Nighttime reminders

good

I found myself awake, I muttered some supplications and sat up on my bed. I picked up my phone from my bedside table and as I was about to light up the screen, I dropped it back.

Something was up, I could feel it or hear it if possible. I looked around me, nothing looked out of place. My sisters were still in bed snoring lightly, it didn't look like any of them was awake. They wouldn't even wake up if I had screamed my head off.

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion and drew my lower lip in between my teeth. I stared up at the ceiling and still nothing looked different.

I picked up my phone and looked at the lock screen, That explains it.

It was that time of the year already, the time where I meet my whole family, some of them after a while, some of them I have never met. I wouldn't say I've never met them , they looked familiar though, more like "this person has to be related to so-and-so". They are usually the people that my mum is like "Aah, you don't remember Mrs. Oyebamiji, she's the one that fed you the first spoon of Akamu that you took", I'll bend my knees a bit and say "As salaam alaykum ma" and most of the time force a smile unto my face. And then the person will reply my greetings and pat my back and say "There's no problem, how will she remember me, but nevertheless Ọmọ yin ti di big girl. Ẹ ri ẹkẹ rẹ, gbogbo ẹ ti jade" And then I'll smile and make sure I puff my cheeks and try to leave the conversation.

This day was 'Eid, there's no way I can give a definition for the term, the celebration I meant because that would take us a whole new book. 'Eid is a whole new whirlwind of emotions. Of course there's meat but there's also preparing the meat and other food that might end up going to waste.

After I had come to the terms that it was 'Eid, I also pondered why I was awake at 2:16 am. I had never woken up this early in my life, but it was 'Eid so nothing was wrong, right?

I had pressed my dress yesterday and gone through doing the same for my fanily so what could I spend this time doing?I picked up my phone and opened WhatsApp, I opened a new chat and typed " 'Eid Mubarak" and sent it. After which I later copied and sent to the rest of my Muslim contacts.

I finally stood from my bed even though my phone had pinged with new messages from the 'all nighters'.
I rubbed my eyes and stretched like a cat before heading to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face, then made wudhoo and prayed two prayer units before supplicating to The Almighty. I fell asleep on my mat with my Hijaab on my head.
Someone tapped me. I groaned and turned over to the other side. "Wake up, mummy said she's leaving the house early." someone whined in my ear.

I stood up from the mat and complained in my head as my body rocked with pain all over. I'm never sleeping on the floor again.

I muttered supplications and headed out of my room. "Zulaykhah!"

Someone shouted my name.

"What" I answered with complain lacing my words.

"Daddy said you should make me Frosted Flakes."

"Okay." I was headed to the kitchen already.

"Do you know something" He tugged at my nightwear.

"What?" At this point I clearly wasn't bothered.

"I woke up before you" Abdur-rahman drawled shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Yea whatever" I took out his bowl ready to prepare his breakfast .

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Glossary:
*Akamu: Akamu (Igbo), Ogi (Yoruba) or Pap is Nigerian corn meal made from wet corn starch.

*As salaam alaykum : The Arabic language meaning "May peace be upon you".

*Ọmọ yin ti di big girl. Ẹ ri ẹkẹ rẹ, gbogbo ẹ ti jade : It's a Yoruba sentence for " Your child has become a big girl. Can't you see her cheeks, they've come out( They're puffed up)

*'Eid: Festival celebrated world-wide by Muslims twice a year.

*Taqabalallahu minna wa minkum:May Allah(God) accept from us, and from you.

*Eid Mubarak: Arabic term that means "Happy Festival".

*wudhoo: ablution/cleansing specific parts of the body before prayers.

*Hijaab: A veil worn by some Muslim women in the presence of any male outside of their immediate family, which usually covers the head and chest.