Chapter 3

THE OBSESSION3

By Buhari Yusuf IBr

...03

“Officers! Shi ne wannan. He’s assaulting my younger sister. Take him to the cell until I see his father!”

Shigowa suka yi, suka ɗago Jaafar da ya daskare a gurin, suka saka masa handcuffs zuwa cikin motarsu, suka tada jiniyar motar, suka bar layin…

Karfe goma na dare, babu Jaafar, babu alamar sa. Tun mum din sa tana kauda kai tana tunanin zai dawo—tana gayawa kanta abinda ba ta da tabbaci akan sa, duk domin ta kwantar da hankali, that he might be stranded in the go-slow, cos garin Lagos gari ne na mutane da yawa, mai cike da cunkoso—amma har ta fara gajiya, her hope was slowly fading away. Tayi zarya na kusan awa guda a tsakiyar babban parlon gidan amma still ba shi babu labarin sa.

'What is happening, me Jaafar ya tsaya yi har zuwa yanzu bai dawo gida ba. This is not his habit—staying till midnight, + a iya sanin ta da Jaafar bai taba kwana wani guri ba, ko goma bai wucewa bai dawo gida ba—and now it's almost 11 PM.'

Kasa jurewa ta yi ta nufi dakin Alh. Lawal ta tura kofar a hankali. He had switched his room light to a dim setting, alamun da ke nuna he had prepared to sleep.

"Alhaji, har yanzu Jaafar fa bai dawo gida ba, kuma bai taba kaiwa wannan lokacin bai dawo ba." Hajiya Fatima ta fada—wacce aka fi sani da Umma. Don duk wanda ya santa a kaf makwabta na kusa da na nesa da hakan suka santa kuma suke kiran ta, including the Yoruba dwellers of the area—sam ta mance ba tayi sallama ba. A yanzu dai, her only wish was to know jaafar's whereabouts.

"Kuma kin kira wayar shi?" Alhaji Lawal ya tambaya daga kan gadon shi.

"Eh, na kira, ba ta shiga."

Shiru yayi na dan lokaci yana nazari kafin yace,

"Ina tunanin akan maganar da muka yi dashi jiya ne, bai ji dadin ta ba. Amma na san duk inda yake zuwa gobe zaki gan shi. Maybe he isolated himself to a better place than here, where it would make him heal from the venom love of that girl. Ki je ki kwanta, kada ki damu kan ki."

Bayanin shi ya ɗan yi tasiri a zuciyar ta, amma har yanzu she felt like something was wrong. Yes, she knew Jaafar is in deep love for Fatima, but this could not make him decide not to come back home. This home is his place to get solace—then why will he run away from it to somewhere?...

***

A hankali yake buɗe idanuwan shi, yana kare ma gurin da yake kallo. Kwance yake a kasa, cikin cell, a very unhygienic place. Wani odor yana dukan hancin sa, his face was pale, ya rame ya tsomaye as if he had spent weeks without food. Tashi yayi zaune daga kwance da yake. His inner white shirt turned to red color, his jeans stained with unidentified dirt but definitely dust.

His neck-tie was disarranged, rolled around his neck, and above all, his beauty, his elegance, and his money were temporarily gone.

Kokarin mikewa ya fara yi, sai a sannan jikin sa ya fara tambayar sa. Ya fara kai duban sa zuwa ilahirin jikin sa, yana scanning kansa.

Ƴan kananu-kananun raunuka ya dinga gani. Ga mugun tsami da zugi da jikin ke masa ta ko ina.

'does this mean I was beaten off, hakan na nufin i had fainted, ba baccin tsakani da Allah na yi ba kenan.' he questioned himself in his inner voice.

"Hello, is there anybody here?" Ya fada da karfi, but still muryar sa bata fita sosai. Amma za'a iya jin sa.

Wani kofir din dan sanda ne yazo ya tsaya gurin, yana masa kallon up and down kafin yace,

"Mr. young man, why are you shouting at us? You better keep quiet, our oga is on his way, he is the one in charge of your case." Ya fada yana ƙoƙarin juya zuwa inda ya fito.

"Please, my phone. I want to call home, nobody knows my whereabouts." Ya fada anxiously, his voice shaking.

"You don't have that right, Mr. man." Ya juya ya wuce ba tare da ya kara waiwayen sa ba.

Zaman kusan awa hudu yayi a cikin cell din. Bayan wata yamutsattsar shinkafa da ruwa a cikin wani kofin silban mai tsatsa da aka kawo mashi, bai kara ganin gilmin kowa ba.

Tun dazu yake kallon unhygienic food da aka kawo mashi, yunwa yake ji kamar ta hallaka shi, ga ƙishin ruwa na fitar hankali, his saliva dried up, amma ya kasa shan ruwan. Ji yake kamar; idan ya ci abinci ko yasha ruwan, it would add salt to his injury. +His hope to get immediate rescue was slightly going away, slipping away.

After an additional hour, yaji tabbas idan bai ci abinci nan ba, zai iya hallaka, babu wani sign na za'a taimake shi. He begins to wonder, 'shin gida suna son shi kawa? How on earth could someone with a family be held in a police cell for a good twenty-four hours, ba tare da anzo neman sa ba.' 

Jin yunwa na neman illata shi, yasa haka nan ya mika hannu ya jawo kwanon abincin ya fara tura shi zuwa baki da kyar.

Babu dadin gaba babu na baya, haka nan yake tauna shi, babban tashin hankalin shine wajen hadiye abincin. As he swallowed, the scrapped painfully down his throat trying to get into his stomach.

Loma uku kawai yayi ya tura abincin gefe ya ɗan surɓi ruwan kadan just to ease the pain.

Karar unlocking din cell din yaji, ya daga idanun sa yan mitsi-mitsi da suka kusa rufewa like wanda ya sha kayan maye yayi tatul, tsabar wahala– zuwa inda yake jin sautin bude kofar.

"Oya, fito waje, oga na son ganin ka." Inyamurin ya fada cikin lalataccitar Hausar sa da babu dadi.

Da kyar Jaafar ya mike yana bin bango har zuwa office din DPO, tare da jagorancin mutumin da ya bude shi. A yanayin da yake, ko rubutu ya gani ba zai iya karantawa ba, balle har ya iya identifying din wani office.

Kan kujerar baƙi—wadda take facing DPO—ya samu ya doddogara ya zauna.

Wayar Jaafar DPOn ya dako, ya kunna ta, sannan ya turo mashi ita gaban shi yace,

"Kira wani daga cikin family din ka." Babu musu, Jaafar ya dauki wayar ya nufi kan number dad din sa. Ya tsaya na dan lokaci sai kuma ya wuce numbern zuwa number mum din shi.

***

Alhaji Lawal da Hajiya Fatima zaune suke akan fantsama fantsaman kujerun da ke a tsakiyar parlon, duk wani tashin hankali was appeared on their face indai ka kalli fuskar su. Duk wani da ya kamata su tambaya da suka san Ja'afar na zuwa gurin sa—kuma akwai mu'amala tsakanin su—sun tambaya, sun je hospitals sun bi jerin yan accidents ko za'a dace amma har yanzu babu shi babu labarin sa.

Kusan awa ashirin da uku kenan, tun jiya da yamma da yasa ƙafarsa ya bar gidan, amma har yanzu babu shi babu labarin shi.

"Alhaji, kaƙi bin shawara ta, ya kamata mu kira mahaifin Fatima, ta iya yiwuwa yaje can, ko zamu samu wani dan ƙaramin information akai." Hajiya Fatima tace.

"Mun yi report ga yan sanda, mun basu hotunan shi, to me kuma ya rage? sai mu zurawa sarautar Allah idanu."

Kafin Alhaji Lawal ya gama rufe bakinsa, wayar Hajiya—da ke rike a hannun ta—ya fara ringing. Da sauri ta duba.

"He is the one calling!" She screamed.

"Oya, pick it up." Ya fada ya taso zuwa kusa da ita yana ƙoƙarin kanga kan sa, curiously to hear voice of his son

.

"Hello, mum." Jaafar ya fada, concern in his voice.

"Hello, my son. Kana Ina tun jiya muna neman ka, Ina ka shige? Ka fada mana yanzu azo a dauke ka." Hajiya Fatima ta fada. Daga jin yanda take magana, there's nothing called calmness in her voice. She felt like to blink off her eyes and open them on her Jaafar.

"Miko min wayar." Alhaji Lawal ya fada, with his neutral face,

"Kai, talk to us, where have you been since yesterday?"

Shiru Jaafar yayi jin muryar dad din shi, yasan halin mahaifinsa. They've already finished the discussion yesterday and his dad finalized his stance. 'To me ya kamata fada masa?.' thought it in his mind.

"Kai ba kai nake ma magana bane? Bana son shashancin banza shashancin wofi!"

Jaafar da yaji tsawar kamar saukar aradu bai san lokaci da ya ambaci cewar yana police station ba.

Jimm Alhaji Lawal yayi, na dan lokaci. "Police station? for what crime?" Ya tambaya, sai kuma ya cigaba da cewa "ohh, Jaafar ka je gidan su wannan fatiman ko?"

Shiru Jaafar yayi, ya kasa cewa komi.

"Answer my question. Ko ni sa'an ka ne!" Alhaji lawal yelled at him.

"Yes, dad. Na je, dan Allah ka yi haƙur..." Kit yaji an katse wayar ko karasa abinda yake son fadi bai ba.

Tashin hankalin da ba'a sa masa rana, 'he has guarantee that his dad will come to his rescue, but ta wace hanyar? Wane irin mataki zai dauka? He don't know.' He assumed it while sitting in front of DPO.

Alhaji Lawal kawa, yana sauke wayar, yana gama wayar ya mika mata wayar ta ya ya nufi hanyar kofar dakin sa kamar zai tashi sama.

Wayar shi ya dauka ya cigaba da scrolling yana neman number.

'GOC, Marcus Victor' aka rubuta akan screen din wayar, he's GOC–'General Officer Commanding'—in full—a head of all, in charge of entire soldiers in Lagos state.

Kara wayar yayi zuwa kunnen sa bayan dialing number. Bugu biyu aka ɗauka, daga can b'angaren aka ce,

"My friend Alhaji Lawal Naira. Are you there, do you remembered me today?."

Sosa kai Alhaji Lawal yayi cikin yanayi na rashin gaskiya yace,

"Sorry soldier! I don't want to interfere with your work. I knew you are always busy, that is why I gave u some space. And I think even last week we had met at SIIRIN Hotel, Banana Island!." Ya fada yana ƙamewa a lokacin da yake kiran 'sorry soldier.' din.

"Yeah, I recalled the moment. What happened? I knew you never call without reason, share it with me, sir." Marcus ya fada, teasing in his voice.

–Author Note: duk conversation da ke wakana tsakanin Alhaji Lawal da GOC, Marcus Victor da turanci ne, Saboda GOC, Marcus ba bahaushe bane. so, bari mu juya conversation din zuwa Hausa...

Murmushi Alhaji Lawal yayi, 'Wato Marcus Victor was memorized all his habits into his skull. Tare su ka yi karatu a Oxford University, England. Tun daga nan kuma abotansu ta cigaba da crumbling har zuwa yanzu and har zuwa mutuwarsu, insha Allah.' Ya fada a zuciyar shi.

"Wato soldier, yaron waje na ne police suka kama, saboda yayi wani laifi—zan fada maka laifin zuwa anjima– yanzu wani taimako zaka min. Zan turo maka number sa, pls track it, bail him and send him into your custody until further call."

Murmushi GOC, Marcus Victor ya yi mai sauti, sannan yace,

"Alhaji baka da dama, har yanzu kana da zafin ka kamar baya. Well, zan saka yara, zasu amso shi."

"Thank you, soldier." Alhaji Lawal ya fada, delightfully.

"Babu godiya tsakanin mu."....

***

Zaune Fatima take, shifted uncomfortably in the couch as if she seated on a bunch of thorns, her heart racing like a horse, waiting her brother, father, and her mother to start their utterances against her.

To be continued.