꧁✍︎✍︎✍︎꧂

ᕼᗴᒪᒪO ᖇᗴᗩᗪᗴᖇՏ.
ᖴIᖇՏT, I ᗯᗩᑎT TO ᒪᗴT YOᑌ KᑎOᗯ TᘜᗩT ᗯᗴ'ᐯᗴ ᑕOᗰᗴ TO Tᕼᗴ ᗰIᗪᗪᒪᗴ Oᖴ TᕼIՏ ՏTOᖇY, ՏO... TᕼIՏ IՏ ᒪIKᗴ Tᘜᗴ IᑎTᗴᖇᐯᗩᒪ Oᖴ TᕼIՏ ᑎOᐯᗴᒪ.

ᗩ ᒪOT Oᖴ TᕼIᑎᘜՏ ᕼᗩᐯᗴ ᗷᗴᗴᑎ ᘜOIᑎᘜ Oᑎ Iᑎ ᗷOTᕼ ᘔᗩIᑎᗩᗷ ᗩᑎᗪ ᕼᑌᗰᗩIᖇᗩᕼ'Տ ᒪIᖴᗴ. ᕼᗩᑭᑭY ᗪᗩYՏ, Տᗩᗪ ᗪᗩYՏ, ᘜᖇᗩTᗴᖴᑌᒪ ᗩᑎᗪ TᗴᗩᖇY ᗪᗩYՏ, ՏUᑎᑎY ᗩᑎᗪ ᖇᗩIᑎY ᗪᗩYՏ ᗩᑎᗪ ᒪOTՏ ᗰOᖇᗴ.

ᒍᑌՏT ᗩՏ Iᑎ ᖇᗴᗩᒪITY, ᗯᗴ ᘜO TᕼᖇOᑌᘜᕼ TᕼIՏ. ᗩᑎᗪ, ᑎOᗷOᗪY IՏ ᑭᗴᖇᖴᗴᑕT ᑎO ᗰᗩTTᗴᖇ ᗯᕼᗩT. ᑎO Oᑎᗴ ᕼᗩՏ Tᕼᗴ ᑭᑌᖇᗴՏT ᗩᑎᗪ ᗰOՏT ՏIᑎᑕᗴᖇᗴ ᕼᗴᗩᖇT. ᗯᕼᗩT I ᗰᗴᗩᑎ IՏ... ᑎO Oᑎᗴ IՏ ᗩᗷOᐯᗴ ᗰOՏTᗩKᗴՏ Iᑎ ᒪIᖴᗴ. Tᕼᗴᖇᗴ ᗯOᑌᒪᗪ ᗷᗴ ᗩ TIᗰᗴ THᗩT YOᑌ, YOᑌᖇՏᗴᒪᖴ ᗯOᑌᒪᗪ ᘜᗴT TᗴՏTᗴᗪ ᗩᑎᗪ YOᑌ ᗯOᑌᒪᗪ ᗰᗩKᗴ ᗩ ᗰIՏTᗩKᗴ. ᗩ ᗰIՏTᗩKᗴ TᕼᗩT ᗰIᘜᕼT ᖇᑌIᑎ OTᕼᗴᖇՏ Oᖇ ᑕᗩᑌՏᗴ ᗰOᖇᗴ ᑭᖇOᗷᒪᖇᗰՏ ᖴOᖇ YOᑌ ᗩᑎᗪ OTᕼᗴᖇՏ.

ᗯᗴ ᗩᒪᒪ KᑎOᗯ ᗩᗷOᑌT ᗩᒪᕼᗩᒍI ᗰᑌՏᗩ (Tᕼᗴ ᗪᗴᐯIᒪ ᕼIᗰՏᗴᒪᖴ), ᕼIՏ ᗯIᖴᗴ, (Tᕼᗴ IᗪIOT), ᘔᗩYᗪ ᗩᑎᗪ ᘔᗩYTOOᑎ (ᑎᗩ Tᕼᗴᗰ ՏᗩᗷI), ᗩᗰIᑎᗩ, (Tᕼᗴ ᗷITᑕᕼ Oᖴ ᗩ ᗯIᖴᗴ), ᗰᖇ. ᗩᗷᗪᑌᒪᒪᗩᕼI... (OᑎᒪY ᘜOᗪ KᑎOᗯՏ ᕼIՏ ᕼᗴᗩᖇT) ᗩᑎᗪ ᕼᑌᗰᗩIᖇᗩ, Oᑌᖇ IᑎᑎOᑕᗴᑎTIᗴ.

OKᗩY, ᗯᕼᗩT ᗩᗷOᑌT ᘔᗩIᑎᗩᗷ?...
ᕼᗩՏ Տᕼᗴ ᗰᗩᗪᗴ ᗩᑎY ᗰIՏTᗩKᗴՏ YᗴT? ՏO ᗯᕼY IՏ Տᕼᗴ ՏᑌᖴᖴᗴᖇIᑎᘜ TᕼIՏ ᗰᑌᑕᕼ?  YOᑌ'ᒪᒪ ᗷᗴᘜIᑎ TO ᗩՏK YOᑌᖇՏᗴᒪᖴ. ᒪIᖴᗴ I ՏᗩIᗪ ᗴᗩᖇᒪIᗴᖇ, ᗴᐯᗴᖇYTᕼIᑎᘜ IՏ ᗪᗴՏTIᑎᗴᗪ. ᗩᑎᗪ ᗩ TᗴՏT ᑕOᗰᗴՏ ᖴOᖇ ᗴᐯᗴᖇYOᑎᗴ. YOᑌ ᒍᑌՏT ᑕՏᑎ'T ᗴՏᑕᗩᑭᗴ IT.

OKᗩY, ᗯᕼᗩT I ᗯᗩᑎT IՏ... TᖇY TO ᖇᗴᒪᗩTᗴ TᕼIՏ ՏTOᖇY TO YOᑌᖇ Oᗯᑎ ᒪIᖴᗴ ᗴ᙭ᑭᗴᖇIᗴᑎᑕᗴ ᗩᑎᗪ Տᕼᗩᖇᗴ ᗯITᕼ ᑌՏ Oᑎᗴ OᖇᐯTᗯO ᗰIՏTᗩKᗴՏ YOᑌᐯᗴ ᗰᗩᗪᗴ ՏO ᖴᗩᖇ.

*ᗰIᑎᗴ, I'ᐯᗴ TᖇᑌՏTᗴᗪ ᗩ ᖴᖇIᗴᑎᗪ TᘜᗩT ᗴᑎᗪᗴᗪ ᑌᑭ ᗷᗴTᖇᗩYIᑎᘜ ᗰᗴ.... Yᗴᗩᕼ, ՏOᗰᗴOᑎᗴ ᒪIKᗴ ᖴIᖇᗪᗩᑌՏI.
*I'ᐯᗴ ᗩᒪՏO ᗷᗴᗴᑎ TᖇᗴᗩTᗴᗪ ᒪIKᗴ ᘔᗩIᑎᗩᗷ... ᗷY ᑭᗴOᑭᒪᗴ I ᗩᒪᒪ ᗰY ᖴᗩᗰIᒪY.

ᑎOᗯ, ᗯᕼᗩTՏ YOᑌᖇՏ? ᑭᒪᗴᗩՏᗴ, ᗪOᑎT ՏᑭOIᒪ THᗴ ᖴᑌᑎ!!!

꧁✍︎✍︎✍︎꧂

㋛︎㋛︎㋛︎

Zainab looked threatened at his words and action.

"I made yam porrage sir?"

"You made yam Porrage... You surely did. Now, I understand that you're a changed person but I just can't understand why. You intensionally did this right? Why don't you taste what you cooked?!" He spat out with fury.

It was the first time Mr. Abdullahi has ever shouted at her. Her eyes turned watery with the way he blamed her in front of his sons. How unfortunate? She gets blamed for almost everything. Burning tears poured from her eyes as she suddenly broke down in resignation. She'd tried to fight back but the sad feelings were unstoppable.

"Yes, yes! What are you waiting for again? Stupid girl! Do you expect me to feed you or what?!"

"No..  siir." She squivered to lift ha spoon into her mouth.

She just couldn't swallow it, she had to force herself to. "Someone must have tempered with my cooking sir... I'm sure of what I made. I mean.."

"Just shut up Zainab! Shut up and stop blaming others for your own mistakes! Who prepared this food? Me?"

"No sir... Thaaat's not what I mea-" she wiped out her ears and sniffled.

"It's clear that you're so selfish and wicked! So you wanted to east if all alone! All you do in this house is to waste food and cause us headaches! As young as you are, you're already this heartless. It's clear that you poured the whole jar of salt into this food. And the pepper alone is unconsumable!"

"I didn't do it sir. Wallahi! I didn't know... I'm sorry." Zainab breaks down in tears.

"Sorry for yourself, Zainab! Just take this rubbish out of my face!!" He hissed with so much anger.

Zainab closed the cooler and  took everything back into the kitchen. She shivered silently and walked away.

"This isn't fair dad, you shouldn't have treated her like that!" Idris defended.

"Shut up! The three of you, follow me if you're hungry!" He hissed and left the table.

Ibrahim and Isah happily followed their father to his car while Idris noticed their behavior all through. He went to meet Zainab in the kitchen. She was washing all the plates and putting the porrage into the bin to throw away.

"How did this happened, Zee? What even happened?" Idris asked and quickly tasted the food from the plate.

"Aww! Peppery and salty!! Phhh!!!" he spite it out into the sink and rinsed his mouth.

"Just go away, Idris. Don't question me again, I'm tired." She turned away with a frown.

"It's all Ibrahim and Isah's doing right?" He questioned as she immediately stopped crying. She hated it when Idris see her cry. As if she felt shy about him seeing her weakness or so. So, she wiped away her tears and continued her washing.

Zainab kept silent for a while. Just then, They heard the car horn.

Zainab sniffed and faced him, "Why don't you follow them and leave me alone?"

"I'm not interested in going anywhere, Zee. If your hurt, I'm hurt too. He folded the sleeves of his shirt and helped her rinse the plates."

"I can do this alone, Idris. I don't want any more drama for you."

"I'm not complain Zainab. Perhaps, I'm in my father's house. I can do whatever I want to."

Mr. Abdullahi drove the others to a nearby eatery. They ate to their fill and even brought home take aways but nothing for Zainab.

After doing the dishes, Zainab and Idris cleaned the kitchen and the livingroom as well.

Then, Idris brought out a story book he borrowed from the school library and they happily read it together. They wrote down the new words into their vocabulary building notebook. It is a 60 leaves exercise book the both of them bought... So, they checked up the meaning of the words inside a big dictionary and save the meanings and synonyms into the vocabulary book like a piggy bank.
As it is, the dictionary was for Ibrahim and Isah so, it's clear that they wouldn't lend Zainab or Idris, himself. Even though he's their bother, they don't share things with him like that because they thinks he's too young to handle such things.

An hour later, Idris returned the dictionary back into their room while Zainab decided to prepare dinner. Carefully this time. One thing is clear, Ibrahim and Idris wants her out so they planned against her. She wasn't offended at all but one thing for sure, she won't stay forever with the Bala's.

Suddenly, when she heard the horn of the car, she quickly went to open the gate. She greeted Me. Abdullahi welcome but her ignored her. She wanted to collect the takeaways to help them take it in but none of them even looked at her.
When Mr. Abdullahi get in, he noticed  she was cooking again. He angrily walked into the kitchen to see for himself.

She had made Semovita and melon soup.

"What's this again, Zainab! Are you blind or deaf or you're simply just dump?!"

Zainab looked at him, puzzled.

"What did I do again this time?"

He clamps his hand over his head as if he regretted doing something or he was thinking about something confusing too.

Another series of tears gathered her eyes as she thought about that she had done wrong again. Her poor heart raced as she thought about it.

"Why, Zainab! Why do you love wasting food this much! Something that is so expensive in market!"

***
Words and Translations

Semovita: A food made from grounded corn. Corn flour.

***

Enjoy reading  and please, don't forget to press the tiny orange star ★ at the end of each chapter to notify me you've actually read it… So! What are we waiting for! Continue reading this story of family, adventure, mystery and plot twists and leave your comments.