Bound To The Stars

Aunts & Haunts.

All the girls were in the kitchen cooking for Iftar today. Ma had invited everyone over for Iftar dinner as she said the house was empty and she was missing everyone.

It was like a small family reunion.

Aunt Asiya and Uncle Mahmoud were here with their mischievous quadruplet gang. Even though they had grown so much, they were still trouble makers.

Then Umma and Abba. Fai has still not returned from Dubai even though his whole family were in Nigeria. Farhana told me he had gotten a job over there and wasn't planning on coming back anytime soon. He had promised to keep in touch but since I got married, he had only texted me once, wishing me a happy married life.

Ammi and Baba Abu were also around. Hamma Mujahid had relocated back to Abuja with his wife, Zarah. She had already given birth to their second daughter Khadijah. Hamma Mubarak had still not gotten married saying he was still looking for the right one. I was wondering how long that'll take. Yasmin already had a growing bump and she tried so hard to hide it but it was so visible.

The last time I saw Ya Farouk was at my wedding. I still hadn't got time to thank him for introducing Ibrahim to me. He was getting married in a few months to his long time girlfriend, Sa'adatu. They've been dating for almost 10 years. I've always admired their relationship. Finally they were going to get married.

Most of my cousins were around also, married and unmarried.

Ma had said everyone was going to come whether by hook or by crook.

We were almost done with the food as so many hands were available. It was a full house situation.

I was carrying the food out to the garden as we were going to eat it there since the dining wouldn't be enough for the large population when I saw Hajja fattu come in.

I braced myself cause I knew they was going to be trouble.

I knew Ma had to invite her cause if she has gotten wind of what was happening and find out she wasn't invited, they'd be drama.

Ma was someone who always avoided trouble.

She had endured Hajja fattu's behaviour for a long time and I usually felt sympathetic towards her. Even though Daddy defended Ma anytime Hajja got into her eye, that still didn't stop her.

There was even one time she accused Ma of keeping Daddy's money all to her self. Saying that Ma always used Daddy's money to buy expensive things for us and herself.

It was only Ma that kept quiet but Aunt Asiya didn't take that nonsense.

Uncle Mahmoud was Daddy's younger brother which meant she was Hajja fattu's sister in law also.

She had tried that with Aunt Asiya but she gave her full stop. Since from then, she never entered her road again.

I didn't know why she couldn't be more like Umma and just mind her business. Umma was also Daddy's elder sister but she got along very well with all her sister inlaws.

As I saw her, I didn't want to be the first person she'd run into cause she'd just spoil my Iftar and probably my whole fasting too.

She had come with three of her bratty daughters, Sadiyah, Saudah and Safina.

Among all her five daughters, Rahama, Rabiah, Sadiya, Saudah and Safina, the only person that at least didn't have a problem was Rabiah. She was happily married unlike her other sisters. Rahama had been married and divorced two times because she had beat up her mother inlaws while Sadiya had still not gotten married. Saudah and Safina were now in the University and I was just praying they had changed their promiscuous behaviour.

What I was finding hard to understand was Hajja fattu's criticism of other people's children. She always felt like her children were the best in the world. Look at how she was complaining about me not getting married that time when four of her daughters were still with her even though they were old enough to get married.

We're not even talking about her son who smoked but she regarded him as the most responsible child ever.

I guess it was Karma getting back at her for insulting other people's children.

As I was going inside, I heard the call to Maghrib.

I said my Azkhar and grabbed a few dates from the kitchen.

Ibrahim was going to arrive after Maghrib so I decided to go pray before looking for him.

After praying, I saw a text from Ibrahim and didn't notice I was smiling until everyone in the room burst into laughter.

"Adda Hanan is in loveeeee." My cousin Intisar said hugging a pillow to her chest.

"I don't like sa ido o."

"Couple crush, couple Crush." I heard my other cousin Farhana singing.

"Kai Farhana, I thought you said Ya Ahmad and Layla were your couple crush.

"I don't know which one to choose sef, all of you are like c-u-t-e." She said blushing

"I didn't know Adda Hanan was this romantic.. have you seen...." Intisar started saying when I cut her off.

"Guys guyss." I knew she was going to say something embarrassing.

When she came over to our house yesterday, she had caught Ibrahim and I kissing in the kitchen and I didn't want to her to tell everyone.

"Let's go and eat DanAllah, I'm famished." I said getting up to head outside.

Everyone was seated and we were all eating catching up on old times. Hajja fattu kept looking at me with some sort of eye but I just ignored her.

This was too good a time to get upset.

I didn't know what her problem was.

I was trying to serve the kunu to Ibrahim when I heard her.

"Wai ke Hannatu. You've been married for almost six months and no sign yet. Are you fertile?"

I dropped the Jug.