Ajiya A Duhu Complete Hausa Novel

The destinies of life are like a picture drawn on the page of every human being’s life record. No matter how much you try to erase them or avoid them, it is not guaranteed that you will find the weapons for battle—let alone the shield to protect yourself from their arrival, whether they come briefly or linger for long. At times, we cry with tears, but the cry of the heart is the most painful and bitter kind of crying. It is the one that silently shatters our lives and our achievements, whether openly or secretly, and is impossible to forget—because sometimes it leaves scars whose marks we remember again and again.

At the beginning of our lives, our parents are our shield. They sacrifice everything they have to wrap our lives with their hopes. They raise us with passion and certainty until we grow up. That is why their love can never be erased from our hearts, and it is different from every other love that follows. Even when they discipline us and we feel pain and cry, that love of theirs never changes in our hearts—because they are one in a thousand in everything surrounding us, whether in success or failure.

As we grow older, old age catches up with them, while youth accompanies us. But from the moment you are able to distinguish between white and black—right and wrong—between your today and your tomorrow, the book of your destiny begins to be written with bold lines that reveal your trials. Struggle becomes your companion, your lifelong friend. The battle does not begin only with the struggle of worldly life; it also includes the struggle for the Hereafter, which will become either your beautiful final home or otherwise. For adulthood begins with the balancing of deeds—between reward and sin—everything visible and recorded by the One who created you. Our parents complete the struggle of our childhood and then move into the struggle of our adulthood without tiring, because to us, they are exceptional beyond measure.

In the journey of discovering yourself and affirming who you truly are, it is rare to find destiny untouched by the sweetness of youthful love. Love is not merely something to admire or to exist separately from your life. How did love begin? Did it end? Did it exist? Does it still continue? Love is the mirror through which you see yourself, and the endurance of those who patiently follow your story.

★ Three young women stood by the roadside, dressed in their national service uniforms. Each held the handle of her rolling suitcase, signaling that they were waiting for a vehicle. They tried to stop a tricycle (napep), but most times it was already occupied, unable to take all three of them. With mild worry and visible exhaustion, the one in the middle—whose face rarely showed a smile—raised her head to look at the stormy sky. She hoped deeply that the rain would not touch her, because that would make things difficult for her. That was why she was more anxious than the others to find a ride—especially since their journey was a long one. They were heading to Kaduna State.

As the storm wind began to rise, she stole a glance at her sisters, her eyes filling with tears. Before she could say anything, a car suddenly parked in front of them. All three fixed their eyes on it, but as soon as the young man inside opened the door and stepped out, two of them smiled in surprise. The one in the middle, however, tightened her beautiful face again and turned away.

The young man’s attention was completely on her. He walked up to them, stopped directly in front of her, and said,

“So with all the hurry I was in, you still decided to run away from me?”

She frowned and stepped slightly backward. He scratched his head lightly and smiled, then turned his attention to the other two, throwing them a playful look and saying,

“Honestly, friends, this isn’t fair. It’s like I’m with you, but you teamed up to help her escape from me.”

They both laughed at the same time. The one on his right, who was slightly chubby, replied,

“Never! We would never agree to that. Even if she ran from you, we’d drag her out from wherever she hid. But forgive us—your lady punished us with this long walk. You know she didn’t even sleep well last night because she was excited about going home to see Ammie.”

“Or maybe she’s just happy to escape from Jos and leave her little stubborn lover behind?” he said, his eyes still fixed on the middle girl.

Quickly, the one on his left replied,

“Come on, RK, you know that’s not true at all.”

“Hmmm, Aneesa, I already know you never like blaming her. No matter what happens, you always defend her. Anyway, get into the car now. Let’s go—I can see the rain is about to fall, and I don’t want my queen to get soaked.”

Before anyone could reply, she quietly began dragging her suitcase away to leave. RK quickly grabbed the suitcase, forcing her to stop without turning back. As he was about to speak, Aneesa quickly shook her head at him and took the suitcase from his hand. Without argument, he released it and stepped back.

She tried to pull the suitcase again, but Aneesa held onto it. That made her turn angrily, ready to speak—expecting to see him—but instead she saw Aneesa. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip in frustration. Aneesa smiled, knowing she had reached her limit.

“Please, for God’s sake,” Aneesa said quickly, not waiting for a response. “Please, I swear by Maanal, look at this place—the storm is heavy, and rain could start at any moment. You know better than anyone how badly that affects you. You also know he said he would only take us to the park. Today is the day you’re parting ways anyway. Please don’t let this separation end badly. RK doesn’t deserve that from you. Even if you’ll never accept him, don’t treat him badly today. Just like you never humiliated him before, don’t start now. Let the separation be peaceful. Besides, he doesn’t even have your number anymore, so he can’t disturb you, and he doesn’t know your house once you remove the town name.”

Slowly, she opened her tightly shut eyes. Tears filled them, just waiting to spill. She opened her lips to speak—but suddenly the rain poured down all at once. She became completely flustered. She didn’t even realize Aneesa had pulled her hand and pushed her into the car before climbing in herself.

It was only when she felt no rain falling on her, hearing only its sound, that she came back to her senses and quickly lifted her head from where she had buried it between her knees. As she turned, her eyes met RK’s—staring at her as if he wanted to devour her. She quickly looked away and turned to her friends. Zeezah immediately pointed at Aneesa, signaling that she had nothing to do with it—it was her idea. Aneesa, in turn, gave her a pleading look, begging for forgiveness.

She shot her a glare, looked away, then simply turned and wiped her face as the rain began to touch her, using her handkerchief…