Imagine you are just minding your business, trying to get to work on time, and some guy almost runs you over with his fancy car. That is exactly how this story starts. We meet Barrister Arman, a guy who has been living abroad for a long time. He is rich, handsome, and very arrogant. He did not even want to come back to Nigeria, but his father, who he calls Papy, forced him to stay and work here. You can tell from the start that Arman is not happy about being home. He hates the traffic, the bad roads, and everything else. One morning, he is in a big rush because he has so much work at the office. To beat the traffic, he decides to take a shortcut through a small neighborhood where the roads are narrow and full of potholes. He is driving fast and complaining in his head about why he has to suffer like this in Nigeria when he could be living a soft life elsewhere.
Then, everything changes in a split second. A young woman named Ameera is trying to cross the street. She is wearing a niqab and carrying her books and her phone. Arman is driving so fast that he almost hits her. He slams on the brakes at the very last moment. The sound of the tires screeching is so loud and scary. Ameera is so shocked that she drops everything in her hands. Her books scatter all over the dirty road, and her phone hits the ground hard. This is the moment where you really start to dislike Arman because of his attitude. Instead of coming out to apologize or see if she is okay, he just sits in his car. He looks at her through the window like she is nothing. Even though she is covered, he can see her eyes, which are described as being big and bright like milk. But his heart is cold. He does not care that he almost ruined her life or that he broke her things.
Ameera is not the type to stay quiet when someone treats her badly. She is angry, and she has every right to be. While she is picking up her scattered books, she realizes her phone screen is completely shattered. She looks at the car and waits for the driver to say something, but he just sits there being "miskili" — you know, that type of rich-guy silence that feels like an insult. One part of the book says — "She said, 'Do you not know the value of a human being, or don't you see what you did to me? Look, you even broke my phone. You enter a neighborhood but you drive like a blind person.'" (translated from Hausa). She is really giving it to him because she cannot believe someone could be so heartless. She even asks him if he doesn't know how to drive properly. If you want to see more drama like this, you can download Hausa novels to see how their first meeting ends up causing so much trouble later on.
Arman’s reaction is what makes your blood boil. Instead of saying sorry, he just looks at her with a lot of pride. He thinks because she lives in a small neighborhood and she is walking, she is just some "laundry clothes" person. He doesn't say a single word. He just reaches into his car, grabs a huge bundle of 500 Naira notes, rolls down the window, and throws the money right in her face. Can you believe that? He throws money at her like she is a beggar just to get her to move out of his way. Then he zooms off, leaving her standing there in the dust. Ameera is left standing there with her mouth open. She has never been insulted like this in her life. She picks up the money, but not because she is happy. She is so mad that she tells herself if she ever sees him again, she is going to get her revenge. She is a poor girl, yes, but she has her dignity. You can find many stories with this kind of heat on Taskar Novels.
When Ameera finally gets to the school where she works as a teacher, everyone can see that she is not herself. She goes into the classroom to teach, but she is distracted. Her friend Zahiya notices right away that something is wrong. Zahiya sees that Ameera’s hand is even bleeding a little bit from the fall. When Ameera tells her the whole story about the arrogant guy in the car, she is still shaking with anger. At one point, she thinks about how handsome the guy was, but then she immediately feels disgusted. Another part of the novel says — "Useless beauty since there is no beauty in the heart." (translated from Hausa). This shows that Ameera doesn't care about looks or money if the person has a bad character. She tells Zahiya that she will not let this go. She says, "I know I am poor, but that does not mean I will let any useless person disrespect me." She is really hurt by the way he treated her like she wasn't a person.
Zahiya, being a good friend, tries to calm her down. She warns Ameera to be careful. She reminds her that these rich kids can be very dangerous and they have no mercy. She even mentions a girl named Hafsat who had a terrible experience with a rich guy in the past. Zahiya tells her to just take the money, fix her phone, and try to forget about him. She says it is likely they will never see each other again anyway. But we all know how these stories go! When a story starts with this much fire, you know they are going to cross paths again in a way they never expected. If you are looking for the best Hausa novels that talk about this kind of social class struggle and romance, you should definitely keep reading this one.
The author, Mujahida Matar Malam, really knows how to write about feelings. You can feel the tension between the characters right from the first page. Arman is not just a regular guy; he is a Barrister, which means he is smart and probably thinks he can win any argument. But Ameera is also strong in her own way. She is a teacher, she is educated, and she doesn't bow down to money. The way the author describes the setting — the dusty roads, the traffic in Nigeria, the feeling of the niqab, and the coldness of the office where Arman works — it makes you feel like you are right there in the city with them. You can check out more Hausa novels online to see other works by this same author because she has a very unique style of showing the reality of life.
As the story goes on, we see Arman getting to his office. He is back in his element, being the big boss and the expert lawyer. People are greeting him and respecting him, and he just waves his hand like he is a king. He has no idea that the girl he insulted is still thinking about him and planning how to show him that money isn't everything. The drama is just starting. You start to wonder if Arman is truly a bad person or if he is just acting out because he is unhappy being back in Nigeria. And for Ameera, you wonder if her anger will lead her into more trouble or if she will actually get the apology she deserves. It is the kind of story that makes you want to keep clicking to the next page because you need to know when they will meet again.
If you love stories about arrogant heroes who eventually get humbled by a strong woman, then you will really enjoy this book. It has everything — the drama, the class difference, the spicy dialogue, and the life lessons. The author mentioned at the beginning that she writes to teach lessons and to show the reality of life, and you can see that in how she handles the "rich vs poor" theme. It is not just about romance; it is about respect and how we treat people who we think are "below" us. Arman has a lot to learn, and I have a feeling Ameera is the one who is going to teach him those lessons the hard way.
You can read the full story of Barrister Arman and find many other interesting books on Taskar Novels. They have a huge collection of stories that will keep you entertained for hours. Whether you like horror, romance, or stories about everyday life, you will find them there. Make sure to visit the site and see what Mujahida Matar Malam and other great writers have for you. You can get this book and many more like it on Taskar Novels.
