My life as a Fulani girl.

Chapter five

15th May 2016

My heart beat thumped loud as I waited for the liman to ask the question I dreaded.
"Hanina Kabir, do you accept Ayman Aminu as your husband?" I heard his voice through the speaker of the phone.
I looked around the room, mama was smiling at me, she was beside her sisters. Zury and Manal too had wide grins on their faces. Yasir, Aaliyah and other cousins of mine were giving me a thumbs up.
"Yes, I do" I said and then the liman asked Ayman.
"Yes" was Ayman's single reply. His voice was so low it was barely a whisper.
Rahama collects the phone from me and disconnected the line.

   Noise fills the room and everyone comes over to congratulate me. I kept myself hidden in the huge kashkar veil I wrapped around myself.

I was a married woman now.

I was someone's wife.

And me entering Jannah lies on another person's foot.

  just thinking about it made a new hot set of tears pouring down face.

  mama, Anty Jamila and the rest of my auntirs sat me down the other day giving me the marriage 'talk'. Of course I rolled my eyes in all the things they were saying.

  I had told myself that I was going to act as if I wasn't the person getting married.

  but right now realization dawned in. Even if I was rude to my family, I wont be over there being rude to my husband. One thing I'll do and I'll end being in jahannam.

  "hanina waru, mi yidi mi volina ma ha private(Hanina come, I want to talk to you in private)" Zury said pulling me with her out of the living room.

  I sniffed and wiped my tears with my hands that are beautifully covered with henna. Ok I have to give the person that did this henna credit. She really knows how to do it.

  "what do you want to talk about?" I asked, my voice hoarse from all the crying.

"how many times will we tell you to stop crying?" she scolded "hanina you're already married if you didn't notice, crying won't change anything, stop crying and embrace the fact that you're somebody's wife!" she continued pointing a finger at me.

  "Zury you just won't get it! when you were getting married to Uncle Khalid did anyone force you? No! When Manal was getting married to Uncle Adam did anyone force her? No! Why did it have to be me?!" I questioned angrily.

  "Sorry ok?" Zury replied "that's all I have to say, Baba knows what he's doing when he made you marry Ayman. Just wait and all the answers will start coming out" she reasurred.

  she hugged me and then walked me outside the front door. By the door rice was poured all over and a little boy was playing inside it.

  I grimaced and looked away. I hate seeing dirty places or things!

  "why are we going outside?" I asked and adjusted my veil to cover my hair. I wasn't wearing any head scarf.

  Zury turned me around so that I was staring at her.

  "don't overthink things ok? Have fun and make sure you come back before isha" she said.

  I scrunched up my eyebrows and asked "what are you talking about?"

  She just smirked and turns around, before I stop her or move another step, a black cloth is wrapped around my head and I get carried inside something like a car.

  help! I'm being kidnapped.