Journey to 'I do'

Chapter 4

I had slept in, as I was exhausted and woke up at about 12pm. Adorned in a vibrant atampa boubou with puffy chiffon sleeves, I relished the feeling of trad against my skin – a stark contrast to the days spent in London. The hot Abuja sunlight spilled through the curtains as I chatted with my mother, savoring a cup of tea, what can I say? It's the British girl in me. Tea in any weather.

Rabia arrived at 2pm on the dot, almost like she had planned it. Her arrival brought a whirlwind of excitement, we immediately went up to my bedroom for me to give her gifts to her. I had gotten her favorite chocolates, a Celine bag, a scarf and a Swarovski phone case to match mine.

"My rich friend!" She hailed dramatically as she took a snap of the gifts making me giggle.

She shared her wedding plans with me, the impending union with her high school sweetheart, Ahmad Dantata, their wedding was in 6 months. "You won't believe the stress, baby! But Ahmad is a sweetheart through it all. He's patient through my bridezilla moments," Rabia shared, her eyes sparkling with the joy of impending matrimony.

"Thank God you know you are a bridezilla" I said to tease her.

"Abegi let's go out I want ice cream"

"And I want suya"

We went downstairs and told Mamma we were going out and she asked us to pick Faiza from NTIC, her secondary school. Faiza, weary from a day of classes, opted to stay in the car, providing her order to us, "strawberry and cotton candy and vanilla."

Amidst the queue, a familiar face approached – Usman Danbatta, a name synonymous with Abuja's elite. Memories of our shared high school days and a history that had faded into the past lingered in the air. His inquiry about my return, though nosy, set the tone for an unexpected reunion.

"I just got back yesterday," I replied casually.

"Hutu or permanently?" he probed.

"Permanently," I confirmed.

What's his business?

"It was so nice to see both of you. Aisha do you still have your old snap handle?" He asked, and this question annoyed me because he knows the answer. We may not talk but we had each other on Snapchat and instagram, while I rarely posted I know he saw my stories on the days I did.

Our turn to order awaited us, rescuing me from the conversation's nosy depths. Yet, when the cashier rang up our bill, Usman insisted on covering it, a gesture met with my attempted protest.

Rabia, however, had other plans. She whispered with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "Allow people to love you, single fool."

Laughter bubbled out of me as we thanked him, and headed out.

The sun dipped lower in the Abuja sky as our laughter echoed through the car. The decision to pick up Hannan, our other bestie added another layer of excitement to our day. Pulling up to her gate, Hannan burst out with infectious enthusiasm , and I stepped out to embrace her. Her neighbors were probably hissing and rolling their eyes at how much screaming we were doing, just like little girls.

Before diving into our plans, we decided to pay a visit to go in and greet her parents. Warm greetings were exchanged with her parents, who welcomed us with kind hospitality as always.

With Faiza expressing her sleepiness, we decided to drop her off at home before continuing our outing. "Fefe, tell Mamma we'll be back before Isha prayers in shaa Allah," I said to her as we dropped her at the gate.

"Tohm" she replied and left.

We decided to drive all the way to asokoro just to get this amazing chicken and suya we loved. Of course there were a lot of orders there so we were told we might have to wait an hour. We decided to just stay in the car and chat.