chapter six

Samha was lying down on her bed, jikin ta shimfide cikin nutsuwa, pillow a rungume, tana karanta novel a wayarta. Haske mai laushi daga bedside lamp din dakin yana sauka a fuskarta, idanunta na bin layukan labarin cikin nutsuwa—that calmness she always needed.

Sai kawai wayarta ta fara ringing. Ta duba caller din—Nadiya.

Samha ta ja numfashi, ta juya kanta gefe daya, ta kyale wayar tana ringing har ta gama. Bayan ringing din ya tsaya, ta koma kan karatun ta kamar babu komai, ta ja blanket din kadan, ta gyara kwamciyar ta.

Sai kuma wayar ta sake ringing.

Ta lumshe ido, ta sauke ajiyan zuciya. If she really wants to read this book in peace, she had no choice. ta danna answer.

“Hello! baby girl, yane?” in ji Nadiya.

Samha ta sauke ajiyan zuciya, fuska a daure tace:

“Fine.”

Nadiya ta yi shiru na dan lokaci, sannan tace:

“Haba Samha, fushi kike dani?”

Samha ta juya ta kalli ceiling, ta ce cikin nutsuwa:

“Me ki ka min da zan yi fushi dake?”

Nadiya ta dan dariya tace:

“Toh ke din ce ai, abu kadan sai ki hau fushi.”

Samha didn’t say anything. 

Nadiya ta cigaba:

“Daman na kira ne n baki hakurin kalaman dana furta maki yesterday. I was just looking out for you ne kawai, ina fada maki gaskiyan abubuwan dake faruwa ne yanzu.”

Samha ta dan zauna sosai a gadon, ta  ta kalli wayar sannan ta sa a handsfree tace:

“Irin abubuwan dake faruwa yanzu sune har kike kira da gaskiya??”

Nadiya ta sauke ajiyan zuciya tace:

“It’s ok qawata. I didn’t call for us to argue or fight over the phone. Just called apologize. Sannan regarding what you heard over the phone, it’s not what you think it is…”

Samha ta yi murmushi—murmushi mara dadi—ta girgiza kai a hankali tace:

“Hajiya, kar ki raina ma kanki wayo. Just because bana irin life din da kuke yi doesn’t mean I am daft ko ban san abubuwan dake faruwa ba. My ears heard right and I am pretty sure I heard right.”

Ta dan dakata, ta cigaba da murya mai natsuwa amma mai nauyi:

“But to be sincere, I don’t see why you need to call me wai dan ki yi justifying anything because it’s none of my business. All I just want to say to you is to cut your coat according to your size.”

Nadiya ta yi shiru na seconds kadan, sannan tace cikin jin haushi:

“Ban gane according to my size ba.”

Ran ta itama ya baci. Ta mike a inda take, muryarta na dan kara karfi tace:

“Look Samha, all I want is peace tsakanina dake, saboda na san kina sona kuma tun muna yara muke kawance. Just because you know my parents and know family’s financial status doesn’t mean you know me completely…”

Ta ja numfashi:

“This coat you see that I am cutting toh, that is exactly my size. Because my parents can be poor, but ni ba talaka bace. Kuma ba zan taba kaskantar da kai na in yi rayuwan talauci ba.”

Samha tana girgiza kanta a hankali, zuciyarta cike da tausayi tace:

“Subhanallah, Nadiya… what are you getting yourself into?”

Nadiya ta amsa ba tare da jinkiri ba:

“You still don’t understand, Samha. Life has changed. You need to get this straight.”

Ta kara da cewa:

“Yadda zamani yazo haka ake binshi. Idan kidi ya canza, rawa ma sai ya canza. And in this life, I can never be left behind.”

Samha ta sauke ajiyan zuciya, muryarta ta dan yi sanyi tace:

“And what of Jannah?”

Nadiya ta ce:

“That should be left for Allah to judge, not us.”

Samha ta ce:

> “subhanallah, if you say so then how about repercussions—”

Kafin Nadiya tace wani abu, Samha ta cigaba da cewa, muryarta cike da gaskiya:

“Focusing on another person’s life makes you overlook the best of yours. Comparison steals the joy from your progress, Nadiya, by making you chase someone else’s timeline. What’s meant for them isn’t meant for you, and what’s meant for you, Nadiya, isn’t meant for them.”

Ta ja numfashi:

“Focus on your own path, your own growth, and your own journey. That’s where true fulfilment begins. Learn to be contented with the little you have, sai Allah ya baki abinda ma baki roka ba.”

Ta karasa da murya mai rauni:

“And then you can live your life with so much. You don’t have to be doing dirty things to achieve them…”

Nadiya ta yi tsaki, murya cike da haushi tace:

“Mallama, kinga ni ba kiranki nayi dan ki min wa’azi ba. Hakuri na kira n baki, kuma naga kamar wani kumbura kanki yayi ganin na kira n baki hakuri.”

“So to hell with fushin naki. Bye.”

Kafin Samha ta ce komai, Nadiya ta katse kiran.

Samha ta ajiye wayar a gefenta. Jikinta yayi sanyi, zuciyarta ta dan yi nauyi. God knows she truly liked her friend like a sister. Sai dai ita kawar tata ba son kanta take ba—bare ta san me sonta.

Nadiya’s father malamin primary school ne, salaryn shi 60k duk wata. Mahaifiyar ta kuma waina take siyarwa da dambu a layin su kullum da safe. Kannen ta biyar. Duk wannan kudin da take samu, da alama ba ta wani abun arziki a gidan su—kanta kawai take polishing just to fit into the trend.

Shiyasa ma duk su ukun suka nema hayan wani gida suna zama. Samha always wonders ko suna ma zuwa gida kwana—ohoho.

Can kawai Samha ta dauko wayarta, ta kunna data, ta shiga Instagram—tana da DMs to reply. Kafin ta fara, sai kawai ta ci karo da video din Nadiya, showing off her new iPhone 17, sabo fal, tana unwrapping dinshi from its box.

Samha ta girgiza kai a hankali tace:

“Allah ya shirya.”

Ta cigaba da scrolling. Sai kawai ta ga video din Dr. Tariq.

Wow.

Wani irin sanyi ta ji a ranta. He looks so damn handsome as always. Ta danna video din, ta kara murya, ta gyara kwanciya—

ready to watch.