Dressing for the wedding.

Hello lovely friends, hello strangers passing through,

Y'all please help me answer this: how is it that, when you plan to do plenty creative work, that is when family commitments does pop up one-a-minute, like mushroom in the far-off place me sister live, near The Boonkdocks of Florider? 

I know we had a nikkah, that is, a Muslim wedding ceremony, to attend. I plan me clothes, I plan to look eye-catching, not that I want to catch any eye, I want to stay a li'l anonymous so I can people-watch.

Me friend, despite the planning, the day dawn on ignorance. Me ignorance. I already done forget the date. I had a day of activities line-up, I gon sew, read, write. 

"Today is the nikkah," me mother announce.

And, in spite of the planning of what to wear, I realise I ain't had nothing. At Guyanese-Muslim functions, them women does wear gorgeous Eastern garments. The full regalia with embroidery, beads, soft wraps. Elaborate dangly earrings, necklace with intricate designs, bangles, bracelets, shoes to match.

Ask me if I had any nah? Go ahead. Ask.

I dive into me trunkful o' clothes and grab me Western garments I been planning to wear. A slinky skirt with orange and gold pattern, a dull-orange top and me hand painted sandals. The piece de resistance was the necklace from Kenya. Ohhh, how it nice. Red beads, brass-looking beads, and a red pendant with delicate metal work.

"Oh wow, you look nice," me mother gush.

I wait in the living-room for everybody else to step out.

A guest in the house was the first to appear. She was, as they say in them romantic novels, ravishing. She look at me, eyes landing pon me skirt. "You're ready?" Which, me friend, is Guyana-talk for, "You're dressed?"

All in all, I decided I didn’t care about the glitz and glam. I had fun chatting…gyaffing…with people I didn’t know.

I better go take a scrub now, I been puttering around in the garden, I come in the house with Einstein hairstyle pon me head. Next week, I gon tell you about the wonderful farm we been to recently! (In the meantime, don’t forget to dig around here: neenamaiya.substack.com.)

My necklace from Kenya.