Aliyu stayed in the car for more than ten minutes after arriving home. He felt extremely uneasy and troubled, and the worry had completely changed his appearance.
When Mumy noticed the silence and that he had not entered the house, she came outside. Before she even reached the parking area, Aliyu forced himself to open the car door and step out, his head lowered. He walked slowly as if he did not even want his feet to touch the ground.
Mumy kept looking at him because he looked very sick.
She asked,
“Abuturrab, are you okay? Is the headache still there?”
He nodded slowly and said,
“I took medicine, Mum. I’m feeling a bit better.”
He passed her and went inside while she watched him worriedly.
She followed him and said,
“So you went to the clinic just to sleep?”
Without turning back, he replied,
“Yes.”
Concerned, she said,
“You should have stayed home and rested since you’re not well, Aliyu. You could have called the hospital and asked for leave. Maybe we should even go there now and let them examine you.”
Aliyu stopped at the door. He didn’t know what to say and couldn’t turn around. His whole body felt weak.
Finally he said with effort,
“I’ll take her to the hospital so the doctors can check her there.”
Mumy replied,
“Alright, but honestly you should also be checked. What kind of headache is this that has lasted since morning? Sanusi can drive you to the clinic.”
Before he could respond, the door opened. Aunty Khadijah was standing there watching him closely.
She asked,
“What happened to you? Are you sick?”
Aliyu walked past her without making eye contact.
“I’m better now,” he said.
Aunty Khadijah looked at Mumy in surprise and asked,
“So he was sick, Aunty Fati?”
Mumy replied,
“He told me this morning before I left for work that he had a headache. I didn’t know it was this serious. I even thought he wouldn’t go to work today because he was still at home when I left.”
Aunty Khadijah quickly followed Aliyu as he walked toward the stairs. She even hurried a little, which surprised Mumy.
Aliyu stopped in front of his bedroom door and hesitated to enter. Aunty Khadijah hid near the stairs waiting for him to go inside so she could follow.
Slowly he opened the door and went in.
Inside the room, Baby was sitting beside Khadijah, who was lying on the bed.
Baby said worriedly,
“Yayanmu, Iman is very sick. She’s been crying and her temperature is very high.”
Tears filled her eyes as she spoke.
When Khadijah heard the name Baby called, she opened her eyes quickly and tried to sit up.
Aliyu could not even look in her direction.
Khadijah cried weakly again.
Aunty Khadijah stood at the door watching everything.
Aliyu said without looking at Khadijah,
“Help her get ready. We’re going to the hospital now.”
Baby replied,
“Okay.”
Aliyu turned around and suddenly faced Aunty Khadijah.
She clicked her tongue and walked away, saying sarcastically:
“If it was your own sister that was sick, you wouldn’t even pass by us.”
Aliyu said nothing and left.
---
Baby tried to put a hijab on Khadijah, but Khadijah refused while crying.
“I don’t want to go to the hospital. If I sleep, I’ll be fine. I can’t go.”
Baby pleaded,
“Please, let’s go.”
When she refused again, Baby went to call Mumy.
Soon Mumy came in. She gently put the hijab on Khadijah and said softly,
“Please get up and go to the hospital. May Allah make it easy.”
Aliyu stood in the corridor with his back to the door.
He heard Mumy say,
“Give Sanusi the car key so he can drive.”
Aliyu turned but suddenly saw Khadijah standing beside Mumy holding her hand.
A strong feeling of pity passed through him. He had thought she wouldn’t even be able to walk, yet she forced herself to stand.
Neither of them looked at each other.
Aliyu went downstairs first.
Mumy followed holding Khadijah’s hand, while Baby walked behind them.
Aunty Khadijah watched from her doorway, staring at Khadijah. In her heart she thought sarcastically:
“Look at this boss lady.”
They didn’t know Khadijah was only pretending to be strong. Her whole body was in pain.
---
Sanusi drove them to the hospital because Aliyu knew he could not drive in his condition.
Baby hugged Khadijah in the back seat while she cried silently.
At the hospital, Aliyu told Baby to go home with Sanusi.
Baby protested:
“But Mumy told me to stay with her! Who will stay with her if she is admitted? Look, she’s very sick!”
Aliyu gave her a strict look she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Baby became silent and returned to the car with tears in her eyes.
Khadijah cried softly and said,
“Please don’t leave me.”
Baby wiped her tears and said helplessly,
“He told me to go.”
Aliyu walked inside without another word.
A nurse came and took Khadijah into the hospital.
Sanusi drove Baby back home.
---
The nurse took Khadijah to Aliyu’s office. Since he wasn’t there, she took her to another office nearby.
She helped Khadijah take a bath in the bathroom, gave her injections and medicine, and cared for her gently because she pitied her condition.
While receiving the injections, Khadijah fell asleep in Aliyu’s room.
Meanwhile, Aliyu returned home and eventually fell asleep as well.
---
Later, his phone rang and woke him up.
It was Mumy.
She asked worriedly,
“Aliyu, how is Khadijah? Should I come to the hospital?”
Aliyu replied,
“No Mum, she’s better. Sanusi will bring her home later.”
Mumy asked,
“Where are you?”
He hesitated before answering,
“I came home. I need sleep.”
Mumy said in surprise,
“You left her alone at the hospital and refused to let Baby stay with her?”
Aliyu replied,
“The nurses will take care of her.”
After a moment Mumy said,
“Alright. But please go and bring her home. It doesn’t look good leaving her there like she has no family.”
Aliyu answered,
“Okay Mum, I’ll go now.”
---
Later that evening he returned to the hospital.
The nurse brought Khadijah outside.
She looked extremely weak and could barely walk.
The nurse told Aliyu she had been complaining about chest pain earlier but had already been given medicine.
Aliyu thanked the nurse and helped Khadijah into the car.
During the entire ride home, neither of them spoke.
Khadijah kept wiping the tears falling from her eyes.
Aliyu noticed everything but remained silent.
---
When they arrived home, Mumy welcomed her kindly and asked about her health.
Khadijah said softly,
“I’m feeling better.”
Mumy took her upstairs and made pepper soup for her.
Later that night her fever returned, and Mumy had to wake Aliyu to ask about her medicine.
Eventually Khadijah fell asleep near dawn.
---
A Few Days Later
Aliyu started avoiding Khadijah completely.
He refused to look at her or talk to her.
Even when she greeted him, he sometimes pretended not to hear.
Baby noticed and asked him one day:
“Yayanmu, did Iman do something wrong? You don’t talk to her anymore. I even see her crying at night.”
Aliyu became angry and told her to leave.
---
The Shocking Decision
One morning, when they were alone in the compound, Aliyu approached Khadijah.
She became nervous and stepped back.
He asked,
“Do you know the way to your stepmother’s house?”
Her heart started beating fast.
He handed her an envelope.
“Take this.”
Her hands trembled as she accepted it.
Then he said the painful words:
“Go back to your stepmother, Iman. I can’t continue living my life the way I want while you are under the same roof with me. You’ve become a barrier to my happiness. Please go anywhere… just leave our house.”
Tears streamed down Khadijah’s face.
She said softly,
“Okay… I will go. Thank you for everything you have done for me.”
She asked one last thing:
“May I at least say goodbye to Mumy?”
Aliyu replied firmly,
“No. Just go.”
She cried harder but said,
“Thank you.”
Aliyu turned and went inside.
Then he stopped and said,
“One more thing… forgive me.”
Khadijah replied through tears,
“I already have.”
---
Khadijah Leaves
She walked out of the house with nothing but the hijab she was wearing.
She took a tricycle to the bus station and traveled to Kano alone.
When she arrived in Kano, she searched for her mother’s neighborhood in the rain until she finally found the house.
Her mother opened the door and shouted in shock:
“Khadijah??”
They hugged tightly.
Through tears, Khadijah told her everything—except the real truth about what happened between her and Aliyu.
She only said she was sent away because Aunty Khadijah did not want her there.
Her mother hugged her and cried.
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