BORNO EMIRATE COUNCIL.

Suhayr could feel it in her bones that this whole wedding is going to cost her her energy for the year. She thought this year was going to end smoothly with no extraordinary exceptional dramas but who is she to even think about that? Her life will never be the same from this wedding no matter what happens to it in the future. She is definitely not going to be tied forever, she just needs peace of mind for the time being before she hauls away.

The morning of her second wedding to the same person has come and she is not looking forward to it at all, who would? She needs to get everything ready right from her hair which she heard she must get it braided into small plaits, she already pity the woman going to do that down to the murderers of heels she is supposed to wear for the whole evening. Why do they have to make it traditional wedding and not just accept that they got married in a mosque?!

They can be quite overbearing too and what makes it less dictatorial is that her girls are enjoying themselves, she would've thrown a fuss.

"Susu, keep those thoughts aside and let's go. Everyone is waiting for us outside." Urshia walked into her room featuring the same type of clothes she was wearing the day before except that this time, it is a different name, mai tabarma.

"Must my hair be braided? And in short little amount of time?" She grumbled, her voice kvetching what she feels knowing she doesn't need to explain herself any further.

"That is their tradition. Now, don't pull of that look, you were the one who forced him to marry you, face the consequences." Urshia joked earning a glare from Suhayr, she shouldn't be reminded of that.

"It feels like you are siding with that douche." Suhayr rolled her eyes but stood up, looking at herself from head to toe in the floor length mirror.

She is wearing different type of lafaya today. It is bright pink in colour but shines under the light like some gold. There are no sequins or stones to help it glitter but it does, Suhayr won't think much about their clothes, they are always weird. Her legs are clasped in royal pink shoes embroidered with golden yellow, she loves them and the fact that it is flat, curved from the front while the back is opened toed.

"I'm not, just reminding you." Urshia shrugged innocently, accompanying her out of the room to where her daughters are waiting whilst peeping from the window.

This time around, the ceremony is not going to take place in some hall but in the wing they were given. Just outside the front door, there are three tents made as it is said, the ceremony does not require so many people. Who would want to wake up around eight in the morning just to come to some event? She wouldn't do that, not with the sleep she loves like her life. So she can already picture people declining coming to the ceremony, she would too.

She kept wondering how she woke up super early, around seven in the morning. She never thought she had it in her to wake up so early, no alarm or anyone knocking at her door. Or maybe it is because she was extra exhausted the day before and she slept early. Urshia gave her a look of surprise when she found her in the kitchen eating some weird cereal she's never tasted but found sweet. The name is written but she didn't bother reading or even checking the expiring date, she wanted to explore new things so expired ones don't even matter.

She hardly gets sick.

"I look finer than you today, Susu." Tasneem wiggled her brows while twirling around in her matching clothes as her mother's.

"You don't stand a chance close to me." Suhayr deadpanned, not liking the commotion going on outside the place, it seems like their definition of not much is different from hers.

"Shut the fuck up!" Tasneem bellowed playfully before standing beside her so they can walk out.

Leaving the Chambers, they slowly walk to where the tents are as some few maids were already waiting for them outside to accompany her. She has this bored look on her face as she can't wait for this useless shitty ceremonies to be over. Those pieces of clothing she is wearing is really uncomfortable, she can't wait to get back to wearing her gowns freely. There is no freedom like wearing simple jallabiya or her new pants she didn't even get to wear, ugh, she ruined so many plans of hers because of greediness.

There are so many people for Suhayr's liking when she thought she would see less than twenty people but in front of her are more than fifty which is not small in her book. Most of them are dressed up in same traditional clothes making her sigh in utter irritation. Most of them yawed their attention to where they are like she is the new talk to of the town, she really is though. If only she could do it like those superstar's and make a quick run for it smoothly.

Sadly, she is no actress.

"Now, now, stop featuring that scowl on your pretty face when you are supposed to be in love. Sumara, your Aunt will have to back you and do some little rituals then we are done." Her Royal Majesty smiled at them upon reaching where they are.

Suhayr didn't notice her nor her entourage coming to where they are. Her mind is settled on the freedom she won't get being a married woman, that thought wouldn't leave her head. What was she thinking when she got married again? Hah, being rich and royal married to a handsome fella who happens to be the exact opposite of who she thinks he is, an absolute douche.

"Back me?" Her eyes widen taking a look at Urshia to see if she knows about it and is okay with her, she does.

"It's okay, it's not like you weigh much." Urshia giggled when Suhayr's concerned expression yawed to scowl at that. Not that she would like being called fat.

"It is called Klatul, where the bride's paternal Aunt unbraids her hair, wash it and back her to dance. The bowls will be here in a minute." And the Jakadiya moseyed to where they are with a tremendous golden bowl in hand, it looks expensive.

Suhayr and her girls are accompanied to one of the tents where only few maids are standing waiting for them clearly. She sat down on a traditional mat, the only place she could sit as there are no chairs or couches to help ease her tensed muscles. Oh, how she badly wants to lie down and watch everything from the sidewalk. She would've enjoyed everything had it not being that she is the one on the sweltering sit.

"Now sit on the floor, open your hair and let your head be direct into the bowl so the water won't be poured on the floor." Suhayr did as she was told noticing that the maids have covered her up from prying eyes of other people, then they moved away when she thought she was hidden.

Traitors!

Urshia did as she was told, unbraiding the two braids and poured the lukewarm water. Another thing Suhayr is always confident with is, her hair. Yes, everyone around Chad has long dark hair that reaches below their waist like Indians or sometimes even more but hers is way too soft for you to thread your hands in without pins just like Tasneem had done earlier. She doesn't braid her hair, it's just waste of time and that person will only struggle to get them in place.

Just few minutes after it gets braided, it will come down like it wasn't even there leaving only a trace and trail of curly hair in their wake. So she is really intrigued when she heard that her hair needs to be braided as per their 'tradition' again. Maximum, the woman will be able to do twenty braids and she won't even look at her head again. Even if she tries, it might only stay for the day only.

"Ma Shaa 'Allah. You have such long beautiful hair, Sumara." Her majesty praised, her face entranced by the mane on the girl's head. It looks soft and silky, just every woman's dream.

"Thank you." Suhayr replied, her mouth filled with the tepid water as it started pouring right from her nape, she hopes it won't move down her back.

She could hear the gasps and murmurs, feel the cameras taking the photos or videos of the tradition, to do what? She doesn't know hut would love to find out. Her mouth is closed tightly alongside her eyes, her eyes are pretty sensitive. There was one time when she was told about using medicated glasses, all hell broke loose.

"This is the last tradition called Kaulule. It has a really high place in Kanuri tradition. Firobujin." Her Majesty explained further watching as a gigantic towel got wrapped around her head by one of the maids to rinse away the water.

Suhayr is now sitting on a traditional mat again, not kneeling like before.

"Pour the Kaulu in her hand, Juwairiyah." Her majesty said to a younger looking woman who has this look of deadpan etched across her face. She looks about Suhayr's age or older, but she is young.

"Sure." And she poured it with little extra that Suhayr wanted to give her an earful about it but she kept quite thinking it was the tradition. One by one, people started rubbing the thing around her, she didn't say a word.

"This is everyone's token in here. You can open them after settling down in your marital home." Her Majesty gave Suhayr a medium sized box that is wrapped in silver gift paper.

"Oh, thank you." She smiled at her, she loves gifts, who doesn't?!

Few hours later, her hair got braided into twenty small plaits which surprised her and everyone around her who knows her hair. Nevertheless, she is happy that she got to have the hair tied, at least she won't bother washing it for a few days. She will have this woman stay with her all the time when she wants the hair to be knotted, especially when she needs to do ghusl. She hates doing it with her hair opened, it take much more time than necessary.

"Wow, I will come and have mine plaited too please." Thuraiya admired, watching Suhayr's head like something fremd.

"Why, thank you." Suhayr grinned watching herself in the mirror while adoringly staring at the plaited hair.

"The men are here, the marriage will be conducted in twenty minutes right outside this Chambers in those tents." Urshia announced walking back inside the Chamber from whichever trip it is she went to.

Thuraiya is wearing Ankara which was surprisingly sent by her Majesty for them. The Ankara has beautiful lotus flower patterns all around it in different colours. Three or four of the patterns were removed and fixed at the neckline then stones got arranged by the edges of it, it was so pretty that Suhayr couldn't take her eyes off of her. The skirt is sewn in a straight one with a closed slit behind it, gorgeous. The peplum of the blouse flew up in those modern ways.

Tasneem on the other hand is wearing basil and seaweed coloured Ankara. The sleeves are in huge angel that reached down to her wrist closing the wrist watch she took from the boxes sent to Suhayr. While the gown flew down in gentle waves touching the ground with little inches, it didn't tighten in anywhere. She likes how it flew, closing the curves she is thriving to get, the neckline is low-bias roll. She would definitely look for something like that, she looks comfortable wearing it.

Urshia also took new one from the ones sent to her, she can't believe her Majesty did all of those for them, they must be loaded. She is wearing a fuscia and rose pink coloured lace, the neckline is made in ruff made for youngsters but Suhayr can't believe just how it suited her petite frame. She is almost the same size as her making her wonder where Tasneem and Thuraiya got their heights from

The skirt is sewn into those fitted six pieces, she looks to be there age. The maids tied their head ties like they are about to do hers then they took the shoes from the boxes sent to her again, she doesn't mind.

She is wearing white lace, fitted gown and to her utter surprise, it is the same size to all her curves. She asked the Queen if she is a witch but the woman laughed it off and told her to think about her wedding first and they will talk about that later. The gown touched the ground with so many inches, waste of yard, really. Just below her butt, there is something tied in net that makes her look as though she has bigger butt than the one she worked out for.

Her head is also tied is some weird white thing and she wanted to ask them to take it off, it feels so heavy on her head that she couldn't move properly with it settled on her head. She left the room after she was set to leave, her head tightly tied and the veil is drapes around her like she is some cartoon animation. Suhayr is keeping her cool but once she don't feel it again, hell will break loose and no one can escape her wrath.

She sat down on one of the one sitters so she could stare outside as her second wedding takes place. She don't see why they are hellbent on spending more money to get them married, can't they just accept that they are married in some mosque? Rich people are really what they are! She wouldn't dare think about spending so much money on a wedding, never would she like to think about this. If she has the same amount of money they spend on this second wedding, she would definitely go to Mauritius.

"Watching your second wedding taking place?" Tasneem asked sitting beside her on the other sofa while staring outside through the corn coloured thick curtains.

"Hmm, just thinking." She hummed, not letting her eyes wander off from the men making a vast circle around the tent, augmenting by the minute.

All of them stinking wealth.

"About what?" She probed, they haven't spend time since they arrive in Nigeria so she needed some lone time with her best friend.

"About stuff. Me being a married woman to a complete douche. Them spending so much morning knowing we are already married, I feel like they are wasting too much when there are so many out there needing this. Look at you guys few days ago, thinking about where to go after getting kicked out." Suhayr shook her head, the more she thought about it, the more stupid it looks to her eyes.

"I understand." Tasneem tighten her lips but couldn't keep the astonishment away from her voice.

Suhayr is not one to be demonstrative or sentimental so listening to her ranting about the poor out in the world is enough to keep her thoughts away. Maybe some things really change people and maybe this little marriage of theirs brought empathy into her heart, or into her chest since she said she doesn't have a heart. She hates when people act vulnerable and blame it on the heart, she doesn't need a heart to feel. That is what she's said!

Tasneem can't wait for the day she will prove her wrong.

"The wedding has been concluded!" And then the air was filled with congratulations while Suhayr could only exhale.

"You are married for the second time to the same man in less seventy two hours." Tasneem laughed at her scowl.

"I hate that idea." Suhayr rolled her eyes then moved to stand up not glancing at the heels dropped right before her feet.

"Mrs. El-Kanemi, your Highness." Tasneem mocked with a taunting fake imitation of bow.

"Fuck off, bitch!" And she left the room to get over with everything.