Chapter Fifty-Six

They spent over thirty minutes under the shadow of the church building, taking beautiful pictures. There were professional photographers and others as well who just wanted to use their own phone to capture the moment.

Everyone wanted to take a picture with the newest couple in town, and they were all but willing to indulge them.

Adaeze even lost count of how many pictures she took, both professionally and otherwise. She just gave the photographer her number and told him to hit her up after it was all over so she would make her selection and pay for it.

She also lost track of how many people she took pictures with. She knew for a fact that she took pictures with Abike and her husband, and she also took pictures with Modesta and the other ladies from the club last night. She remembered taking pictures with the extended family of the bride and the groom, including Tunde. After that, everything just became a jumble of poses and clicks and snaps as everyone was just taking pictures and striking a pose, facing the closest camera.

Soon, someone had to come and remind them that they still had a reception to get to. Abike laughed at that, they had gotten so carried away by the pictures they were taking and they had forgotten that there was a reception waiting for them. And not just a reception, there were already guests at the venue waiting for the party to begin.

A black G-Wagon was driven to the place they were taking the pictures. It was beautifully decorated with ribbons and balloons and it had a poster of the couple. A well dressed chauffer stepped out and went to open one of the back doors as he ushered them in.

Bakare lifted his new wife into the air and carried her from the shade to where the vehicle was parked. Everyone was clapping and cheering, giving catcalls as the couple gently eased themselves into the car. Then the doors were shut and the soon they were pulling out of the church.

Everyone waved as if they were not going to see them again, even though they were just driving to the reception venue. And with a loud toot of the horn, the G-Wagon cruised out of the church compound and plunged into the road.

Now that the main celebrants were gone, many people had no reason to hang around. Seeing as most of them were only looking to take pictures with the couple. Everyone was now walking towards their vehicle, they were heading to the reception hall.

Adaeze had the address in her phone, Abike had sent it to her the same day she had sent in the address to the church. She was considering which would be easier for her, to go there on foot or to order an Uber for a journey that was not too long.

She pulled out her phone and used her map to locate it, she saw that it would take at least fifteen minutes to get there by foot. If she opted to use Uber, it might take longer seeing as she would have to wait for the vehicle to get here and pick her up.

She let out a deep breath, not knowing which way to go.

She was still contemplating her options when she felt an arm tuck into the crook of her elbow. She spun on her heel at once, thinking it was Tunde and ready to confront him again. But it was Modesta.

“Jeez…” she muttered as she smiled at her. “Please do not hit me.”

“Oh…” Ada let out a gasp. “Sorry about that… I thought you were someone else.”

“You looked a little bit lost for a moment there,” Modesta told her.

“I was just trying to figure out how to get to the reception, I can’t believe it would be such a difficult decision to make.”

Modesta chuckled at that, “what could be so difficult there? Why don’t you come with me?”

“What?”

“You are in luck, because the other ladies have already gone. I stayed back to carry some coolers and drinks in the car, that is why I am still here. So, are you coming with me?”

Adaeze studied her for a moment and then nodded, wondering why it had not crossed her mind for a second that she could have gone with other guests. Seriously?

“Okay… good. It is just remaining one more cooler and we would be good to go.”

Adaeze followed her and they made their way to the back of the church where there was a store. She pushed the door open and there was a medium sized cooler there. It had a lot of weight, but together they were able to carry it easily.

They arranged it into the boot of the vehicle, along with two more coolers and two packs off beer. It was Toyota Highlander, and everything entered with lots of room for more. On the back seats there were bottles of vodka and whiskey kept inside a sack.

“I think that is it,” Modesta said as she slammed the boot shut. “Let us go, we have a wedding to attend.”

Modesta was a skillful driver, and Adaeze could tell that by the way she handled the vehicle. She could also see that the woman had no ring on her finger which could suggest she was not married or even engaged.

But that could also not mean for much, because she too was engaged but she had taken off her ring so she would feel less guilty about what she had come to Lagos to do.

With the  way Adaeze had observed her last night at the club, and now here, it was obvious Modesta and Abike were very much close. Because it seemed like she was invested in this wedding as if she was the one getting married personally. She had been the one in charge of giving Abike a good time last night, and now she was also in charge of seeing that the wedding went without a hitch.

Was this just the two of them being friends? Or was this romantic love? Because if this was love then it posed a whole other set of questions. Like why then was she so happy with the wedding? Especially if she wanted Abike all to herself.

But if it was love it would be an ill-fated one because there was no way they would be able to come out about it. At least not in this country.

They chatted amiably while Modesta drove the vehicle, nothing personal, just getting to know more about each other. But the journey was too short for them to dive really deep. And one thing Ada was sure of was that after the wedding, she would not be seeing her again. So there was no need creating attachments where there will not be anything.

At long last, they got to the venue. Just like at the church, the entrance was jampacked with cars of different shapes, colors and sizes. It was even difficult for her to find a parking spot. So, she dropped Ada just before the hall.

“I will have to drop you off here, I need to drive to the back of the hall so I can offload the things we carried. I will see you soon.”

“Okay…” and she got down from the SUV and slammed the door shut. Modesta revved the engine and drove off, taking the turn that will take her to the back of the hall.

She was out in the sun again, and it was still as intense as ever. And she used her purse to shield her eyes again.

The floor of the compound was laced with interlocking blocks that were white and red in color, forming designs that went all around the building. The hall itself was huge and spacious. It had big windows that were opaque and reflected everything thrown at them, including the light. Beside the building, there was a larger than life banner that showcased the couple. The exact type that had been at the church. It was so big that she had to stand and look up if she wanted to see it all.

She walked in, and it was like walking into a different world entirely.

The first thing she noticed was the abrupt change in temperature. It was cold in there. She saw big air conditioning units that were pumping cold air ceaselessly into the hall. There were no fans at all, just air conditioners and they were all on full blast. It was a welcome development from being out in the sun and enduring the heat.

All around the interior of the hall, there were curtains that shielded the windows, they were stretched tight so that the outside could not be seen. It was as if the building was soundproof because the moment the doors swung shut behind her, all the noise of outside were shut out as well.

She looked around in wonder, the decorators had done a great job indeed. The tables and chairs were arranged strategically, and they had beautiful dressings over them. Ribbons and balloons were all over the place, adding to the allure and beauty of the hall. On each table there was a tag on which was written some titles like “friend of the groom”, “family of the bride”, “friend of the bride”.

There were already people seated, and as she saw the “friend of the bride” tag, she walked towards it. she also noticed that the other ladies from the club were seated. Although not all of them. They were probably out there doing one thing or the other.

The reception was yet to begin proper, but people were getting seated and making themselves comfortable. Music was playing softly, and someone was fiddling with the sound system, every now and then they would hear, “testing the mic, one two three.”

One of the ladies beside her was making a tiktok video, nodding her head to a song only she could hear because she had her earbuds on. The others were engrossed in a conversation with each other, talking loudly and freely. All around them, people were finding their place and settling down in preparation for the celebration.

She could hear the cry of a baby as the mother tried to settle down, the cry was so out of place in the quiet of the hall that she just wanted it to stop. But it was not too loud, and the mother was able to handle it. Soon, the crying stopped.

Adaeze had nothing else to do other than looking around and staring at things that did not concern her, so she pulled out her phone. But she was not in the mood for social media and watching comedy skits.

Seeing nothing else to do as she waited for the event to start proper, she decided to video call her fiancée.

It was a Saturday, he would most likely be working. But seeing as it was past noon, he was supposed to be taking his break by this time. The video call rang for a long time before he picked it.

“Babe…” she muttered the moment he picked the call, “what took you so long?”

His face filled up her screen and she saw his handsome features, she felt a tug in her heart. She had no idea how much she had missed that face.

“Don’t mind me joor,” he replied, I was getting ready to get my lunch. “Are you at the wedding?”

“Yeah,” Adaeze replied and switched the camera to the back so that he could see the venue. “It is beautiful right?”

“Yeah yeah…” he muttered offhandedly. “Put it back on your front camera biko, it is your face I want to be seeing.”

She chuckled at that, it was very sweet indeed. Eche was just the sweetest soul, “what is on my face that you have not seen already?”

He peered into his phone screen as if he was looking for it, “well, it is difficult to say. It kind of changes every morning.”

She laughed at that, “how is work going? What have you been up to?”

“Nothing much, just work that wants to cut my throat.”

“Ahh… my baby. Please do not let it cut your throat o. How will I survive?”

“Doing overtime is not easy at all, it affects everything. My body, my mind and my soul.”

“Then stop it, I want to get married to a man not a skeleton. Or the shadow of a man.”

“But how can I stop? I need to round up everything before our wedding so we can happily take time off. Moreover, working overtime is saving me from the boredom of being alone. You are not here, what will I do with the extra time on my hands? Maybe when you come back on Monday I will stop with the overtime.”

“Okay…” she muttered. “Just take it easy, okay? I know that what you are doing is important, but it can’t be as important as your life or your health.”

“Don’t worry, my love. I will be fine. So, tell me about yesterday. How did the bachelorette go?”

Her mind flashed back to the day before, how she had slept with Musky and Femi in the morning and then with Musky again later at night. The memory was vivid in her head that she had to close her eyes for a second to get herself back in control.

“Babe… what’s up? Did anything happen there?”

She let out a sigh, if she was not careful she was going to cause everything to blow up in her face. By herself.

“Nothing happened joor,” she told him. “I drank a lot last night, and was a bit tipsy. I was able to get to my room okay, though without any help. Who knew I could hold my drinks that well?”

“Wow… that is impressive. But do not drink again, please. Next time you might not be able to hold it like that.”

“Believe me, I have learned my lesson. Especially as the drinks caused me to wake up late this morning and I also came late to the wedding service.”

“Well, it is all good.”

“Yeah,” Adaeze whistled out through her teeth. “Did you get back to my Mom about that thing I told you about?”

“Yeah, I did. But Ada, this would be the last one I am doing o. I want a great wedding, but life does not end after the wedding. We still need to curtail excessive costs.”

“Yeah, I guess you have a point. But I don’t even know what that woman is using the money to do that it is always finishing. Although you too know the state of the country, times are hard indeed.”

He scoffed, “tell me about it.”

She was about to say something else when the sound of someone hitting the microphone reverberated over the speakers, then a deep voice spoke, “hello everyone.”

“Babe… I think they are about to begin.” She told her fiancée.

“Okay, we would talk later huh?”

“Sure baby, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

And the call was cut.

It was time for the ceremony to begin.