MINE (EDITED)

Chapter 20

1758 - wordcount

It's a beautiful Sunday morning, the sun is shining, and I can hear birds chirping outside my window. Although it's sunny here in Katsina, I absolutely love the vibe. Earlier this morning, Mammy told me that we'd be going to visit my grandparents. I just nodded and went back to my room to get comfortable.

I'm currently just chilling, listening to music, and scrolling through Instagram, my usual Sunday routine. Right now, I'm vibing to "Hold On" by Chord Overstreet, as I mindlessly scroll through my feed. On the other line, I'm talking to Muhammad.

"But seriously Layla, have you seen her?" he says, clearly annoyed. He's telling me about this girl he bumped into yesterday, his ex—yeah, the one he dumped because she cheated on him.

"Bak, you have a wife already," I tease, referring to me.

"You, right?" he asks.

"No, the ex," I laugh. "She wants to reunite."

He groans. "Stop this."

"Why are you whining like a baby?" I chuckle.

"Because you're making me too," he says.

We talk for a while, and after about an hour, I figure it's time to get ready since it's Asr time. I perform wudu and pray, then pick out my black abaya with white stones, which I got from the 'Vintage Violet' collection by Hindu. I get dressed, pack my things, and head downstairs.

"Mammy, I'm ready!" I shout from the corridor.

I walk into the living room where Daddy and Uncle Najib (Dad's younger brother) are watching the news. I greet them both before heading to Anne's room.

"Anne, ben hazırım hadi gidelim," I say, "I'm ready, let's go."

"Norah hazır mı?" she asks, "Is Norah ready?"

"Bilmem ki, ben bir bakayım," I respond, "I don't know, let me check."

I walk to Norah's room and knock on the door. "Norah! Neden bizi bekletiyorsun?" I ask, "Why do you keep us waiting?"

"Sorry, Abla, oof, sabır lütfen!" she says, rolling her eyes.

I shake my head and leave her room. A few minutes later, everyone's ready, and we head out to my grandparents' house in GRA, not too far from where we live. We arrive, honk the horn, and the gateman opens the gate for us. We enter and head straight to Goggo's side of the house (Dad's mother).

"Salamu Alaikum," we greet as we enter the living room.

"Wa alaikum salam," Goggo replies.

We enter, and Mammy greets her, "Ina wuni," to which Goggo responds. Norah and I greet her, too.

"Hajiya Goggo, Ina wuni," we say.

We call her Hajiya Goggo because that's how Ya Meena used to address her when she was younger, and it stuck with us all. Mammy and Goggo start chatting about something while Norah and I scroll on our phones, mostly ignoring the conversation.

Mammy tells us to go greet everyone else in the house, so we get up and go to Hajiya's side (our step-grandmother). We make our way through the house, greeting everyone. They all tease me about getting married in less than two months, and all I can do is smile and blush.

Once we're back home, we gather in the living room. Daddy is at the Emir's palace, so it's just Mammy, Ya Meena, Norah, and me. They're talking about my wedding while Norah discusses her upcoming graduation, which is just two months away—right after the wedding.

"Have you decided what to wear yet?" Ya Meena asks.

"I looked through your friend's page on Instagram and saw some beautiful places and asooke," I responded, still scrolling.