"Dont you dare speak to him like that you rude brat" she said getting the attention of the young man who turned around with an evil smirk on his face.
"And who are you?" he said walking stylishly with his hands in his pocket.
"you need not to know" she said with a straight face.
" wow!, Im impressed. A village girl knows how to speak English" he said removing his spectacles.
"Do not underrate us please" she said making zarahu chuckle.
"ke (you) go home" her uncle said clearly pissed off.
"But Abba...." ruma said but was cut short by her uncle who raised his hand up in Annoyance.
"Go home" he said and she left with Zarahu to hajiya summayas shop where she found it opened and hajiya summaya was busy with a customer.
"sannu (greetings)" They greeted hajiya summaya in unison.
"How are you dears?" Hajiya summaya asked.
"Fine" they replied in unison as they sat.
"ruma please help me arrange the stones on this cloth" hajiya summaya said passing her the cloth on her arms and ruma collected it and began the work of the day, she worked for almost an hour but the horn of a car driving towards the shop caught her attention. she saw him, the rude brat, driving away and she had an idea so she took the corn meal which she brought from home as launch.
"youll pay" she thought as she picked the food and flinged it on his car and that got his attention so he pulled back and came out.
"you fool!" he said clearly pissed off but ruma ignored him and continued her work and that got him more angrier.
"you!" he yelled as he walked to where ruma sat and he grabbed her hand as if he was going to rip it off and that got ruma angry so she gave him a dirty slap. but instead of shouting, he smirked.
"youll pay for this" he said before walking back and drove away.
"Ruma, why did you do that?" zarahu asked.
"He deserved it for messing with Abba" she said without sparing zarahu a glance.
"Ruma all this business men are very dangerous, you shouldnt mess with them" zarahu said with worry lynched in her voice.
"Zarahu he cant do anything to me" Ruma said as she fixed the stones one by one on the atampa that laid before her on the table.
"OK ruma, But be warned" zarahu said as she walked back to her side of the shop where she was stitching some cloths.
After a whole day of hard work they left the shop for home, where ruma found her uncle fuming in anger about what happened earlier.
"Asalamualaikum (peace be unto you)" Ruma and zarahu said in unison as they walked in.
"Rumaina look what youve done" her uncle said with a grumpy look on his face.
"Abba Im sorry, I couldnt take the insults and seeing you in tears" ruma said as a tear cascaded down her cheeks.
"Rumaina, I know but please dont do that again. he was very angry but thank God he gave me three months to leave the farm and by then my plant will be ready" her uncle said with happiness audible in his voice but with what rumaina had done earlier he might Change his mind and that bothered Ruma.
"Wow uncle thats good" rumaina said but within her she knew the Storm that awaits.
"zarahu kizo kiyi abunci, yau Ranan ki ne (zarahu come and cook, today is your turn)" aunty rabia said from inside the zinc kitchen Making zarahu sigh in exhaustion. She was extremely tired.
"Rumaina!" her uncle called getting rumas attention.
"yes Abba" she said turning to him.
"Dont you want to further your education to the university, as it is you have great grades in your WAEC and NECO exams" her uncle said as he filed the kettle with water for Ablution.
"yes Ill love to but inshaAllah next year Ill write another jamb because the one I wrote last years has expired" she said as she sat on the bench close to him.
"INSHALLAH (By Gods grace) then, when youre ready tell me. as it is your money is still with me your dad left over hundred million for your education before he died and when youre eighteen Ill give you all the asset he left for you and musbahu including the mansion" her uncle said making Abdulmalik choke on the cup of habiscus drink he was sipping on.
"abun da zai ba mu yana sun ya bata (the thing hes supposed to give us. hell give her) Abdulmalik said beneath his breath as he walked to his room. After a day of talking and playing, they all retired to bed and called it a night.
****
"Ruma locaci sallah yayi (ruma its time for prayer)" her aunty tapped her lightly on her back.
"OK ina kwana Aunty" (good morning aunty)
"kin taci Lafiya_ ( did you wake up with ease)" her Aunty asked while brushing her hair behind her ear.
" Yes" she said walking towards the backyard where she perfumed Ablution and went back into the room for the obligatory prayer, she prayed for almost ten minute and was finally done so she decided to take her bath before leaving for the tailor shop as usual. she bathed and wore her yellow atampa which she sewed by he self and she placed a black veil over her head.
"Zarahu lazy girl youre still sleeping" ruma said as she shook zarahu and she woke her up from her slumber so zarahu went to bath, she took her bath and came out after she was fully dressed.
"Rumaina did you cook ne" zarahu asked as she tied her hair in a bun.
"have you forgotten that its your week" Ruma said almost in a chuckle and zarahu sighed before leaving for the kitchen and Ruma followed behind her to help her, they stayed there cooking but were disrupted by a loud voice which came through the entrance.
"Baba Abdul malik the business men are here and they are destroying your farm with their bulldozers" A farmer whose land was close to rumas uncles farm said as he ran inn breathless.
"what!, didnt he say three month" rumas uncle said running along the man without his slippers on, he was scared of losing the only means he has to take care of his children.
"Ruma its all your fault, why did you have to throw that thing on his car"zarahu said. She was hurt.
"I know" Ruma muttered before running after her uncle. she ran in full speed to His farm where she found the men standing and giving them instructions on were to scatter with their bulldozers.
"Sir but you said three months" rumas uncle said with sadness audible in his voice.
"Ive changed my mind " he said with his eyes plastered on Ruma who immediately averted his gaze, he chuckled at that.
"Hey" he said walking to where ruma stood.
"I told you youll pay" he said looking straight into her eyes.
"you are wrong" she said with so much certainty in her voice which made him Chuckle out loud.
"humm...you are egoistic, I like it" he said as he walked to were the bulldozers were.
"This is just the beginning, Ill buy the whole village from the government and itll be your fault" He said, he smirked at her one last time before walking away into his car. Ruma felt shattered, it would be her fault if the villagers lose their house.