chapter five

Hameed blossomed into a remarkably handsome and intelligent young boy.  His bright eyes, quick wit, and charming personality captivated everyone he met. He stood out among his peers—both in beauty and brilliance. A makarantar firamare kuwa, ya sha gaban duka: yana cin jarabawa da sauƙi, yana shan yabo daga malamai.

Duk da cewan iyayensa ba su yawaita zaman gida ba, hakan bai hana Hameed gina jarumta da ɗabi’un kirki ba. Ma’aikata da mai kulawa da shi sun ba shi kulawa da kauna, sai kuma a lokaci guda suka koya masa zaman kansa da ƙoƙari. Ya kasance yaro mai nutsuwa—cike da ƙauna, amma kuma mai kishi da cikakken hankali.

Sai dai kuma a cikin shekarar da ya kammala firamare, wata babbar sauyi ta leƙa ga dangin. Safeenah ta samu karin girma a aikinta: an naɗa ta a matsayin babban jami’a a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Wannan ci gaba na aiki ya kasance babban mafarki da ya zama gaskiya. Sai dai ya zo da ƙalubale mai nauyi—ya zama dole su koma Abuja gaba ɗaya.

A lokacin da Safeenah ta karɓi takardar naɗin, she felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension.  The promotion was a dream come true, a testament to her hard work and dedication.  Yet, the prospect of uprooting their lives and moving to a new city filled her with uncertainty.  She was particularly concerned about Abdullah's reaction to the news.  While she was confident that he would be thrilled by her professional success, she was unsure how he would handle the disruption to their established routine and the added logistical challenges of relocating their entire family, including young Hameed.  The weight of this decision rested heavily on her shoulders, a blend of professional triumph and personal anxiety.

Yamma ce, rana na faduwa, hasken rana yana ratsawa ta taga, yana ba dakin kwanciyar hankali da dumi. Safeenah ta miƙa masa takardar naɗin da hannunta mai ɗan rawar sanyi. Abdullah ya karɓa, yana karanta takardar da nutsuwa.

A hankali, murmushi ya fara bayyana a fuskarsa, sannan ya bazu ya koma dariya mai karfi da jin daɗi. Ya tashi, ya rungumeta da ƙarfi, yana busa mata iska a kunne.

"My love," in ji shi da muryar jin daɗi, "this is magnificent! I’m incredibly proud of you. Wallahi, you deserve every bit of this success."

Ya ɗan tsaya, yana kallonta da ido mai sanyi. “I appreciate, more than you know, your passion for your work. It’s part of what makes you, you. Kuma hakan yana ƙara mini ƙaunarki kullum.”

Zuciyar Safeenah ta kife da ƙauna. Kalamansa, goyon bayansa, da irin jin daɗin da ya nuna mata—duk sun fi komai da ta samu a rayuwar aiki.

Sai ta ɗan yi shiru, ta ɗaga ido ta kalleshi: “To... yaya game da Abuja?”

Abdullah ya dan sosa habarsa, yana tunani.

"Abuja, huh?" ya ce cikin murmushi. "To, you know my businesses are everywhere. For me, home is where you are. It won’t be a problem at all." Sai kuma ya ɗan ɗaga gira, yana murmushi da ɗan damuwa a ciki. "Except… I wouldn’t want to take Hameed too far away from Abba. You know how much he loves spending time with him during the holidays.”

Hannunta daga ta dafa kafadarsa. “We can make it work. Zai iya zuwa hutu a Kano. Zamu tsara komai yadda ba za a samu wata matsala ba.”

Abdullah ya gyada kai, yana kallonta da idon soyayya. “We’ll work it out, my love. Kowa zai samu natsuwa. Your happiness is my priority.”

Safeenah ta sunkuyar da kai, tana murmushi da hawaye a idonta. Soyayyar da ta ji a zuciyarta ta ninka. Wannan hadin kai, wannan fahimta—sun zama ginshikan farin cikinsu. Tafiyarsu zuwa Abuja zata kasance wani sabon shafi—cike da sabuwar fata, sabuwar ƙauna, da sabuwar rayuwa.