Ramadan

It's exactly one week to the commencement of fasting and am feeling jittery,unlike my heavily built brothers,am slim and once the fasting starts,I would only reduce to an american size zero,it bothered me, (God forgive me)when I hear jingles and infomercials on television and on radio announcing the arrival of the holy month,it bothered me even more when an excited mom announced to me that we go stock up on food supplies before prices of food stuff skyrocket in the market

Since we would be buying food stuffs in bulk and heavy lifting is required,that's what we have muscle buffs in the house for,so my brothers slipped on their tank tops and I did same,ready to get into the car with mom and onwards to the market

"Maj..what's this you wearing?" Hamz asked,looking at me rather icily

"What does it look like dummy? Something like what you wearing" I retorted


"You don't have the body to show bro" he said rather curtly ,snickering, QT and Karl smiled, Hamz continued,you look like a model who just won top model" he said rudely,my brothers laughed,I felt insulted but being the type never to allow anyone see me hurt,I pretended like I wasn't bothered,instead I raided my wardrobe for my denim jacket and wore over the tank top then slid on my nice rayban sleek shades,looking a little casual glam,it pretty much looked the equivalent of having muscles and wearing a tank top...we were equal now.

We all strolled out to meet a waiting mom by the car

"Aren't you a little overdressed for the market?" Mom asked

"He's trying to outshine us...he has no body to show" QT said

"Oh go away you jerks! Maj might not build his body but he's the cutest and who finds muscles attractive anyway? You all look like hardened rogues" she fired defending me

"Thank you mother" I cut in,blowing her air kisses,my brothers all laughed

"Guess we should go back since we look like hardened rogues,we would see how you and Maj would get the food stuffs into the car boot without this guns" Hamz snickered, showing off his bulgy biceps displaying his strength, mom sneered at him,I took offence at his digs towards me so I sulked,we all got into the car and zoomed off towards the market.


We got stuck in heavy traffic at the junction leading into the market,lots of trucks and lorries which had come to offload goods trying to drive out and a lot more cars and trucks trying to drive in all stuck in a gridlock,car horns blaring from all angles and sweaty,stressed traffic wardens shouting on top of their voices,trying to get things under control ,mom suggested we alight from the car and trek into the market and leave Karl to navigate through the traffic and turn to the other side of the road and park there

"Ehh!...hold on, Am not sure I can navigate through all these,maybe QT should take over" Karl quickly voiced out,Hamz,as usual couldn't control his mouth spurted out

"You fought and drove in iraq,how come you can't navigate through nigerian traffic" he said laughing,it hit Karl with the way his eyes shut halfway in a way that says he felt hurt, obviously,his stint in the american army slash the war isn't something he likes to recall,I immediately tongue-lashed Hamz

"You idiot! I don't know why mom had you,you are so stupid and clueless,you should have been flushed away with her menstrual cycle....son of a punk" I let rip

"Our dad is a punk then cause you just insulted him" he fired back

"THAT'S ENOUGH BOTH OF YOU" Mom cuts in

"Now Hamza,Hamza,if you don't want me to be severely cross with you today,I want you to right now apologise to your brother" mom commanded

"Which of my brothers?" He asked back,mom was silent for a few seconds,looking at him so icily like she wished she could hit him so hard he faints

"Both of them...starting with the senior" mom said,seething with anger,Hamz turned towards Karl and apologised,then faced me and said he was sorry,I flicked my fingers at his face like I don't need it,mom instantly scolded me,warning me about looking for trouble

"Qatar climb down and take over from your elder brother" mom said to QT who was sitting at the passenger sit and quiet all the while we bickered,intentionally saying "elder brother" obviously to make Karl feel as part of the family and not some half-brother,I love her wisdom at that,she continued

"And go and turn to the other side of the road,we would be in the market at iya soliu's stall...so you park,lock all the doors and meet us there" mom said,trying to open the door by her side at the owner's sit

"I don't know any iya soliu oo" QT said "maybe I should just sit here and wait for you guys" he shrugged

"What do you mean you don't know iya soliu who sells all kinds of grains" mom said

"Ehn na! How many times did I come with you to the market?" He countered

"You should be ashamed of yourself...you should be ashamed,at your age,you don't know your way around the market,cause you think you're a man? Shame on you" mom zinged him,"once you turnaround,park the car and walk into the market,I will call you once I sight you" she said with a tone of finality,stepping out of the car,Hamz and I also stepped out and Karl vacated the driver's seat for QT and came along with us.


"Ahhhhhhh, IYA QATARULLAHI OREMIIII" The rice seller wailed on seeing mom, we all bursted out laughing, "if only QT was here to hear what he's been called", Mom greeted the rice seller and they both exchanged pleasantries

"Eku ojo meta" she greeted in yoruba,meaning,it's been awhile

"Ojo'kan pelu" Mom gave the appropriate response

"Ah Mama Qataru, your sons are all grown oo,ah,all these small small boys of then,see how tall and strong they look" she exclaimed

Mom laughed, " It's God ooo,it's just God"

The woman then turned to Karl,asking what he wanted to buy,quickly tying her headgear at seeing a white man,thinking he came on his own,mom laughed and said Karl is her son,she turned to look at mom and asked how possible that mom could give birth to a white son and who obviously looked older than her first son,then mom switched to yoruba language to explain everything to avoid making Karl look like mom is still bitter about the whole thing.

"Hmmmn! Men,Men,Men...what can we do ehn! It's a man's world,patience is a virtue,God would give you your reward through this children, inshaAllahu,they would be successful in life and make you proud" the rice seller prayed


"AminayaAllahu" mom chorused,the rice seller turned to Karl and greeted him

"Oyinbo pepe" she smiled,Karl bowed in greeting again,she came forward and hugged Karl who felt totally awkward,I also felt awkward for him,the woman felt Karl's body all over and commented on how much he looked like our late dad,I rolled my eyes a little


They thereafter went on to bargaining about the price of foodstuffs as I sighted QT coming and called him,I smiled,waiting for when the woman would call his name but QT had a puzzled look on his face,wondering while I was smiling at him,checking himself to see if he wore his cloth inside out or something

"Ah Ah Ah Ah, Qatarullahiiii" the rice seller called out,we all dissolved into gales of laughter, QT smiled,realising why I was smiling earlier, he prostrated and greeted the woman and exchanged pleasantries,by now mom and the woman had reached an agreement about the price of foodstuffs,Mom turned towards my brothers and asked them to carry the bags of rice,beans and garri (who doesn't take garri,lol)

Without further ado, my brothers, always happy at any opportunity to show off their strength quickly grabbed one bag each of foodstuff and ran along to the car,their muscles on full display while mom and I carried less heavier bags containing soup ingredients. We ransacked the market buying and pricing one commodity or the other and after about an hour and spending quite a lot of money and our car boot almost filled with food supplies,we were through,we got into the car and drove off,

"Now we are ready for fasting" mom said aloud happily

"Hold on mom..would I also take part in this fasting? Cause thirty days of all these fasting isn't something I think I can take on again" Karl expressed his concerns

"Ofcourse you would take part,you are muslim,an adult,healthy,why wouldn't you fast" Mom replied

"I just find it scary" Karl quipped

"No,don't be scared,if your father were alive,you won't be telling him all these,you would have grown up here with your siblings and take part in all muslim rituals,so am doing all he would have done,you would survive and hey! It's spiritually uplifting,we need prayers in our family in our nation" Mom counseled

The moon has been sighted a week later signaling the start of ramadan,it was such a sudden lifestyle change,going from eating three square meals to waking up at the middle of the night to take our pre-dawn meals which to most people isn't easy at all and ofcourse devoting our time solely to God

It's past two pm in the afternoon and Karl is acting all wobbly! I smiled

"This is just the start..we got 28 more days to go.." I thought

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