed." Kawu and Gogo nodded their head in understanding and agreement.

"You are not blind, and Safia is not dead because you and Safia were not the ones that broke the covenant. The moment Haliru told me the story, his fate was sealed." She took a deep breath, "please understand I am not from around here. If this deity could keep her promise and take Safia's unborn children and eventually take Haliru's life, she is not the kind that plays fair. She has collected more than she was owed, and judging by her nature, she won't stop. So I have to go."

"Haliru is dead now. It's over. If she killed him, she has taken with her what she wanted initially. She has no rights to your children, my grandsons," Nana said, trying to convince her to stay.

"Aaaah!" we all heard the loud, fearful scream coming from the hut Aisha had spent the night. Aisha quickly rushed in, and we all followed.

To my surprise and horror, her son was lying on the floor with his eyes rolled back. He looked like he was possessed, and it was scary. I had never seen such a thing before. Then he spoke. The voice that came out from him was that of an old woman.

"He, he, he, he," he laughed. "So you thought you could beat me at my own game, Nana. I have promised to feast on this household like your son and his family feasted on my husband's flesh. Haliru broke his promise, and he has paid the price; these boys are mine."

"NO! Please let them go," Aisha begged, "Take me instead, please."

"You are of no use to me; none of you is. My price is Haliru's male children, and I will keep collecting." Then the boy's eyes closed, and he went silent.

Aisha shook him to wake up, but the boy wouldn't budge. Then suddenly, the younger boy fell and lay still.

This all happened fast. The only good thing was that they were still breathing. But no one had a clue on how to wake them up.