13 MEN 24 WEEKS

01

(2015)
10:00am and everyone is awake already, is that what it means to graduate? On god I didn't sign up for this, people in this house need to respect me and know that I have graduated now and I need my space to cover up for all the sleepiness nights in school.

(Maama)*door slams* wake up and go wash the plates, you're not serious sleeping in bed at this time of the day, get up now! I'll be waiting downstairs.

12:30pm and I am already tired from one house chores to another, I'll just get married and disappear like I've always imagined, like come on I'll never wash plates in my husband's house. *Lmao* my brain interrupts. Whatever, now I am done I can finally go back to bed.

6:30pm and it's Maghreb already? Would I ever rest? after isha I need to complete my post UME form I need to go to university soon I can't with all this wahala I said to myself. Isha already and Baba called for me downstairs, when baba calls anyone then it's either you're in trouble or you've won a lottery and in my case I can't assure winning a lottery so yeah I am in trouble. I went downstairs and met him having a cup of tea, I greeted with "Baba barka da war haka, you called for me"

(Baba) yes Zara'u, where is the form I asked you to fill? baba yana sama yanxu nake shirin filling din shi dama, okay I've changed my mind bazaki karanta engineering ba, zaki tafi can kasar waje ki karanta medicine, tashi ki tafi Allah ya bada saa.

Everything changed the moment baba mentioned leaving my country to another to study, shikenan I'll not marry, cause all my life I imagined myself getting admission in Nigerian university, and maybe in my first year I'll caught the attention of an eligible bachelor and get married at 17, yeah but I guess that's not happening. Sigh* because baba's words are final no one dares change it.

FRIDAY 2:45pm
I got an email with all my admission details and date of attendance, that's it, that's how things work when baba wants it to, so now I have to start packing my luggage without anyone telling me to because it's one thing to see the email and refuse to act on it, I'll dare not. By Sunday all my luggages are up and ready to fly, I got my passport with a visa to one of the European countries, and I am to fly out on Monday at 1:00pm.

MONDAY 10:00am
Trust me I am having the best moment of my life under a duvet cover when I heard a loud scream from heaven and it summoned me with "ashe yau zakici ubanki, jirgin karfe dayan ne kikewa bacci haka har yanzu? To ko ubanki ne ke tuka jirgin nan bazai jiraki ba tunda ba ke kadai zaikaiba, get up my friend!" I summersaulted twice and found myself in a bath tub, my eyes are still closed but I am sure I landed safely lol, I opened my eyes to be sure I am safe in the bath tub and I immediately remembered the voice I heard from heaven (my mum's voice😂) within few mins I am out of the shower and the next struggle is what to where cause damn I can't where my daily nightwear to the airport talk less of traveling with it. I sat down on a stool thinking about what to wear when Madam Maama opened the door and this time with a cane, "kai maama yau dai zan tafi kuma bazan dawo ba saina gama degree dina gaba daya" "kin dade baki tafi ba idan kinje kiyi degree uku ma sannan ki dawo, waike Zara'u anya kina tsoron Allah kuwa, jirgi dai ba mutum ba amma shi kike batawa lokaci haka, toh wallahi baza kiyi wa mijina asarar kudinsa ba tashi ko a hakane nidai ku tafi" I got up and I wore a black long sleeve dress and rolled up my head with a royal blue scarf and a black slipper, no makeup nothing, all my things are ready and I went out of my room giving it a last goodbye look,*whisper* "I'll miss you". I went downstairs to say goodbye to everyone, and I head to the car where baba is standing.

(Baba&Maama) Allah ya miki albarka ya bada saar abunda akaje nema, a kula a maida hankali, mun baki tarbiyya muna fatan zaki kula Allah ya shiga lamuranki, Allahumma Ameen I answered and went to the car, I am to go to the airport alone (baba's order).

12:45pm airport (MAKIA)
After all necessary rules and regulations I am done with immigration and customs now waiting for boarding, I picked up my phone called all my siblings to inform them I am leaving to school today, some where angry they were not aware and some were cool with it and sent me off with prayers. I quickly went to the rest room nayi alwala and prayed, and now it's time for boarding, all ready to take off.

Maama will always say "Zara'u Allah ya rabaki da neman fitina" but the inner zarau in me will not live without tsokana. So yeah I sat next to a couple and they were having a good time together I am to sit in between them but seeing they're couple I let them sit next to each other, but this beautiful people will not let me know peace acting all lovey dovey, with all the trouble of not getting married at 17 to an eligible bachelor I will meet in uni I have to deal with happy couple? Naa not Zara'u. I stood up from my sit and called for an air hostess, she came and I told her the lady is sitting on my sit and she won't get up, she looked at me with a glare, like the hell, you clearly said we could sit next to each other you don't mind, and now what? I turned my face to the other side making faces, and yeah the couple had to be separated and now I am happy.