From the moment you enter the neighborhood, you can tell there's a celebration, especially since the house where the event is taking place is the fifth one as you enter the street. The street is filled with children, young girls, and even adults, both men and women. Particularly in the large courtyard of the mosque attached to the grand house, you can tell from the gate that it is an impressive structure. There are three tents set up, all filled with white chairs arranged in order. The first tent is filled with prominent scholars from the country and some from abroad, especially Muslims. The second tent is exclusively for women, from young to old. The third tent is for men, both adults and children. The most impressive and captivating thing is the dignified and respectful attire of the people present. Despite it being a wedding, everyone is modestly dressed, with no one wearing revealing clothes under the guise of celebration.

Despite the crowd, the house itself is also filled with people. It is indeed a large house, and at a glance, you can tell it is a family house, as it is too big to be owned by just one person. From the gate, you can see the various sections of the house, which could be at least five to six sections, all built in the same style with no visible differences from a distance. Only upon entering can you understand that each section has its own unique design according to the occupant's preference.

Not knowing what was inside, I followed the crowd to the second section, which seemed to have the most people. Since everyone was in the mosque courtyard where the walima (wedding feast) was to be held, I managed to sneak into the room where I heard the bride was.

There were about ten to fifteen young girls inside, each busy preparing herself in a long milk-colored dress adorned with golden floral designs and stones on the front and sleeves. They were chatting and laughing, making it hard to hear what anyone was saying.

"Oh Allah, weddings make everyone anxious. How come Yah Ab... hasn't stopped talking until he lost his voice?" One of the girls with a small golden veil on her head said, laughing. Almost simultaneously, they all turned to look at the girl lying on the bed, facing away from them. She was lying on her stomach with a chest wrap and a small hijab. "Hahaha! Indeed, Iman, you see, he lost his voice since yesterday," another girl responded, laughing as she approached the bed, while the others also laughed and moved towards the bed. They surrounded her and then collectively said, "Tomorrow she will burst!" laughing and clapping.

The girl sitting by the mirror applying makeup clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, her eyes filled with tears. Annoyed, she put down the powder she was applying and left the room.

They didn't even notice her, as their attention was on the bride, continuing to tease her with shouts of "Tomorrow she will burst! Tomorrow she will burst!" They were shouting and laughing, typical of young friends around 16-17 years old.

The tears she had been holding back started to flow down her cheeks slowly. She didn't move, nor did she open her eyes to look at her teasing friends. Only she knew what she was feeling since last night. This was a day she had longed for with her lover Yah Abdallah since she was young. But she didn't know why she felt uneasy since the wedding week began. She knew it was likely due to the new life she would start tomorrow, God willing. She let more hot tears flow, taking a deep breath that made the veins in her neck stand out.

"Oh my! Are you girls okay?" A stern voice called from behind them. The room fell silent, and they all turned to look at the speaker. She clapped her hands and held her chin. "Oh, you girls, instead of helping her get ready, you're here chatting away?"

"Sorry, Addah," one of them said, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment. Addah shook her head as she approached the bed, "Alright, now leave and let me get her ready." They left one by one, murmuring in disappointment, but knowing that Addah was not in a playful mood today, no one dared to say anything. She didn't pay them any mind, as today was not a day for jokes. She helped the beautiful young girl sit up, saying, "Get up, dear, enough crying. You are a bride, a precious bride with a handsome groom like Abdallah. Or do you not want the wedding to happen?"

The girl pouted, letting more tears fall, then fell into Addah's arms, crying harder. For the first time, Addah laughed, patting her back. She said, "Oh Lord, today our household's mischievous leader has softened because of marriage." The girl cried harder, melting into Addah's embrace. They stayed like that for about four minutes before Addah lifted her, smiling wider. She sat her down properly and used the edge of her veil to wipe her tears, even though more kept falling.

"Come on, Nu'aymah, Abbah's daughter, enough crying. Did something happen to you?" She shook her head, taking a deep breath. "Is any part of your body hurting?" She shook her head again. "By God's power, then why are you crying like this? You are having a love marriage, Nu'aymah. Look at everyone in the family; they are all happy about your wedding. Relatives from everywhere have arrived, and tomorrow, God willing, is the day. Umm, Hajjo, your father, and everyone is filled with joy for this blessing. I just spoke with the groom; their flight from Abuja is at three, and they should be on their way now, he and his friends. I thought today would be a day of immense joy for you, Nu'aymah. Hmm?"

She wiped her tears, her voice trembling, "Addah, I'm scared." Surprised, Addah asked, "Scared? Nu'aymah, scared of what? Did something happen to you that we don't know about?" She shook her head, swallowing hard and taking a deep breath.

Addah sighed, shaking her head. She placed her hand on her chin and lifted her face. "Look at me, Nu'aymah." Slowly, she lifted her large, red eyes, swollen from crying, and looked at Addah. "Enough crying, daughter. Remove all fears from your heart; nothing will happen except good. Be happy because tomorrow is your day, God willing. We pray that God blesses this union, grants you peace and righteous offspring, and makes this union a blessing for our family in this world and the hereafter."

In her heart, she responded with 'Amen,' but outwardly, she lowered her eyes in shyness. Noticing this, Addah smiled and tapped her long nose. She said, "Good, Hajjo's pride, get ready. The walima has started, and the bride is missing." 

She forced a small smile and stood up as Addah instructed. She had already bathed, so she just washed her face again and returned to where Addah was waiting. Addah helped her with light makeup, not overdoing it, and dressed her in a pitch and maroon patterned ankara outfit. The dress fit her well, as she had a well-rounded body. Nu'aymah was not slim, but she wasn't fat either; her body was smooth with no signs of thinness despite being very young. Addah dressed her in a black gown with pitch embroidery and stones, added a little perfume, and gave her black flat shoes that complemented her fair feet adorned with red and black henna. "Masha Allah, my son Abdallah's bride," Addah said, signaling with her hand that she looked beautiful. Nu'aymah smiled shyly, lowering her head.

The girl who had been hiding by the window watching them wiped her tears. She had been listening and watching Addah and Nu'aymah's conversation, biting her lip hard as if she would pierce it, trying to hold back the sobs threatening to escape.

Without wasting time, Addah helped Nu'aymah out to the courtyard, where they met about five elderly women. With a bit of irritation, one of them glared at them, saying, "Why is the bride still inside the house and not at the walima, Fauza?" Respectfully, Addah replied, "Sorry, Hajjo, we were getting her ready." 

"What preparation? As if she's going to her husband's room today. Come on, Zainabu," she said, taking Nu'aymah's hand. Without hesitation, Addah let her go, smiling and watching them until they reached the gate, then she sighed. She was about to follow them when...

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand. She turned quickly, but seeing who it was, she remained silent. She looked around, seeing people moving about, and then tightened her face, looking at her...

"Oh! Adawiya, are you okay? Fauza, what happened to her?" Addah was startled and pushed Adawiya's hand away, glaring at her, then looked at the speaker with a softened expression. "Umm, leave this girl of yours. I don't know what's wrong with her and Nu'aymah. I found them crying together in a room, not even getting ready. This closeness of theirs scares me, honestly. And the distributor has arrived..." she finished, wiping her tears, looking at Adawiya clinging to Umm, crying as if her life depended on it.

The beautiful woman, who bore a striking resemblance to the bride Nu'aymah, smiled and hugged Adawiya tighter, trying to hold back her own tears. "Enough crying, Daughter. Be patient. I promise, God willing, I will do everything I can so you can join your sister and continue your studies together as you started, until God grants you your own husband, and we celebrate your wedding too." 

Instead of being happy, Adawiya cried harder, clinging to Umm.