RAINA KAMA Complete Hausa Novel Document by RAINA KAMA

Our trip to Mama Rabi’s house didn’t happen because our dad returned, and our mom informed him over the phone that we planned to go there to complete our holiday. But he said no, that we should stay because he was expecting guests over the weekend and wanted all the children to be around.

Our mom simply said okay.

That was the reason we couldn’t go on the trip. Not that I was even interested in going—Munubiya was the one all excited about it.

Today is Thursday. From morning, Munubiya and I got up energetically to do laundry. I was sweeping our section while Munubiya was getting the laundry ready. Aryan and Aiyan were busy fetching water from the tap into barrels.

When I finished sweeping, I washed my hands and joined Munubiya at the tap where she was soaking the clothes. I sat on a small bench that was made there for chores like laundry and dishes. I was pressing my phone, searching for music to make the laundry more enjoyable, when we heard Aunty Khaleesa’s voice above us:

"Hey! Munaya, get up and go clean our room. There’s a wrapper there—bring it so you can wash it for me."

I ignored her and didn’t even look up. Munubiya responded instead, saying, “Okay, Aunty Khaleesa.”

My silence and frown must have made her realize I was Munaya, so she turned to Munubiya and called her back:

“Hey Munubiya!... Come back here. Aren’t you the one supposed to do it? Hey! That sister of yours, Munaya, she should get up and do it!”

Quickly, Munubiya said, “Aunty Khaleesa, I’m Munaya, she’s Munubiya.”

Aunty glared at her:

“You think I’m stupid or what? You think I can’t tell you two apart?”

I had no intention of looking up, but what she said made me let out a small smile. I knew she was lying—she couldn’t tell us apart. She just guessed from my attitude. I focused back on what I was doing.

Suddenly, she spat angrily at me and moved as if she was about to hit me. Just then, Inna Ro (our grandmother) walked into the compound with a loud greeting.

We all turned to look at her. I gave her just a glance and looked away—(truth is, I really dislike that grandmother of ours). Munubiya and Aunty Khaleesa greeted her properly. I muttered reluctantly, “Good morning.”

She pointed her finger at me and said,

“You really think you’re something, Aisha daughter of your father! That’s how you greet me? As if I’m your mate? Even Aisha and her father wouldn’t dare greet me like that, let alone you, a child born just yesterday.”

I bit my lip and got up to continue the laundry. Munubiya went to tidy Aunty Khaleesa’s room. My indifferent attitude only made Inna Ro angrier. She started yelling and even pretended to cry, claiming I had insulted her.

This attracted the other women and children in the house—(that’s the custom in our house; once someone’s shouting, everyone comes out to see what’s happening).

Then Daddy came rushing in, saying, “Inna, what’s going on? Who are you arguing with?”

She replied, “It’s this devilish girl,” pointing at me, “her mother always insults me to them, so now they all look down on me...”

I stared at her in disbelief. Honestly, this old woman won’t make heaven...

Daddy’s voice brought me back to the moment. He asked, “Was it Munaya or Munubiya? What happened between you two?”

Daddy is calmer than our other uncles—he’s not as hot-tempered.

I answered, “Daddy, it’s me, Munaya. Honestly, I didn’t do anything to her. We all greeted her when she arrived, but she just started insulting me, saying I didn’t greet her well enough...”

“But you greeted her disrespectfully,” Aunty Khaleesa cut in.

Before Daddy could respond, Aunty Ramlah said, “Honestly, Daddy, that’s not true. I saw everything. I came out to fetch water at the tap when it happened.”

Inna Ro slapped Aunty Ramlah, yelling,

“You dare side with her, Hadiza’s daughter? So you’re also a hypocrite? Is Aisha your mother now?”

Aunty Ramlah quickly gave Inna Ro a harsh look when Daddy wasn’t watching, and said,

“I’m just speaking the truth, Daddy. That’s exactly what I saw and heard.”

Daddy shook his head and said,

“Inna, please forgive her. Munaya made a mistake, but she won’t repeat it. Munaya, go and apologize.”

I didn’t argue. I walked up to her and apologized, but she didn’t respond—just glared at me. So I left and returned to my laundry.

Daddy held her hand and led her back into his living room. All the women quietly left the compound. They didn’t want the drama to end there—they had hoped it would escalate to our mom getting insulted too.

Our mom, who had been listening from her doorway despite the wall separating us, shook her head and went inside, muttering, “May Allah bring peace.”

As I did the laundry, tears fell down my face. My heart ached deeply over what Inna Ro did today—even though this wasn’t the first time. But today’s incident really hurt. I even found myself wishing I could just leave this house.

Out loud, I said, “Oh Allah, give us good husbands so we can marry and leave this house.”

Munubiya, who I didn’t realize had come back, responded,

“Amin, sweetheart. Honestly, that’s the same prayer I’ve been making. But I don’t want us to leave mom behind in this situation with Aryan and the others.”

“You’re right, Munu… Don’t worry. Insha Allah, when we marry, we’ll take our mom with us—whether Abbah agrees or not, wallahi!” she added angrily.

Munubiya smiled because she knew her sister’s heart was deeply wounded.

Even after we finished the laundry, Inna Ro was still in the house. We didn’t know what she was up to. That day, it was Aunt Haleema who was in charge of the cooking.

While I was behind our house by the flowerbeds, cleaning our window glass, I saw Abdul coming out carrying a tray with new dishes on it. I knew our father wasn’t around, so I asked,

“Abdul, who are you taking that food to?”

He replied, “Aunty, I’m taking it to Inna Ro in Daddy’s living room.”

I nodded and said, “Go ahead,” then continued with my work, muttering,

“Hypocrisy really is a demon—especially one that eats well.”