Trackside Romance

FIVE: Love and Laughter.

"Ameena, how many events are you planning to have for your wedding?" My cousin, Amra, inquired.

"I'm thinking of the Wushe Wushe, Nikkah, Dinner, and Walimah. I don't want too many events because it was quite a challenge convincing Baba to approve even these ones," I responded sincerely, fully aware of Baba's conservative views, being an ustaz and all.

Amra, had completed her medical studies in Saudi and recently passed her MDCN examinations, so her mother(my aunt) decided to host a small family gathering in their home. The men had gone to the mosque for prayers, while my cousins, sisters, and I gathered at the garden. Meanwhile, the aunties were engrossed in their own conversation inside the house.

"Come on, Meenah, you're marrying a celebrity, and not just any celebrity, but the renowned Fareed Rayhan Jarma. Plus, he comes from an incredibly wealthy family. Your wedding should be the talk of the town. It has to be grand, so everyone knows you're not just marrying any guy; you're marrying into the influential Jarma family," Amra insisted.

"Amra, the events I've mentioned are sufficient for me. I don't want the stress of managing numerous events, especially since I'm not one for large crowds and extravagant affairs. I don't care about having a lavish wedding; all I pray for is a marriage filled with blessings and tranquility," I replied, taking a refreshing sip of my chilled mango drink.

"I completely support your decision, Meenah. A modest wedding will be more meaningful," my other cousin, Maryuda, chimed in with a nod.

"You're absolutely right," Amra agreed, and our conversation continued to flow onto other topics.

Suddenly, my phone started buzzing with an incoming call from none other than Hussain Ahmad Jarma, Fareed's cousin brother. I immediately stood up from my seat and made my way to a more secluded area to answer the call.

"Hello, Hussain," I answered.

"Hey Meenah, how's it going?" he asked.

"Alhamdulillah, everything is great. Fareed mentioned that you were traveling to Kano today, have you already left?"

"No, I'm not going today anymore. That's actually one of the reasons I called," he responded, his tone somewhat serious.

"Hope everything is okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Well Fareed has been feeling under the weather since yesterday, and today he hasn't eaten anything at all. I've been trying to get him to eat something, but he's being stubborn," he explained with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Oh no! But Fareed told me it was just a minor flu and nothing serious," I exclaimed, my voice laced with concern.

"Yes, that's true. But if he doesn't eat anything or take his medication, he might get worse. He's one of the reasons I canceled my flight to Kano just so I will look after the jerk, and almost everyone in the house has traveled to Abuja while some are out. I was hoping you could come over and help me out here, try to convince him to eat something and take his meds," Hussain requested.

"Oh my goodness, Fareed is so stubborn," I sighed.

"You can say that again," he chuckled. "So, if you don't mind, can you please come over? I'm sure if he sees you, he will do the needful."

"Hmm, I'm not sure if I can come over, but I'll try," I sighed.

"Please do, Ameena. But if it would be hard for you to make it, do call to inform me."