Trackside Romance

ONE: ENGAGED

I have seven siblings plus myself eight. Ihsan and I have the same mother but the rest are all kids to my step mother; Aunty Fatima. The first born of our house is Ya Sadiq who is 27, Aisha(Aysa) who is 24, Myself(Meenah), Mubarak--18, Khadija(Ihsan)--16, Zainab(Zeemar)--14, The twins(Aryaan and Arianna) they are 10.
Baba and my real mother have been separated for over five years now. My mother lives in Lagos with her husband who is a Lieutenant General in the Nigerian army while Ihsan and I live with Baba who is a Civil servant here in Kaduna with his wife Aunty Fatima and my siblings.

"We are here to respectfully ask for your daughter's hand in marriage to our dear son Fareed Rayhan Jarma," spoke one of the elders, who I presume is Fareed's uncle.

"Ma sha Allah. Ameena, have you heard what has been said? They have come all the way here to ask for your hand in marriage. Do you agree to this or not?" My gaze lifted from the carpet, and I saw Fareed Jarma, the love of my life, in front of me. It was not a new sight to behold his dashing and handsome appearance, but today was different. He looked absolutely stunning in his blue Wagambari Getzner caftan shadda, paired with a Babban Riga and a multicoloured Zanna Bukar cap. His smile was infectious and made him even more good-looking to look at.

After a moment of shyness, I finally spoke. "Yes, I agree."

"Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah," everyone in the room chorused in jubilation. I was thrilled that I would finally be able to be with the love of my life, Fareed Jarma.

But wait, I got carried away and forgot to introduce your soon-to-be brother-in-law to you!

Where should I begin?

His name is Fareed Rayhan Shariff Jarma , but he is widely known as R.Jay. At 29 years old, he is renowned as the youngest and most accomplished motorbike racer in Africa. With over 15 championship cups, including international competitions, he has proven his skill and passion for power bike racing. Despite his impressive track record, his ultimate goal is to become the best powerbike racer in the world, and I believe he will achieve it because nothing is impossible.

We have been in a relationship for nearly three years now. Fareed has been focused on advancing his career, and now that everything has fallen into place, we have decided to take the next step and get married.

Honestly Fareed is my whole life and a part of me already. I can't imagine my life without him, and I keep loving him more and more each day because of how much he has proven that he deserves my love.

We first met in the FCT while I was attending a culinary school to improve my baking skills. My cousin, Asmau, had purchased tickets for us to attend a powerbike racing competition, which I was ecstatic about since I have always been a fan of racing, especially MotoGp racing. I had always admired Fareed's popularity and the fact that he was a role model to many young people, even though I had never met or spoken to him before. I found him incredibly handsome and cool, not realizing that we would eventually end up together.

As we watched the race, my excitement grew as Fareed won. I was so happy and elated that I couldn't contain my joy. Although we were supposed to head back home after the race, I was determined to stay to get his autograph. I didn't mind waiting for hours just to meet him and get his signature. When Fareed began signing autographs for the fans, I jumped in and asked him to sign my empty cup of drink, which he did, but not before giving me a curious look that lingered for a few seconds.

As we were leaving, one of Fareed's staff members rushed over and handed me a card. It was his phone number, and it felt like the best day of my life. I saved the number and called him, and that's how our love story began.

My family and our guests all settled in the large living room as they began munching on the delicious dishes and pastries that were made. We made Friedrice, jollof with coleslaw, Tuwwo miyan taushe, Tigernut drink, Zobo, Samosas, shawarma, chicken pepper soup, Spring rolls, Cinnamon roll, then sweet chocolate desserts and a cake which I made by myself.