TALES OF THE HEART (EDITING)

chapter 7

Greetings from 🇬🇧

6:01pm

Enjoy.....🤗

Today is Wushe Wushe day, and the festivities are set to take place at night. As usual, the house is bustling with visitors. The event starts in just four hours, and I'm dressed in a baby pink lace outfit, the asoebi for the bride's sisters during the traditional sitting (yini). My sisters and cousins are gathered in the spacious family living room, eating and chatting. My half-sisters and I are really close; while there's occasional sibling rivalry, we do our best to support one another.

As I may have mentioned before, there are twenty children in the family, and I think it's about time I introduce them all.

Let's start from the first to the last; first born is Ibrahim, Rabia(bebi), Zainab(yagana), Zahra(yakaka), Ameena (Mamma), Ahmad, Aicha, Ruqaiya(Ummi), Mairam, Muhammad, Hauwa(Niimah), Yassine, Fatima(Amma), Halima(Aidah), Maryam(Kamilla), Mahmoud, Umar(Khalifa), Nadia, Abdallah and the last born Ayman.

Baba's first wife, Yaya, has eight children: Ya Ibrahim, Ya Bebi, the twins Yagana and Yakaka, Ya Mamma, Ya Ummi, Amma, and Mahmoud.

Ammi, or Hajja as family members and friends call her, has five kids: Ya Ahmad, Ya Muhammad, Ya Niimah, me, and Khalifa. But you already know that!

Mummy has three girls; Aicha, Mairam and Yassine.

Mama has two girls and two boys; Kamilla, Nadia, Abdallah and Ayman.

So yeah, now you know all twenty of us.

***

"Sauran su Amma da su Aidah," YaKaka said, teasingly referring to the idea of marrying us off.

"Aidah, bring a husband quick quick so we can marry you off!" Ya Bebi chimed in, playfully agreeing.

"Inaa, sam! I'm not going anywhere, and you skipped Mairam, Yassine, Aicha, and Amma! You all are just jealous that Baba married you off so soon, but that's not happening to me," I retorted, standing my ground.

"You were supposed to say, 'Allah ya kawo mijin!'" Ya Mamma said with a chuckle.

I chuckled and shook my head, feeling amused by their teasing. "Toh, Allah ya kawo mijin," I said, trying to play along. The laughter and playful banter among us felt warm and comforting, reminding me of how close we all were despite our silly rivalries.

They all replied with an enthusiastic "Ameen," and we continued chatting away, sharing stories and laughter. The lively atmosphere felt like a warm embrace, filled with joy and the bonds of family.

Later, we headed outside to take plenty of pictures. I started by snapping some solo shots before joining in with my sisters. Ya Ummi, Amma, and I also posed together, capturing the moments filled with smiles and laughter.

It was finally time for the Wushe Wushe, and everyone was dressed in beautiful laffayas. Ya Niimah looked stunning in a gorgeous gold laffaya, her makeup flawlessly done by Hermosa. The photographer began snapping pictures of the bride and capturing all the joyful moments as everyone gathered around.

The bridesmaids wore vibrant red and blue traditional attire called dongashau. The bride's sisters also donned dongashau, but in a different color, making sure to stand out while still complementing the overall theme.

The event had officially started, and the groom arrived with his friends and family, entering the hall together. The Wushe Wushe event essentially means "welcome, welcome," signifying the joyful moment of welcoming the groom into our family. It was a beautiful celebration filled with warmth and excitement.