Being Mrs Dantata

27

Zainab Dantata tried her very best not to smile. She failed.

Through the phone by her left ear, Umar painted a mental image for her of their nervous son who was doing his very best to act like everything was fine. She chuckled as she watched Hanan speak in a high pitched voice before disappearing into a room.

"Trust me," She told her husband. "He's not the only nervous one."

It was almost noon and it was clear that a wedding was being held. Scrumptious meals had been prepared in the outdoor kitchen and small chops were packaged, ready to be served to guests. Industrial standing fans placed in strategic locations in the tent blew left and right. The original plan had been to use standing air conditioners but Yusuf advised against it. He knew his family members and the last thing he wanted was extra money for incurred damages on Blue Velvet's property.

The Etsako women were already seated in the tent, singing traditional songs. Their voices clashed with the songs that played through the speakers. For some people present, it was a very unpleasant form of noise pollution. In her parents' room, Hanan exchanged her clothes for a pink bathrobe while Amal spoke with Mas'ood over the phone. According to the male, Zayd was on edge thanks to his nerves but he was doing okay.

Hanan jumped in fright when the room door was pushed open. Linda's eyes widened when she sighted her daughter. Hanan laughed airily. "I swear to God, I'm on my way to the bathroom."

"Do you know that the make-up artists are here?!"

Hanan hurried to the bathroom and opened the door. "I'll be out soon, Mummy, I swear."

"Better bathe well o! I'm not about to have guests tell me that the bride is smelling."

"Mummy!"

"Ehen now. Go and bathe jor!" Linda turned to a laughing Amal. "Have you had your bath, my dear?"

Amal nodded, phone still by her ear. "Yes, I have. I'll get the make-up artists here as soon as she's out."

"Thank you, Amal."

Amal's smile widened. "You're always welcome. You know that." Her smile stayed until Linda left the room. Over the line, Zayd cleared his throat. She straightened out the creases on the silk nightdress she wore. "Sa'ed Dantata."

"You sound extremely relaxed, Amal."

"Of course I am! You're the one getting married and I am going to have fun. As the matchmaker and the backbone of this union, I deserve it."

"I'm certainly not jealous, Amal Dantata."

She grinned. "You are." She glanced at the wall clock. "It's already noon so you should start getting ready to go to the mosque. You've had your bath, right?"

"Yeah, I have." The background got noisy. "Jonathan and Baba ensured I had my bath before 10AM." He sighed. "They wouldn't let me sleep."

"If I was there, I wouldn't let you sleep either. It's your big day, Zayd."

"And I'm not supposed to be exhausted on such a huge day, especially with the schedule we have."

"It's not our fault the schedule's tight." She could envision his narrowed eyes. "A certain someone wanted us to have the wedding celebrations finished before August ran out."

"You want to use this against me right now, huh?"

Anyone who peeped into the room then would have seen the perfect image of a content woman. Amal's face was radiant and her smile was sincere. A beautifully designed hand rested on her crossed legs while the other held the phone by her ear. Her hair was packed back and the green shade of the nightdress complimented her skin so well.