Chapter 68: Chapter 68

Monday morning, my sisters took Natalie, Juliet and I to the Tailor's shop to get our dresses we'd wear for the wedding. Their traditional wedding attires were ready also.

"where ever you go, you better come back early and start packing, we'll be going back to the village tomorrow morning," my mother called out.

From the Tailor's shop, we went to the beauty parlor to get our hair and nails fixed. Juliet's straight hair was curled and she looked totally different.

Tuesday morning we left to the village, there were other friends and relatives who arrived before us, waiting to start preparing things.

"UK, can I speak with you for a second?" Jade called

"sure, honey. what is it?" I asked

"when do we have to go back to New York?" he asked

"soon honey, soon. the wedding is tomorrow and Saturday, come Sunday morning we'd be on way home. just hold on for 5 more days, please." I told him

"I won't lie I don't enjoy myself here with you and your people but I'm not used to this hard life and all the work, and I'm scared when I learn that Juliet went to work with people I don't know. I hope you understand, this isn't the kind of vacation we planned," Jade said

"yes, and I'm sorry for making you go through all this. I'll talk to mother to exempt you, Juliet, Natalie and Scott from the work. I'm really sorry for making you go through this" I said

"daddy, daddy, you won't believe this. I shot down this bird with a catapult," Juliet said showing us a cuckoo bird she caught "I have been practicing since last week we came here and I have become good at this. Thank you Mommy UK for bringing us to Nigeria, I'm having the best time of my life, this summer would have been so boring and depressing if you didn't bring us here. I need to take a picture with this, I'm going to brag to all my friends when we get home" she said and ran away with her prized gift

"on second thought, I don't mind being here a little longer. I've never seen Juliet this happy since her 6th birthday," Jade said

"it's ok Jade, you don't have to worry about it, by Sunday all this will be over," I told him and turned back to help in the kitchen

"UK wait... I hope you're not upset with what I said? I'm sorry if it came out in a wrong way, I am happy being here with you and I'm trying my best to adjust. being here with your family has taught me a lot of things, things like surviving and being able to live a normal life without technology and all these fancy gadgets we use back home. it may seem stressful but they are all happy doing it and the love you guys share, I've never seen anything like it the food is perfect and I will really miss all these when we go back," he said

"aww... that's so sweet" I said walking up to him

"hey you love birds, quit making goofy eyes and come take your food," my sister said

"were you trying to kiss without my permission?" my mother asked

"we wouldn't do that, we wouldn't dare," Jade said.

"much better, food is ready" she said

If we had thought that the preparation for the introduction was really stressful, then that was nothing compared to this.

Tuesday night we slept as late as 11:30 p.m. and we woke up as early as 3:00 in the morning to start cooking and arranging the place for the traditional Marriage ceremony of my sisters.

so many kind of foods were prepared that day, different kind of rice such as fried rice, jollof rice, coconut rice, even pepper soup rice. and then the soup, we had white soup with pounded yam, afang soup and fufu, atama soup and ayan ekpang( ayan ekpang is like fufu but it is wrapped in plantain leaves) and then there was Edita Iwa(boiled cassava cut in thin slices).

so many food that I didn't even know their names, by 8:00 we were done cooking and then we started dressing up. There were 4 different makeup artists two for my sisters,1 for my mother and the other for Natalie, Juliet and I.

Natalie, Juliet and I were dressed in green dresses, I wondered how Jade's clothes will be, I bet he'll look handsome on anything.

12:00 Sharp, friends and well-wishers trooped in to grace the occasion, when it was time for the grooms and his friends to come out, my brothers alongside Jade and Scott joined other guys to welcome my brothers-in-law. the audience were hooting and clapping and cheering, some people even went to take pictures with Jade, especially the young women present. I felt like going over there and strangling them and screaming "stay away from my boyfriend!" Jade looked so handsome on a senator, the outfit was so perfect on him. I just imagined him tying a wrapper and dancing in from that same place but as the center of attention, on our wedding day. oh how lovely will that be I thought

"hey, snap out of it!" my sister said snapping her fingers in my face

"Aww...you look so pretty I can't even recognise you anymore" I said to her "oh my God! is my makeup so much? if that happens my husband won't be able to recognise me anymore!" she said and I laughed

"much better, it's your sisters' wedding not their funeral so smile," she said.

"okay ladies, the time has come. get your asses up and let's rock this party" my eldest sister said

"hey calm down, it's not even time for the Brides to come," my sister UT said "whatever, just know that I am the first daughter which means I'm going out first, understood?" my eldest sister said

"I wasn't going to struggle with you, just go so that I can have my own spotlight, just so you know, UK and Natalie are with me"

"Hey, that's not fair! pick one person" my eldest sister cried

"fine, I'll go with UK and Juliet you go with Natalie" UT said

"I said pick one person" my elder sister grumbled

"stop fighting, you're getting married and you're acting as childish as you've always been," my aunt said "now Ini, be on standby. oh yeah they have just called you now"

Natalie, Juliet and I, together with my sister's friends and colleagues and family members surrounded my eldest sister and we danced out. immediately we got out I ran back to meet my second sister

"I thought you went out already?" UT asked

"No, I stopped immediately we got out. I had to come and stay with my favourite sister," I said

"Aww... that's so sweet" she said and hugged me

10 minutes later, my aunt came back alongside UT's friends "and now the second bride is being called to step forward" she said.

we danced out, went to the tent of my brother-in-law's family and my sister bowed to greet his parents. and then we moved to the canopy where my parents sat with broad smiles on their faces, my mother was so happy that she couldn't help the tears from rolling down her cheek

"God bless you my daughter" my father said, placing his ceremonial cow horn on my sister's head, he turned to me and wink "you are next" he mouted and I laughed.

the couples we joined together by both families, they received blessings from both parents, friends and well-wishers. gifts we presented to them, food and drinks were distributed to all the guests, prayers were rendered and then ceremony ended.

After cleaning up everything, we went home early the following day. I was so glad that we didn't have to cook anything for the white wedding and so there was no stress.

Thursday morning, we rested and then I, my sisters, their bridesmaids, Natalie and Juliet went to the hotel for the bachelorette party. we had lots of fun, played different games, did ourselves make up, took lots and lots of pictures.

when everybody had slept, I and my sisters were still up, we just sat there quiet and then I started crying.

"why are you crying now?" UT asked "because I'll miss the both of you" I said and hugged them

"we will miss you too but it's still the same like before, you'll travel to New York and we don't know when next we'll get to see you except on TV" my eldest sister said

"well I'm happy that now that we're both getting married, you won't have any excuse to say no to Jade if he asks you to marry him,"UT said

" I still have my school to finish and my career. well, goodnight people, tomorrow you become Mrs" I told them.

And I become eligible for marriage, I thought.

The following morning by 7, my sister ordered room service to provide our breakfast. We weren't done eating when the make up artists showed up.

They were four in number, "we'll be starting with the brides and their chief bridesmaids before moving unto the train ladies," one of the make up artists said.

"Alright, Kemi is my chief bridesmaid while my youngest sister, Ukpono is UT's chief bridesmaid," my eldest sister told them.

"Please we'll need three extra chairs for UT and the chief bridesmaids, is there anyway you can make arrangements for that?" The makeup artist asked my eldest sister

"Yeah, I'll call room service," my sister said and picked up the telephone to make the call

"Excuse me, can you start with someone else before me? I just started eating and I don't want to keep it, I wouldn't want to ruin my makeup by eating later," I said to the make up artist that was supposed to attend to me

"Umm... okay, if you say so," she said.

I was still eating when my phone rang, "hello, good morning ma." I greeted

"Morning my daughter, are you busy now?" She asked

"Not quite, I'm just having breakfast," I told

"I'm at the reception, can you send someone to come lead me to the room you girls are occupying?" She asked

"Sure, ummm…Natalie?" I called

"Yes?"

"Please go to the reception and escort mother here"

"Alright"

2 hours later, we were fully dressed and ready to leave, four decorated cars waited for us outside the hotel. I helped UT into one of the cars labelled "Bride" and joined her. others got into their respective cars and we drove to the church. I took out my phone and made a live broadcast to my fans, turned out so many people thought I was still in New York.

We reached the church but we didn't go in, about 15 minutes later, someone came to call us in.

I went down and assisted my sister, I adjusted her veil and arranged her dress to its full length. My eldest sister and her train went in first and then UT and the rest of us joined, the audience gave us a standing ovation while the brass band played a slow music.

The church ceremony took just 2 hours, with the exchange of rings, signing of marriage register, their official kiss. when my eldest sister threw her bouquet of flowers, I moved aside so I won't have to catch it but it felt at my feet. my second sister decided to hand hers to me instead of throwing it

"what's all these?" I asked

"I hear wedding bells around you" they said.

we took pictures before leaving to the hotel to change for the reception. my eldest sister changed into a long yellow prom dress with one sleeves, her veil was removed and the bridal pin on her hair was replaced with a tiara. As for UT, she wore a pink off shoulder gown with a crown on her head. I too changed into a champagne crop top and matching tulle skirt.

The reception was in an open field not far from the church, it was beatifully decorated with two tall wedding cakes at the side. My sisters danced in with their husbands, the MC made them play some games, they were asked to cut their cakes according to the number of children they'll have. my eldest sister and her husband cut theirs at 3 children while UT and her husband cut theirs at 2.

The couples fed each other with cake and wine, a toast was given, food and drinks were served, gifts were given to the married couples, more pictures were taken, dance... dance... dance. And the ceremony ended.

Hours later, we went home feeling so exhausted and happy.

on our way home, I got a call from the producer of the movie I was auditioned for a month ago, they didn't just want me back, I was the main lead...

"do you guys really have to leave tomorrow?" my mother asked Jade and I

"yes ma, I have a shoot on Monday," I told her

Early the following day, we got to the airport to see my siblings and their spouses, "aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?" I asked them

"we won't miss a chance to say goodbye to you and to present you with lots of gifts," my eldest sister said

"what gifts?" Jade asked

My family gave us lots of things, mostly food stuffs, tubers of yam, a bag of garri, rice, bunches of plantain, sticks of dried fish, stock fish, crayfish, Afang and waterleaf. my mother even packed seedlings for planting "go and have your farm" she said.

We took a group picture and then boarded the jet, my mother was crying.

Good bye everyone, again. I thought as a lone tear escaped from my eyes.