Chapter 20
Amina woke up at 6:30, feeling relaxed after a good night's sleep. She lazily got out of bed and began her morning routine, skipping prayer due to her period. As she prepared for the day, her mind wandered to the marriage proposal from the previous day.
She sighed, shaking off the thoughts, and headed to the bathroom to take a warm bath. Wrapping herself in a black towel, she ambled to her walk-in closet to dress. Amina had an affinity for black, and today was no exception. She chose an elegant Ankara straight gown with intricate gold embroidery, its vibrant blue and yellow patterns shimmering in the light.
After dressing, Amina styled her hair in a sleek ture kaga tsiya head tie and applied light makeup. She sprayed her favorite perfume, feeling refreshed and confident.
Downstairs, Amina found her family already gathered for breakfast. The spread consisted of fluffy akara (fried bean cakes), crispy puff-puff, and steaming plates of jollof rice, accompanied by refreshing glasses of zobo drink.
"Good morning, everyone," Amina said brightly, hugging her Amma (mother) and Abu (father). She kissed their cheeks and greeted her eldest brother, Sultan, and younger twin siblings, Aiman and Iman.
The twins giggled, and Aiman teased, "Addah (elder sister), stop kissing me; I'm a big boy!" Everyone laughed, and Amina playfully ruffled his hair.
Amma announced, "Alright, babies, let's eat." They began with Bismillah and dug into their breakfast.
Alhaji Yusuf Madaki cleared his throat. "Amina, your in-laws will be coming the day after tomorrow, Insha Allah, to bring your kayan lefe."
Amina nodded. "Alright, Abu."
Amma added, "And your aunties and cousins will arrive today."
Amina smiled. "I can't wait to see them."
After breakfast, Amina changed into a comfortable baggy black trouser and white shirt to help her mother with cooking. She made a conference call to her friends, Zeebu, Amrah, Baby, and Sophia (Omar Al-Fayed's sister), to enlist their help.
"Hey babies, good morning!" Amina said.
Sophia teased, "Morning, sis-in-law."
The girls laughed, and Amina blushed. "That's not why I called. Can you guys help with some cooking? The groom's family is bringing my kayan lefe tomorrow, and my relatives are coming today."
Excluding Sophia, the girls agreed and hung up. Amina changed into a more practical outfit and headed downstairs to wait for her friends.
When the doorbell rang, Amina opened the door to find Zeebu, Amrah, and Baby. They hugged each other and began working on the menu: fried rice, Nigerian jollof rice, pepper chicken, pounded yam with egusi soup, coleslaw, and small chops.
Later, Amina prepared a refreshing zobo drink and put it in the freezer to chill. After finishing the cooking, they cleared the kitchen and served themselves in Amina's room.
As they ate, they FaceTimed Sophia and chatted for a while.
The day passed in a blur as relatives began arriving. A young lady, dressed in a sequin dress with a veil wrapped around her head, carrying a beautiful baby girl, entered the house.
"Assalamu alaikum," she said.
Amina's aunt, Hajiya Suwaiba Umar Tafeedah, was a vision of elegance. Amma exclaimed, "Wow, is this Baby Hayyah all grown up?"
Hajiya Suwaiba laughed and asked, "Where's my favorite girl?"
Amina squealed, hugging her aunt tightly. "Aunty Ummi!"
As the day unfolded, Amina greeted relatives, some with warmth, others with a hint of hostility. She ignored the negativity, focusing on the joy surrounding her.
Her friends stayed until 9:00 pm, when Sultan returned with the twins and offered to drive them home.
As Amina settled into bed, she reflected on the day's events, choosing to ignore the absence of a call from Omar Al-Fayed. She performed her night routine, said her Dua, and drifted off to sleep.
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Here's a chapter as promised, Soooo what do you think about this chapter.
This Omar guy is something else oo, he didn't even call Amina since she left Malaysia ummmm ah no go talk🤐.
Don't forget to vote, comment and share jazakallah as you do so 🥰
Xoxo 😘❤️