You know how some mothers can be so obsessed with their children that it becomes a bit too much? Well, that is exactly what is happening in this story. Let me tell you about Inna. She is a woman who has three children, two boys who are twins and one girl. But there is a big problem in her house. Inna is totally in love with her sons, Hisham and Haisam, because they are incredibly handsome. Like, she looks at them and sees gold. But when it comes to her daughter, Badia, it is a different story entirely. She thinks Badia is ugly and that is why no man wants to marry her. It is really sad because Badia is a sweet girl, but her own mother treats her like she is a burden just because she doesn't have the "model looks" her brothers have.
The story starts with Inna going to see a local Malam. Now, you would think she went there to pray for her daughter to find a good husband, right? No. Inna went there to get charms for her sons! She told the Malam that her boys are so handsome, like they were drawn in a newspaper, and she wants them to have a special kind of attraction. She said, "I want them to have that special charm so that the daughters of ministers and big rich men will be tripping over themselves for them." She basically wants her sons to be "trophy husbands" for the richest families in the country. She doesn't care about their character or if they find true love; she just wants that big money and power to enter her family through them. You can find more stories like this on Taskar Novels if you like this kind of family drama.
The Malam gave her some instructions. He told her she needed to give out some charity, like chickens and some other stuff, and he gave her some powder for the boys to use as incense so they would smell good to rich women. Inna was so happy. She went to the market, bought everything, and rushed home. When she got home, she found the twins, Hisham and Haisam, getting ready to go for their football training. These boys are fit, they have nice hair, and they are the type of guys that every girl in the neighborhood stares at. Inna told them they had to do this ritual before they left. She told them to rub some kola nuts on their bodies and then take the chickens to give to a leper and a blind woman on the street.
But here is the funny part. Hisham and Haisam are modern boys. They don't really believe in all that "juju" and charms their mother is into. They looked at each other like "Is Inna serious right now?" but they didn't want to argue with her. So they took the chickens and left the house. But instead of going to look for a beggar or a blind person, they went straight to a guy called Dan Audu who grills meat by the roadside. They told him to roast the chickens for them so they could eat them later! They even paid him for the service. They were just laughing about how their mom wants them to marry ministers' daughters when they are just regular guys who love football. If you want to download Hausa novels that have this kind of humor and real-life vibe, you should definitely check out the rest of this one.
After their training, the boys went back to Dan Audu, picked up their roasted chicken, bought some cold drinks, and went home. When they got home, they saw Inna and Badia eating dinner. To cover their tracks, they told Inna that they did exactly what she asked. They even lied and said that a "rich girl" gave them the roasted chicken because she liked Hisham so much! Inna was so excited. She started shouting "Alhamdulillah!" and eating the chicken with so much joy, thinking the Malam's work had already started. One part of the book says — "Inna was tearing the meat and putting it in her mouth, closing her eyes and feeling the taste, praying for the girl she thought gave them the meat." (translated from Hausa). It is so ironic because she was actually eating the sacrifice she was supposed to give away!
Asma Baffa really showed how some parents can be blinded by their own greed. While Inna is busy celebrating her sons, she is being so mean to Badia. Badia was there washing dishes and crying silently. Inna looked at her and started insulting her again. She told her that the reason she doesn't have a husband is because she is ugly and she refuses to use the bleaching cream Inna bought for her. Inna said, "It’s your ugliness that’s stopping you from getting married, not my character." (translated from Hausa). Can you imagine? A mother telling her daughter that! Badia is such a patient girl, she just kept quiet and went to her room to cry. It makes you feel so sorry for her because she is living in a house where she isn't valued at all.
The drama doesn't end there. Inna is also the type of woman who is always fighting with her neighbors. She thinks everyone is jealous of her handsome sons. One day, a neighbor said that Inna is using her sons as a "business" because of their looks. When Inna heard this, she didn't take it lightly at all. She went out into the street and started shouting at the top of her lungs, cursing anyone who looked at her children with a bad eye. She is like a lioness when it comes to those boys. The neighbors just come out to watch her like she is a movie. She told Badia that in their neighborhood, you have to be tough or people will walk all over you. You can find many Hausa novels online that talk about this kind of neighborhood "wahala" and gossip.
The twins, Hisham and Haisam, heard about the neighbors insulting their mother and they got really angry. Even though they don't agree with everything she does, they still love her. They were ready to go and fight the "Ajebo" family (the rich neighbors) to defend Inna’s honor. You can see that even though the family has many problems, the bond between the siblings and their mother is still there, even if it is a bit messy. But you can tell that things are going to get even more complicated. The title of the book, "FIRST NIGHT FYADE TA YI MIN," suggests that there is a very dark and serious twist coming later in the story involving a very traumatic event. It’s not just all about roasted chickens and neighborhood fights.
The way the author describes the scenes makes you feel like you are standing right there in the compound, smelling the woodsmoke and hearing the shouting. You really feel for Badia and you wonder if she will ever find someone who loves her for who she is, not what she looks like. And you also wonder when Inna’s lies and charms are going to catch up with her. It is one of the best Hausa novels I have come across lately because it talks about things that actually happen in our society — the pressure on guys to be successful, the pressure on girls to be beautiful, and the crazy things people do for money and "status."
If you want to know what happens next with the twins and if Inna's plan to marry them off to rich girls actually works, or what the "first night" in the title really means, you have to read the whole thing. It is full of emotions, from laughing at the boys' pranks to feeling angry at how Badia is treated. You can find this book and many other amazing stories on Taskar Novels. They have a huge collection of stories that will keep you entertained for hours. Just head over to Taskar Novels to get your copy and start reading!
