INTEESAR book 1 Complete Hausa Novel

She sat crouched on a stool, adding more wood to the fire she had kindled. A young woman came out of a room and approached her mother just as the pot of water above the fire started boiling. She knelt and said:
"Umma, well done with your work."
Umma smiled, opened the lid of the plastic container in front of her, scooped some bean flour she had mixed, and replied:
"Thank you, Inteesar."
"Umma, let me help you with the frying."
"No, don't worry. I know you're going to Hajiya Fatima's house now, right?"
"Yes, Umma. If she doesn’t see me in the morning, she starts asking where I am and if I'm okay."
Umma smiled and said, "I know; she often sends someone to check if it's already 10 o'clock and you haven’t shown up. Send my greetings to her."
"Okay." Inteesar rose to her feet.
"I’ll go now since I'm done with my chores and you’ve told me not to help with the frying."
She walked toward the exit with her usual calm demeanor and found her father in the courtyard, reading the Qur'an. She knelt to greet him, and he responded with a warm smile.
"Abba, I’m heading to Hajiya’s house."
He nodded at her and said, "Send her my regards. May God protect you on your way."
She stood and replied, "Thank you, Abba. God willing."
She left through the gate, reciting a prayer as she did so. Fortunately, the houses weren’t far apart, with Hajiya’s just down the street. She approached the big house calmly and knocked on the gate. Mallam Ibrahim, the guard, came to open the small entrance door.
She knelt respectfully and greeted him.
"Good morning, Baba."
The old man smiled and said, "I knew it was you, Inteesar. Did you wake up well?"
"Perfectly well, Baba."
She headed straight into the house, greeted by silence in the living room, and proceeded toward Hajiya Fatima’s living room with a greeting. Hearing sounds from the kitchen, she went there. Hajiya Fatima, washing kitchenware, looked up and smiled.
"I was just thinking about you, my dear," she said.
Inteesar knelt down and greeted her.
"Good morning, Mummy."
"Very good morning, Inteesar. How are Umma and Mallam?"
"They’re well, and they send their greetings."
"I accept their greetings."
Inteesar then turned to Mufida, who was peeling potatoes.
"Mufida, did you wake up well?"
"Perfectly well, Inteesar. Please come help me peel these potatoes; I’m so tired."
Hajiya Fatima gave Mufida a stern look and asked, "What work did you do to say you’re tired?"
"Mummy, I even cut myself with this knife, but you didn’t notice."
Hajiya Fatima gave a brief smile. "Are you really the one who cut yourself without yelling for help?"
Mufida winced, saying, "Ouch, Inteesar, please come finish this while I get some spirit and plaster."
Without waiting for her mother's response, Mufida left hurriedly, leaving Inteesar to shake her head as she took over the task.
She quickly finished peeling the potatoes, washed them, added some salt, and fried them. Then, she prepared eggs and a fragrant tea. Smiling, she told Hajiya Fatima:
"Mummy, don’t worry. Let me finish this."
"Thank you, dear. May God bless you," Hajiya replied, leaving to take a bath.
Inteesar continued working alone, arranging everything neatly on the dining table and cleaning up the kitchen. Right then, Mufida re-entered, smiling.
"Good job, Inteesar."
Inteesar smiled back, and Mufida continued, "Let me tell you the truth. I didn’t actually cut myself. You know I hate kitchen work. You better get used to it since, as a woman, you’ll get married someday and become a mother."
Inteesar laughed, "God willing, the man I marry won’t have the same rules as Daddy, who dislikes hiring a cook for the kitchen. Mummy only cooks with us. There are workers here, but they don’t step into the kitchen. The husband I marry won’t be like Daddy, that’s for sure."
They both laughed, and Inteesar replied, "God guide you."
They left the kitchen, and Inteesar greeted Daddy with respect.
"Good morning, Daddy," she said, kneeling.
Daddy smiled, "Good morning, Inteesar. How are you?"
She lowered her head with a smile. Hajiya Fatima, feeling warmth and pride, looked at Inteesar with affection. 
He glared at Inteesar through the car mirror, making her quickly lower her head. The driver started the car, leaving the airport on their way home, with the car carrying Mummy following close behind.
They honked at the gate, and the security guard opened it. After parking, the driver hurriedly opened the door for Muhdeen to step out, then retrieved the luggage from the car’s boot. Inteesar and Mufida exited the car, and Mummy held Muhdeen’s hand affectionately, noticing he looked tired.
With a smile, Mummy asked, “Are you tired?”
He nodded slightly, and she took his hand, guiding him toward his part of the house, with Mufida and Inteesar following close behind. Inteesar felt uneasy, as though she had been splashed with cold water.
Mummy led him all the way to his bedroom, where the driver set his luggage down in the living room. Mummy said, “Freshen up and come join us for dinner.”
He nodded again, and as Mummy left, she closed the door behind her, heading to the living room where she found Mufida and Inteesar. She settled in with a warm smile, clearly happy.
In a short while, Muhdeen came to the living room dressed in casual clothes—a white shirt and three-quarter black pants. Mufida took his hand with a smile, leading him to the dining area, and Mummy got up as well, calling for Inteesar to join them.
“Mummy, I’m not really hungry. I’ll eat later,” Inteesar said.
Mummy paused and looked at her, surprised. She knew Inteesar had been saying she was hungry since they started cooking, yet now she said she didn’t want to eat.
“Didn’t you say you were hungry? Now you don’t want to eat? At least have a little,” Mummy urged.
Inteesar wanted to eat, but fear of Muhdeen made it impossible for her to sit and eat with them. Mufida urged her, “Please, Inteesar, join us!”
Just as she was about to rise, she heard Muhdeen’s voice. “Leave her be. If she says she’s not eating, will you force her? Doesn’t she know herself better?”
Mummy said nothing more but gently took Inteesar’s hand, leading her to the dining table. She placed her in a chair directly facing Muhdeen, who turned his face away after giving her a harsh look. Mummy began serving the food—fried rice with liver and kidney, along with chicken stew made by Inteesar, complemented with coconut milk juice she had prepared.
Mummy asked Inteesar, “What would you like to eat, dear?”
“Just water,” she replied softly.
Without saying much, Mummy served her some jollof couscous and set a glass of juice before her, then turned to Mufida, instructing her to help herself. After everyone had served themselves, they all began eating. Inteesar, however, was unable to relax and enjoy her meal, her heart pounding because of the stares Muhdeen kept shooting her way.
Muhdeen, on the other hand, was puzzled about his inexplicable aversion to Inteesar. Normally, he wasn’t one to dislike or look down on anyone, yet every time she entered his home, his heart would pound, and he’d be filled with dread. Even more unsettling were the recurring dreams about her—dreams he’d never had about his girlfriend Sumayya, despite two years of being together. He had nicknamed Inteesar “witch” in his mind, convinced there was something strange about her.
Although he silently enjoyed the meal Inteesar had prepared, Muhdeen struggled to understand his emotions. Meanwhile, Mummy observed Inteesar’s troubled demeanor, watching her barely eat her food.
“Inteesar, are you okay? What’s wrong?” Mummy asked.
Inteesar lifted her head and replied, “I’m fine, Mummy.”
“Then why aren’t you eating properly? You’ve been just moving your spoon around,” Mummy noted.
Inteesar forced down three more spoonfuls, then drank water and went to the living room to sit on the couch. Mummy remained quiet, watching her with concern, and everyone else continued eating. Muhdeen, satisfied after finishing his meal and juice, stood up, saying, “Mummy, I’m going to rest.”
“Alright, son. Get some rest, and come back when you’re ready,” Mummy replied.
Mufida then said, “Brother, what about our gifts?”
He smiled, “I’ll bring them out for you once I’ve rested.”
Muhdeen went to his section of the house. Inteesar kept her gaze low as he passed, but after he’d gone, she lifted her head. After they finished eating, Mufida took the dirty dishes to the kitchen. Inteesar wiped down the dining table and went to the kitchen to wash the used dishes, while Mufida went to her room. Mummy remained in the living room watching the news.
When Inteesar finished washing up, she heard the phone ringing on the dining table. Mummy glanced at it and said, “Inteesar, please take this to him. I think he forgot it here.”
Her heart skipped a beat but without hesitation, she picked up the phone, seeing “My Happiness” displayed on the screen—his girlfriend’s name. Trembling slightly, she went to his part of the house and knocked three times, but there was no response. Thinking he was asleep, she slowly opened the door and entered, intending to place the phone on his bedside table. Just as she bent down to set it down, he emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. When she saw him, she let out a terrified scream…
In her fear, she accidentally moved toward him. She quickly realized what she had done, catching sight of his bare chest, and immediately shut her eyes and stepped back in horror. He threw her a fierce look and shouted, “Who gave you permission to come in here, into my bedroom?”
Trembling, she stammered, “I… I… M-Mummy said to bring y-your phone.”
She held up the phone to show him, and he looked at it. He angrily pointed at the door and shouted, “Get out!”
She fled from the room, and he watched her with a scowl before locking the door, muttering under his breath, “Witch.” Then he returned to his dressing table, picked up his lotion, and started applying it.
Meanwhile, when Inteesar dashed into the living room, Mummy looked at her, concerned. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve been chased.”
Inteesar shook her head without a word. Mummy asked again, “Did Muhdeen say anything to you?”
She shook her head again. “No, Mummy, he didn’t.”
“Then why did you come in looking so shaken?”
Keeping her head down, she murmured, “Mummy, I want to go home.”
Mummy looked at her, surprised. “Why are you leaving so early today?”
She nodded and replied, “Yes, Mummy, I think I should head home. I’m sure my mother is waiting for me.”
Mummy smiled warmly and said, “Alright, please greet your mother for me.”
After saying goodbye, Inteesar left, with Mummy watching her leave with a fond smile.