In the village of Ndokula, Fantah was coming from the stream with two water pots well balanced on her head, the smaller held by the bigger pot. She walked gracefully without letting any of the pots fall. It had been two days since the ‘stranger’ left, and she missed him already. She had been thinking about him all the time and prayed that he would come again. Suddenly, as if an answer to her prayers, she saw a familiar figure walking towards her, she immediately knew who it was. Her heart began to race wildly, to the point where she thought she was going to faint.

​

“Fantah,” Hayah said as he approached.

​

“Stanger, you are back.” She replied, her heart pounding.

​

“Did you miss me?” He asked.

​

“Should I?”

​

“I missed you,” he said, and she turned away shyly, covering her face with both hands. He quickly grabbed hold of the pots to prevent them from falling and placed them gently on the ground. “I went to the grazing fields, but you were not there. Then I saw some girls coming from the stream, and I imagined I’d find you here.”

​

“Why did you come?” she asked without looking at him.

​

“I forgot something.”

​

“What?”

​

“A flower.”

“A flower?” She was confused.

​

“Yes. I saw a beautiful flower the last time I came here. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I came back to water it,” he said. She felt incredibly shy and tried to run away but he caught her by her beads, so she quickly used her veil to cover her face. “Oh, wild beauty,” he continued. “Bless me with your smile. Let me revel in your aura and presence.”

“I must go now. My mother will be worried.”

​

“Stay with me some more.”

​

“I really have to go now.” She sensed another presence in the bush and knew that they were being watched.

​

“Okay, my love,” he said and placed the pots back on her head.

​

“Will you come and have supper with my father?” she asked before she left.

​

“I must go back. I have an important matter to attend to. But I promise you that as soon as I finish with it, I will be back to see you, my love,” he said, looking fondly at her. She looked shyly away again, smiling, and then started walking towards home. He watched her disappear into the village before climbing his horse and riding back to Maroua with a satisfied grin on his face.

​

***

 

The next morning, Fantah went to her paternal uncle’s house on an errand for her mother. She visited them occasionally, and they loved her as a daughter.

​

As she approached the house, she felt like she saw someone hiding in the bush. The person peeked from behind a shrub. Their eyes met, and he quickly ducked. Immediately, she knew who it was—her annoying cousin, Sa’adu. He liked her but didn’t know how to approach her, so he goes into hiding whenever he sees her. Her parents talked about betrothing them to each other, but she didn’t like the idea. It wasn’t like she didn’t like him; she only liked him as a brother and did not consider him marriage material.

​

She reached the front of the Ruga. “Assalamu Alaikum,” She said, and a familiar male voice answered, “Alaikum Salaam. Yottu mingel’am.” She walked into the house and met her uncle sitting on a mat in the Jauleru. She knelt and greeted him.

​

“Jambanduna Bappa?” she said.

​

“Jam. Noi Chomri?” he answered. He asked her about her family, and she said they were fine before going into the compound to see her aunt.

​

While they were talking, her uncle came into the compound and asked if she saw Sa’adu outside. She said no.

“Maybe he is with the cows,” her uncle said.

​

“Okay,” she replied, with her head faced down, shyly.

​

“You know, Fantah…,” her uncle started. “You have grown so big. I hope Sa’adu will be able to brave the Sharo this year.”

Both he and his wife laughed. Fantah smiled while still looking down.

​

“I am sure he will,” her aunt said. “He has even been practicing.”

​

“Has he now? I hope he won’t disappoint.” They both laughed again.

​

“Mi hoti Bappa.” She said and got up to leave.

​

“Greet your father and tell him that I will come and see him later,” her uncle said.

​

“Toh Bappa,” she replied before leaving.

​

She wasn’t happy as she thought about it on her way home. She really didn’t want to marry her cousin. She was in love with that'stranger’ who came into her life a few days back, and he was the only one she wanted. She said a silent prayer, hoping he would come and rescue her from the situation.

​

“Derdirawo, mihomnima,” she heard a familiar voice say from the bushes.

​

“Sa’adu, Vurtu!” she said annoyed. He came out but couldn’t look her in the eyes.

​

“I just wanted to say hello. I saw you going to our house. How are your parents and Diddi?”

​

“They are fine, and when was the last time you visited them?” It was a rhetorical question.

​

“I saw you talking to a stranger yesterday. Who was he?”

​

“It’s none of your business,” she said and continued walking. She knew he was the one watching them from the bushes.

​

“Your hair looks nice, and the Lalle on your hands are nice too,” he said, following her.

​

“Don’t you have cows to tend to? Leave me alone!”

​

“Okay. I will see you then.”

​

“Bye,” she said and hurried towards home.

​

As she approached the fields, she saw her sister Diddi with their neighbor’s son, Murtala. She was letting him drink from the milk she was supposed to sell. The boy was sixteen, while Diddi was thirteen. Fantah hid in the bushes and waited until the boy left before coming out to confront her sister.

​

“So, how much did he pay, hmm?”

​

“Fantah, where did you come from?” Diddi was surprised.

​

“This is what you do, ko? You come here and give Murtala free milk, and then when I ask you for some, you say Dada will know.”

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“Please don’t tell Dada. I only gave him a little.”

​

“Do you like him?” Diddi looked girlishly away. “Wow! I hope he can brave the Sharo for you.” She went to sit near Diddi. “I know what it is like. I like my ‘stranger’ too, you know, your heart beating fast every time you see him. The heat you feel on your face every time you think of him. It is the best feeling ever. I wish my stranger is here too. I would love to see him again.

​

“Do you think Baba will let me marry him?” Diddi asked.

​

“Well, if he can brave the Sharo, I am sure Baba will have no objections.”

​

“I don’t want him to go through that. He will be hurt.”

​

“Don’t worry. He will be fine. Now, let me have some milk.”

​

“Fantah, Dada will know,” Diddi tried to drag the calabash of milk away from her.

​

“Oh, it’s like that, ko? Fine, I will tell!”

​

“Okay, just a little.”

​

[End of Chapter Four]