Zaman Tasha Book Compelet

Description

 Original

Sitting at the edge of the motor park, her hand holding a large stick of sugarcane she was chewing, her mind completely at ease. She was dressed in a Pakistani-style top and trousers—the trousers pure white, the orange top, and wearing a cheap, pure white, small hijab with a cap that matched her beautiful face, which couldn't be more than a yard of fabric. In the middle of her head, she parted her hair neatly. She wore no makeup except for kohl in her eyes, but because of her fair complexion, you wouldn't say she hadn't applied powder. Her feet were adorned with orange shoes that probably didn't cost more than three hundred naira. Raising her voice in typical motor-park fashion, she called out, "Hey, BIG, are you still not done?"

A young attendant darted toward her with a light jog and said, "Yar Cara's, I swear only one person is left."

She replied, "Okay, I'll finish chewing my sugarcane. If I don't get the passengers, I'll chase down the ones who did," she said, half-closing her eyes.

BIG responded, "It’s done just as you said, it will be handled."

As she sat, she saw a magnificent, extremely gorgeous car speeding past the side where she was sitting near a small table. Raising her voice, she shouted, "Wait, wait!"

Realizing the car wasn't going to stop, with great skill, she aimed her sugarcane stick and tossed it right behind the car. Quickly, the car parked. Someone stepped out in a hurry—evidently the driver.

Walking with an air of swagger—tall and somewhat plump, but not overly so, making her walk look fiercely attractive—she started moving with her hands shoved into her pockets. She reached the driver and said, "Don't you love your job? If you love your job, when you're driving and feel a change in your car, you should stop and pay attention. That stubbornness of yours could get you into serious trouble one day."

Furious, the driver snapped, "Mind your business! Who do you think you are to teach me my job? I've been driving for ten years and have never even scratched a bicycle, and now today you're going to teach me how to drive? Mtss!"

She half-closed her eyes—which I noticed was her habit—and said, "Okay," as she bent down near his car tire. Right near a spot about to burst, she pointed and said, "What do you think will happen whenever this bursts?"

Looking guilty and evasive, the driver peered into the car and stammered, "O—okay! I've heard you. Off you go."

She extended her hand and said, "Give it to me, I'm leaving."

The driver asked, "Give you what?"

She replied, "Money. I used my money to buy sugarcane and was drinking it when seeing that you guys were about to have an accident made me throw my sugarcane at you. Admit it, I didn't cause any loss," she said, rolling her eyes.

Frustrated, he yelled, "Who asked you to throw it? You refused to let me—if it was even death, I would have—"

Before he could finish, he was hit with a vicious slap. She raised her eyes, and in a split second, they turned fiery red. She told him, "The biggest mistake you can make is to insult my father. The day misfortune makes you insult my father again, I swear right here I will show you I am a true child of ZAMAN TASHA. Useless idiot, give me my money and let me leave, I said!"

Clutching his cheek and staring at the young girl who couldn't be more than twenty-five years old, he took a slap that nearly scrambled his senses. He stammered, "You slapped me?"

"Yes, exactly!"

He raised his hand to strike her back, but a car window rolled down smoothly, and a soft, gentle voice called out.

It wasn't what he wanted; he wanted to show her that he too belonged to ZAMAN TASHA, not just her.

The car door opened, and a beautiful, fair foot wearing a shiny black cover shoe stepped out. Slowly, his entire body emerged. I don't know when I whispered Masha Allah, Tabarakallah—truly, Allah creates beautiful masterpieces. He was a very handsome, first-class fair-skinned man, wearing a fresh, snow-white gown (gizna), a Zanna cap with white and black stripes, a well-groomed, silky jet-black beard, pitch-black hair, pink lips matching his small face, a very prominent straight nose, and thick eyebrows with large eyes that could humble even a criminal with just one look.

In his majestic voice, he said to the driver, "Bukar, are you out of your mind? You fool, why would you drive me through the town when you know all these park people are just sitting around in ZAMAN TASHA, idling away, waiting for people to come and hire them? They deliberately wanted to mess with this car just because they saw me inside. Hey, who do you think you are to raise your hand and slap someone older than you? Useless child of ZAMAN TASHA!"

Fuming with anger, she retorted, "It's your father I'm waiting for! Dare insult my father again and I swear I'll have you severely beaten right here with that ugly face of yours looking like dried porridge! Mtss! Now give me my fifty naira and let me pass."

Stunned, he stared at her. In all his life, he had never seen a female as unfazed as this girl—she wasn't afraid of him, didn't cower, and didn't even acknowledge who he was!

He said, "Well, you'll regret messing with IRFAN KHABIR HAIFAN," biting his lower lip.

With wide eyes, she shot back, "Oh, get lost with your cursed name that sounds like Atini! Just give me my money and let me pass. Do you think you have money to give me? I swear you don't, and I didn't ask for it." She bent down, picked up a thousand-naira note, bought her sugarcane, brought back fifty naira change, and tossed it right into his face.

Startled, the driver shouted, "Hey! This is a terrible girl—she stands like a termite mound! Look, an old ten-naira note is stuck right on your nose!" he yelled, pointing at the ten-naira note resting on the sweat beading on Irfan's nose.

While they stood there, complete embarrassment washing over Irfan as the crowd gathered and watched, before anyone knew it, Yar Cara's returned with a large, extremely sharp nail. She lifted it and struck the car tire—suttt, all the air hissed out.

Glaring at Irfan, she said, "That's the penalty for anyone who insults my father."

While she was speaking, BIG shouted, "Yar Cara's, the rest of the passengers are ready!"

Quickly, she walked back into the park. Without even glancing back at them, she climbed into a red Golf car, said a silent prayer, and put on a pair of dark sunglasses. She looked insanely gorgeous, even though her face remained rigid and stern, devoid of any warmth. Furiously, she drove the car out of the park.

As she reached the spot where Irfan was still standing—motionless as if he had been planted there, with the ten-naira note still stuck to his nose (neither falling nor being brushed off)—there was a puddle of water nearby. Executing a skilled drift, she spun her tires, sending a splash of muddy water flying all over the pristine white shadda of Irfan and the driver who was still babbling away.

Startled, Irfan lifted his blazing red eyes and glared at the car as it sped away. She rolled down the window and called out, "That's the penalty for anyone who looks down on my father! Mtss!"

She floored the car with insane speed—unusual for a woman—heading toward Jibiya.

An old woman sitting in the front passenger seat complained, "My goodness, young lady, slow down! Between the decay of this generation and you being a woman driving a car... if I didn't desperately need to get to Balele’s house, I wouldn't have stepped foot in here!"

Yar Cara's parked by the roadside, stepped out, and secured the old woman with a seatbelt, saying, "Put this on just so you don't fly forward and lose your front teeth—you're already expired, yet you still love this world so much."

Gasping for breath, the old woman cursed, "You wretch, untie this rope! It’s not dried meat; tie it around my waist instead, because you know Safara'u, Balele’s wife, slaughtered chickens and you're just jealous that I'm going to eat them! You're mad because you know I won't give you any."

Yar Cara's broke into a wide smile that revealed a gorgeous, prominent canine tooth nestled among her clean, perfectly aligned small teeth. Surprisingly, she even had a front wisdom tooth that looked exceptionally beautiful and added immense charm to her smile. She said, "Don't worry, Mama. I'm not just taking you to the park; I'll drop you right at the doorstep of the house you want, Insha Allah."

The old woman grumbled, "I swear, you little brat, I'll roast a chicken for you if you don't stop speeding."

Yar Cara's replied, "My goal is to drop you off, pick up others, and maybe make a second round. I only run trips until 6 PM; once it's evening, ZAMAN TASHA is closed until God brings the next day."

The old woman turned to two young men sitting in the back and said, "Hey you guys in the back, wearing those wild caps pulled down over your eyes like you're covering a chamber pot—call that guy and tell him I'm about to be killed."

The one she addressed spoke in a classic hoodlum voice: "Look here, old woman, I swear don't drag me into this. She just told me to put on this cap as a disguise because I'm not used to wearing one. But if you talk too much, I'll take it off so you remember who you're talking to. In short, my name is Makashi... 🖋️😲?"

(The text continues with scenes of the journey, the old woman recognizing Makashi as a notorious thug, comedic bickering, dropping off passengers, returning to KSTA park, heading home to her struggling family where her mother ignores her, and finally driving to her luxurious mansion in Goruba Road where she breaks down in tears over her painful family dynamics and her mysterious double life.)

Summary

The story revolves around Mufeeda, popularly known as "Yar Cara's", a resilient, tough, yet deeply complex young woman who works at the motor park (ZAMAN TASHA) driving a commercial vehicle to make ends meet for her struggling family. Despite her tough exterior—characterized by her sharp tongue, driving skills, and fearlessness—she harbors deep emotional pain, particularly due to her emotionally distant mother (Ammy) and a painful home life contrasting sharply with her secret wealth and hidden identity.

The narrative kicks off at the park where she boldly stands up to an arrogant driver and a wealthy, handsome aristocrat named Irfan Khabir Haifan, after the driver nearly causes an accident. Refusing to let anyone disrespect her late father, she slaps the driver and teaches both him and Irfan a humiliating lesson by puncturing their car tire and splashing muddy water on them. Later, while running her transport shuttle to Jibiya, she deals with a nagging, humorous old woman and a notorious thug named Makashi who is in disguise. After successfully dropping off her passengers and providing for her unappreciative family who barely acknowledges her efforts, Mufeeda drives away to a massive, luxurious mansion on Goruba Road, where she sheds her tough persona in solitude and breaks down in tears, questioning her mother's cruelty and the heavy burdens she carries.

Description

• Setting: Set primarily in Northern Nigeria (transitioning between motor parks like KSTA, dusty highways toward Jibiya, and upscale areas like Goruba Road). The atmosphere contrasts the chaotic, gritty, and vibrant hustle of motor parks with the quiet luxury of high-end estates.
• Tone: Emotional, gritty, humorous, and dramatic, blending street-smart action with heavy family angst and romantic-suspense tension.
• Protagonist (Mufeeda / Yar Cara's): A multifaceted heroine—fierce, fiercely protective of her honor and her father's memory, highly skilled behind the wheel, yet vulnerable, emotionally neglected at home, and secretly wealthy.
• Secondary Characters:
  • Irfan Khabir Haifan: A proud, wealthy, and handsome aristocrat whose initial arrogance is severely dented by Mufeeda.
  • The Old Woman (Inna): A chatty, funny village elder who provides comic relief during the road trip.
  • Makashi: A notorious thug in hiding who ends up sharing a ride with them.
  • Ammy & Siblings: Mufeeda's cold mother and younger siblings who take her sacrifices for granted.
  • BIG: A loyal park associate/attendant.

Analytics

• Character Dynamics: The narrative thrives on sharp contrasts—wealth versus poverty, arrogance versus street-smart resilience, and public toughness versus private heartbreak. Mufeeda subverts traditional submissive female tropes by dominating male-dominated spaces (motor parks and commercial driving) while maintaining a deeply guarded personal life.
• Pacing & Structure: Episodic progression moving from the motor park confrontation to the highway journey, domestic struggle, and a dramatic shift to the secret luxury estate, building intrigue regarding who Mufeeda really is beneath her "Yar Cara's" disguise.
• Cultural & Linguistic Elements: Rich use of Northern Nigerian Hausa street slang (Zaman Tasha, Yar Cara's, dan daba), cultural nuances, and localized humor (e.g., banter about local foods, market life, and traditional attire).

Comments

• Character Development: Mufeeda is an instantly compelling protagonist. Her unwavering stance against disrespect—especially regarding her father—gives her immense grit, while her silent endurance of her mother's coldness adds deep emotional resonance.
• Plot Intrigue: The mystery surrounding how a girl driving a commercial park golf car also owns a multi-million-naira mansion on Goruba Road creates a massive hook that drives reader curiosity.
• Humor & Realism: The dialogue, especially between Mufeeda, the old woman, and the thug Makashi, injects brilliant comedic relief into what would otherwise be a heavy dramatic scene.

Conclusions

This excerpt from Zaman Tasha by Ummy Aysha paints a vivid picture of a double life driven by necessity, pride, and hidden wounds. It successfully establishes high-stakes conflict, memorable character impressions, and a strong sense of place. The narrative leaves readers eager to uncover the root cause of Mufeeda’s estrangement from her mother and how her paths will cross again with Irfan Khabir Haifan under less hostile circumstances.

Keywords

Zaman Tasha, Ummy Aysha, Yar Cara's, Mufeeda, Irfan Khabir Haifan, Northern Nigerian Fiction, Hausa Romance, Motor Park Life, Hidden Identity, Family Drama, Action-Drama Novel.