He gestured for Safwan to leave. Zahra, meanwhile, was inwardly astonished — this was not the same man she had been with in Azare.

Mahmud blew air gently into her eyes.

“What are you staring at? Or do you think I’ve changed? Those eyes of yours keep me from thinking straight whenever I look at them. Please, let me eat. Whatever you want, I’ll give you — just don’t send me away again. I came straight from Jos, as they say, right?”

She pouted slightly, dragging her foot along the floor.

“I swear, I didn’t call you to come back — you decided that yourself. Did I call you? Did I do anything for you to come?”

“Oh, so that’s what you’ll say? Fine, just give me food, and later you can tell me the story of how you were born in Ragaya.”

Not fully catching his Hausa, she stayed silent. There were nearly five kinds of food on the table, excluding turkey pepper soup.

He couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“Where is all this food from?”

“From the people of the Prophet — you know we, the children of scholars, wherever we stop, it’s home.”

She stayed silent, serving his food. When she began serving her own, he took her plate away.

“Remember, we don’t share food separately — we eat together.”

They ate from the same plate, and when he saw she was full, they went back to the parlour, where he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arm around her waist while still taking phone calls — about three in a row — before finally putting the phone aside to face her. She noticed the type of phones in his hands were the kind she only ever saw on TV, and he was taking medicine as if to prevent her from asking questions.

“Tell me, how come your pain didn’t trouble you until I reached Nissan Zango? The doctor said your abdominal pains are caused by unfulfilled desire — your passion stirs, but you don’t get satisfaction.”

Her eyes widened, mouth open, staring at him.

“Me? What kind of nonsense is that? And on top of fibroids, they’re adding shameless slander? So now she’s claiming to know my desires? If that’s the case, she should come and remove my desires for me! She should just tell the truth — she wants to use her job to harm me. With your own admission, I see now I was brought here under false pretenses. From my village, I was brought to your girlfriend’s place for examination, as if to confirm that if you married me, I’d be of no use to her. Maybe God didn’t allow her to openly show her hatred, but only He knows the harm she could do to me. And with that surgery, she could remove my womb entirely. Tell her — if I have any influence, and she harms my health, I swear she won’t escape life in prison. And if you’re the one backing her, then may no woman ever see you again claiming to love you. They told her I had a ‘problem’ so she could look down on me — and now they expect me to keep going to her until the sickness does its worst. But today, Insha’Allah, I’m going home. I can’t stay here anymore — I’ve lost all regard for her. Take me back where I can think straight.”

She turned her face away.

He leaned his head against her neck.

“I only asked you to tell me the story — I didn’t ask what your problem was. What’s my crime in sending you to be checked for your health?”

That only made her more upset, and tears welled up immediately.

“Oh my God! What did I even say? Please tell me.”

She pulled her head away.

“I knew you didn’t love me — since I’m just some second-hand woman with no value. I swear, anyone responsible for this kind of disgraceful life I’m in — I won’t forgive them. My worth and my dignity have been reduced to nothing, like I’m just a pastime for anyone to trample as they please.”

She lowered her head and began crying bitterly