Mansura Part 1 Complete Hausa Novel

The Reluctant Errand
“Mansura! Mansura! Mansura! Where are you? I’ve been calling you and you’re ignoring me!” an elderly woman, nearly sixty years old and leaning on a walking stick as she sat on a chair, shouted repeatedly.
A girl of about fourteen stepped out and said, “What is it now? Why are you calling me like I owe you money? What do you want?”
The old woman replied, “You know what I want. You went into your room and sat there. Go to Nafisa, and if she has finished making the fried dough balls, collect mine.”
Mansura frowned. “Is that why you interrupted my game? When she finishes, Khadija or Fauzan can bring it to you.”
“If you’re going, then go and get it. If not, leave me alone and I’ll call her myself. If you don’t respect me enough to do what I ask—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Mansura snapped. “You know Mom said she’ll beat me if she catches me because of the way I beat Fauzan yesterday.”
“So you mean because of what happened yesterday you won’t go? I already spoke to her. Nafisa won’t beat you since I talked to her. Besides, you didn’t even take after her. I don’t know where you learned this bad behavior.”
“You’re asking me? If you want to know where I got it from, check yourself—you might find the answer,” Mansura shot back.
The old woman wasn’t surprised; this was their usual pattern—argue and then reconcile later.
“Fine, don’t go. But know that it’s as if you did this in front of your father. You know his temper well. He might just give you a proper beating and leave you crying.”
“Go ahead and tell him. Beating and releasing doesn’t cure stubbornness!” Mansura replied boldly.
The old woman sighed. “Your stubbornness is increasing day by day. Is that how you talk?”
Mansura twisted her lips and walked into her room. “If you don’t have anything to do, I do.”
“Just twisting your mouth at Amadu and Nafisa like a calabash,” the old woman muttered, but Mansura didn’t even look back.
The Boarding School Decision
While she was still sitting there, a young man entered the sitting room with greetings. He was tall—though not extremely so—and fair, with a light brown complexion. The elderly woman responded, “Oh, Mr. Malam, so you’re just returning?”
“Yes, I just arrived. Are you alright? Where are the children?”
“They’re at their parents’ place. Since morning they haven’t returned. And that stubborn girl just refused to run a small errand for me and went into her room.”
He knew she meant Mansura. “You’re the one spoiling her. A girl full of mischief, yet no one disciplines her. Even you can’t control her.”
He stood up. “Let me go and collect it myself.”
Inside her room, Mansura had heard everything. As soon as he stepped out, she quickly left the house entirely, knowing he might beat her unnecessarily. It was better to run while she still had her dignity. She didn’t even tell Hajo—she left the compound altogether, knowing that if Ummi wasn’t nearby, she wouldn’t escape punishment.
He almost bumped into Mom, who was about to take the fried dough to Hajo since Mansura hadn’t come to collect it. He quickly took it from her.
“Where’s Khadija?” he asked.
“I sent her on an errand. That’s why I waited for Mansura to come, but she didn’t.”
After exchanging greetings, Mom sighed. “I don’t know when Mansura will become sensible, Mansur.”
“She will,” he replied. “Once they finish their J.L.C exams, I’ll take her and Rukayya to boarding school.”
“That’s good. They’ll focus better there.”
“I’ll go and give Hajo this fried dough. She’s been craving it.”
Meanwhile, Mansura waited until Mansur had left before returning home. She went straight to Ummi’s section of the house. Ummi was in the sitting room reading Husnul Muslimat. Mansura greeted her respectfully.
“Stand up, Mansura. Is everything alright? I heard you and your co-wife had a quarrel again. You girls are growing up, yet you still fight daily. I wish you’d mature already.”
“She’s the one provoking me, Ummi. I didn’t even go to her place—I only came to greet you.”
Rukayya emerged from the room and threw Mansura a glare. Mansura returned it immediately. Rukayya hissed and went into the kitchen.
“You see, Ummi? I didn’t even say anything to her, yet she glared at me.”
“Leave her. I saw everything. I’ll talk to her.”
Before leaving, Ummi handed Mansura some kola nuts to take to Hajo. Reluctantly, Rukayya brought them from the fridge and handed them over without a word.
Despite trying to avoid Mansur, Mansura ran into him in Hajo’s sitting room. He was discussing with Mom about sending the girls to boarding school after junior secondary.
Mansura burst in, “No one can force me to go to boarding school just because you’re tired of us!”
Hajo and Mansur were shocked—they hadn’t even seen her enter.
“I swear, I won’t go unless you kill me!” she cried.
Mansur’s anger flared. “If you don’t leave right now, I’ll break your bones.”
Seeing he meant it, she dropped the kola nuts and ran as fast as she could. He sat back down angrily.
Hajo sighed. “What does this girl want to become in life?”
Mansura’s Protest
Mansura ran straight to Ummi’s section, threw herself into her arms, and burst into tears.
“What’s wrong, Mansura?” Ummi asked, alarmed.
Through sobs, she finally said, “Yaya said he’ll send me and Rukayya to boarding school just because he hates us. Even Aunt Asma, who’s older, didn’t go to boarding school—why only us?”
“Mansur himself said that? Why?”
“Because he hates us!”
Ummi comforted her. “Alright, I’ll ask him his reason when he comes. Stop crying.”
But Mansura hated the idea of boarding school so much that she’d rather stop schooling entirely than sleep there.
She went into Rukayya’s room and found her playing a game with Amina.
“Are you crazy? Yaya is telling Hajo he’ll send us to boarding school!” she snapped.
Rukayya jumped down. “Are you serious? My heart is pounding!”
“Would I joke about this?”
“What do we do?”
“There’s only one solution—pray Abba refuses. I’ve told Ummi. She’s waiting for him. But if they insist, there’ll be madness in this house!”
Rukayya began crying. “Yaya is wicked. I was already imagining the school we’d attend.”
Mansura fell silent, thinking deeply about what to do if their father agreed.
As evening approached, Ummi came in. “Mansura, go back to Hajo’s section. No one is there, and it’s getting late.”
“I’ll sleep here, Ummi. I’m not going back. Let Yaya sleep with her since she joined hands with him against us.”
Ummi laughed softly. “You’re funny. What did Hajo do? She’s not the one who suggested it.”
“She agreed by keeping quiet! I won’t return until he withdraws the idea.”
“If you can endure, she can’t. She might come and stay here with all of you.”
“Let her come! But I won’t go back unless that wicked, black-hearted man cancels the boarding school plan.”
“Alright, I’ll talk to him. Calm down.”
Mansura nodded, wiping her tears. “Ummi, what are we cooking tonight?”
“Tuwo with okra soup and fish stew.”
“Oh no, tuwo? Just to sit and sleep afterward? I won’t eat tuwo!”
“Then what will you eat?”
“I’ll drink Daddy’s millet drink if there’s any.”
“There is. It’s in the fridge. Just don’t finish it.”
“Thank you, Ummi.”
With that, Ummi left them in the room.