The old man in fine white robes who seemed proud was speaking, apparently to the young man: “Aayan, will you hear me out please?” The young man responded angrily, like an annoyed child, with a voice that shook me with its pleasantness: “Please Abbi, I knew it — just leave me alone for God’s sake. Hajja, she is your mother, not mine, so Abbi it is you who should obey her orders, not me. How can she keep troubling me? I’m alone here with many men and women around; just because I don’t have a mother doesn’t mean I’m without feelings. And my father is unwell — you don’t care for me, and you force me to return to Kano and live near you. I never had a life in Kano and because of the position you hold as my father I obeyed you, I left my home. I don’t use your money; God gave me my own money. Maybe you think I have money, but why me? Why are you doing this to me? I’m the one in the family who is disliked. What did I do to deserve this? If it’s because my mother died, let that be. Abbi, I am not ready for marriage; you said I should marry someone else and it caused me trouble. I’ve already gone through hardship when women harmed me because of my problem with fertility. Abbi, you know I’m ill — I can’t handle married life. You say to marry another maybe to harm her; I can’t do what they expect of a wife. Because of this distress, my blood pressure is very high and I could die at any time. I also have diabetes. Because of the high blood pressure I’m cautioned and pray a lot. Abbi, why not pity me? Why not feel compassion for my life from childhood? Because of this I hate every young woman, regardless of beauty or sense. I keep away from everyone: family and friends. It’s the sadness and condition I’m in that made me withdraw. His knees sank and tears flowed from his eyes like water as he held the old man’s hand and said, “Abbi, tell Hajja I will stay with you, but please don’t force me to marry again. I will do whatever you want but not marriage now. Abbi, remember I almost died and women mistreated me...”
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