Nanne! Nanne! Nanne!!... I said wake up, didn't I?"

The girl called Nanne stirred and then continued sleeping.

"Will you open your eyes or should I wake you with water..."

Inna said as she continued to shake her. Hearing this, Nanne pouted and then got up, rubbing her eyes through her long, disheveled hair that covered her face.

"Get up, wash your face, and go out before Salisu leaves. You know we agreed on this since yesterday."

Nanne looked at the clock on the wall; it was a quarter past eight in the morning. The sleep she had after the dawn prayer was barely two hours. She had completely forgotten that she had agreed with Inna to go early in the morning to inform Salisu about the type of cotton he should bring from their grandfather's farm before the company buyers take the best quality. She was supposed to use it to weave the bridal veils for the brides on their wedding day (a tradition of a certain tribe from Niger).

"Oh Inna, if you knew how tired I was when I slept, you would have let one of Umar's brothers tell him instead."

"You know I won't see them before they leave, so get up, wash your face, and go before Salisu leaves. I know they will start moving soon; I've been hearing the sound of cars since earlier."

Nanne gathered her hair back and tied it up. She went into the bathroom attached to the room, filled a jug with water, washed her mouth and face, and then came out. Inna handed her a hijab from where she was sitting.

"Oh no, this one is wrinkled. Let me find another."

She opened the wardrobe, pulled out a slightly longer one, put it on, and took the large bag Inna was pointing at.

"Explain to him as I told you yesterday, please."

The way she softened her voice almost made Nanne laugh as she left the room. Since they were on the first floor, she could see the large courtyard of the house, which was not very busy because it was early morning, except for a few workers passing by occasionally.

Their house, located in a neighborhood in Katsina, was an old, well-built structure with three floors. From the massive gate attached to the tall wall surrounding the house, there was a spacious courtyard that could easily accommodate a family gathering. There were large sheds for parking cars and flower beds surrounding the entire area.

Along the building, there was a long veranda running the length of the house, with six rooms in a row for their male siblings. In the middle, there was a large door leading to their grandfather's section on the right, which included a large living room for receiving guests and two rooms with a bathroom. On the left side, there was the large kitchen, which itself had two sections: one with cabinets for storage and another for cooking, where firewood and large cooking pots were kept.

Apart from that, there were two large storage rooms on the ground floor for storing farm produce. A wide staircase from the middle of the large courtyard led to the upper floors, branching left and right because each section was surrounded by the rooms of their grandfather's four wives. Each wife had a living room and two large rooms, each with a bathroom, except for Inna, their grandfather's mother, who had a large living room, one room, and a bathroom.

The second and final floor had a spacious veranda, the largest area in the house. It was surrounded by a low wall, making it impossible to see the ground without standing up. This was where they dried clothes, vegetables, and relaxed, as there were various chairs and potted plants. From there, one could see the entire neighborhood, which mostly consisted of scattered houses, many of which were unoccupied or unfinished.

Among their grandfather's children, Nanne was the seventeenth, with two older sisters from Aunty Amarya.

Their grandfather's first wife, Hajiya Nasiba, known as Hajiya Babba, was his cousin from Katsina. She had six children: Ahmad, Nasir, Muhammad, Ishaq, Farida, and Aisha. Four boys and two girls, with Ahmad and Farida already married, leaving three boys and one girl, Aisha.

Then there was Mama Rabi, his sister from Niger, who had four children: Ibrahim, Sulaiman, Umar, and one daughter, Jamila. She had also married off her eldest son, Ibrahim. Then there was Mama Halime, also from Niger but not his sister, who had four daughters: Khadija, Maryam, Nafisa, and Zainab. Only Khadija was married among them.

Then there was Aunty Amarya, who had five children, with her first birth being twin boys, Salim and Suraj, followed by Sadiq, Safiya, and Surrayya.

Among all their grandfather's children, Nanne was the only one without a mother in the house. Her mother was a Fulani woman from Adamawa and was still with her relatives. Their grandfather married her when a dispute arose between him and Mama Rabi, leading to their divorce. During that time, he went to Adamawa to attend a week-long farmers' conference in Nigeria. There, he saw her mother among the cleaners.

Initially, his friends teased him, saying he should return home with a Fulani woman from Adamawa after they saw him asking her something. The teasing turned serious, and within a week, they went to Nuratu's house, confirmed everything, and she was given to him. They later learned she was a divorcee with two children.

When he returned, he informed Inna, his mother, who did not object, but his wives showed their displeasure, especially Mama Rabi, who was seeking reconciliation for the sake of her children.

However, fate had already decided. Within a month, their grandfather married Nuratu, and she moved into Mama Rabi's section. Despite being a divorcee, their grandfather showed her love, which upset his other wives, as he did not hide it even in front of his children.

A year and a half later, Nuratu gave birth to a daughter who resembled her but had their grandfather's fair skin, as Nuratu was not fair-skinned. Their grandfather named her SA'ADHA, and Nuratu nicknamed her NANNE