She rushed into the room and fell at her mother’s feet, who was folding clothes into a bag. Ammi looked up in confusion and asked,
“Is everything alright? What happened?”
Breathing heavily with fear, Aneesah couldn’t answer. When Ammi repeated the question more firmly, she suddenly burst into laughter and said,
“Ammi, it’s Yusuf who wants to beat me just because I laughed when his ball got crushed by a car.”
Ammi scolded her angrily, “When will you ever be sensible, Aneesah? Didn’t I send you to wash dishes? Instead, you went outside chasing after Yusuf. Now you’re even running away from him—if this isn’t foolishness, then what is?”
Seeing her mother’s anger, Aneesah quickly stood up and pleaded softly,
“Forgive me, Ammi, but if I go outside, he really will beat me. He’s even crying.”
Before Ammi could reply, Yusuf entered the room. Aneesah quickly ran behind her mother saying,
“Ammi, you see him, don’t you?”
Ammi gave her another slap and scolded Yusuf, “You want to beat your elder sister? Shame on you!”
Yusuf shot Aneesah a sharp look and said,
“May God save you. That man gave me twenty naira to buy another ball.”
Aneesah laughed and teased, “Twenty naira?”
He replied, “Yes, of course,” then pulled out two fresh one-thousand-naira notes. Aneesah’s eyes widened in shock.
Ammi asked, “Yusuf, who gave you this money?”
He said, “The man who smashed my ball with his car. He told me to go buy a new one.”
Ammi turned and looked at Aneesah, then said, “Alright, give it here, Yusuf. Later I’ll personally go to the market and buy you a new one. But did you thank the man at least?”
Yusuf said, “No, I forgot,” and handed her the two thousand naira before leaving the room.
Ammi sighed, “May Allah reward that man. It’s as though he knew I was just wondering what we’d eat today, Aneesah.”
Aneesah smiled, “Just buy foodstuff, Ammi.”
Ammi nodded, “That’s what I’ll do. Let me finish packing these things, then I’ll head to the market.”
Aneesah quietly left to do the dishes in the courtyard.
Struggles After Their Father’s Death
After their father’s death, Yusuf’s relatives began warming up to him because he was a kind, sociable, and forgiving person. He bore no grudges and even helped many of them with work and support, whether they were close relatives or distant kin.
It was during a wedding of one of his friends that he met Maryam—their mother, Aneesah’s mother. They fell in true love and married, though her father’s relatives opposed it because they had intended a marriage of convenience for her. But since Allah destined Mukhtar (Aneesah’s father) to be her husband, they eventually married.
A year later, Allah blessed them with Aneesah. After her, they didn’t have another child until eight years later when Yusuf was born. Unfortunately, when Yusuf was just two months old, their father passed away.
The death shook Ammi deeply. She was already hated by her husband’s family, but she chose to stay in his house to raise her children because her own parents were poor. Her mother had died when she was only ten, and her stepmother mistreated her. She was then taken in by her maternal grandmother until she eventually married Mukhtar.
Three months after Mukhtar’s death, his elder brother Baffa Shehu evicted them from the family mansion, claiming he would rent it out and use the money for the orphans. Despite Mukhtar leaving behind many properties, Shehu moved them into a rundown house in Suleja—one Mukhtar had once gifted to the poor.
Ammi, filled with grief, accepted silently and moved in with her children. They had no one to rely on but Allah. Mukhtar’s wealthy friends also abandoned them. Yusuf later enrolled them in a cheap private school, but he rarely paid their fees on time. Often, they missed six weeks of classes before payment was made.
Food was also scarce. If he gave them one bag of rice and a gallon of oil, he could vanish for months without checking in. Ammi bore all the struggle, even resorting to laundry work in people’s homes to keep her children fed.
Now, Aneesah was in SS3 preparing for WAEC and NECO, though tuition was still unpaid.
Hunger, Shame, and Hope
One week after Yusuf’s new ball money, the food Ammi had bought was finished. The family sank deeper into hunger. Their employers, for whom Ammi did laundry, had traveled abroad a month ago, so she had no extra income.
By 10 a.m., they still hadn’t eaten. The night before, they only drank water before bed. Aneesah sat by the doorway reviewing her school notes, hiding her hunger. Yusuf ran inside from playing outside, collapsing into Ammi’s lap.
“Ammi, I’m hungry,” he said.
Ammi looked at him silently, then called Aneesah.
“Yes, Ammi,” she answered.
“Go to Ladi the fried-cake seller. Tell her to give you one hundred naira worth. I’ll pay her tomorrow.”
Aneesah reluctantly wore her hijab and left. When she arrived, Ladi was busy frying kosai with many customers. After the crowd thinned, Aneesah greeted her and gave Ammi’s message.
Ladi frowned, “I don’t want your family’s debts anymore. Even when I give you food on credit, you never pay back. If I calculate, you already owe me a thousand naira. Every time it’s ‘tomorrow, tomorrow.’ Well, today I have little food, and I’m not giving you any.”
She hissed and returned to her frying.
Aneesah, embarrassed, walked home quietly. Ammi saw her and asked nothing more after hearing the refusal. Yusuf filled the house with loud cries for food, while Aneesah hid her face in her knees, crying silently too.
Description
Aneesah and Yusuf’s Quarrel
She rushed into the room and fell at her mother’s feet, who was folding clothes into a bag. Ammi looked up in confusion and asked,
“Is everything alright? What happened?”
Breathing heavily with fear, Aneesah couldn’t answer. When Ammi repeated the question more firmly, she suddenly burst into laughter and said,
“Ammi, it’s Yusuf who wants to beat me just because I laughed when his ball got crushed by a car.”
Ammi scolded her angrily, “When will you ever be sensible, Aneesah? Didn’t I send you to wash dishes? Instead, you went outside chasing after Yusuf. Now you’re even running away from him—if this isn’t foolishness, then what is?”
Seeing her mother’s anger, Aneesah quickly stood up and pleaded softly,
“Forgive me, Ammi, but if I go outside, he really will beat me. He’s even crying.”
Before Ammi could reply, Yusuf entered the room. Aneesah quickly ran behind her mother saying,
“Ammi, you see him, don’t you?”
Ammi gave her another slap and scolded Yusuf, “You want to beat your elder sister? Shame on you!”
Yusuf shot Aneesah a sharp look and said,
“May God save you. That man gave me twenty naira to buy another ball.”
Aneesah laughed and teased, “Twenty naira?”
He replied, “Yes, of course,” then pulled out two fresh one-thousand-naira notes. Aneesah’s eyes widened in shock.
Ammi asked, “Yusuf, who gave you this money?”
He said, “The man who smashed my ball with his car. He told me to go buy a new one.”
Ammi turned and looked at Aneesah, then said, “Alright, give it here, Yusuf. Later I’ll personally go to the market and buy you a new one. But did you thank the man at least?”
Yusuf said, “No, I forgot,” and handed her the two thousand naira before leaving the room.
Ammi sighed, “May Allah reward that man. It’s as though he knew I was just wondering what we’d eat today, Aneesah.”
Aneesah smiled, “Just buy foodstuff, Ammi.”
Ammi nodded, “That’s what I’ll do. Let me finish packing these things, then I’ll head to the market.”
Aneesah quietly left to do the dishes in the courtyard.
Struggles After Their Father’s Death
After their father’s death, Yusuf’s relatives began warming up to him because he was a kind, sociable, and forgiving person. He bore no grudges and even helped many of them with work and support, whether they were close relatives or distant kin.
It was during a wedding of one of his friends that he met Maryam—their mother, Aneesah’s mother. They fell in true love and married, though her father’s relatives opposed it because they had intended a marriage of convenience for her. But since Allah destined Mukhtar (Aneesah’s father) to be her husband, they eventually married.
A year later, Allah blessed them with Aneesah. After her, they didn’t have another child until eight years later when Yusuf was born. Unfortunately, when Yusuf was just two months old, their father passed away.
The death shook Ammi deeply. She was already hated by her husband’s family, but she chose to stay in his house to raise her children because her own parents were poor. Her mother had died when she was only ten, and her stepmother mistreated her. She was then taken in by her maternal grandmother until she eventually married Mukhtar.
Three months after Mukhtar’s death, his elder brother Baffa Shehu evicted them from the family mansion, claiming he would rent it out and use the money for the orphans. Despite Mukhtar leaving behind many properties, Shehu moved them into a rundown house in Suleja—one Mukhtar had once gifted to the poor.
Ammi, filled with grief, accepted silently and moved in with her children. They had no one to rely on but Allah. Mukhtar’s wealthy friends also abandoned them. Yusuf later enrolled them in a cheap private school, but he rarely paid their fees on time. Often, they missed six weeks of classes before payment was made.
Food was also scarce. If he gave them one bag of rice and a gallon of oil, he could vanish for months without checking in. Ammi bore all the struggle, even resorting to laundry work in people’s homes to keep her children fed.
Now, Aneesah was in SS3 preparing for WAEC and NECO, though tuition was still unpaid.
Hunger, Shame, and Hope
One week after Yusuf’s new ball money, the food Ammi had bought was finished. The family sank deeper into hunger. Their employers, for whom Ammi did laundry, had traveled abroad a month ago, so she had no extra income.
By 10 a.m., they still hadn’t eaten. The night before, they only drank water before bed. Aneesah sat by the doorway reviewing her school notes, hiding her hunger. Yusuf ran inside from playing outside, collapsing into Ammi’s lap.
“Ammi, I’m hungry,” he said.
Ammi looked at him silently, then called Aneesah.
“Yes, Ammi,” she answered.
“Go to Ladi the fried-cake seller. Tell her to give you one hundred naira worth. I’ll pay her tomorrow.”
Aneesah reluctantly wore her hijab and left. When she arrived, Ladi was busy frying kosai with many customers. After the crowd thinned, Aneesah greeted her and gave Ammi’s message.
Ladi frowned, “I don’t want your family’s debts anymore. Even when I give you food on credit, you never pay back. If I calculate, you already owe me a thousand naira. Every time it’s ‘tomorrow, tomorrow.’ Well, today I have little food, and I’m not giving you any.”
She hissed and returned to her frying.
Aneesah, embarrassed, walked home quietly. Ammi saw her and asked nothing more after hearing the refusal. Yusuf filled the house with loud cries for food, while Aneesah hid her face in her knees, crying silently too.
Even Ammi sat lost, overcome with sorrow.