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Fire in the Textile Mill (Wuta a Masaƙa)**
*Part 1**
Abba said, “Imran, it’s about Amira. I hear she is now taking pictures with those pagans from the South, musicians. Look at how my pictures are being spliced with hers, and people are asking if she really isn't my daughter. If this gets out, I will be so ashamed that I failed to look after this girl until she turned out like this.”
Imran replied, “Oh, so you’ve seen it too, Abba?”
“Yes, Imran, I have seen it. It was shown to me, and ever since I saw it, I haven’t been able to find peace of mind. I even went all the way to Kano, but she wasn’t at their house. I left instructions to call me whenever she returned, only to stumble upon pictures of her at a wedding in Abuja—Professor Latif's son’s wedding.”
Imran’s heart skipped a beat. So, it was true that Ihsan and Amira had crossed paths? Steeling himself, he asked, “So now, Abba, what is the way forward? We need to find a solution urgently.”
Abba said, “I spoke with Alhaji Hashim. He told me to wait for him, but I haven’t heard anything from him yet.”
“Abba, we can’t just sit and wait. We must search for this girl wherever she is and bring her back.”
Abba replied, “No, I don't want any rash decisions, Imran. Let’s take things slowly. Let it be until tomorrow, if God spares our lives, I will speak with Alhaji Hashim. I know he gave orders to look for her in Abuja.”
Imran said, “Alright then, Abba, let’s hear what he has to say. But I am afraid she might go ahead and cause us another public embarrassment.”
“Don't worry, by God's grace, she won't do anything else. Let’s just pray for her that Allah guides her.”
In reality, Imran wasn't concerned about Amira’s guidance; he was only thinking about how to punish her. They were living their lives in peace, and now she was about to make them the town's gossip.
**Part 2**
When they entered the house, Imran headed straight to his room while Abba went further inside.
In the living room, he found Ammi and Minal chatting. Ammi looked at him and completely ignored him. It was Minal who spoke up, saying, “Welcome back, Abba.”
He replied, “Thank you, Minal. Bless you.”
She said, “Abba, the wedding invitation cards have been brought; they were taken to your room. I'll go pick mine up tomorrow, God willing, we will get ours and take it to Anty Ihsan.”
Abba smiled and said, “Masha Allah. May Allah spare our lives until tomorrow in good health.”
With that, he walked to his room. Minal turned to her mother and asked, “Ammi, why did you ignore Abba?”
“Leave me alone with that father of yours. He is trying to bring trouble into this house.”
“Ammi, what kind of trouble?”
“It’s that girl who is weighing heavily on his mind. She is proving stubborn, and now he wants to come and distress me too. I can see his subtle moves to go pick her up and bring her back into this house. That’s why I backed off and am watching his every move, just to see how far he can go. He better not dare bring that girl to me in this house.”
Minal chimed in, “Goodness! Ammi, people are saying she is practicing prostitution. Have you seen her pictures on social media?”
“That is exactly why I am keeping an eye on him, to see what action he will take.”
Minal added, “I swear, Ammi, don't agree to have a prostitute brought into your home.”
“Just leave him to me. He won't see me smiling until I see what steps he takes regarding this matter.”
**Part 3**
Imran kept brainstorming a way out of the Amira situation. He didn't want the matter to keep spreading and ruin his father's political career, causing his reputation to shatter and the public to insult him.
His phone began to ring. Just by hearing the ringtone, he knew it was Ihsan.
"Hello, my love," she said.
Imran replied, “Yes, my love.”
“Did you have a good day?”
“Very well, Alhamdilillah. How are you?”
“I’m fine, my love. But why does your voice sound strange? Is everything okay? Even when we spoke earlier, your voice sounded off, and it’s still the same now.”
“It’s nothing, Baby. Don't mind it, nothing is bothering me.”
“Baby, how are the wedding preparations going? I spoke with Minal earlier, and she said the wedding fatiha cards have been delivered, right?”
“Yes, Ihsan, they have been delivered. Yours will be brought to you. I am just waiting for the party invitations to arrive so I can package them together and bring them over.”
“So you won't be coming tomorrow, God willing?”
“Baby, please understand, I am very busy preparing for our wedding.”
“My own, I can see you are tired. Let me leave you until tomorrow, God willing. Go to sleep and rest, okay, sweetheart?”
"Alright, sweetheart, sweet dreams, Baby," he said, blowing her a kiss over the phone.
Ihsan closed her eyes and said, “I love you, my Imran.”
“Love you too, Baby. I'm missing you, Baby. I will come over tomorrow, God willing, to see you.”
“Wow, so nice to hear that, My Own! I am so happy. May God spare our lives till then so you can come and see how I am transforming because of my bridal beauty treatments.”
“Really, my Baby? May Allah spare our lives until tomorrow so I can come and see.”
"Ameen, sweet dreams, Honey," she concluded.
They said their goodbyes and he hung up the phone with a smile. However, the moment Amira crossed his mind, his face darkened instantly, and frustration overwhelmed him.
**Part 4**
When Ammi entered Abba's room, she just lay down without paying him any attention. Abba was looking through the wedding fatiha invitations that had been brought, starting to plan how to distribute them to dignitaries. His phone began to ring, and he answered it:
“Assalamu alaikum, Alhaji Hashim.”
“Wa'alaikum salam. Alhaji Ali, that girl has left Abuja. I had a discreet investigation carried out; she is not in Abuja. And you said she hasn't returned to their house over there?”
Abba replied, “To be honest, they haven't called me.”
“Well, now we must find something to do quickly. Get ready tomorrow, God willing, so we can go to Kano and find out how to trace her there. Besides, I want to see this girl myself so we can get to the root of the matter.”
Abba took a deep breath and said, “Alright, may God spare our lives until tomorrow. We will meet up, God willing, and see what can be done.”
Alhaji Hashim said, “May God grant us tomorrow safely.”
Hearing their conversation, Ammi turned over, hissed loudly, and adjusted her sleeping position. Abba looked at her, looked away, and lay down on his side of the bed as well.
**Part 5**
In the morning, Abba informed Imran that they were traveling to Kano again. Imran did not argue with Abba; he got ready, and they stopped by Alhaji Hashim’s house to pick him up before hitting the road to Kano.
While they were traveling, Ihsan called Imran. When he picked up, she said, “My Own, are you on your way? Look at me, I've dressed up beautifully for you and cooked for you. Please come quickly.”
Imran said, “Umm, I am very sorry, Ihsan. I had to accompany Abba to Kano.”
“Kano again?”
“Yes, Kano, Ihsan. We are going to see that cousin of mine I told you about.”
“Again? But Imran, what else are you going to do there regarding her? What is it with her? Is there something you are hiding from me?”
“Calm down, please. It's nothing to worry about. Just relax, do you hear me?”
“Look, just leave me alone, please! If you hadn't told me you were coming in the first place, I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up.”
She abruptly hung up the phone. Alhaji Hashim and Abba had their minds elsewhere; they didn't know what Imran was discussing on the phone since he was sitting in the front next to the driver while they were in the back.
Imran put the phone down and held his forehead. He didn't want to upset Ihsan, and it seemed she was very jealous. His resentment toward Amira intensified; because of her, everything he planned was getting derailed. By right, he should be out distributing wedding invitations, but here he was wandering around trying to track her down.
*Part 6**
They were received at Yadikko’s apartment. Amina and the others were busy running up and down the courtyard on account of Imran and the guests. However, the sole purpose of their visit was weighing heavily on their minds: how to find Amira.
"Alhaji Ali, the matter of this girl requires nothing but prayers now, because as of right now, nobody can tell you exactly where she is. We just have to step back and keep praying," Yadikko said.
Alhaji Hashim countered, “But where does she usually go? Like friends or relatives? Frankly, there is a need to find out where she is around here, because if her pictures continue to circulate and she continues this wild behavior, there will be trouble. First, Alhaji Ali's political career will suffer, and secondly, the girl herself needs her life saved.”
Yadikko replied, “Well, who knows where to go now? You were the ones who brought the news that she took those pictures in Abuja, and even got a car as a gift. For us, she has completely gotten out of hand and beyond our control. She respects no one. If she had any respect for us, she wouldn’t have jumped ship and left this house without stating where she was going. She had an abortion, and before she could even heal properly, she picked up her feet and left again.”
Even though Imran was furious with Amira, he felt annoyed by how Yadikko kept exposing Amira’s secrets in front of Alhaji Hashim.
“Umm, we are not talking about that right now. Where does she go? Who are her friends?”
“She is the one who knows where she meets her friends, because they are all birds of a feather. No decent parents would allow their children to associate with her given the lifestyle she has chosen. Right now, I can't even say she is in this town; she is probably out there where she usually wanders off to, because if...”
"Assalamu alaikum," Amira greeted as she walked in.
Part 7**
They answered her greeting. She walked in carrying her travel bag. Hearing her voice, Imran stood up to go out, but Alhaji Hashim held him back and said, “Imran, take everything gently.”
Imran nodded and stepped out. Abba added, “Imran, take it easy, none of that temper of yours.”
The moment Imran stepped out, he locked eyes with Amira. Her stomach churned, but she ignored him as if she hadn't seen him, attempting to walk into their room.
“You! Where are you coming from?!”
He barked at her with a terrifying shout that made her heart pound violently, but she still ignored him. She changed her mind about entering the room, dropped her bag in the middle of the courtyard, found a spot, sat down, and started chewing her gum, waiting for Imran to do whatever he pleased.
Alhaji Hashim and Abba then emerged. Amira raised her head and looked at them, but after a single glance, she looked away. She harbored intense resentment toward Abba and his entire family.
Alhaji Hashim signaled Imran with his eyes, then looked at Amira and said, “Masha Allah, so this is my daughter you've been telling me about? Double blessings, she is so beautiful and looks exactly like you. Bring us a mat to sit on so we can greet her.”
He spoke while carefully observing Amira, drawing on his expertise in human psychology.
Just by looking at her outfit, one could tell she was a troublemaker. She didn't look at them again; she turned her head away, playing with her fingers. As for Imran, he felt like breaking her into pieces.
A mat was brought out, Abba spread it, and they sat down. Amira, meanwhile, was sitting on a wooden mortar. Seeing that they were sitting on the floor while she was elevated, she stood up to leave the area.
Alhaji Hashim asked, “Where are you going again?”
"To our room, of course," she answered bluntly. Abba couldn't say a word; he just watched them.
Alhaji Hashim said, “Come on, Amira. We came all this way to see you, and now you want to leave us?”
Amira replied, “You didn't come to see me. You came to see the people of this house so they could tell you about my character, and they have sat down and told you everything. Besides, if this visit was meant to be, it should have happened a long time ago, not now.”
She spoke as tears began to well up in her eyes.
Furious, Imran said, “Hey! Someone is speaking to you and you are being disrespectful?”
"Don't shout at me ever again, I'm telling you! What business do you have with me? Since you came, I haven't bothered you, so why are you shouting at me?" Amira fired back defiantly.
Imran grew angrier, but Alhaji Hashim shook his head at him and said, “Brother Imran, honestly, stop shouting at her. Don't you know how to pamper younger siblings? This isn't a military barrack. Come and sit down so we can talk.”
Pouting, she came over and sat on the floor on her shoes.
"Why are you sitting on the floor? Go ahead and sit on the mortar," Alhaji Hashim urged.
"No, it wouldn't be right for you to be on the floor while I am elevated," she said, wiping away the tears she had been trying to hold back.
Abba remained silent, watching her. After a moment, he said, “Amira, good afternoon.”
She kept quiet and bowed her head. He repeated himself, but she didn't look up; her head remained down.
Alhaji Hashim said, “Your father is greeting you, and you haven't responded.”
She remained silent again, refusing to even raise her head. Imran felt like kicking her; people were talking to her, and she was completely blanking them.
As if forced, she finally looked at Abba and said, “Good afternoon.”
He smiled and said, “Good afternoon. Did you arrive safely?”
She said, “Yes.”
He said, “Masha Allah.”
Alhaji Hashim added, "I heard you were even gifted a car. Where is the car so we can ride in it and be taken back home?" he asked with a smile.
Amira didn't know this man, and he was starting to annoy her with his talking, but she composed herself and said, “I told them to sell the car and give me my money. I don't want a car.”
“Oh, what a pity you didn't let us see it. Well, since you've sold it, that's fine. I was going to pray that God protects you to enjoy the proceeds, but since you've sold it, no problem. But why did you sell it instead of driving it to cut down on your movements? And it is even said you are about to feature in a music video, right?”
“I am not doing any music video. We just took pictures, and I needed the money more than the car, which is why I sold it.”
Abba said, “But Imran told me he gave you money. Why didn't you call me to ask for more instead of going to Abuja?”
Imran fixed his eyes on her, full of frustration at how she was being pampered while she spoke back with a pout. She caught Imran’s eye and glared at him fiercely, then turned to Abba and said, “I don't beg.”
“Well, he is your father. There is nothing wrong with asking him.”
By now, Yadikko was furious. She had expected them to deal severely with Amira, raining insults and humiliation on her the moment she arrived. Instead, she saw the opposite; Alhaji Hashim kept pampering her, and whenever Imran attempted to do anything, he stopped him.
Though Amira started out cold, giving answers with difficulty, she gradually began to relax, especially with Alhaji Hashim, because of how calmly and soothingly he spoke to her.
Slowly, she also began to loosen up around Abba, whom she had been ignoring, but whenever she locked eyes with the tough Imran, she would glare at him.
Gradually, she opened up to them, saying, “I didn't even intend to go to Abuja; circumstances forced me to go.”
Abba asked, “What kind of circumstances?”
“I am raising money. Money that will be enough for me to go abroad for studies.”
Alhaji Hashim looked up at her, analyzing her answers. Eventually, he said, “Masha Allah, that is a very good thought. May God grant you success. For now, we brought your brother’s wedding invitation cards; we have given the people of the house theirs, and here is yours, brought specially for you. You will attend, right?”
Amira looked at him and asked, “Who is my brother?”
“Imran, of course, right here next to you.”
Moving back a bit further away from him, she said, “As for whoever marries him, she is marrying a ruthless man. And he is not my brother, because I know a real brother wouldn't mistreat his blood sister the way he mistreated me, going as far as threatening to take me to Enugu so the soldiers could teach me a lesson. I won't come.”
She spoke while stealing glances at Imran. Abba smiled and said, “Ignore him. Who told him everyone is like him? How could anyone take you to Enugu? Forget about him, you ought to attend his wedding ceremony.”
Amira said, “Honestly, I don't like going where I will be humiliated or talked down to. I don't forget, even if a thousand years pass, as long as I am alive. If my dignity is attacked, I never forget, which is why I don't want to go. And frankly, the way he looks at me terrifies me. I swear, if I go to their house, he might beat me up because he has no mercy.”
Not just Abba, but even Alhaji Hashim laughed, except for Imran, who scowled even harder. Alhaji Hashim said, “That's just how his grumpy face is. Ignore him, you won't be coming because of him anyway.”
Amira said, "If it were up to him, I would pray that God cancels the wedding because he has no mercy. The day he came here, he kept kicking me like a ball, and I know he wouldn't do that to his own sister," she said, giving Imran another dirty look.
Abba said, “May God grant you patience. My only hope is that you come, like a good girl. I will even send a car to pick you up.”
Amira said, “Alright, I've heard you, I will come, God willing.”
“Are you sure you will come?”
"I don't break my promises," she answered.
Imran was bursting with rage, but he had been forbidden from speaking. Instead of Abba taking action, they were playing along with her nonsense.
They continued chatting with Amira like this. The people of the house were entirely displeased; they had expected Amira to be publicly humiliated, but instead, she was being handled gently like an egg on a rock.
**Part 8**
As they walked out, Yadikko said, “Hey, Magaji, get up quickly and follow them! Find out what they are going to say, and don't you dare let them take this girl away. Hurry and hear what they are discussing.”
Immediately, Baba stood up and followed behind them.
Amira accompanied them right up to their massive car, which was flanked by security personnel who had escorted them.
Abba said, “I will buy the wedding uniform material (anko) for you too so it can be tailored for you. It will be kept for you so that when you arrive, you can wear it.”
She replied, “Hmm, sounds like an uninvited guest's treatment. I will come with the rags God has blessed me with; where do I, a poor girl, fit into wearing what rich people wear?”
Amira had a frustrating way of being stubborn even when being coddled. Enraged, Imran barked at her, “Shut up and get inside the house, you fool!”
She stumbled back slightly in confusion because whenever he shouted at her, she got startled. Imran carried a lot of aura and authority over her, which was why her body trembled whenever he yelled.
She looked at him angrily, the cheerfulness leaving her face, and turned to walk back into the house. Abba began to scold Imran, then walked over to where Amira was, pulled money from his pocket, and offered it to her. However, she refused to take it; instead, tears began to flow, and she simply ran inside.
Abba felt completely demoralized. Alhaji Hashim said, "Imran, it’s obvious she fears you, but you shouldn't keep shouting at her. This is a girl we are trying to handle gently to get to the bottom of the matter, and you keep yelling like that? With kids like this, shouting or empty threats don't always work; it only provokes them. Upbringing doesn't always require harshness and pressure; sometimes it takes gentle persuasion and drawing the child close. Scolding and glaring won't work on her; she needs attention and pampering. Right now, the most important thing is to get her to Kaduna. Let's not use anger
