Princess Ishmel Book Complete Fauziyya Tasiu Umar

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YARIMA ISHMAL BOOK COMPELET 

Scene 1: The School Grounds

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Girls of all ages, wrapped in matching school uniforms, filled the compound. The chaotic energy of the schoolyard made it obvious it was break time—some were playing games, while others clustered together to eat. A single glance at their weathered uniforms and the simple school environment confirmed that these children did not come from wealthy families; it was a typical government-run day school that also accommodated a boarding section.
Inside a quiet classroom sat a seventeen-year-old girl, completely isolated from the noise outside. A textbook was propped open in front of her as she intently reviewed her lessons.
"Bongel, the champion of academics! Don't you ever get tired of studying?" Asiya asked with a smile as she walked in. Asiya was about the same age.
Bongel raised her head, looking at her friend. "Ah, Asiya. This is our final year of senior secondary school. I have to put in every ounce of effort to ensure I graduate with excellent results. This education is my only true inheritance and security. It is the tool I will use to lift my parents out of poverty. They have no greater desire than to see me attain higher education, and it’s the exact reason I left my family to board here."
Asiya nodded in deep respect. "May Allah grant you success."
"Amen," Bongel replied, turning her focus right back to her pages. Asiya quietly sat beside her, pulling out her own books to join the study session.

Scene 2: A Father’s Dying Wish

"Stay strong, Baffa. May Allah restore your health and raise you back up," a middle-aged woman, barely past her late forties, whimpered as tears streamed down her face.
The ailing man, addressed as Baffa, slowly shook his head. His voice was weak but heavy with urgency. "Even if I pass away, under no circumstances must Bongel be pulled out of school. She is the only one Allah gave me the means to enroll. For Allah’s sake, fulfill this final dream of mine: ensure she receives a higher education."
"Baffa, by Allah’s grace, you will remain with us. You will recover and continue your life," she pleaded.
Baffa merely shook his head in silence, unable to say more.

Scene 3: The Premonition and the Heavy News

Back at school, Bongel felt an inexplicable heaviness weighing on her chest all day. She moved like a shadow, mechanically completing her assigned school duties before returning to the hostel. From the moment she stepped into the classroom, she hadn't uttered a single word to anyone. While she was naturally quiet, today’s silence carried an ominous weight. Her heart raced with a persistent, erratic thudding she couldn't explain.
"Hafsat Aliyu!"
The sharp voice of the Vice Principal shattered her thoughts. She stood up instantly to answer.
"Come with me," he instructed, turning on his heel.
Bongel followed him silently to the administrative block. Upon entering the Vice Principal’s office, her eyes fell upon Hamma Bala sitting quietly.
"Hamma, good afternoon," she greeted him, her voice trembling slightly.
"Afternoon, light be with you," he replied. His voice was completely drained of strength, confirming her worst fear: this unexpected visit boded trouble.
The Vice Principal scribbled a brief note on a slip of paper and handed it to Hamma Bala. Then, he turned to Bongel. "If there is anything you need from your dormitory, go and grab it quickly so you can head home."
"Home?" the word echoed painfully in her mind. Her chest tightened. Throughout her entire six years at the school since Junior Secondary 1, no one had ever come to pick her up mid-term. Baffa never permitted her to miss school for family weddings, naming ceremonies, or holidays because he guarded her education with his life.
"I don’t need anything," she whispered. At that moment, her only instinct was to get home and uncover the truth.

Scene 4: Mourning in Malumfashi

She climbed onto the back of Hamma Bala's motorcycle, and he accelerated toward Malumfashi, which wasn't too far away. The moment they pulled up to their family compound, her heart dropped. A massive, solemn crowd blocked the entrance. There was no longer any doubt—death had visited their house.
As she neared the threshold, the agonizing sounds of weeping reached her ears. Her legs shook violently. Forcing her way through the thick crowd of mourners, she burst into the courtyard. Her eyes immediately locked onto her mother, Nene, who was drowning in tears. Bongel bolted forward, throwing herself blindly into her mother’s arms.
"We have lost Baffa, Bongel... Allah has taken—"
Nene couldn't finish the sentence. Bongel’s vision went black, and she collapsed into a dead faint. The crowd surged forward, splashing water on her face to revive her.
Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open. "Nene, please tell me I’m dreaming. Tell me we didn't lose Baffa," she wept. But the agonizing tears tracking down Nene’s face offered nothing but cold confirmation.
"Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un (To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return)," Bongel whispered repeatedly through tightly shut eyes, tears flooding her face. The onlookers wept for her, deeply aware of the unbreakable, profound bond she shared with her father.
She sat on the floor for hours, weeping until the call for the Asr prayer echoed through the neighborhood, prompting the mourners to rise for prayer. Bongel raised her bloodshot, swollen eyes and caught sight of Dije and Fatsuma. The two women were sitting comfortably in a corner, calmly eating their tuwo meal without a single tear on their faces. Disgusted and heartbroken by their utter lack of empathy, Bongel averted her gaze, shocked that human malice could run so deep during a family tragedy.
Washing for ablution at the courtyard tap, she retreated into Nene's room to pray and supplicate for hours.
"Adda! Adda!"
She looked up to see her fourteen-year-old sister, Ramla, entering the room, holding their four-year-old baby brother, Abu, by the hand.
"Adda, Baffa has left us forever!" Ramla wailed, throwing herself against Bongel. Little Abu followed, burying his face into his sister. Bongel clamped her arms around them tightly, holding them as they wept a soul-shattering cry.
Goggo Hajjo, Nene’s younger sister, stood by the doorway watching the children with profound pity. Stepping into the room, she sighed softly. "Haba, Bongel. You are the eldest among them. You should be comforting them, not leading them in an endless chorus of tears. Baffa needs your prayers now, not your weeping. I know the pain is deep, but you must endure it. Death is a debt we all must pay."
Her voice cracked, choked with sorrow. "Is this how bitter and painful death truly is? We lost Baffa, Goggo... we cannot help but cry."
Goggo Hajjo knelt beside them, pulling Bongel and Ramla close. She offered gentle words of comfort and reminders of faith until a fragile calm settled over the room and their sobbing gradually quieted.

Scene 5: Bitter Realities and Petty Malice

That night, a severe fever gripped Bongel’s body. Sleep, the great thief, completely eluded her. While Ramla and Abu managed to find rest, Nene spent the entire night awake, telling her prayer beads and begging for Allah’s mercy upon Baffa’s soul.
For three days, the mourning period continued. With each passing day, Dije and Fatsuma's cold, indifferent behavior worsened, drawing disapproving whispers from visiting neighbors who noticed their complete lack of grief.
"I have heard stories of terrible co-wives and extended family friction, but I have never witnessed such early, shameless jealousy like what your sisters-in-law are displaying," Goggo Hajjo remarked privately.
Nene took a heavy breath. "It’s their way. Honestly, their behavior shocks and baffles even me. But this tragedy has truly exposed them."
"I see it clearly now; Dije and Fatsuma despise you, and I don't think they ever will change," Hajjo countered. Nene offered a sad, weary smile, shaking her head. Bongel remained silent in the corner, processing the toxic dynamics of her extended family. They weren't even co-wives to the same husband—they were married to separate brothers—yet their bitter rivalry and jealousy outstripped any co-wife feud.

Scene 6: The Return to the Academic Path

A few days later, Bongel and Ramla sat quietly on a straw mat inside the room. Nene leaned against the wall on her thin mattress, with little Abu resting his head on her lap. The suffocating absence of Baffa hung heavily over them. Normally, this was the hour they would sit together as a family, laughing and trading stories.
Nene broke the silence, looking directly at her eldest daughter. "Tomorrow, you must return to school."
"Tomorrow, Nene? But we haven't even observed the seven-day post-burial prayers (Sadakar Bakwai) yet!"
"What are you waiting for, Bongel? You are in your final stretch of high school. Do not play with your studies. Baffa left no material wealth or inheritance behind—his only living will was your education. He dreamed of seeing you highly educated. For Allah's sake, fulfill his dream."
With a determined but fragile nod, Bongel replied, "In Shaa Allah, Nene. I will do everything in my power to fulfill Baffa's dream. I will make you all proud of me."
"May Allah decree it," Nene sighed.
"Amen," Bongel and Ramla chanted together.
The next morning, Hamma Bala escorted her back to school. She returned with a renewed, fierce resolve to study harder than ever, driven by the burning desire to provide for her widowed mother and younger siblings. Asiya was overjoyed to see her best friend return, having deeply missed her company over the past few days. She offered her heartfelt condolences and promised that once the school term closed for the holidays, she and her own family would travel to Malumfashi to pay their respects to Nene.
Meanwhile, back in the family compound, the toxic atmosphere persisted.
"Her father just died, the seven-day prayers haven't even passed, and they’ve already sent her back to that Western school of immorality," Fatsuma sneered loudly in the middle of the courtyard, throwing pointed insults into the air.
Dije immediately chimed in, supporting her malicious ally. "Look at them! The dead is dead and gone. Before a week even passes, his own family is already forgetting him."
Nene ignored their barbs completely. She had long grown accustomed to their bitter attitudes and refused to lower herself to their level. She never initiated arguments, leaving the two women to feed off their own poison. On the surface, Dije and Fatsuma acted like inseparable allies, but beneath their alliance lay a deep-seated foundation of mutual jealousy, envy, and spite.

Phase 2: The Lineage and Origins (Flashback)

The Background of the Ardo Family
To understand the friction in the household, one must look to their roots. Aliyu Ardo (Baffa) was a pure Fulani man native to the Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State. His mother, Hafsa, had only one child—him—before she passed away. Following her death, his father remarried a woman named Hanne, who bore him two sons, Bala and Siddiku.
Hanne deeply resented Aliyu because their father openly favored and pitied him for being motherless. Consequently, Bala and Siddiku grew up harboring a deep-seated hatred for Aliyu, though Bala hid his animosity a bit more carefully. Their father was a poor peasant farmer. When the sons reached marriageable age, he built a small mud-brick structure for each of them within the family land and told them to find wives.
Aliyu was the first to marry. He met Nene while she was hawking fresh milk (tallar nono) from her nomadic settlement, and they fell deeply in love. A year later, Bala and Siddiku also married; Bala took Fatsuma as a wife, while Siddiku married Dije. These two wives instantly adopted their husbands' bitter hatred and jealousy toward Nene. Despite the cruel treatment they consistently inflicted upon her, Nene ignored them completely.
Bongel was Aliyu and Nene's firstborn child, named Hafsa after her late paternal grandmother, though Baffa called her "Bongel" (a Fulani name meaning beautiful girl/shining light) due to her exceptional beauty. Of all the children born into the extended family compound, none could match Bongel's striking looks, fair skin, and long silky hair.
Bala had four children: Hamza, Lawal, Sa'ade, and Habiba. Hamma Siddiku had three: the twins Hassan and Husaini, and Saudat. Yet out of all the children running around the compound, Bongel was the only one enrolled in Western school (boko). Baffa was desperate to educate his children, but crushing poverty limited his ability to send more than one child, choosing his brightest eldest daughter. Siddiku and Bala refused to educate their own children, claiming that Western schools corrupted a child's morals. They subjected Baffa to endless ridicule and gossip for his choice, but Baffa completely blocked out their noise.

Phase 3: The Academic Triumph

The WAEC (West African Senior School Certificate) examinations finally commenced, and Bongel attacked her studies with absolute devotion. Every paper she sat for felt effortless, and she was always among the first to walk out of the exam hall, confident in her answers.
Today was the mathematics exam. Outside the hall, students were biting their pens in frustration, sweating over the immense difficulty of the test questions. Inside, some scanned the room desperately, hoping to cheat or catch a glimpse of a classmate's paper. Bongel, however, remained hunched over her desk, her pen flying across the paper as she solved calculation after calculation. Within a short time, she finished, checked her work, and exited the hall.
She sat on a concrete ledge outside the hall, waiting for Asiya to finish. To keep herself grounded and productive, she silently recited Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah). Nearly an hour passed before Asiya finally emerged, looking exhausted.
"Bongel, what kind of extraordinary gift has Allah blessed you with? That exam was an absolute nightmare, yet you finished so early!"
Bongel smiled gently. "May Allah grant us all overall success."
"Amen," Asiya replied exhaustedly as they walked back to the dormitory to pack.
Every single morning began with memories of Baffa, and every night closed with his image in Bongel’s mind. Her tongue never tired of praying for his eternal peace.
Six weeks flew by, and the final high school examinations drew to a close. During that grueling six-week window, they also sat for the JAMB (University Matriculation) exam. When the university entry results were published, Bongel shattered school records, scoring an incredible 315. She was ecstatic, and everyone who genuinely cared for her celebrated the massive achievement.
On their final official day, the school dismissed the graduating students to return to their families while their final certificate results were being compiled. The air was thick with euphoria; students laughed, signed each other's uniforms with markers, and exchanged phone numbers.
Bongel, however, stood completely apart from the celebration. She sat quietly on her metal trunk in a corner of the courtyard. For the first time in her life, she felt absolutely no excitement about going home. In previous years, she would start packing her things a whole week before vacation out of pure anticipation. The person she always looked forward to seeing most was Baffa, who always gave her a special hero's welcome. On arrival nights, they would stay up late into the morning, laughing as she recounted school stories and experiences.
She waited for hours for Hamma Bala to arrive, but the school yard slowly emptied until she was left entirely alone. She had never been left behind like this before. Panic and anxiety settled into her stomach, whispering that something was wrong at home. Deciding not to wait any longer, she resolved to find a commercial motorcycle (okada) to take her to Malumfashi.
She flagged down a cyclist and asked for the fare. When he named his price, she said, "Once we arrive at my house, I will run inside and get the cash to pay you."
The driver sneered and rolled his eyes. "Look, if you don't have the money right now, I'm leaving."
"I swear by Allah, the moment we arrive, I will go inside and get your money!" she pleaded.
"I've carried your type before; you slip into the house and escape through the back door. Go find someone else," he snapped, revving his engine and speeding off without giving her a chance to reply. She watched him leave, swallowed by frustration.
After attempting to flag down three more motorcycles who refused her terms, a kind, elderly cyclist finally agreed to take her. When he dropped her off at the entrance of her family home, he refused to take her money. He smiled, told her it was a free ride, and wished her well. She thanked him profusely.
Right at the entrance gate, she ran into her younger sister, Ramla, who was rushing out.
"Adda! You're back! Nene just sent me to Goggo Hajjo’s house to beg her to find a way to come pick you up from school."
"Where is Hamma Bala?" Bongel asked, confused.
Ramla frowned. "He flatly refused to go."
Bongel nodded slowly, a bitter taste in her mouth, but chose to say nothing as they walked into the house.
One look at her mother's gaunt face told Bongel that things had grown increasingly difficult. She sat quietly next to Nene and greeted her.
Instead of returning the greeting, Nene asked anxiously, "Bongel, how did you make it back? Did someone bring you?"
"I brought myself back, Nene."
"So you remember the way all by yourself?"
"Haba Nene, I've traveled this exact route for six years."
Nene nodded wearily. "Your food is over there in the tin dish, though you'll have to forgive the poor welcome you're receiving this time around."
Bongel smiled warmly, trying to ease the tension. "Any welcome from you, Nene, feels exactly as if it came from Baffa himself." A flash of pure relief and happiness crossed Nene’s face, grateful for her daughter's resilience.
After bathing and changing into a long, simple Ankara gown, Bongel sat down with her plate of food. "Nene, what exactly stopped Hamma Bala from picking me up from school today?"
Nene let out a long, heavy sigh. "Human beings are fickle creatures, Bongel. Only Allah truly knows who loves you sincerely. Bala shocked me today in a way I never anticipated."
"What did he do, Nene?" Bongel asked, putting her spoon down.
"He came to my room early this morning to inform me he wouldn't waste his time picking you up, telling me to go myself. I reminded him that I am still in my Iddah (widow's mourning period) and asked him to have patience since this was your final trip home. He looked me in the eye and sneered that I wasn't mourning anyone. He claimed that if I actually cared about his brother's death, I wouldn't have sent you back to school before the seven-day prayers were even performed. He told me if I wanted you back, I should walk there myself because he wasn't moving an inch. I foolishly believed that even if the rest of the household misunderstood me, Bala would have my back," Nene finished, tears spilling over her eyelids.
Bongel sat in stunned silence. She hadn't expected such callousness from Hamma Bala, who had always been the most approachable, reasonable brother in the house and occasionally showed them kindness.
"Nene, stop wasting your precious tears on people who have no concept of family honor or blood ties. In Shaa Allah, I will be the one to wipe away your tears and change our story."
Nene wiped her cheeks. "May Allah validate your words."
"Amen," Bongel and Ramla echoed.
Bongel looked over at little Abu. "As a boy, he should be the one getting a Western education to support this family, but poverty stole that chance. In Shaa Allah, Abu, I will work myself to the bone to ensure you receive the highest education possible." Turning to Ramla, she added, "It breaks my heart that you didn't get to go to boko school, but my heart finds peace knowing you are thriving in your Islamic and Arabic studies. May Allah have mercy on Baffa."
"Amen," they whispered.
Silence fell over the room as Bongel brainstormed ways to assist her family. She solidified her conviction: higher education and a professional career were her only weapons to break this cycle of poverty.

Phase 4: Rising Struggles

Days later, Asiya and her parents visited the compound to offer their condolences. Asiya’s family was relatively comfortable; her father worked as an official driver for the Vice-Chancellor of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua University. Before leaving, Asiya's father generously handed Nene a five-thousand-naira note.
The gift was a literal lifesaver. That morning, the last remnants of the grain Baffa had left behind had completely run out. Nene possessed only fifty naira to her name and had been sitting in despair, wondering how she would feed her children that night.
Bongel immediately took the money to buy essential foodstuffs to manage their household. However, in an economy plagued by inflation, five thousand naira could only stretch so far. To sustain them, Bongel began visiting the homes of affluent families in the area, taking on heavy laundry work for meager pay.
Day after day, they watched Hamma Bala and Hamma Siddiku walk into the compound carrying heavy bags of meat and groceries for their respective wives, never once offering a single grain to Nene's starving children. The blatant cruelty cut Bongel to the quick. They shared the same biological father, yet family solidarity had completely decomposed. To help make ends meet, fourteen-year-old Ramla set up a small frying stand on their street corner to sell awara (fried soy cakes), creating a small financial shield for the family while Bongel anxiously awaited her final high school certificate results.
A month later, the WAEC results were officially released. Bongel wept tears of pure joy and fell to her knees in gratitude to Allah. Her statement of results was flawless—filled with straight As and Bs.
"Now that your results are perfect, the next step is university preparation," Nene said, her eyes shining with pride.
Bongel nodded happily. "Yes, Nene. I will begin my university degrees, fulfill Baffa's dream, and take care of you all."
"May Allah bless your path, my daughter."
"Amen."
Bongel ran to their neighbor's house to borrow a mobile phone and dialed Asiya. Asiya picked up on the first ring. After exchanging warm greetings, Bongel shared her stellar results, and Asiya revealed that she had passed her exams well too. They celebrated each other until Asiya’s tone turned serious.
"Passing the exams is the easy part, Bongel. Securing university admission these days is incredibly difficult unless you have powerful connections or 'legs' inside the system. It's tough out there."
Bongel’s excitement vanished, a cold dread replacing it; she had completely overlooked the corrupt politics of university admissions. "That's true, Asiya. May Allah guide us and make our admission smooth."
"Amen. I heard the NECO results will be out next week, and university admission lists will start dropping in about two months."
"May Allah count us among those who make it in," Bongel said quietly. They said their goodbyes, and Bongel returned the phone to her neighbor, thanking her before heading home.
Suddenly, Ramla burst into the room like a projectile, breathing heavily and looking terrified over her shoulder.
"What is it? What happened?" Nene and Bongel asked in unison.
Ramla threw herself into Nene's arms, bursting into frantic tears.
"For Allah's sake, tell us what happened! Your crying is terrifying us!" Bongel cried out, on the verge of tears herself.
Choking on her sobs, Ramla gasped, "A man chased me... he swore he was going to kill me!"
"Subhanallah! What on earth did you do to him?" Nene asked, her heart racing.
"He approached my stand and started touching me indecently. He told me to become his lover so I could stop frying awara on the street corner. He said he knew poverty drove me to do it and promised to give me huge sums of money. I backed away and told him to leave me alone, but he kept lunging at me... so... I slapped him across the face! That's when he chased me, screaming that he would hunt me down and kill me!"
Bongel closed her eyes, a sharp ache piercing her heart. If not for absolute poverty, her young sister would never be exposed on a street corner, subjected to predatory men trying to buy her dignity with cash. This incident cemented her resolve: she must get an education to rescue her siblings from the wolves of the streets.
Nene sighed deeply. "You made a mistake by slapping him, Ramla. You don't know who he is or what evils he is capable of executing."
Bongel’s eyes flashed with anger. "He can't do a single thing to her except what Allah has already decreed! Why is it that the poor are treated like garbage? Why must a poor person's life always be a brutal, unending battle for survival?"
"That is the reality of the world we live in," Nene said softly, pulling both daughters close. "Our leaders lack justice, and society is cruel. But I beg you both, in the name of Allah, never sell your virtue or integrity for the fleeting things of this world. A woman's true worth, dignity, and honor lie in bringing her purity intact to her matrimonial home. Wealth amassed through immorality is filthy and completely devoid of Allah's blessing. I know the upright upbringing your father and I gave you, but I implore you to guard yourselves fiercely. Protect your status as orphans, and never give anyone a reason to slander your late father's name. If you compromise your values, you fail his memory. His entire life's mission was to elevate you. Be the shining examples he dreamed of."
"In Shaa Allah," the sisters promised solemnly.
"Go wash up, perform ablution, pray, and read the Qur'an," Nene instructed Ramla gently. "It will bring tranquility to your heart."
"Okay, Nene," Ramla murmured, wiping her face and standing up.

Phase 5: The Crucial Turn

Following that terrifying encounter, Ramla immediately shut down her street food business. Instead, she secured a domestic maid job at a local household, commuting daily for a meager monthly salary of three thousand naira.
Soon after, the NECO results were published, and Bongel excelled once again. The long-awaited university admission cycle commenced; the primary merit list was posted, leaving everyone anxiously waiting for the second batch. Bongel lived in a state of perpetual anxiety. She called Asiya up to three times a day, desperate for any update from the university.
One afternoon, while Bongel and Ramla were washing clothes in the courtyard, their neighbor's young son ran in. "Bongel, my mom says you should come to our house quickly!"
Bongel’s heart skipped a beat. She knew it had to be Asiya calling. Wiping the soap suds from her hands, she grabbed her hijab from the drying line, threw it over her shoulders, and dashed out.
Fatsuma watched her leave, curling her lip in a mocking sneer. "Let's see where all this running takes her. A fart can never kindle a fire!"
Bongel completely ignored the venomous comment and stepped out of the compound.
"Your friend is on the line right now, she wants to speak with you urgently," Mama Jabeer said, handing over the mobile phone just as it began ringing again. Bongel pressed it to her ear.
"Hello, Asiya? Is everything okay?"
Asiya’s voice came through, a mix of anxiety and hope. "It's a mix of good and tough news. My dad just informed me that university admissions are incredibly tight this year, and seats are being sold or given only to well-connected elites. However, he said we should compile all our academic documents, WAEC, NECO, and JAMB results right away. He is going to personally present them to the Vice-Chancellor and beg him to use his executive powers to grant us discretionary admission!"
Tears of hope welled in Bongel's eyes. "Oh my god, thank you so much, Asiya! Please tell Baba I am incredibly grateful! In Shaa Allah, I will board a vehicle and bring the documents to your house tomorrow morning!"
"No, don't waste money traveling down here," Asiya countered quickly. "Just waybill the documents through a commercial driver at the park. It's faster and cheaper."
"Alright, I'll do exactly that. Thank you so much!"
Bongel ran back home, her face radiant with joy as she broke the spectacular news to Nene and Ramla.
"Oh, what wonderful people! May Allah bless that girl and her parents..." Nene wept tears of relief.

2. Story Analysis & Themes

This text is an opening excerpt from a contemporary Hausa web novel (published on platforms like Wattpad under the umbrella of the Haske Writers Association). It belongs to the social realism genre, focusing heavily on Northern Nigerian domestic realities.

Key Themes

• The Transformative Power of Education (Ilimi): Education is framed as the ultimate equalizer and the only mechanism capable of breaking generational poverty. Baffa views it as his daughter's true inheritance, choosing it over immediate material survival.
• The Vulnerability of the Poor and Fatherless (Marayi): The text highlights the sudden precarity a family faces when the patriarch dies. It exposes how poverty strips young girls of safety, making them targets for financial and sexual exploitation on the streets.
• Domestic Spite and Intrafamily Envy (Kishi da Kyashi): A unique dynamic is explored here—toxic jealousy not between co-wives (kora), but between sisters-in-law (facaloli). Dije and Fatsuma weaponize their financial stability to mock and isolate Nene's family during their lowest moment.

• Virtue and Integrity vs. Material Temptation: Nene’s monologue serves as the moral anchor of the story, emphasizing that keeping one's dignity intact under the weight of poverty is paramount.

  3. Character Descriptions

• Bongel (Hafsat Aliyu): The protagonist. Named after her grandmother, her nickname means "beautiful girl" or "shining light" in Fulani. She is exceptionally brilliant (scoring 315 in JAMB), fiercely determined, introverted, and bears the weight of her father's educational dreams.
• Nene: Bongel’s mother. A resilient, dignified, and deeply spiritual woman. She endures intense psychological abuse and neglect from her extended family without retaliating, prioritizing her children's education and moral standing.
• Baffa (Aliyu Ardo): Bongel’s late father. A poor Fulani farmer who possessed an unyielding progressive stance on female education despite his family’s mockery.
• Ramla: Bongel’s 14-year-old sister. Emotional and hardworking, she tries to support the family through street hawking but is forced to pivot to domestic labor after facing street harassment.
• Asiya: Bongel’s loyal and supportive best friend from school. She acts as a bridge to opportunity due to her father's working relationship with the university administration.
• Dije & Fatsuma: The antagonists within the household. Married to Baffa's half-brothers, they form a toxic alliance rooted in envy of Nene and Bongel, displaying absolute schadenfreude during Baffa's death.

• Hamma Bala & Hamma Siddiku: Baffa’s half-brothers. They carry on a childhood grudge engineered by their mother, showing complete apathy toward their deceased brother's family by refusing to offer financial support or basic compassion.

  4. Narrative Summary

  The story opens in a government boarding school where Bongel, a brilliant young girl from a impoverished background, is studying hard for her final exams to fulfill the dreams of her ailing father, Baffa. Her peaceful academic life is shattered when her half-uncle, Hamma Bala, arrives unexpectedly to pull her out of school; her father has passed away.
  Returning to her home in Malumfashi, Bongel faces both the agonizing grief of losing her father and the toxic indifference of her aunts-in-law, Dije and Fatsuma, who mock the family and feast while Nene and her children starve. Despite the family's sudden descent into absolute poverty—forcing Bongel to take on hard laundry work and her younger sister Ramla to sell snacks on the street—Nene insists that Bongel return to school to complete her exams, honoring her father's dying wish.
  Bongel smashes her examinations, scoring an incredible 315 in her JAMB exam, but faces the harsh reality of a corrupt university admission system where poor students without connections are systematically left out. After Ramla is harassed on the street and forced to take a low-paying maid job, the family's hope is renewed when Bongel's wealthy school friend, Asiya, offers a lifeline: Asiya’s father will bypass the corrupt system and directly present Bongel’s pristine academic records to the University Vice-Chancellor for discretionary admission. The chapter ends on a cliffhanger of hope as Bongel prepares her documents to take her first step toward higher education.