English Translation

The sound of someone about to enter the room made me quickly lift my eyes from the flat TV hanging on the wall and redirect my attention to the book in front of me. With a greeting, she pushed aside the room's curtain, entered, and sat down on one of the chairs in the living room. She was a young woman, likely no older than thirty-eight. She looked at me, twisted her mouth in annoyance, snatched the remote control, and said:

"This is my room, yet I am not even allowed to watch the channel I want. Every single time, it is this annoying football channel. You are a woman, and I don't know what business you have with watching this agonizing football."

I said nothing while she changed the channel to a Hausa programming station and put the remote down. I stood up, pouting, and walked out of the room while hearing her say:

"I knew it, this pious studying is all hypocrisy—you are just watching ball."

I kept quiet and walked over to my stepmother’s room—the one we call Aunty—and sat down to continue watching my football match. I only felt relieved after it ended, as the team I supported won the game. Feeling completely refreshed, I left and headed to my mother’s room. I found her in the main room, walked in, and sat down. Without waiting for my response, she immediately said:

"So, the football watching is finally over?" And without pausing, she continued, "Well, now you must focus like a man and study since worship is done."

I pouted and said:

"Mama, I am actually done with studying, I'm just revising."

"You better focus and lecture yourself, Mamee. Sit down and study this properly. You are your own witness; you saw how difficult it was to even start this education. If you refuse to compose yourself, fail this exam, and see how your father will react—or if you want to finish him off completely, go ahead. You can see how difficult it was to gather ninety thousand to pay for your registration just because you insisted you wanted it. If you throw dirt in his face, you won't be doing yourself justice. Brace yourself, study, and pass this wedding, in sha Allah! Once you pass, we will figure out how to join forces and help you progress. But if you play around and fail, without a doubt, I know your father will marry you off despite your young age just to make life easier for himself. However, if you pass this exam, even if he marries you off, your husband can continue sponsoring your education until you finish at his house."

I quickly shook my head and said:

"Please, Mama, stop saying that. I will study, and in sha Allah, I will pass."

She looked at me for a while and then said:

"Alright, may God grant success."

I replied:

"Ameen."

Because of how badly I wanted to pass this exam, I denied my eyes sleep, staying awake almost until dawn before I finally lay down.

The next morning, before anyone else woke up, I was already up. I woke up almost before the entire house. I heard our father getting ready for Fajr prayer, knocking on every room door to wake everyone up for prayer. As soon as I finished praying, I took a bath and got dressed. I didn't wait to have breakfast because by 7:00 AM I had to be at the exam. Mama gave me transport money, and I came out to the empty courtyard. I unlocked the small side door on our gate, stepped outside, and left.

With difficulty, I found transport and got in; it drove me to school. By 12:00 PM, I finished everything I needed to do at school and headed straight home. I hadn't taken enough money to buy breakfast, and I was starving, which is why as soon as I finished, I looked for a way back home, even though I never usually wasted time outside.

I entered the house with a greeting and found Mama and Anty in the courtyard sorting rice. I greeted them and went inside to change out of my clothes into home clothes, then looked for something to eat. Once I made sure my stomach was full, I came back out to the house courtyard, sat down, and stuck my hands into the rice-sorting task while keeping an eye on Mama’s phone clock so I wouldn't miss the start of the football match.

Seeing that there were only about two minutes left before kickoff, I quickly stood up. Mama was talking, but I didn't even pay attention to her as I rushed to the room, changed the channel, and sat down to watch the match.

I didn't even blink, because I didn't want to miss a single thing, even though today wasn't even my supported team playing. When one of the players scored a goal, I let out such a loud scream that Mama stood up and walked into the room. I looked at her and frowned because I knew she was going to stop me from watching football.

And true to that, she started yelling at me, saying:

"When will you ever have some sense, Mami? You'd rather let your parents work while you sit here watching nonsense? Screaming like a mad person? I swear, you better stand up before your father walks by and sees us sitting around working while you are just sitting here watching, knowing very well it will infuriate both you and us."

With a whining voice, I said:

"Wallahi, Mama, I am tired. Look, I just came back from school, and soon I have to study. Please bear with me; I just sat down to rest a little bit."

Mama said:

"What on earth did you even do to be tired? Get up before both of our tempers flare."

Reluctantly, I stood up and went back inside to continue sorting the rice. When we finished, I scooped it up and went into the kitchen to dump it in the pot over the hearth, which had been boiling for a while. Standing up the whole time, I helped them finish the chore while my mind was somewhere else entirely.

While all of us were sitting in the house, my father arrived. Respectfully, both wives greeted him with a welcome, and I greeted him too since we hadn't seen each other due to my early departure. He responded warmly and asked:

"How was the exam?"

I replied:

"Alhamdulillah. As soon as we finish tomorrow, we are done."

He said:

"That’s good, may success be granted. But as soon as you finish helping them with the chores, get up and go continue studying. Do not play around."

"In sha Allah, I won't, Baba."

"Alright then, may God bless you."

We all responded. As soon as he finished speaking, he headed to his quarters, and Anty—whose turn it was to cook—got up and followed him.

While we were sitting, my younger siblings came back from school. Mama told me to get up and help them change from their uniforms into home clothes. That gave me a quick excuse to leave the spot. I stood up and went into Anty’s room to help her children get dressed. In total, she has three children: the oldest is Meema, around eight years old, followed by the twins Hassan and Hussain. On my mother’s side, I have two younger brothers, both boys: Sadeeq and Amir.

I finished dressing Meema first, then stepped out of Anty’s room to dress Amir. I refused to go back into the main courtyard because I knew another chore awaited me, so I sat down to study instead. When Asr prayer time came, I didn't bother to get up since I knew I wouldn't be praying.

The next day, just like yesterday, I left the house early in the morning to go write my final exam. Alhamdulillah, the exam went very well. As soon as I finished, I headed straight home without stopping anywhere else.

Today, I stayed back and helped them with chores properly since I knew I had no exam the next day, and there was no football match scheduled either. Today, I was spared Mama's scolding because she didn't give me any. Then again, she always says that on days without football, I am the most hardworking person in the entire house.

Today is Saturday. Since morning, I dressed my siblings, lined them up, and we headed to Islamiyya school. Classes are held in the mornings on Saturdays, and we don't return until evening. We walked on foot since the distance between our Quranic school and our house isn't very far. I made sure each of them entered their classroom as I usually do, and then I headed to mine.

At 12:00 PM, Anty herself brought us food, just like she always does. After coming out from prayer, I gathered all my siblings, and we sat down and ate the food. Then I took the small change I had on me and bought us water.

That is the custom of our school: at 1:00 PM we come out, everyone eats, we pray, and then we return to the classroom. We do not come out again until Asr prayer at 5:00 PM, when we are dismissed to return home. After dismissal, I went to each classroom to pick them up, gathered them, and we walked home.

The next day, Sunday, was the same; we spent the whole day at school. However, today Hussain woke up with a high fever, but Anty insisted he had to go to school and that he would feel better there. Around 12:00 PM while sitting in class, Hussain’s teacher sent for me. When I got there, I found Hussain’s body burning up with a severe fever, and the teacher instructed me to take him home. I carried him on my back and headed home. I didn't find Anty as she had gone out, so I took him straight to Mama’s room.

Shortly after I arrived, Anty came in and found out the situation. Mama gave him paracetamol, and we stayed by his side until the fever started subsiding. Anty looked at me and said:

"Mamee, go back to school, and stop by the kitchen to pick up your food flask and take it with you."

I answered with an agreement and was about to leave when we heard the greetings of our older brother, Yaya Ahmad. Mama said:

"Oh, who do I hear sounding like Ahmadu? Are you already on your way?"

He finished stepping inside and said:

"Wallahi, I am on the road."

Then he greeted her, and she responded, asking:

"How is your mother over there?"

"She is doing perfectly fine," he replied.

I greeted him too, and he answered, then looked at me and said:

"What are you even doing at home when it's school time?"

Mama intercepted and said:

"Look, Hussain is sick, so she brought him back just now."

"Uhm," was all he said. Anty, seeing that he had no intention of greeting her, asked:

"How are you doing?"

Without looking at her, he looked at Mama and changed the subject by saying:

"Let me go see Baba because I actually just came from his way, but I said let me drop by and greet you first."

Mama said:

"Alright then, I will step over there shortly too, because he doesn't know about Hussain’s illness."

He stood up and walked out. My heart felt heavy seeing how he treated Aunty. Even by now, this behavior should have felt normal to us, but it just completely failed to sit right with us. Feeling dejected, I stepped out, headed to the kitchen to pick up our food flask, and as I stepped out toward Baba's place, I spotted a pair of women's shoes alongside Yaya Ahmad's shoes who had just come in.

So, who are these women? Because I know that apart from Mama and Anty, no other woman enters Baba's room except us, his children, and I know that Mama and Anty didn't even know they were coming. Seeing that I had no answer to my question, and having no time to stay and find out who they were because my younger siblings were over there waiting for me, I left and headed to school. Whoever they were, I knew for sure I would find out when I returned.

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Summary

In this excerpt, the protagonist, Mamee (a young girl balancing her education, domestic chores, and a deep passion for football), navigates the complex and sometimes tense dynamics of her polygamous household.

• Household Tensions & School Life: Mamee frequently clashes with her stepmother (referred to as Anty) over television time—specifically football matches—and deals with the underlying emotional coldness that Anty and her children face from other family members, particularly their older brother, Yaya Ahmad.
• Examinations & Responsibilities: Despite distractions and heavy household chores, Mamee successfully completes her final exams, which are critical for her future and her father's educational sponsorship.
• New Disruptions: While caring for her sick younger brother, Hussain, Mamee notices unexpected visitors arriving at their father's quarters—two young women named Fadeela and Aysha.
• A Life-Altering Decision: Baba formally announces that Fadeela and Aysha have moved into the house permanently to live and study until marriage, placing them under the care of Mama and Anty. This decision deepens Anty's quiet despair regarding her own children's standing in the family, leaving Mamee with lingering questions about the hidden tensions and history binding the family together.

Description

• Setting: A traditional polygamous household in Northern Nigeria, moving between the family compound, local Islamic (Islamiyya) and Western schools, and domestic spaces like the kitchen and living room.
• Genre: Contemporary Hausa Fiction / Domestic Drama / Romance.
• Themes:
  • Family dynamics and polygamous household politics.
  • The pursuit of education and female empowerment under financial constraints.
  • Generational friction and unresolved historical grievances between family members.
  • Personal passion versus domestic expectations (highlighted through Mamee's love for football).

Analytics

• Character Network & Dynamics:
  • Mamee (Protagonist): Studious, resilient, passionate about football, and deeply observant of family politics. She acts as a caretaker for her younger siblings.
  • Mama & Anty (The Wives): Represent contrasting coping mechanisms within a polygamous structure. Mama acts as a stabilizing matriarch, while Anty carries visible emotional scars and worries about the future of her children.
  • Yaya Ahmad & The Older Siblings: Exemplify household division, showing overt coldness and favoritism that isolates Anty's side of the family.
  • Fadeela & Aysha: New arrivals introduced into the household under mysterious or sensitive past circumstances, setting the stage for future conflict.
• Narrative Pace & Tone: The tone shifts smoothly from lighthearted domestic humor (Mamee sneaking away to watch football matches) to poignant emotional vulnerability and suspense regarding family secrets.