*Slowly he was driving, his eyes on the road as he listened to his friend, his cousin, and his companion sitting in the passenger seat of the car. He sighed and shook his head, then calmly said, "Honestly, Ahmad, you really need to change your story. I don't see any value in it..." Ahmad, laughing, responded, "Well, it's very useful for me, because I love her, and I want to marry her. Look, Captain, please take your personal feelings out of this and tell me, what are her flaws? Let me know."

•  The one Ahmad called Captain gently stroked his soft hair and said, "Do you know what?" Ahmad just looked at him, waiting for him to speak. The Captain continued, "You see, you guys, the Hausas, don't seem to have any conversation that doesn't revolve around love. But there are so many other meaningful and useful things that people can learn in this world... Yet, you only put love first. Did you know that just recently, I read something that airplanes' water is contaminated with bacteria? And not only that, just yesterday, I found out that..." Ahmad interrupted him with a look, saying, "This is exactly what I mean, you and your thinking. What you're saying right now adds no value to someone like me, to be honest." Captain focused entirely on the driving. Ahmad said, "Every time I bring up Maryam, you always find a way to get out of the conversation. Why is that?" Captain asked, "Oh, you asked me about her flaws, right?" Ahmad replied,

 "Yes, that's it." Captain continued, "Well, you'll hear it now... First of all, she's local. Secondly, she has no qualities that would make you want to stick with her. Just imagine an undergraduate? And, to make it worse, she isn't even beautiful enough. There are way better girls in Abuja. Also, her hygiene is terrible. I mean, nothing at all. That's really my main concern." Ahmad looked at him in surprise, initially unable to say anything, then he asked, "What hygiene problems are you talking about?" Captain avoided his gaze and said, "Oh, sometimes you'll see it." Ahmad shook his head, replying, "You're just talking nonsense. Maryam has all the qualities I like. That's it. And you know, when you don't like something, you'll never like it. You're just discouraging me about it." Captain nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, that's true. 

• Please, let's close this chapter." Ahmad was about to speak when he noticed a roadside kiosk selling roasted plantains. Quickly, he said, "Captain, please stop a bit. I want to buy some plantains. I forgot when I last had it, even before I left for the UK." Captain glanced towards the roadside, accelerated the car, and said, "God protect us. Just because I came to pick you up from the railway station doesn't mean you should turn us into a bunch of kids on a wild ride... What’s with this plantain?" Ahmad responded, "Well, just drop me off. I didn’t say you should pick me up from the bus stop, but you offered to do so." Captain muttered, reducing the speed of the car, "Do you know how they process the plantains you're buying? It’s all about hygiene, and they don’t value it. Do you get me?" Ahmad laughed, replying, "You're obsessed with hygiene. Okay, Mr. Clean. I just want to buy some, and it's none of your business." Captain didn’t reply and continued driving until he saw a suitable place to park. He stopped the car and looked at the girl selling the plantains, wrinkling his nose. He wondered whether he would even be able to eat what she was selling. Ahmad opened the door, got out, and walked toward her. She was alone with some children and beggars standing around, waiting to buy plantains. Ahmad asked, "How much is your plantain?" Without looking at him, she replied, 

"One for twenty naira." Ahmad widened his eyes and held his waist, "God, this is like arguing with someone who sells plantains." Still, she didn’t look at him, continuing to call out to the children. Captain kept watching from the car, while Ahmad stood there, not saying anything more, observing her mood. After she had served the children, she looked up and asked, "How much would you like to pay?" Ahmad shrugged, saying, "Five hundred naira." She responded, "That’s not enough, unless you want to wait while I roast some more." Ahmad said, "Alright, I’ll wait in the car." He turned and headed back to the car, while she wrapped the plantains in a bag. She handed them to him through the open window, and he accepted them with a smile on his face, saying, "It’s like I’m spoiling the plantain seller’s mood." She didn’t say anything, but as he took the two hundred naira notes from his pocket and handed them to her, she looked up and said, "You said five hundred naira." Ahmad replied, "Yeah, keep the change." She lowered her gaze and said, "Okay, just keep the five hundred naira." Ahmad raised his eyebrows, saying, "Normally, you'd give back the change, right?" She shook her head and said, 

"I don't know where it’s coming from." She spoke in a low voice, and he smiled before saying, "Alright, you can keep the rest." He dropped the money into her hand and added, "Well, goodbye, plantain seller. May God bring customers." Captain, who had been avoiding looking at them, started the car, and they left the area. As they neared the end of the street, Ahmad said, "I imagine maybe it’s circumstances that make these girls sell plantains during the day. The country is becoming harder for the less privileged every day..." Captain didn’t reply. Ahmad spoke again, "On a serious note, I feel sorry for the poor masses in this country. What could be the situation that forces her parents to let her sell plantains on the street like this? May God protect us all." Captain still didn’t respond, and they arrived at the neighborhood. He looked at Ahmad and asked, 

• "Shall we go home now?" Ahmad corrected his posture, saying, "No, I’ll see Ummata first. I’ll come back later, God willing." Captain didn’t say anything else and drove on, reaching the house of Ahmad’s aunt, Hajiya Ramlah, who was his mother’s sister. At the door, Captain parked the car. Ahmad looked at him and asked, "Aren’t you coming in?" Captain replied, "No, I was here just yesterday." Ahmad said, "Unless Ummi asked you to come." Captain rubbed his head and looked away, not saying anything. Ahmad gave a little smile and opened the car door, quickly saying, "Hey, you left your plantains in the car." Captain turned to look at him and threw him a look before reaching for the bag of plantains and heading inside. Captain followed him slowly, smiling as he walked behinds