Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bongel
Bongel
Bongel
Maryam Bobi
Copyright © 2015 Maryam Bobi
ISBN: 978-978-53425-1-2
Origami Books
An Imprint of Parrésia Publishers Ltd.
9, Oluwole Close, Okota, Lagos, Nigeria.
www.parresia.com.ng
All praise and thanks to the Almighty Allah, for his numerous
blessings.
My unreserved gratitude to the Niger State Book and
other Intellectual Resources Development Agency (NS-
BIREDA), for deeming it fit to have Bongel published.
Thank you Hajiya Ladidi, my first teacher, and Alhaji
Shuaib Aliyu Bobi for not bethrothing me at the age of thirteen
but investing your income in my future, for a family like no
other.
B.M. Dzukogi, thank you for these words “you can be a
writer”, it sure was the trigger little Maryam needed.
Ahmed Maiwada, you always believed Bongel is a tale that
needs to be told, thank you for not giving up.
Awwalu Abdullahi Sakiwa, for always being there, your
cover illustration speaks volumes.
To Saddiq and Halima, my two push buttons, who
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never got tired of bringing out the best in me, you two are
exceptional musketeers!
Doc Tea, Yerima, Paul, Terfa, Hamza, Abel, Abdul k,
Awwal Abdul, Jeedz, Ramat, Sarat, Zee, thank you for the
gift of friendship.
Thank you Unoma Azuah, Uchenna Ekweremadu, Nur-
d-din Busari and Richard Ali for accomodating me in your
tight schedules and taking a look at my manuscript, your
suggestions I will forever appreciate.
Finally, to all those I haven’t mentioned, I appreciate you
more than pen can write. Useko Miyetti!
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Prologue
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Maryam Bobi
face. He was leaning on the car, his back against the door,
fiddling with his phone. But then, her smile vanished with
the same speed it had come and her heartbeat accelerated as
every step she took brought her closer to him. She felt the
cold breeze permeate her pores to her marrows; it seemed to
be seeping to her very soul. Slowing down her pace, she took
deep breaths to calm herself. He seemed to have heard her
light footsteps because at that point, he looked up, saw her,
and beamed a huge smile. His smile always melted her heart,
like butter off the back of a warm spoon.
“Mai kyau!” he breathed, slipping the mobile phone into
the breast pocket of his richly embroidered jumper. “I was
just about calling your phone to let you know I am out here.”
If Abdul was a hypnotist, then he was the chief of them
all. With those two words, “Mai Kyau,” he always dismantled
her defenses. Mai kyau: The pretty one. Bongel couldn’t tell
if the charm with which he uttered those words came from
the Baritone voice he used or the crystal-clear smile that
accompanied the utterance.
“Al haya’u minal iman ko,” he mumbled as she shuffled up
to his side and flashed her large eyes at him. She scanned his
tall frame in one sweep and she immediately felt overwhelmed
by him. Bongel had the urge to cover her face with her palms
but thinking it would appear childish, she looked down and
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Bongel
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M a r y am B o b i
“Please,” she said with a sigh, trying hard not to break into
a sob. “Let us not begin to strip the chicken off her feathers.
Not tonight. Please.”
Abdul shuffled closer and covered her shivering shoulder
in an embrace. “Let me in, Mai kyau,” he whispered into her
ears. “We are in it together. In anything it is. I am on your
side. Never forget that. Allah has brought us together for this
reason.”
What woman’s legs would not wobble with Abdul’s lips so
close to her ear, pouring those words into her and beclouding
her reason? Who was the woman that would not breathe out a
sigh and begin to throw her arms around him? Just when she
feared that she would not be able to resist any longer if she
remained glued to him a second more, Bongel tore away from
his embrace, pushing him away.
She caught the flicker of rage in his eyes and wished there
was another way to make him understand. Standing out there
in the mosquito-infested open air was only worsening the
situation. Abdul slapped the back of his neck, to get rid of
a mosquito. Perhaps he would have been less enraged if he
thought he had crushed the naughty insect. She imagined his
fair skin turning red and wished she could make his anger go
away.
“You want to be left in peace, eh? Alright then!” He said
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Bongel
and yanked the car door open, flung his body inside and
slammed the door so hard it reverberated a hundred times
inside Bongel’s head. His turning on the ignition, reversing
and zooming off seemed to have happened in the same second.
Bongel followed the car with tear-filled eyes, hoping Abdul
would get home in one piece. As she headed to her hostel,
she blinked and the tears flowed free. Though she knew his
frustration was getting to a crescendo, she never thought such
a day was going to arrive so soon.
Nightfall seemed to have taken the world by surprise.
A lazy thunder rumbled, hidden somewhere under the dark
cloud. Bongel didn’t mind if the undecided rain made up its
mind and came crashing through dawn.
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Chapter One
2
Bongel
was so sure they were rain clouds – nimbus cloud, as she had
learnt to call them from a Geography class.
Bongel always thought that she had an abnormal childhood
even though it had been interesting growing up in Rugar
Bobi, a small Fulani settlement. It had also been tough for
her as the only child at home. She had no brothers and all her
sisters were married even before she turned thirteen. This
was a reality that left her forlorn much of the time. It had
been out of the desire to beat this mood that she had several
times accompanied Modibbo, her father’s herdsman, covering
miles on foot to herd the cattle. They sometimes ventured as
far as the banks of the great river. It was from Modibbo that
she got her first lessons on clouds, weather, and the cultures
and traditions of the Fulanis.
In no time, just as she had thought, those few splotches
of nimbus clouds multiplied and spread across the sky and
blanketed a greater part of the sun. She caught herself smiling
as she caught sight of other students scampering like a swarm
of disturbed ants as they gathered their clothes from the lines.
It always felt good to be right.
The smile didn’t last long on her face. She couldn’t help
but occasionally wander in her mind, painful as it always was.
Just as there were so many things she wished hadn’t happened,
there were so many others she hoped hadn’t changed. If she
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Maryam Bobi
was that innocent girl again, back in Rugar Bobi, she would
run about the valley with Juma, her childhood friend. And
now that it rained, she would sing and dance in the rain.
Bongel could clearly hear one of the songs in her head; just
as she could see Modibbo chasing her and Juma homewards.
Allah kawo ruwa mu sha mamale
Bama tsoron likita balle Dan sanda
With another sigh, she faced the direction of the room.
Their room was approximately 9m square in size. It had two
iron beds at opposite ends of a narrow aisle that led to the
bathroom and the kitchenette. The fragrance of the incense
Kauthar customarily burnt after subhi prayers still hung
strongly in the air. Bongel had once joked that the scent had
already soaked into the curtains and walls of the room to last
a lifetime. Soon as she entered the room, she slumped onto
Kauthar’s neatly laid bed, tracing the ornate patterns on the
bedspread with her slim fingertips. From there, she looked
over to her own bed at the other end of the room. Sometimes,
Kauthar shared the bed with her, worn and old as it was.
“It’s softer,” Kauthar would claim, pouting.
Not too far away from the edge of the bed, she could spot
the splotch of oil stain on her own bedspread. It was the result
of a physical, playful brawl they had over a piece of meat some
days back.
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Bongel
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Maryam Bobi
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Bongel
7
Chapter Two
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Maryam Bobi
12
Bongel
Though Bongel had fielded all the excuses she could come
up with, Kauthar insisted they went home the following day.
Being a shy girl, Bongel had always discouraged contact with
the opposite sex. She didn’t understand why Kauthar would
always tell her brother things about her whenever he called.
“I’ve found you a wife,” Kauthar had told him once. “My
roommate on campus,” she had added even as Bongel scowled
and poked her. It was plain to Bongel that Kauthar was doing
everything to pair her and her brother.
But, just three hours later, Kauthar’s phone rang again.
It was Abdul and he informed her he was by the parking lot
quite close to the girls’ hostel. They rushed out and found
him sitting on the bonnet of a silver-colored Toyota Camry;
his eyes, like a movie star’s, hidden behind sunshades. On
sighting his kid sister, Abdul smiled and spread his arms for
Kauthar to run into. Bongel didn’t miss the pointed nose
and well-kept beard peculiar to Fulani men. She found him
well built enough to pass for a model any day. Their show
of familial affection impressed Bongel, who did not have a
brother. She stood aside while Kauthar, still in her brother’s
arms, introduced them. Abdul had taken off his glasses before
extending a hand to Bongel. Instead of taking the offered
hand, she had curtsied.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she said politely,
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Maryam Bobi
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Bongel
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Maryam Bobi
soft. Even when she knew she was shivering, she couldn’t look
away from his tender eyes. They seemed to have magnetized
hers. “Good night, Mai Kyau,” he had whispered.
That was the first day he called her “Beauty,”which
eventually became his pet name for her. Her face had been so
close to his that she could perceive his minted breathe. She
felt so emotionally drained she lacked the strength to say a
word. All she was able to do was nod. Later, at midnight, he
called her up for a long chat.
Bongel just couldn’t ward off Abdul the way she had been
doing to all the other men who approached her. And she
couldn’t say why exactly.
“I’m happy you’re beginning to accept and reciprocate
his love,” Kauthar had said, grinning at her roommate one
morning. “He’s a man any decent girl would want for a
husband.”
“I love him as an elder brother,” Bongel replied in a voice
that failed to convince herself. “And I’m sure he loves me just
as a kid sister, nothing more.”
“Rubbish,” Kauthar had hissed. “Keep telling yourself lies.
You and I know he loves you. And the fact that he is your best
friend’s brother doesn’t in any way impinge upon anything.
Instead, it places him above other contenders.”
From the start, it had been plain enough that Kauthar’s
position reflected that of the entire family. Besides, Kauthar’s
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Bongel
the muffled sounds from the toilet until Kauthar stepped out
and slammed the door behind her. For a moment, Bongel
thought she was seeing the apparition of Lot’s frozen wife.
Kauthar must have brought this new shower cap from home,
she thought, and the dark blue towel draped from the chest
to her thighs.
“Hey!” Bongel shouted and then sat with a smile. “What’s
up?”
Kauthar barely responded. If those cold eyes didn’t belong
to her best friend, Bongel would have sworn those pair of eyes
bore hatred for her.
“What’s up?” Bongel said again.
“You!” Kauthar hissed through clenched teeth. “I thought
you were real. How long did you think it would go on before
someone found out?”
“Erm,” Bongel said, adjusting her weight on the bed,
confusion written clear on her face. “What are you talking
about?”
“How could you lie to me?” Kauthar moaned. “I trusted
you, Bongel! I took you like a sister! I loved you! How could
you lie to me?”
“Lie to you? My God!” Bongel left the bed and took steps
towards Kauthar who was standing arms akimbo, who had
stamped her foot with every question.
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Bongel
“What’s all this about?” Bongel asked when she got to her
and made to take her hand, but Kauthar pushed it away.
“I can’t believe I fell for your false pretence, your holier-
than-thou demeanour, which made me hook you up with my
elder brother, with the hope that you and I would be sisters
forever! Who would think that the so-portrayed footpath was
a highway through which everybody has walked through? And
if it had not been for Allah’s revelation, you would have gone
on to dishonour my family by serving my dear brother a left-
over dish!”
It happened in a split second, even before she could think.
Bongel never believed that anything could make her lift a
finger to her dear friend, but she gave Kauthar a resounding
slap. She knew she would never forgive herself for that rash
action.
“Look what you made me do!” she cried with tear-filled
eyes. “What are you saying? What is the meaning of all this?”
She turned back to sit at the edge of her bed and bury her face
in her palms. Kauthar stood at the spot for a minute more,
with her hand at her cheek. Then she too shuffled to the edge
of her own bed and faced her roommate.
“Abdul now knows the truth,” Kauthar said calmly. “How
did you think none of us would ever find out? We found your
home. We saw your mother!”
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Maryam Bobi
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Bongel
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Maryam Bobi
it to him. As for Kauthar, she would let her be for this night
and make another try the following day.
With this resolve, she reached for one of the notebooks
lying on the other end of the bed and opened to a fresh page.
She placed it on the pillow and began to scribble her story.
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Chapter Three
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Bongel
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Maryam Bobi
the storm. The events of the day had left her so weak that she
could not ward off one of her old admirers, whom she had
grown tired of warning to stop stalking her. Besides, his offer
to walk her to the hostel would do her good.
She was in bed, Kauthar’s bed, for a short nap with the
hope that Kauthar would come in and find her there. But
when she’d waited an hour, she realized that tactic would
not work; she decided to prepare lunch for the both of
them. Perhaps that would break the ice. She forced a few
spoons down before giving up, leaving the rest for whenever
Kauthar came back. She went back to Kauthar’s bed with the
notebook in which she had scribbled points from the day’s
lectures, but concluded, after minutes of futile attempts, that
she couldn’t understand anything she had written. She shoved
the notebook aside and sat up.
It hadn’t ever occurred to Bongel that loneliness was such
a devastating thing. She was badly in need of someone to talk
to but didn’t feel like going out to any of the dozen girls in the
hostel block. She wanted her friends. She wanted Kauthar. She
wanted Abdul. She picked up her phone and scrolled through
the contact list until she got to MY KNIGHT, and punched
the SEND button. But she terminated the call shortly before
it would have started to ring. She was afraid he would not pick
up, realizing that would have dealt her a bigger emotional blow
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Bongel
from which she might not recover for the rest of the day. But
the feeling to communicate with Abdul in any way remained
so strong that she crossed over to her own bed and pulled out
the notebook from under her pillow to revisit what she wrote
the previous night.
My Dear Abdul,
I am so hurting and distracted right now that I begin to fear
already it may affect my performance this semester. And Kauthar
keeps worsening my situation. She is treating me like a leper, because
of my “unpardonable sin…”
Yes, Bongel has been pregnant before, out of a
LEGITIMATE affair. Her father had married her out at twelve
to a very wealthy man whom she did not even know, much
less love. But she lost her baby, contrary to what Kauthar
thinks. And if Bongel had the power to kill, it should be that
man who stole her innocence...
The door flung open and the laughter of Kauthar and her
friends poured into the room, before they did. Bongel shut
the notebook and pretended to be busy reading something
else. This would be the first time any of them would be
bringing people back to the room, it amazed Bongel how
much Kauthar could change in so short a time. The two girls
waved at Bongel and went over to sit on Kauthar’s bed.
“Let me make a quick brunch for us,” Kauther yawned.
“I’m starving.”
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Chapter Four
As always, there was the urge to take off her hijab once she
reached the hilltop. She loved to feel the air sweep across her
face and through her hair. It made her imagine herself falling
from a cliff, a thought that did not make her cringe – it wasn’t
falling down, for Bongel, it was the sense of flying. She always
came to the top of the hill for the peace she found there, and
for the beautiful landscape it exposed to her.
Unlike other times, this evening, Bongel had not brought
a book and a cup of ice cream. And she had not come with
Kauthar. Bongel sat on one of the small rocks dotting the
hilltop and watched over the entire campus seeing students
loitering about the Administration Block housing both the
Library and the Student Affairs Division. It was the first
building one encountered in the El-Khamar School for
Medical Science. This campus of white and lilac buildings, of
giant Melina trees standing at strategic locations, of well-kept
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Bongel
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Bongel
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Maryam Bobi
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Chapter Five
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Bongel
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Chapter Six
It was a few minutes past six and Juma had since left. Just
when she had given up and was about to march back to
the room, she spotted the Headmistress riding her Ladies’
motorcycle towards the house. She shot a glance at her father;
he was still stretched out on the mat with his face stern as
always. His goatee moved up and down with his lower jaw
as he crushed yet another lobe of kolanut – there was always
one in his mouth. Without wasting much time with Bongel,
who rushed to welcome her immediately she alighted from
her motorcycle and busied herself trying to balance it, the
Headmistress made straight for Mallam Buba in the zaure, her
mass of a body forcing Bongel to feel sorry for her father who
would soon be on the Headmistress’ receiving end.
Bongel stayed under the tree for as long as curiosity and
impatience could keep her there. She could still hear the faint
voice of the newscaster and the static that kept disrupting
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Maryam Bobi
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Bongel
to pull her out from school into marriage. But since it will be
unfair to pass verdict without hearing from both sides, I said
I must come and see you. Although I have no doubt that it is
not true. Let us say I am here for formality’s sake, just to hear
it from you to confirm the falsity of that information.”
The pause that followed seemed like eternity. Knowing
her father, Bongel was sure he was dumbstruck to be spoken
to in that manner by a woman. When he finally cleared his
voice, Bongel’s heart jumped.
“First,” he began, “I will love to know how you accessed
that information. I know you are a school woman. I didn’t
know you’re also a diviner. So, was it my wife?”
“But, is it true?” The Headmistress asked, unperturbed by
the cool anger in his voice. “Is it true? This is an anomaly the
government is trying to correct—”
“You still haven’t answered my question. How did you get
to know about my family matter? Which foolish member of
my family has talked to you?”
“I am trying to be reasonable here,” the Headmistress laid
it on him. “I expect the same from you. Everybody knows
you don’t have a good reputation on this matter. Your name
has already reached the authorities as one of those that
perpetuate girl-child marriage, thereby denying them their
right to education. So, I suggest you don’t become more
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Bongel
earlier than she had expected. She found the world so cold
and empty. If only her mother or Juma was here, she thought.
The thought of being sent to the home of a full grown man
whom she didn’t know was too much for Bongel. She couldn’t
even work up a mental picture of herself as a married woman
– a full housewife.
A few minutes later, the Headmistress was yet to drive out
on her motorcycle, so Bongel returned to her eavesdropping
position. At first, it was difficult for her to understand the
new voice she heard conversing with her father. That voice
lacked strength and authority. She didn’t think it a good
sign that the Headmistress had resorted to entreaties. Even
though Bongel couldn’t see the debaters, she imagined the
Headmistress was down on her knees, or even lying prostrate
on the ground. And she imagined her father standing tall
with his arms crossed over his chest with a triumphant grin.
Until that moment, Bongel had nursed some hope. But it just
dawned on her that no one could defeat her father.
“The other time I said you’re a brilliant and wise man,” the
Headmistress was saying, “I guess you thought I was flattering
you. But no. See how you just arranged the whole thing in
such a way that no harm would befall you, by pushing her
to Alhaji Tanko, who is very rich and influential even among
government circles. But I beg you to consider the big picture.
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Bongel
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accusations, I swear.”
“If it wasn’t you,” he fumed, “then who sent that old fool
of a Headmistress to come and sermonize to me? Why did
you have to wait until she has left before you returned?”
“Today is the Mariga Market Day,” she explained in a calm
voice. “You know what that market can be like.”
“You mean to tell me that an angel appeared to Bongel’s
former Headmistress and revealed to her the happenings
in my household, eh? For her to come here threatening me
with the government agencies! In my own house! How much
shame do you intend to bring upon me, woman?” He barked,
standing over her like a hungry lion, as if he was about to
devour her.
Bongel’s heart was beating to a breaking point. She saw
her father’s arms shaking with anger. She sensed his voice
thickening. And she had never seen her mother shrink like
that before. She would never forgive herself if she let things
deteriorate until her father hit her mother. She sprang up and
dashed to the doorpost.
“It was I!” she screamed and with lightning speed, she
sprang away like a deer. The shoe her father flung at her sped
right past her.
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Chapter Seven
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Maryam Bobi
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Bongel
dozen spirits to lash this partying horde until they all died
from being flayed with koboko.
Two days later, her father called for her from the ranch
behind the house. When she got there, she knelt beside him
as was the custom and was surprised to hear him speak in the
kindest tone. He even smiled! She found his whole attitude
strange. He went further to hold her by the arm and draw her
closer until she flushed with embarrassment. The only time
she remembered him being affectionate was when she was
much younger. She avoided his face and looked down even
as she inhaled the cool morning air. It was fresh. The smell
of wet earth and the sight of tender grasses sprouting in the
fields had always appealed to her – anything to distract her
from her father’s unwarranted affection. He held her hand
with a firm grip.
“Look at the cattle,” he said to her. “Do you notice
anything?”
Now that she looked, it seemed the ranch had doubled in
population.
“I notice a lot of strange faces,” she replied.
“Yes Bongel!” he beamed, pointing from the west end of
the ranch to the east. “They are all ours, Bongel. Your dowry
paid in full by your generous husband. Can you now see
that that Headmistress of yours and your mother are naive?
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Maryam Bobi
The path you and I have chosen is one that has ensured the
continual survival of the family.”
“I don’t want this; you do!” she cried out and yanked her
hand away from his hold. She scampered away from him, no
longer able to stand his insensitivity. “I want to go to school,
just as Juma has done. Her father let her go to school,” she
sobbed, hating everything under the sun at that moment.
And she was feeling dizzy, probably because she hadn’t been
eating well since the whole marriage saga began. As her father
walked closer to her, she didn’t care if he was going to hit or
even behead her. In fact, she would be glad to end it all.
“Lastborn,” he smiled, resting a palm on her shoulder,
“someday, you will understand better.You will look back and
smile at your childishness. My child, selfishness is not our
creed.We are a communal people.You don’t let your personal
ambition jeopardize the family or communal interest. You
want to go to school, the family needs cattle to survive. You
of all persons should still remember the recent challenge we
had. It caused the size of our herd to deplete at an alarming
degree. Rather than being this way, you ought to be proud.
You ought to be grateful to Allah that, through you, the family
has been able to bounce back to its feet. Moreover, this one
is a two-part package. Being Alhaji Tanko’s wife means you
will no longer have to go to the stream to fetch water for
whatever reason.You will have pipe borne water right in your
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Bongel
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Chapter Eight
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Maryam Bobi
the hostel block with Salma wanting to get close but Kauthar
and Bongel were two friends that needed no third.
“It is crystal clear that all is not well. I’ve been observing
you lately. If you ever feel like talking, I would be glad to
listen. I am your friend. Or,” she smiled, “let’s say I like to
think of myself as your friend. Go easy, eh?”
Bongel sat on the edge of her bed for some minutes
wondering why Dr. Fahad should take special notice of her and
even ask Salma to check up on her. He was one of the strict
senior lecturers who frowned at laziness and malpractices.
Many students disliked him for his sternness but he had taken
an interest in Bongel. It may have been because she was always
curious and regularly asked him questions in class.
As she headed out of the room, Bongel hoped things
would go well at the meeting.
“I am sorry that I couldn’t make it to your class this
morning,” she said, wringing her hands, avoiding his gaze. “I
had to write some things deep into the night. I wrote into
the early morning, in fact, and hoping I would wake up early
enough, I decided to take a short nap by 4:00 a.m. It didn’t
turn out that way.”
“Are you sure it has nothing to do with your disagreement
with Kauthar?” Dr. Fahad asked in a fatherly tone. “How
serious is it? Anything I can do?”
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Bongel
“Ah,” she tried to laugh. “Don’t bother, sir. It’s just one of
those girls’ things. We’re already mending the wall, sir.”
It alarmed her to hear Dr. Fahad ask that. She wished she
could ask him to repeat what he had been told, so that she
would know if it was a fair representation of the facts.
When Dr. Fahad asked if it was her project that had kept
her up that late, Bongel went dumb. She found it difficult to
lie, even when just one word could have settled things. When
Dr. Fahad asked her about her project supervisor, she couldn’t
even recall the last time she met with her supervisor. But he
seemed satisfied when she informed him that she had gone as
far as Chapter Four.
“In short,” Dr. Fahad hissed at the frivolous attitude by
Bongel, “I think I should supervise your project myself. I will
ask your current supervisor to transfer your file to my office
as soon as possible. Don’t even try to do anything about that,”
he added. She was in shock. Her mouth opened to protest,
words failed her.
“Somebody needs to keep a keen eye on you. And I think
I should do that.”
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Bongel
you all by killing three birds with one stone. By this time next
year, you’ll all gather here for the naming ceremony of male
triplets,” he had said as his friends cheered him on.
Any other time, the aroma of the suya he had sent to her
room would have enticed her to taste a piece of the meat.
Instead, she kept shooting cold glances at the paper bag on the
bedside stool as though it was a wrap of something odious.
How could she have found an appetite, knowing she was only
being fattened to make a better slaughter?
The moment Alhaji Tanko finally came into her bedroom,
she sat up on the bed and watched in horror as he struggled to
pull off his heavy regalia: The three-piece embroidered attire
customary to rich men like him. She shut her eyes on reflex,
because she had never witnessed an adult male undress, not
even her father. Many seconds later, when she opened her
eyes, he had switched off the light, flooding the room with
thick darkness. Just as he began to mount her bed, she heard
some cracking sounds which must have ensued from his joints.
The room was charged with the million strong perfumes he
had bathed his whole body with.The moment his wrinkly skin
touched her, she felt like shrivelling away into the earth. His
sandpaper palms first found her head before frisking their
ways down to her hips in search of the knot of her wrapper.
When she resisted and tried to push him away, he became
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so furious he tore the wrapper off her body and pinned her
on the bed. Bongel felt her executioner grunting like a pig,
breathing hot tepid air down her face, and burying her in an
envelope of acrid smells. The tearing pain that hit her brain
was worse than any pain she had ever felt in her life. In all her
days of pastoral life, the pain was worse than any thorn that
ever pierced her body in the bush.
At first, it was just one continuous blurry hum, and then
there was a rhythmic set of thuds heard above the hum, her
heart beating to break.The same moment Bongel was opening
her eyes to the darkness around her, another volley pain struck
her, going off like a giant bell. She wanted to hold her head
together for fear it might explode but found she was suddenly
too weak to even move her hands. Her pelvis, abdomen and
thigh muscles were burning and pulsating. At that moment,
rational thoughts became impossible for her. She could not
recall anything at all. She hated that a mass of phlegm blocked
her nostrils; she resorted to breathing through her mouth.
She began to suspect that there might be something blocking
her ears. Eventually, she was able to move her hand to her ear
to check, and she pulled out a small ball of cotton wool from
each ear. She did the same with her nostrils.
Once her eyes adapted to the room, she looked around
and took in everything in one sweep. The blue canopy and
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praise Allah,” her aunt said, now weeping. “Just praise Allah.
You were being prepared for funeral prayers. You were dead.
We thought you were dead!”
It took some moments for Bongel to realize how
unfortunate she was. Why did she wake up? She started
sobbing. Having escaped hell, what in this whole world made
her return to this life of misery and terror?
“Where is Mama?” she asked Inna, then broke down when
they told her that her mother had refused to come. She was
not happy about Bongel’s marriage and to make matters
worse, she was shocked by the news of her child’s mysterious
death.
Alhaji Tanko, her father, and several other men, who had
been sitting outside waiting for the women to finish dressing
her for the funeral, began to squeeze their way through the
crowd into the room.
“Make way!” Alhaji bawled. “Make way!”
Once he got close enough and flashed Bongel his set of
kola nut-stained teeth, she passed out again.
Things got worse when exactly two weeks after the
wedding, they left Bobi for Tegina, where Alhaji worked as a
civil-servant. Hell could have been less torturous to Bongel
when she compared it to being forced to live far away from
her mother and her friends, and without the pleasure of
wandering about with the cattle and Modibbo. For months
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her bed. She simply watched Kauthar as she moved about the
room grabbing and tossing items. Bongel couldn’t help the
sad smile on her face. It took Kauthar close to an hour to pack
up all she needed. Then she began carrying the boxes out one
after the other. When Kauthar returned to the room for the
last carton, Bongel sprang to her feet and held unto it. With
tear-filled eyes, she pleaded with Kauthar not to leave. A tug
of war ensued between the two girls, but Bongel gave up after
a while. Something told Bongel that some of Kauthar’s new
friends might be waiting outside the room to help with the
luggage. But when she walked to the window in the room
and peeped out, she was shocked to spot Abdul’s car at the
parking lot outside the hostel.
He was standing beside the open boot. Some of Kauthar’s
items were already in it. He appeared somewhat lean and
pale. When Kauthar approached him, it seemed as if she was
shedding tears. He brought out a handkerchief from his side
pocket and wiped her face. He helped her put the last box in
the boot as Kauthar got into the car. Before he eased himself
into the car, he gazed at her window for a moment. Bongel
released the curtain and ducked, hoping he had not seen her.
It was only then that she fully understood the saying that
one should not put all their eggs in one basket. If she had
shared her affection with multiple friends, she wouldn’t be
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for a loaf of bread. She had barely returned to the room when
she heard a gentle knock on the door. It was the ever-smiling
Salma, all dressed-up and smelling fresh as if she had just
come out of a soap factory.
“I brought you breakfast,” she said, stretching out the
covered china plate to Bongel. She accepted it since it was not
good manners to reject gifts. Besides, if she was really serious
about moving on and making new friends, she ought not to
discourage Salma’s friendly overtures.
“Thanks,” she mumbled and took the plate from her. It
was still warm.
Salma stayed on to watch Bongel eat and to share jokes.
Bongel couldn’t have felt more thankful to Almighty Allah for
bringing her some comfort at such a time.
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had dropped her off and as her former roommate entered the
exam hall, Bongel asked Salma to do her a favour. She brought
out a large brown envelope from her bag.
“Please,” she said. “Could you drop this envelope in
Kauthar’s handbag? Don’t let her see you doing it.”
“I thought you decided to let her be?” Salma replied,
concerned. “Shouldn’t you be shunning all distractions by
now? Why not let sleeping dogs lie?”
“Don’t worry about me, dear friend, I know what I’m
doing. Just help me do it, please!”
Salma smiled at this, very pleased. She waited until after
the examination when students were jostling through the
exit, then she squeezed her way to Kauthar’s side.
Bongel waited until Kauthar entered Abdul’s car before
she opened a message she had saved under the DRAFTS folder
of her mobile phone and sent it to him. “Check Kauthar’s
handbag,” she had written. “A brown envelope.”
Bongel had been itching to send the text message. Her
heart pounded away as if she was about to steal a piece of
meat from the soup pot. It took her a great effort to restrain
herself from punching the SEND button when Kauthar had
not yet stepped into Abdul’s car. When the time was finally
right, a voice in her head began to caution her against that
move but she spurned it.
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once the final year students began streaming out of the exam
halls. Their hopes were high that that was the last paper they
would write as undergraduates. They chased one another
about the school environment, bathing each other with water,
soft drinks, and even wine.
As Bongel walked to the hostel, happy and fulfilled, she
didn’t fail to watch others singing and dancing. The instant
she pushed open the hostel door that led into the courtyard, a
flood of cold water hit her from all directions amidst screams
and laughter from her hostel mates. “Congratulations!” They
cheered. Bongel stood transfixed, but she had a silly smile.
Salma came to the rescue. She dragged her to her room.When
she had changed into dry clothes, she laid her back on the bed
and stared absently at the blades of the ceiling fan until her
mother called her phone to congratulate her and plead with
her once more to visit her father.
Bongel had not visited Bobi since she left there thirteen
years ago. She had forgiven her father after he apologized to
her two years ago, but she didn’t think he deserved hugs and
kisses as though none of the things he did to complicate her
life never happened. There was just no way she could forget.
“I’m coming home later today,” Bongel mumbled into the
phone. “And I might travel to Bobi tomorrow morning.” She
didn’t wait to hear what her mother had to say but heard the
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little sigh of relief her mother had let out before ending the
call.
She had just concluded lunch with Salma when her phone
rang. She stretched out and picked it from the top of the pillow
at the other end of the bed. When she saw it was Abdul, her
heart almost stopped beating. She gasped.
“What?” Salma asked. Bongel’s face had turned gruesome.
“Pick the call!”
Bongel continued to stare at the phone. Its ringtone was
a loud song that always irritated Salma. But then, Bongel
smiled, dropped the phone on the bed and covered it with
her pillow.
“Who is it?” Salma asked.
“Guess.”
“Kauthar?”
“No! You should know that Kauthar wouldn’t call. She is
too proud to do that.”
“Maybe she just found the envelope in her handbag…”
“It’s not her,” Bongel interrupted.
The phone began to ring again.
“Please,” Salma hissed, “you either pick the call or switch
off the phone. I hate it when people don’t pick call. I would
feel bad if I were the caller,” she added.
Bongel delayed as if she had all the time in the world
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before she took the phone and headed to the toilet. When
she stepped out of the toilet fifteen minutes later, she was
beaming with smiles.
“Who was calling you that you had to lock up yourself in
the toilet as if I would steal the call?”
“Ah,” Bongel laughed, and fell back on the bed beside her
friend. “It’s a special call.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“It was Kauthar’s brother,” she finally said, “Abdul.”
“Bongel!”
“What?”
“Unbelievable!” Salma whistled. “Why did you answer it
then?”
“Weren’t you the one persuading me to pick the call?”
Bongel replied, laughing.
“Yeah,” Salma admitted, “because I didn’t know it was
him. So, what’s up?”
“To tell me he got the letter,” Bongel mumbled, avoiding
Salma’s gaze.
“And?”
“What do you mean ‘and’?” Bongel cackled. “That’s it,
mainly.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well,” Bongel shrugged. “The long and short of it is that
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