Chapter Eleven

Bayan an idar da sallar maghrib, an dawo falon domin ci gaba da hira da nishadi. Anty Amina ta dawo da wani babban album ɗin hotuna — ya tsufa sosai, cover dinsa har ya soma yagewa, amma har yanzu yana ɗauke da ɗimbin abubuwan tunawa.

“A zo nan mu duba tarihin gidan nan,” ta faɗa tana dariya.

Ta buɗe album ɗin a tsakiyar Carpet, kowa ya duƙufa yana kallo da dariya. Ana tafiya daga tsofaffin hotuna har zuwa na baya-bayan nan. Kowane shafi na ɗauke da wasu kyawawan lokuta — aure, hutu, suna, bikin sallah…

Binta ta zuba idonta a kan shafukan album ɗin da natsuwa.

Idonta na bin hotuna da murmushi — ga Bilkisu cikin rigar Soja, ga Firdaus da hanci ɗaure a lokacin ta fāɗo daga keke, ga Bello cikin Suit…

“Oh my God! Is that me crying because I didn’t get gala?” Firdaus ta yi ihu tana dariya.

“Yes now!” Nabil ya ce. “And see you over there, look at your hairstyle! Kaman ledan tsaraba!”

Kowa ya fashe da dariya.

Amma Banda Binta wacce tayi shiru…Hankalin ta yayi nisa, Ta zuba idonta sosai a wani shafi — wanda ke ɗauke da hoton wani matashi a Cikin kayan sojoji yana sarawa. Tsayuwar sa da murmushin sa har yanzu irin nasa ne.

Junaid.

Tunaninta ya tsaya cak. bugun zuciyarta ya sauya. Duk da shekaru sun ja, sai da  zuciyarta ta gane shi nan da nan.

Sai ta dafe gefen album ɗin da duka hannayenta kamar za ta tunkuda hoto ta shige ciki.

“Wow... you’re stuck there. Who are you staring at like that?” Salimah ta tambaye ta da murmushi.

Sai inaa Binta bata  jita ba ma, dan har lokacin kallon hoton Junaid take — idonta  ya makale a kansa kamar an ɗaure ta da k'ugun tunani. Kamar yadda zuciyarta ke bugawa, haka ma numfashinta ke sauyawa a hankali. Ta manta cewa tana cikin mutane take — cewa kowa na kallon album ɗin tare da ita.

Sai da kowa ya lura.

Baba, da yake yana kallon su daga gefen kujera, ya ɗan ɗaga girarsa.

“Hmm…” ya furta da siririyar murya, yana kallon Anty da Maami.

Anty ta sake kallon ta sannan ta gyara makogwaro:

“Ehm-ehm!”

Firgigit, Binta ta farfado daga tunaninta, ta yi saurin juyar da shafi kamar wanda aka kama da laifi.

Kowa ya zuba mata ido da murmushi.

Salimah ta ɗan lumshe ido da dariya.

“Hmmm… it’s like someone is lost in love memories.”

Firdaus ta ce da ɗan dariya mai saɓon sauti:

“Somebody was definitely staring too hard at somebody!”

Binta ta yi dariya amma da nauyin zuciya.

Ta dafe kanta da tafin hannu tana ƙoƙarin ɓoye kunya.

“I was just saying…Ehm  Ya Junaid har yanzu bai canza ba. He still looks… like himself.”

“Of course!” Anty Amina ta ƙara da dariya mai ƙayatarwa.

“And clearly someone remembers him very well.”

Maami ta girgiza kai da murmushi mai ɗauke da wata fahimta ta musamman.

Nabil ya ce:

“Can we all just agree sister Binta is in love with the family’s fine boy?”

“You’re crazy!” Binta ta ce tana wurgar masa pillow.

Kowa ya ci gaba da dariya.

Sai dai cikin dariyar, zuciyar Binta ta kasa daina kawo mata falshes na hoton junaid. Hoton Junaid bai fita daga ranta ba. Sai ta ji kaman an fama mata tsohon ciwon ta…