Kindred Ties

Chapter 26

Sit back and enjoy with a hot cup of tea or coffee.😁

Maryam woke up at exactly 9am, she bathed and donned a blue and ash ankara. She was standing by her drawer spraying perfume when mama pushed the door open. She stepped in with a salam. "Mama Ina kwana." She greeted her with a smile.

Mama smiled and sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her saying, "Ina gajiya. Are you going somewhere?"

"No, I just felt like looking pretty today." Mama smiled. "Well kinyi kyau." Maryam smiled and hugged mama saying, "you look even nicer, going somewhere?"

"Yeah, oh so you mean I only dress up when I'm going somewhere?" She looked at Maryam's wardrobe that was scattered. Maryam quickly moved to block her view. "No mama, you know you always look good. Ina zaki?"

"We are having a little family gathering ne, a gida."
Maryam squealed, "duk su ya Fatima da su asmau da Aisha zasuje?"
"Eh. Move." She said and nudged Maryam out of her view. She looked at Maryam's drawer and back at Maryam whose face was carrying a nervous smile. "Maryam didn't I tell you to arrange your clothes tun last week, you didn't do it?"

"Mama I was planning to do it later ne fa."
"You're doing it now, or I am throwing them out." She got up and turned to walk out of the room. "And if you don't finish early, we would leave you here."

Maryam internally groaned and started arranging her clothes as quickly as possible.

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Maryam stepped out of the car as soon as the car parked in the parking space in her grandparents house, she hasn't been to their house in a while, so she is so excited. She quickly rushed to the front door and knocked enthusiastically.

Hanne, their maid came and opened the door. "Maryam." She smiled. Maryam also smiled saying, "Ina wuni hanne." They get along with her, because hanne has been around ever since she grew up. "Ina gajiya, kin manta damu."

Maryam smiled shaking her head, "bahaka bane wallahi, I just hadn't had the chance to visit anyone ne, tunda na dawo." Hanne smiled and nodded. "Ya hakuri?"
"Alhamdulillah."
"Allah yasa ya huta, Allah yasa karshen wahalan kenan."

Maryam smiled, "Amin." She blinked back her tears and entered the house.

She headed directly to her grandfathers living room. She found him watching news and eating his breakfast. "Daddy!" She called smiling widely. He looked up with a smile, "maryamu na, ya kike." She went and hugged him, and sat beside him on the couch.

"I'm fine, ya jiki jikin?"
He dropped the bread he was holding and sipped his tea, "Lafiya. Oh Allah ji yanda kuke ta girma. You have gotten fatter."

She playfully feigned a hurt look and looked away saying, "Kai daddy."

He started laughing, "you better get married tun wuri karkiyi kwantai." She widened her eyes and palmed her mouth, "laaa, shikenan daddy kace wani abu."

She started talking about random stuff with daddy laughing all the time. "Assalam Alaikum." Mama said as she stepped into the parlor. "Daddy ina kwana." She greeted with a huge smile. "Aisha ya kike?"
They exchanged pleasantries and then she looked at maryam, "I've been hearing your voice from the door, kinata damun shi." She said sitting down. Daddy smiled and said, "there is never a dull moment with this one."

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Maryam, ya Fatima and jannah were talking and laughing reminiscing on their childhood. Ya amma and ya salma were by the other side looking at something on their phones.

"Do you remember that time when we came to this house on a vacation and snuck out around 7AM in the morning just to go pluck some oranges from hajiya binta's house." Jannah laughed saying. Ya Fatima, ya amma, Maryam and ya salma all started laughing.