To Love or To Hate

chapter 1

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Summayah’s POV

“Place that cake perfectly at the centre na” my mum said to a boy, spreading a cloth mat on the table. My mum paid an event planner but she wouldn't let them do thier job on thier own.

Just like the typical yoruba mother that she is, she was here so early to make sure no one slacked at their job.

I was talking to one of my close friend on the phone and giving her direction to the venue but my mums loud order to the ushers wouldnt let me concentrate. I feel very sorry for those boys, they look so stressed and pissed, but they cant complain. Obviously because they would all be paid. I am sure today will stick in thier head for a long time.

I walked away trying to get a quiet place to continue my discussion.

“How do you feel summayah” mariam said all of a sudden. I wasn't expecting her to ask me the same question i have been avoiding. I heaved a sigh of disappointment. I hate it that everyone keep asking how I feel, can't they allow today slide and spare me the heartaches. I know they care so much about me but asking me how i feel brings everything back to my memory.

The memories i want to forget forever.

Are twins suppose to get married the same day? Is there a particular doctrine that says so? For Allah's sake I feel so happy for hummayyah and I can't but get so angry right now as to why everyone thinks I will be sucking. Atleast i am here at the event hall, helping out in the ways i can.

My name is summayah and a twin. I am 24, I work as a copywriter in one of the biggest advertising firm in lagos city. I don’t stay with my parents because i got a job at lagos a week after my NYSC.

My twin and I work together at the same company but she's a content creator and works at a different branch, we live together at accord estate in a two bedroom flat but that would be changing today as shes getting married.

I am supposed to be getting married today with hummayah but life happened. Tahir broke up with me three months ago.

Tahir and i met at a radio station in my third year. I was an intern and he was my supervisor. It was suprising we had a connection because of our tribe barrier but we choose our happiness against all odds. He wanted us to get married immediately after college but I insisted on waiting for hummaiyyah.

I wanted myself and hummaiyah to have that perfect twin marriage. We ve always dreamed about it and planned it perfectly since we were teenagers.  We had even joked that we would get married to another set of twins but plans change when i met Tahir. Hummayah and i were the most loved twins people wished and prayed for. We wern't totally perfect because we both had our hidden flaws but people envied our friendship and resemblance.

It wasn't a suprise everyone wanted to be our friend. We received gifts even from unknown senders. We dont wear the same attire everytime but our resemblance could only be diffrentiated by our parents and close family and friends.

Tahir didn’t have any problems with my suggestion on waiting for hummayah. He was the perfect understanding gentle man. He was willing to do anything and everything for me, as long as it made me happy.

Hummaiyah and sufyan met at a friend's wedding and they became inseperable after a month. When hummayah told me they were ready to take it to the next step. I informed tahir and he was happy too. He made me realise how much he couldn't wait for us to be halal, how important i was to his life.

His mum had come to visit my parents and both families united like they had known each other for so long. His dad is late and his mum lives in kano. I had met with his mum one time she was in lagos and in all honesty, she was the sweetest being i have ever met. She was lively and very chatty. Sufyans parent came on the same day and the nikkah date was fixed.