I Am Ariana

Chapter 4

The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.
Family is not important, it's everything.
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Today our Grandma (Goggo), Daddy's mother ,is arriving. Mami has been freaking out since morning. She says everything must be perfect, incase her mother-in-law is the judgy type. On the other hand, Daddy has been so excited, he couldn't sleep yesterday and woke up very early. Well , it's been a while since he last saw his mom so i don't blame him.

Daddy has been shouting for about an hour now. We were going with him to pick Goggo from the airport but the twins were wasting too much time. They said they don't like old people because they look scary to them.

They finally came down stairs and we all entered the car and left. Daddy drove us with Mami seated in the front seat after thirty seconds of argument with Ya Azzam, he said he was the one that should be driving but daddy refused saying this is one of the few chances he has to drive his mom.

I have never met my paternal grandmother, nor talked to her through the phone and that never bothered me. But on our way to the airport i wanted answers to so many questions relating to that. It was kinda weird. I remember a couple of years ago when I asked Daddy, he said he'll tell me when I'm old enough to understand.

The car came to a stop and we headed in. Daddy was freaking out because we were fifteen minutes late. I turned to a glass mirror to adjust my hijab and when i turned back, i saw daddy twirling around an old woman . She wasn't really old , she looked very tired and worn out which made her look very old, she looked malnourished and sickly but all that didn't conceal her beauty. Her tired looking eyes were so big and sparkly, she had dimples that were visible even if she weren't smiling, so that's where daddy got his dimples from.

"Ariana won't you come and greet my Ma?" Daddy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I saw how Mami bent down on one knee to greet her, she held Mami up and hugged her so tight. I bent down to greet her too after Ya Azzam whom she addressed as "miji na ( my husband)".

She was so nice to us most especially Mami. She kept showering her with praises and prayers. I wish my mother-in-law would be like that too. She was also funny , she refused to eat on the dining table claiming that the food won't go straight to her stomach. She also started screaming when she opened the fridge and felt the cool air. I really pity the man daddy asked to bring her here.

We really had a good time with Goggo, she was so funny and knows the right moment to crack a joke. As old as she was she gave Sanam piggyback rides , there was an awful resemblance between the two of them though.The twins loved her more.

After Isha, i ushered Goggo to her room and Sanam also, to her room to sleep. That was when i decided to ask Daddy my questions. Coincidentally, Ya Azzam had been thinking of the same thing. We found Daddy and Mami watching a movie in his parlor with the twins so we joined them, i was trying to gather some courage before speaking when Ya Azzam skope

"Daddy i have a question" Ya Azzam said.
Daddy and Mami shared a look, "And what could that be?" He replied beaming

"Daddy why is it that we never knew any of your relatives and this is just the first time we're meeting Goggo yet we know all Mami's relatives?" He looked like he wanted to keep talking but stopped there.

Daddy was smiling, his fingers intertwined with Mami's "I have been waiting for this day Azzam, now let me tell you guys a story"

"I came from a village called Chika. It was a small village where everyone knew each other, i lived there with my parents,two sisters and all our relatives. I was my father's only son. I have always dreamt of the city, what it looked like and the people that lived there. My biggest dream was to live and work in the city. I have always had passion for Western education but it wasn't allowed in our village, we were only allowed to go to Islamiyya and study the Qur'an, which I later found out that we have been learning the wrong thing. Can you imagine that Azzam? There was a very high rate of poverty in the village, we only had the food we grew to eat and clothing was an issue. I have always fantasized about being Chika's hero."