Made In Marrakech

"La hawla wala quwatta illa billah" Haj Khairiyyah sighed as she clapped her hands dramatically.

"Umma calm down" Shukrah tried calming her mother down. "Dama sha'anin biki ya gaaji haka. Stuff like this happens on weddings"

"Ni zaki gaya wa sha'anin biki? Eh?" Umma snapped.

Shukrah swallowed and turned her face away. Her Umma was more than pissed.

"How do you expect me to get 200 barrels of kayan zaaqi back to Kano. How?"

"Umma..." Ahmad started but she shut him up.

"Dan Allah ni ku qyaleni. Leave me alone"

Shukrah and Ahmad exchanged looks and they instantly knew this was their queue to leave their fuming mother alone.

Haj Khairiyyah sat on the sofa of her living room with a thud and sighed heavily. She had conducted two weddings so far and each of them had turned out quite alright even though they both came with all their calamities. But she was glad she got the chance to bypass all the obstacles smoothly. But this wedding right here was beginning to give her a throbbing headache. Is that what it feels to marry out two daughters at the same time?

She had ordered 200 barrels of the traditional kayan zaaqi which constituted dubulan, alkaaki, nakiya and chin chin from her favorite confectioner in the ancient city of Kano. The stuff was finished at the right time but then the confectioner messed up by delivering the goods to Abuja. Haj Khairiyyah swore that she had told her that the wedding was taking place in Kano so the barrels would be taken to their family house at Nassarawa GRA. But here they were in her courtyard delivered some few minutes ago. The confectioner did not even call her to tell her about the delivery. And what angered her most was that she had to pay a huge chunk of money to the confectioner for the delivery. And she has to find another truck that'll deliver the barrels back to Kano yet again. She was getting frustrated.

"Do you think she's going to calm down anytime soon?" Shukrah asked Ahmad as they walked out of their mother's living room.

"She will be okay. She's just so worked up and getting nervous. This is the first time she's handling 'double' crowd y'know"

Shukrah nodded as she adjusted her head tie over her messy hair. "I hope she calms down soon"

"Aren't you coming to the airport with me?"

The brides-to-be, Azeeza and Lubna were arriving from Marrakech and Ahmad was assigned to receive them and their cargo from the airport. That cargo plane will be arriving by noon and so he had to be at the airport pretty early.

She shook her head "Nope. I have a lot of stuff to do. Ya Afaf wants me to go to her tailor and make sure her clothes are ready even though I know they're not" she sighed as she leaned against the banister.

"And you need to make your hair too" he nodded towards her heap of hair.

"Exactly" she smiled cheekily at him.

"Alright. I'll see you later."

"Bye" she waved as she watched him walked down the spiral staircase. "My regards to dearest Adda Zarah"

"Insha Allah" he answered at the foot of the stairs.

She turned and headed to the left wing where her room was located. She stood by the door assessing the condition in which she had left it earlier. Souvenir samples lay everywhere on the floor. Printed IV's, packets of balloons, bags of confectionaries and party cones were stacked up on her bed. Tiny magic wands and tutus were strewn about everywhere. She was supposed to buy costumes for all her cousins who were going to be present at the costume party. She has been going up and down Jabi Lake Mall trying to find the right costumes for the kids most especially. They were her favorite part.

Sighing heavily, she began gathering the stuff and shifting them to her wardrobe and others on her reading table. The room was getting stuffy with each passing day and she was afraid she won't have a place to sleep by the time the wedding finally comes. She was thankful it was taking place in Kano, and not here. She could remember how hazardous it was during Ya Ahmad's wedding. Their house was a complete mess and it took a week before everything was back to normal. Thankfully this time around, it won't be the same.

She finished cleaning up and hopped into the shower. She washed her hair and scrubbed off then performed Wudu. She blow dried her hair, combed it and sprayed some coconut oil. She nearly turned her closet upside down looking for her ruby red Calvin Klein t-shirt that she wanted to pair up with her blue printed cup skirt. Her phone buzzed on her dresser. It was Yusuf.

"Hello Yusuf" she said as she picked the call.

"I'm here. Kina ina?"

"I'll be down in a minute." She said and quickly hung up. Since she has no car at her disposal and Umma's driver was also busy running errands, she decided to call Yusuf to take her on her shopping errands. They've been doing that for the past three days and she was enjoying his company. Today was a Saturday so they decided to go out early after Zuhr salaah unlike other days that they leave after Asr since Yusuf was at work during the day.

Realizing she was going to waste his time; she decided to just throw an Abaya over a white camisole. She quickly offered her Zuhr salaah and packed her stuff into her Nine West satchel. With her signature Nike sneakers in hand, she ran to Umma's living room to bid her goodbye and as well search for her red rimmed spectacles.

"Umma?" she called as she pushed open the Victorian glass door that led into her mother's Persian inspired living room.

There was no answer.

"Umma have you seen my tabarau?" she asked lifting up the throw pillows from the chairs. Haj Khairiyyah appeared from her bedroom with a sullen look on her face.

"Gashi" she handed her the glasses which she had found on her dresser.

"Oh Thanks" Shukrah smiled as she took hold of her mother's hands "Umma dan Allah don't stress yourself kinji? Everything is going to fall into place insha Allah. Ki kwantarda hankalinki. Calm yourself"

Umma sighed as her shoulders slumped. She contemplated telling Shukrah the shocking news she had just received some few minutes ago. "I just got a call from Barira. The gas cylinders in the main kitchen have been stolen" she lamented.

Barira was the housekeeper in the Kano mansion and she's been with them for over two decades. She was always there making sure everything was of high maintenance and the house was ready to accommodate visitors at anytime. She had never failed in any of her housekeeping duties. This was the first time something tragic was happening.

Shukrah gasped "Ya Allahu! How? Have they found out who did it?"

Umma shook her head. "Not yet." Then she grabbed Shukrah's shoulders for support "I think I'm already running a temperature."

Shukrah smiled and cupped her mother's face in her hands. "You have at least three weeks before this wedding happens Umma. You're going to be fine. Trust me"

Haj. Khairiyyah smiled at her youngest daughter and patted her hands. "Thank you Shukr. You're a good kid. Allah miki albarka"

Shukrah shot her a dimpled smile. "And you're the best mom ever"

"Oya go, don't keep Yusuf waiting"

Shukrah screeched and ran out the door. Yusuf was going to be so mad today.

She met him in the main living room downstairs with a glass of pink lemonade in his hands. She heaved a sigh of relief and made a mental note to thank the maid for attending to him.

"Hi!" she smiled at him as their eyes met. He was looking just fine clad in his maroon kaftan with black hand-stitched embroidery.

"Hey!" he smiled back. There was something refreshing about the way he smiled.

"Sorry I kept you waiting" she said sitting down on the arm of the chair opposite him to put on her socks and shoes.

"Ah no problem." He waved her apology off. "This lemonade is bomb. Why is it pink though?" he raised the glass to his face.

"Grape fruit" she replied adjusting her veil and using her phone's screen as mirror.

"It's delicious. Can I get takeaway?"

"Dude let's go. We're late. I'll send 10 bottles to your office tomorrow insha Allah" she rose strapping the satchel across her chest.

"No way. In kika aika office ai all my colleagues will finish everything." He said as he led the way. "Send them home dai"

"Okie" she said and slid into the passenger's seat of his Toyota Tundra.

"So how's Umma? I was hoping I could greet her before we leave amman I didn't see her come downstairs" Yusuf asked as he eased the car out of the gates.

"Hmmm...Umma is having a nervous breakdown o! Ta kaasa nutsuwa. She's getting all worked up and frustrated about so many things. You know this biki means double guests and double everything. And it seems she's still finding it hard to handle it." She explained as she connected her phone with the car's Bluetooth.

"Allah sarki. Dama sha'anin biki ya gaaji haka ai" Yususf stated, his eyes glued to the road. Shukrah looked at him with quirked eyebrows as she replayed his statement in her head. That was what she had told her Umma exactly thirty minutes ago. And he was saying the same thing. Why are they so alike?

"What?" he asked when he noticed her staring at him.

"Nothing" she shook her head and smiled. Sia and Zayn Malik's Dusk Till Dawn started playing and Shukrah sang along under her breath as the car sped away.

They stopped at Hudayya's first to check the progress of the two white dresses she was making for the brides and Shukrah's black cape dress that she was going to wear for the dinner. After a little chit chat and making some adjustments in the designs, they left to buy the rest of the costumes. An hour and half later, Yusuf got tired and they had to take a break. They stopped by a roadside stall and bought suya and grilled corn. They sat in the car and enjoyed their meal with a bottle of kiwi and strawberry Snapple. They bought some gift bags later on and they left for Genius Studios. The genius crew were making a wedding trailer for them and so the first half of the video had already begun and was undergoing editing. When Shukrah was sure that progress was being made, they drove to Wale's shop. He was in charge of sowing all of Fifi's clothes and her kids'. Thankfully, he was done with Afrah and Afnan's dresses and was still working on Fifi's cord lace. Shukrah collected the finished clothes and left. Then they headed to Aunty Shuwa's house which was a few streets away from the tailors shop. Aunty Shuwa is famous because of her homemade Bakhours and Incense that always leaves customers wanting for more. She was in charge for making Bakhour and Humra for the brides.

"This one is for Bathing" Aunty Shuwa explained as she raised a large jerry can of Humra which contained a pinkish liquid inside. "Wannan kuma na mopping ne" she added pointing at the brownish one.

Shukrah listened as the woman explained the contents of every bottle even though they were all labeled. She prayed she'll remember to tell the brides all the details. She gave Aunty Shuwa the rest of her money and packed the stuff to the car.

"Are they drinking this stuff?" Yusuf asked as he stared at the large bag that contained the Humrah bottles.

"We'll see" Shukrah smiled at him.

She decided to drive them back home since he was tired with all the driving. Ahmad called her just as she was about to turn the ignition.

"Guess what's also in Zee and Lubsie's cargo?" he said the moment she answered the call.

"Tell me about it" she said putting the phone on speaker and keeping it on the dashboard.

"Mop sticks!" he half screamed. "Can you imagine?"

Shukrah and Yusuf started laughing hysterically. "You're kidding right?" Yusuf inquired.

"Wallahi dagaske nake.I'm very serious. Ga mop sticks dinnan I'm staring at them" Ahmad emphasized.

"Oh em gee!" Shukrah covered her face with her palms in order to control her laughter. "Can you imagine what Umma is going to say about this?"

"Hmmm bari kawai. I'm waiting for the girls to arrive so I can give them an earful. I need to get them prepared for Umma's scolding"

"They're in a bad space wallah" Shukrah shook her head in pity as she reversed the car out of the driveway.

"Totally" Ahmad and Yusuf agreed.

"You guys done?"

"Yeah. We're heading home" Yusuf answered.

"I envy you. I've been here for hours and I'm so tired" Ahmad whined.

"Toh ko za'a kira Madam ne? Should we call the Madam?" Yusuf teased and Shukrah laughed softly.

"Mtchew. Bari kawai Yusuf. I'll see you guys later. Ke kuma Shukrah better start planning a way to calm Umma down when she sees those mops"

Shukrah quirked her eyebrows in confusion. "Ni kuma? I wasn't there when they decided to purchase something so irrelevant and flew it across nations. They both have to find a solution for the problem they've successfully created. Nikam ba ruwana" she said stepping on the brakes as she approached a red light.

"That's mean" Ahmad stated. "You know at the end of the day they'll be off to their husbands' houses and they'll leave you and Umma in the house."

"Itama zatayi auren ai. She'll soon get married" Yusuf quickly chirped in.

"Uhmm" Ahmad cleared his throat. "I see. See you later toh" he said and quickly hung up.

"What was that for?" Shukrah narrowed her eyes at Yusuf. She was trying hard to control the feeling that just erupted in her chest. Was that nervousness? Or fear? Or did he just take her off guard?

"Nothing" Yusuf shrugged and leaned back on his seat. She shook her head and focused on the road.

The rest of the drive back home was done in absolute silence. Both of them were immersed in their own thoughts.

"So..... I'll see you when?" Yusuf asked as she pulled up by the entrance of the house. Today was the last day they'll be spending together as Shukrah was done with the shopping and will be travelling to Kaduna with her Aunts in a week's time to help fix up Lubna's house. She smiled as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Are you going to miss me?" she scrunched up her face and the side of her cheek dipped.

He chuckled softly and ran his fingers on his short hair. "Not really. But I think I might"

"Just help me with these bags will ya?" she dismissed his statement and exited the car. He sighed heavily and followed suit, opening the back doors and retrieving all the shopping bags. They finished unloading them and he helped her in with some of them.

"I'll go and call Umma sai ku gaisa ko?" she said as he dropped the last bag on the marbled floors of the living room.

"No it's okay. I'll come back later and say Hi. It's almost time for Salaah"

Shukrah nodded. "Okay. Later then" she said and disappeared into the kitchen. Yusuf released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was glad Shukrah didn't figure out his motive to come back later so he could get to see her more.

He walked a short distance to the Household's Masjid and performed Wudu. Immediately after, the Adhaan was called. He sat there and said the Salawaat and the Azkaars required to be said after the Adhaan. He prayed silently to Allah to shower him with enough courage to achieve all his goals.

Shukrah grabbed Bintu by the shoulder as she caught sight of her in the kitchen sieving a handful of wheat flour.

"Bintu Bintu Na" she sang in a happy tone as she looked down at the plump teenager in front of her.

"Aunty ya akayi? What is it?" Bintu questioned with a smile. She knew Shukrah was in a good mood because of what she did earlier on. She had attended to one of Shukrah's favorite persons and she was anticipating a reward.

"Thank you so much for what you did earlier on. I owe you one" Shukrah shot her a dimpled smile.

Bintu laughed softly. " Ba komai Aunty. How was shopping?"

She sighed as she opened the fridge scanning for a bottle of coconut water. "Tiring. Exhausting. But Alhamdulillah, I'm still alive."

Bintu nodded in understanding as she continued sieving the wheat flour.

"I can't wait for the wedding to happen so we can all have some peace of mind"

"Saura kuma naki ba!" Bintu stated with a mischievous grin.

"If I pour this coconut water on your head ko?" She threatened.

"Ah ah why would you do that? She's saying the truth ai"

Shukrah gasped at her mother's remarks that just walked into the kitchen.

"Ummaaaa!" she dragged in a childish way.

"Shukraaahh" Her mother replied in the same tone and Bintu laughed at that.

"What are you guys cooking?" Shukrah decided to change the topic as she watched her Umma rummaging through the cabinets.

"Safiyyah's father is coming over for dinner so I'm making him some dumplings and beef goulash" Umma replied retrieving an electric whisk from the top shelf.

"Uhm su Uncle Bature baa."She teased and Bintu giggled at that too. "Can I help?"

Umma eyed her "Is that a question?"

She gave her a grin. "Lemme pray first" she said and headed for the door before she suddenly remembered something and turned. "Uhm Umma, Yusuf yanaso ku gaisa he'll be back from the Masjid any minute from now" she reminded. Umma nodded with a smile as she started peeling the potatoes.

Ahmad arrived with Aziza and Lubna just as Shukrah was seeing Yusuf off. Umma had tied him down with her delicious delicacies so he had to leave a little later than he wanted. And well, Shukrah was keeping him company.

He exchanged pleasantries with the brides-to-be and waved Shukrah goodbye.

"You are not even going to hug us?" Aziza asked with a baffled tone. She was looking chubbier than the time she left. And her skin was a tad bit tanned.

"I didn't miss you guys. I only missed me my Aunty Saro" Shukrah said as she hugged her father's younger sister.

Since Umma couldn't accompany the girls on their trip due to the wedding preps, Abba decided to send them along with his younger sister Aunty Sarah to keep an eye on them.

"I missed you too Shushu" Aunty Saro smiled hugging Shukrah back.

Umma was thrilled to see her beautiful daughters after a month. She welcomed them with warm hugs. She had missed their banters and happy laughter. She had missed having them help in the kitchen and making a mess once in a while. Indeed daughters are a blessing.

After eating a late lunch of Tuwon Alkama and authentic miyar busashen kubewa, they all sauntered up to their respective rooms to freshen up and release all the stress from the trip while Ahmad dropped Aunty Saro at her destination before heading back home to his wifey.

Shukrah had turned Aziza's suitcase upside down searching for the Moroccan face mask she had requested.

"I swear I put it there somewhere" Aziza defended herself when she saw the big scowl on her sister's face "I'm very sure of it. It was the first thing I purchased on arrival."

Shukrah ignored her and kept digging in and out of the suitcase but no sign of the face mask. She shut the suitcase and reached for the other one. Just then, there was a knock on the door and Bintu walked in holding a smoky clay pouch. A tantalizing scent of Maiduguri incense was emanating from it.

"Aunty ZeeZee, Umma said you and Aunty Shukrah should come and greet Uncle Bature" Bintu said as she kept the Kasko on the dresser.

"If Umma hears you calling him Uncle Bature ko? Ni ba ruwana" Aziza teased as she grabbed her veil from the recliner.

Downstairs, the Ambassador was enjoying his meal while he talked with his brother. He was pleased to see the girls. They exchanged warm greetings and he congratulated them on their upcoming wedding. They chatted for a while before the girls were dismissed. Umma was in the courtyard examining the cargo stuff and was so glad the girls had come downstairs. She immediately called them all before they could escape back to their rooms.

"ZeeZee?" She called. "You of all people approved to this?" she said with her hands akimbo.

Aziza gave her mother a confused expression. She needed more explanation. Shukrah smiled inwardly as she anticipated what's to come next.

"Your father is out there supporting the Made In Nigeria campaign and you're here purchasing mop sticks from foreign countries. So kuke duniya ta zaage mu?"

Aziza bowed her head in shame. "Umma wallahi..."

"Ya isa!" Umma raised her hand to shut her up. "Where was Aunty Sarah when you guys were being irresponsible?"

"Umma kiyi haquri" Shukrah chirped in.

"What else did you buy there? Panty liners? Chopsticks? Tissue paper?" Umma asked sarcastically ignoring Shukrah's apology.

Aziza couldn't say a single word again. She remembered how she tried talking to Lubna about her shopping habits but Lubna refused to listen. How does she start explaining that the mops belonged to Lubna alone? Now they were both here getting scolded for one person's irresponsibility.

"Young lady what do you have to say about this?" Umma questioned Lubna whose head was also bowed.

"Umma they're quality mops, handmade and stitched in the ancient city. They can last for more than five years I tell you. Very efficient and ........"

"I see. Why didn't you also purchase the house that you're going to live in uhm?"

The girls kept silent. Umma was really pissed.

"Children of nowadays. You never seize to amaze someone" Umma muttered under her breath and exited the courtyard.

All three of them heaved sighs of relief before Azeeza turned to vent her anger on Lubna.

"You see what I've been telling you huh?" Azeeza seethed.

Shukrah shook her head in disappointment and exited the courtyard too. She couldn't stand watching her elder sisters fighting over mopsticks. Argh!

Safely back in her room, she observed the Isha salaah and then hopped into the shower to have a quick scrub. Her room already smelled of vintage incense by the time she was done showering. All thanks to Bintu. She changed into a mickey mouse baggy t-shirt and black leggings. With her nerdy specs and Diary in hand, she sauntered up to Umma's room.

Just as she anticipated, Umma was still downstairs with Abba and Uncle Bature. So as usual, she sat down on the chaise lounge and scribbled away in her diary.

Umma walked in some twenty minutes later.

"Why do you always wear those specs when you're writing? I know for sure your eyes are perfectly fine"

"It just brings all the vibes y'know" Shukrah smiled her eyes still glued to her diary.

Umma nodded as she disappeared into her closet. She too, had a shower before changing into her two piece Marks and Spencer nightgown. She sat at the edge of her bed and massaged her knees with black seed oil. They were hurting her these days. Shukrah came and sat beside her and gently tugged at the hair underneath her headtie. Umma swatted her hands away.

"Stop touching my hair" she muttered.

"Are you still angry?"

Umma sighed as she closed the cap of the ointment. "I don't know. I don't even know why I'm getting so worked up these days"

Shukrah smiled and rested her head on her mother's shoulders. "Maybe it's because you're going to miss them"

Umma gave another heavy sigh. "Yeah maybe. How can they take them both at the same time?" she said sadly.

Shukrah hugged her mother's arm. "You still have me Umma. I'm like two awesome daughters in one body"

She smiled and patted her daughter's cheek. "The fact that I don't want them to go Shukr doesn't mean I'm not pleased that they're getting married. Kema ina fata Allah ya fito miki da miji so I can peacefully go back to my lord knowing I've raised you all and sent you all to your chosen homes. You're the only one left and to be honest, I can't wait to send you off to your husband's house"

"Habaa Umma!!" Shukrah gasped in disbelief "How can you say that?"

Umma eyed her playfully. "Stop pretending young lady. I see you writing letters to your 'future zawji' in that diary of yours"

She screamed and buried her face with the pillow. "Ummaaaa. You are not allowed to read my diary". she couldn't believe that her mother has read her crazy blabs. She was getting warm all over, it was embarrassing.

Umma chuckled as she adjusted her headtie. "It's always lying carelessly in my room. How do you expect me to not read it?"

"Well still. That doesn't mean I want to like get married soon" Shukrah rolled her eyes as she hugged the pillow she was earlier covering her face with.

"Uhm Ke kika sani. Nikam sai da safe"

Umma grabbed her big hijab and wore it over her nightie before she headed towards the door.

"Umma" Shukrah called and she turned. "You'll be alive to see my grand kids insha Allah. And that doesn't mean I want to like get married...."

"Soooon" Umma completed her statement for her and they both ended up laughing.

"Goodnight Umma. I love you" Shukrah smiled and blew her a kiss.

"Love you too" Umma returned the smile and exited the room.