AN UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT

*ZAYD ARMAAN*

*CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ONE:101*

*AN UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT*

*JIDDAAH BARKUM*

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Wani irin daskarewa Raihana ta yi a wuri guda, kamar wadda aka maida ita dutse. Idanunta suka yi wani irin firfitowa waje, tana kallonsa ba tare da ta iya furta ko da harafi ɗaya ba. Zuciyarta ta yi wani irin mugun tsalle, ta fado ƙasa warwas. Wato ashe tun ɗazu da ta ce ya juya bayansa, bai cika alkawarin ba kenan?! Ko kuwa a yanzu ne ya juyo da nufin duba ta bayan ya ga shiru ya yi yawa?! Zayd kuwa ya tsaya cak. Idanunsa suna kanta, kuma ko kaɗan bai nuna wani alamar tsoro ko damuwa cewa an kama shi ba. Maimakon haka, fuskarsa ta kasance cikin wani irin calmness da ya ƙara harzuƙa Raihana.

Kallon da yake yi mata ba irin wanda za ka iya karantawa cikin sauƙi ba ne. Wani irin kallo ne wanda duk kwakkwafinka, sai dai ka ƙare da guessing kawai. Wannan ne ya sa Raihana ta ji kamar ƙasa ta tsage ta shige ta huta da wannan uwar kunyar.

“Kai…” Ta buɗe baki a hankali, muryarta na rawa, idanunta suka cika da hawaye na takaici da tsantsar kunya. “Wai… ban ce ka juya ba?! Me ya sa kake kallona?!”

Zayd ya ɗan lumshe idanunsa na wasu daƙiƙu, sannan ya buɗe su a hankali. Ba tare da ya matsa ko ya sauke idanunsa daga kanta ba, sai ya yi taku biyu ya jingina da ƙofar toilet ɗin, ya naɗe hannayensa a ƙirjinsa. “Na ce zan jira ki ne, ban ce zan rufe idanuna ba,” ya amsa da wata murya mai laushi, amma tana ɗauke da wani irin zolaya da ya kusan sa Raihana ta saki ihu.

Raihana ta zaro idanu waje. Hannunta da ke miƙe tana son janyo bidet spray ɗin ta janye da sauri, ta ja rigarta ta rufe jikinta sosai. A lokacin ne ma ta tuna cewa ta dage rigar jikinta wajen yin fitsari, dan haka tun daga kugunta zuwa ƙasa a buɗe yake. Ta tsugunna sosai tana neman inda za ta ɓuya, duk da cewa babu wani wuri da za ta iya ɓoyewa a tsakiyar bandakin. “Wallahi, ni ba haka muka yi da kai ba! Ka fita! Ka fita na ce!” Ta fara kuka, tana turo baki sosai saboda tsananin kunyar da ta mamaye ta, har ta ji da ma kawai ta ɓace a wajen. “Yanzu duk abin da nake yi kana kallo na? Shi ne ka yi shiru ka tsaya kana kallona kamar wani TV?!” Ta ƙara faɗa cikin kuka.

Zayd ya yi wani ɗan guntun murmushi, wani irin murmushi mai kyau wanda ya ƙara fito da kyawun fuskarsa, amma kuma ba ƙaramin ƙona wa Raihana rai yayi ba. “Idan ban tsaya na kula da ke ba, wa kike so ya tsaya?” ya faɗa, yana ɗaga yatsa ya taɓa girarsa ɗaya. “Tunda na ga kina ta rawar jiki da tsoron maciji, na ɗauka ko wani abu ne ya faru. Shi ne na juyo, sai na tarar da ke kina nan kina abunki a rariya kamar wata ’yar ƙauye.”

“Ni ba ’yar ƙauye ba ce!” Raihana ta katse shi da zafi, fuskarta ta yi shar da hawaye. “Ka fita na ce! Ka fita daga toilet ɗin nan kafin na maka ihu!”

Zayd ya ɗan ɗaga gira, idanunsa suna yawo a kan fuskarta mai cike da fushi da kunya. “Ki fasa ihun, na gani,” ya faɗa cikin nutsuwa, yana ƙara jingina da ƙofar, kamar ba shi ne ya jawo mata wannan kunyar ba. Raihana ta juya bayanta da sauri, ta rufe fuskarta da tafukan hannayenta biyu, sannan ta fashe da kuka. “Wayyo Allah na! Wayyo Umma na!” Ta faɗa cikin muryar shagwaɓa, tana girgiza kai a hankali, kamar ba ta son yarda da abin da ya faru da ita cikin ƴan mintunan nan. Honestly, she couldn’t believe how embarrassing the whole situation had become. Kamar ba yau ne kawai ta fara zama a gidan ba, amma har ta kai ga wannan level ɗin na kunya.

Zayd kuwa ya tsaya yana kallonta. A hankali wani murmushi ya bayyana a gefen bakinsa. Ya girgiza kansa kaɗan, yana kallon yadda ta tattare jikinta, ta ɓoye fuskarta gaba ɗaya, tana kuka kamar wadda aka yi wa wani babban laifi. For a moment, he almost laughed. The girl was something else. Just a few minutes ago, she had been fighting him over a snake, and now she was crying as if the whole world had turned against her. Ya so ya sake yi mata wata tsokanar, amma da ya ga yadda take kuka da gaske, sai ya haɗiye maganar. He knew he was partly responsible for making her feel this embarrassed, so he decided to let her be.

A hankali ya juya zuwa wajen bathtub ɗin, ya buɗe ruwan, ya fara tara mata ruwa. Bayan ya tabbatar da cewa ruwan ya kai yadda ake buƙata, sai ya kashe shi. Ya juya zuwa wajen hanger da towel ɗin da ke cikin bathroom ɗin suke a shirye gwanin sha’awa, ya ɗauko towel ɗaya, sannan ya fara takawa zuwa inda take durkushe. Raihana kuwa har yanzu tana nan a inda take, ta rufe fuskarta da hannayenta, tana kuka a hankali. Ta fara jin takun sawunsa yana ƙara kusantowa. Still, she refused to turn around. A ganinta, idan har ba ta kalle shi ba, maybe zai daina kallonta shi ma. Ta ƙara rufe fuskarta sosai, tana mai tunanin ko akwai wata hanyar da za ta bi ta ɓace daga wannan bandakin ba tare da ta sake haɗa ido da shi ba. Amma ina!

Sai kawai ta ji hannunsa ya sauka a hankali a kan kafaɗarta. Ta razana kaɗan. Kafin ta ankara, Zayd ya kama kafaɗarta a hankali ya ɗago ta sannan ya juya ta ta fuskance shi. Amma Raihana ta ƙi sauke hannayenta daga fuskarta. Zayd ya ɗan sunkuyar da kansa, yana ƙoƙarin ganin fuskarta ta tsakanin yatsun hannayenta. “Ki sauke hannunki.” Ta make kafaɗa alamun a’a. Sai ya ɗan ɗaga gira. “Okay. Keep them there, then,” ya faɗa cikin nutsuwa, kafin ya miƙa mata towel ɗin da yake riƙe da shi. Sai ya yi magana a hankali, wannan karon ba tare da zolaya ba, “Je ki yi wanka. Na tara miki ruwan.”

Raihana ta ɗan dakata da kukanta, amma ba ta sauke hannayenta ba. Zayd ya ci gaba da magana, “Don waɗannan kayan naki sun ɓaci da fitsari. Ba za ki yi sallah da su ba.” Wannan karon kuwa, Raihana ta sake fashewa da kuka! “Wayyo Allah naaaa!” Ta faɗa cikin wata uwar shagwaɓa, though she didn’t even realise she was doing it. A yanzu dai komai ya haɗu mata—tsoro, kunya, da kuma frustration saboda yadda wannan daren ya juya mata. Zayd ya zuba mata ido. What did I say now? Ya kalli kayan jikinta, sannan ya dawo da kallonsa gare ta. “Amma ai gaskiya na faɗa.” Raihana ta sake girgiza kai, tana ƙara matsa tafukan hannayenta a fuskarta. “Ni dai ka daina kulani!”

Zayd ya haɗiye dariyar da ta kusan kufce masa. “Okay. Na yi shiru.” Sai ya ɗan dakata, kafin ya ƙara da wata murya mai natsuwa, “Amma har yanzu sai kin yi wankan.” Ta sake sakin wani kukan shagwaɓa. Zayd ya lumshe idanunsa na ƴan daƙiƙu. If someone had told him that he would spend his evening yana rarrashinta haka, he probably wouldn’t have believed it. Shi da yake son komai ya tafi a tsari, yanzu ga shi yana tsaye a bathroom yana ƙoƙarin lallashinta—this is unbelievable! Amma da ya sake buɗe idanunsa, sai ya ga tana nan a inda take. A hankali ya ɗora mata towel ɗin a kan shoulder ɗinta. “Ga shi. Ki yi wanka, ki canza kaya, sannan mu yi sallah. Zan jira ki a waje.”

Raihana ta ɗan rage ratar da ke tsakanin yatsun hannayenta, ta leƙo shi da ido ɗaya, tana tabbatar da cewa da gaske yana nufin fita. Zayd ya kalleta, yana ɗaga gira ɗaya. Ta sake ɓoye fuskarta da sauri. “Ka fita toh!” A ƙarshe Zayd ya kasa danne murmushinsa. “Okay.” Ya juya ya fara takawa zuwa ƙofar bathroom ɗin, amma kafin ya fita, sai ya tsaya ya ƙara kallonta. “And please, no more crying. You scared me enough for one night.” Daga nan ya juya ya fice daga bathroom ɗin, ya rufo mata ƙofar.

Yana fita, da sauri ta sauke hannunta daga fuskarta, ta ƙarasa ƙofar ta ɗan tura ta, amma bata datse ta duka ba. Da ta tabbatar ya bar wajen sosai, ta dawo da sauri amma duk da haka tana yi tana juyawa baya, tana kallon ƙofar. She waited for a few seconds, just to be sure he wasn’t coming back. Da ta tabbatar babu motsinsa, sai ta fara cire rigar jikinta. Dama ita kaɗai ce a jikinta sai pant. Ta cire ta yi sauri ta shiga cikin ruwan, ta fara wanke jikinta. Babu sponge ma, but at that point, she couldn’t care less. Tsoron ya sake shigowa ne kawai a ranta, and all she wanted was to finish bathing and get out of that bathroom as quickly as possible. Sai iya liquid soap ɗin da ta gani a gefen bathtub ɗin kawai ta yi amfani da shi. Allah-Allah take ta fito, domin a tunaninta, kamar zai sake shigowa a kowane second. Ta kasa zama lafiya ko na minti ɗaya. Kullum idan ta tuna hoton macijin a toilet bowl ɗin, sai gabanta ya faɗi. Nan da nan ta gama wankan, domin ba ta tsaya yin wata doguwar bidia ba. She wasn’t even in the mood to think about whether she’d bathed properly. As long as she had water and soap on her body, that was enough for her. Ta fito daga ciki, ta ɗaura towel ɗin, tana sauke ajiyar zuciya ganin har ta gama bai shigo ba. “Alhamdulillah,” ta furta a hankali, tana mai lumshe idanunta na ɗan lokaci. At least, she had managed to finish bathing without another encounter with him.

Da hanzari ta ɗauki pant ɗin, ta ƙarasa ta ɗauki detergent ta wanke. Sai kuma ta fara tunanin ina za ta shanya shi. Ta ɗan tsaya tana kallon pant ɗin da ke hannunta. Oh my God, where am I supposed to hang this now? Ba ta son ya gan shi, kuma ta san ko tana hauka ne, ba za ta koma nata ɗakin ba. Saboda haka, sai ta ƙarasa wajen hanger ɗin towel. Ta ɗauke towels ɗin duka, ta shanya pant ɗin a wajen, sannan ta jibga towels ɗin a kai. Ta yi sauri ta ƙarasa yin alwala. Bayan ta gama, sai ta sake ɗaukar wani towel ɗin ta rufe jikinta. Daga kanta ta rufa shi kamar mayafi, sannan ta fara takowa a hankali kamar wata munafuka tana zare ido. She looked left, then right, before slowly peeking into the room. Baya nan. Raihana ta sauke ajiyar zuciya. “Alhamdulillah!” ta sake furtawa a hankali, tana mai dafe ƙirjinta. Wallahi, wannan daren ya ishe ta. She had experienced enough embarrassment and fear to last her for the next few weeks.

Zayd kuwa, da ya fito, direct ɗakin nata ya nufa. Ya shiga ya dudduba toilet ɗin nata, amma bai ga komai ba. Ya tsaya na ƴan seconds, yana kallon wurin da Raihana ta ce ta ga macijin. Daga ƙarshe ya dawo ɗakin ya buɗe wardrobe ɗinta. Shi bai san me dame take buƙata ba, kuma ba shi da niyyar ɓata lokaci yana ta neman kayan da za ta saka. He simply wanted to get her dressed so they could pray and put an end to the night’s drama. Saboda haka, kawai ya janyo wata riga da bai san ko wace kala ba, kawai dai ya ga ta masa kama da irin gown ɗin jikinta. Bayan nan, sai hijab ɗinta da ya gani a kan sofa. Abin da ya ɗauko kenan. Ya sake kallon kayan da ke hannunsa na ƴan seconds, as if checking whether he’d picked everything she needed. “Hopefully, this will do,” ya faɗa a hankali, kafin ya juya ya fito. Ya nufi ɗakinsa.

A hankali ya ƙarasa ƙofar ɗakin. Da Raihana ta ji motsinsa yana taɓa ƙofa, sai ta koma cikin bathroom ɗin da sauri! Zayd ya shigo ya tsaya na ƴan seconds. Ya kalli ɗakin, sannan ya kalli ƙofar bathroom ɗin. Wait a minute. Is she still in there? Ya ɗan ɗaga gira. “Ba dai ba ta yi wanka ba?” Ya faɗa a ransa, yana mai kallon ƙofar bathroom ɗin da wani irin disbelief. For a moment, he wondered whether she’d been standing in there all this while, waiting for him to leave again. A hankali ya ƙarasa gefen gadon ya ajiye kayanta, sannan ya nufi ƙofar toilet ɗin. Ya ɗan yi knocking kaɗan. “Hey?” Ya kira cikin muryarsa ta nutsuwa, yana jiran amsarta. Amma shiru. Zayd ya ɗan karkatar da kansa, yana kallon ƙofar. “Kin gama kuwa?” Ya sake tambaya, this time a little more firmly.

A cikin bathroom ɗin kuwa, Raihana ta lumshe idanunta da ƙarfi, tana mai cije leɓenta. Ya Allah, why is he back again? Can’t he just give me five minutes to breathe? Ta matse towel ɗin da ke jikinta, tana tunanin abin da za ta ce masa. Domin a yanzu, ba macijin kaɗai take tsoro ba—Zayd ɗin ma ya fara zama wani problem of his own. Sai ta turo baki, tana gathering courage kafin ta fito daga bathroom ɗin. Amma ko da ta fito, ta ƙi kallonsa, kawai ta nufi wajen sofa ta tsaya. Zayd kuwa ya bita da kallo kawai, sannan ya ɗan haɗe rai. “Ga kayan ki nan. Ɗauka ki fice a ɗakin nan.” Ba shiri Raihana ta ɗago kai, tana kallonsa kamar ba ta yarda da abin da ya faɗa ba. Sai ta turo baki, ta ɗauke kai tana kallon gefe, sai kuma ƙasa-ƙasa, kamar ba ta son ya ji abin da za ta faɗa. “Ni wallahi, ba inda zan je. Duk inda za ka kwana, ni ma a nan zan kwana.”

Zayd da ya ji ta rass, kawai ya zuba mata ido. For a moment, he said nothing. He simply stared at her, trying to understand how someone could be this stubborn. Ya sauke ajiyar zuciya, yana mai ɗan girgiza kai. He wasn’t about to start another argument with her. He knew very well that if he entertained her stubbornness, she would waste his time until midnight. Gashi har ƙarfe takwas ta kusa, bai yi sallar Isha’i ba. Saboda haka kawai ya juya ya nufi bathroom ɗin ya barta a nan.

Raihana kuwa, da ta ga ya shiga bathroom ɗin, ta yi saurin ƙarasawa wajen gadon ta ɗauki rigar da ya ajiye mata. Ta zura ta, sannan ta ɗora hijab ɗinta. Bayan ta gama, sai ta ƙarasa wajen prayer mat ɗin da ke gefe, ta shimfiɗa shi da sauri ta tsaya domin yin sallar Maghrib. Zayd ya yi wanka shi ma ya haɗa da alwalarsa, sannan ya fito daure da towel a kugunsa, fuskarsa a haɗe kamar ba shi ne wanda ya rikice ɗazun ba. Raihana na zaune a kan sallaya. Bayan ta ji buɗewar ƙofa, sai ta ɗan saci kallonsa ta gefen ido, amma ganin daga shi sai towel, da sauri ta ɗauke kai kamar ba ta ga komai ba.

Zayd kuwa, ya yi kamar ba ta cikin ɗakin ma. Ya ƙarasa wajen closet ɗinsa, ya ɗauko jallabiya da boxer, sannan ya dawo wajen sofa kai tsaye. Ba tare da ya damu da kasancewarta a wurin ba, ya cire towel ɗin ya ajiye a kan sofa. Raihana da take bin motsinsa ta gefen ido, ganin abin da ya yi, da sauri ta runtse idanunta, gabanta na mugun faɗuwa a rayuwarta wallahi ba ta taɓa ganin namiji babba haka ba! Nan da nan ta ji kamar ta tashi ta fice a ɗakin. Zayd kuwa ko a jikinsa. In fact, bai ma san halin da take ciki ba. Ya saka boxer ɗinsa, sannan ya ɗora jallabiyarsa ya ƙarasa gaban madubi. Ya fesa turare, yana gyara hannun jallabiyarsa with so much calmness, as if he were the only person in the room.

Raihana ta ɗan buɗe ido ɗaya a hankali, tana son tabbatar da abin da yake yi. Sai dai ganin ya fara takowa zuwa inda take, da sauri ta miƙe ta ba shi waje, ta koma kan sofa ta rabe kamar wata munafuka, tana ƙifta ido. Zayd ya ɗan kalleta ta gefen ido amma bai ce komai ba. Ya wuce zuwa inda yake son zuwa, hankalinsa a kwance. Ita kuwa, a zuciyarta sai al’ajabin rashin kunyar shi take. Wato ko a jikinsa?! Ya watsar da towel ɗin jikinsa a gabana, kuma bayan ya san ina cikin ɗakin! Lalle ma… Ta turo baki, tana mai ɗauke kai. Ta sake satar kallonsa, amma ganin ya nufi wajen sallaya, sai ta yi saurin maida kanta ƙasa. Zayd kuwa, ba tare da ya san irin tunanin da take yi a kansa ba, ya tsaya a kan sallayarsa. Ya ɗaga hannayensa ya fara sallah, yana mai tattara dukkan nutsuwarsa waje guda a gaban Mahaliccinsa babu tunanin komai. It was just him and his Creator.