Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

****

Ever sat down wondering what your "big day"would be like?

That's what I was almost doing when my name boomed from across the room that Saturday morning. Of course, it was my sister's wedding day. She was so tensed up that I felt the same way for her. If there's such a thing as one being worried on another's behalf then I was in that position.

It was 9am and we were supposed to be at the church by 10am for the service but someone spent her morning getting all emotional, cuddling with mum who was comforting her. I had never seen her that way before.

Wedding jitters are sure scary.

Dad came in as mom beckoned him to, while she was snuggled up against my sister.

"Having second thoughts?" He asked with an arched eyebrow in a cold tone that sent shivers down my spine, I'm sure the same happened to Laila as she sat up immediately wiping her tears and answered with her voice shaking.

"No... No... Sir" She couldn't match his gaze as he stared down at her. I sat on a chair near the window, at a corner of the room watching the scene with a pained look on my face.

"Lola" Dad called his eyes looking across the room frantically like he was searching for something or someone.

The room was filled with the bridesmaids, mainly Laila's friends,moving to and fro.

"Why are you sitting there? Are you done with everything?" He asked

"Yes Dad" I said without blinking, matching his stern gaze. I was pis send.

Why couldn't he show emotions apart from anger?

Why couldn't he act like a loving and happy father for once?

It hurt so bad.

If he was affected by my cold response, it never showed.

I stood up with the small train of my dress trailing behind me. The green dresses we had chosen for the bridesmaids were stunning. It was a mono strap dress, that hugged my curves as it did with the others.

I wore a pair of gold ankle strap heels to match.

The dress was a little shorter in front and it revealed my legs. The stylist had put my hair in a bun with thick curly strands on either side of my face, adorned with few gold clippings that served as accessories along with the tiny gold earrings and necklace placed on my ears and neck respectively. The make up was chic, it looked very simple and natural. I wanted something like my sister's. Tana was all about wild make up so she had a thick smokey eye creased with gold eye shadow.

I held the gold colored artificial rose in my left hand as I sat beside my sister palming her face with my free hand. Mum had left the room to handle other things and fortunately the other ladies were out of the room as it was the rush hour, they were scurrying out to meet up with the rides for the church service. I was riding with Laila so I didn't have to fuss.

"Look at me" I whispered then she turned slowly and matched my gaze

"Listen it's going to be alright, I'm here for you, I always have and I always will. Be happy alright, you're getting out of this hell hole" I rolled my eyes for emphasis at the last statement earning a chuckle from her.

"Lola I'm scared" She whispered shakily.

"I know and I'm scared too but God hasn't given us the spirit of fear but of love, power and self-control" I quoted 2nd Timothy 1 verse 7.

She nodded quickly.

"Everything's gonna be alright, you look amazing, don't ruin the make up, it's money that they paid for it o" I pouted. She laughed, genuinely this time. Her countenance changed suddenly and she held my hands in hers, squeezing them softly.

"Thank you sis, for everything" She sniffed. I was holding my tears back too. She hugged me tight.

"I love you and I'll miss being with you like this" She said while we were still locked in the hug.

"Me too, but we could always have these sessions whenever you visit" I said reassuringly and she nodded.

With all that said and done, we found our way outside. Her distant best friend and maid of honour,Tuoyo, was kind enough to give us privacy even when mum was on her neck to get us on our way to the church.

I must say my sister looked stunning in her dress. And I was proud of myself for being the designer. They quickly placed the veil over her face as we were running late. The camera men were still taking pictures and videos as we stepped out.

We were ushered into the limo that was parked right in front of the house awaiting the bride. We kept taking pictures and videos with our phones as we danced to the music from the stereo on our way to the church.

*****

"Okay, take a deep breath, we can do this" I said trying to calm my nervous sister. I was about walking in like the other bridesmaids with the groomsmen by their sides and she had successfully passed a large chunk of her wedding jitters to me just as I found out I was walking with the groom's brother, Seyi.

Remember that weirdo that was staring at me at the traditional wedding? That's him!

"Uhmm I'm fine, go on now" She urged as the weirdo gave me his arm with a lopsided grin. Our arms were intertwined, I squirmed at the contact then the moment after we walked in. He was eyeing me like a piece of meat. Yuck!

We went our separate ways as we got to the end of the aisle, thankfully . I went to the left to sit with the ladies and him to the right to join the groomsmen. I sat next to Tana, she was occupied with texting on her phone.

I looked up to see the groom, dashing as usual. He didn't seem nervous like other grooms I had seen or maybe he could hide it well. Then the orchestra sounded and we knew it was time for the bride to walk in. Dad was walking her down the aisle.

Christina Perri's "A Thousand years" started playing and I saw that mum was dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief.

She was crying already? Na wa!

Mum wasn't exactly open about her emotions, maybe it was for show cause the blogs would certainly have a juicy headline for her action. The flashing of the cameras on every side proved me right.

Eye service!!

Soon they got to the altar and Dad placed Laila's hand in Yemi's. From what I saw, he smirked, staring at her like he was dazed. She looked stunning anyways so it was no surprise. He unveiled her immediately and she looked up shyly. The pastor had a smile on his face as he told us to take our seats.

"We are gathered here today to witness..."

I zoned out in the middle of the statement. I felt uneasy for some reason I couldn't decipher, I turned around searching the large hall with my eyes for God knows what. Finally, I saw him seated in the middle of a few ladies who were practically swooning over him. He was looking good but that's not a new thing anyway. One of the ladies 'mistakenly' hit his arm. Obviously to get his attention and he smiled nervously before looking up and then his eyes met mine, I gave him a small smile which he returned. I was supposed to feel some way,  I expected to feel a pang of jealousy but in the end I felt nothing. It was weird but I brushed it off immediately, concentrating on the wedding procession which was gradually coming to an end.

The pastor was speaking to the couple for the most part of the exhortation. He was counseling them, basically.

They exchanged rings right after the sermon ,then they said their vows which they had written themselves.

Yemi went first...

"Tolani... Laila sounds too formal" He said with his deep baritone echoing across the hall. We all laughed and I heard my sister giggle faintly. People held up their phones knowing he was about to say something really sweet that would make other ladies be like 'God when?'. I braced myself for the publicity stunt.

"I met you just a few months ago and I knew at that moment that I wanted to walk down the aisle with you. You're an amazing person and I bless the day I found you. Many people said the wedding was too soon, but then that's what love is, they don't understand what I feel for you. I want to have beautiful children with you, I want to travel the world with you by my side. I want my meals to be cooked with your beautiful hands. And I truly hope I'll be the man you want me to be"

With the last statement he went on his knees. Gasps from all corners came in, cameras flashed from all sides. Tears flowed, the 'awwws' and 'oohs' made me laugh. My parents and Yemi's were grinning from ear to ear.

Wonderful!!

Yemi held on to my sister's hands while on his knees and said...

"Lord, I pray that you give me the grace to be a good husband for Tolani so that she can continue glowing like she is now. Amen" He stood up right after.

The applause that came immediately was thunderous with screams from all ends. Tolani was crying her eyes out with her palm placed on her chest. Her maid of honor kept dabbing at her face carefully so she wouldn't soil the make-up.

"Laila or should I say Tolani, your vows please" The pastor said bringing her back to reality.

"I can't say much as you rendered me speechless but I'm happy we've gotten to this point. You're a very loving person, funny too. Every moment spent with you is beautiful and I pray to be the best wife I can possibly be, so help me God" She said quickly and was applauded right after.

"And by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife, you may now kiss the bride" The pastor said earning squeals, whistles, applauds and yells from everyone present.

Laila was feeling shy but Yemi took the bold step and captured her lips in his. The screams were thunderous, that steamy kiss would definitely be on the blogs for days. The Music came on and they danced a little bit as we all joined them. Soon we were dismissed and we all stepped out for pictures. The couple stayed back to sign the marriage certificate along with the parents.

Then they came out and took photographs according to the order of photography on the wedding programme. I had my phone filled with photos with every member of the family. I even took selfies with Tunji and Tana. Laila was all smiles,seemed like her jitters were behind her like it never happened.

Even my dad was smiling as he took pictures with the whole family along with the couple. My nephews and niece were wearing the exact replicas of their parents' outfit in the Ankara that was used for aso ebi. It was a beautiful sight.

We were soon on our way to the hotel that was reserved for the reception. The crowd waiting at the reception was twice of what we had at the church.

Typical Nigerians!

In my country, few people attend a church wedding but the reception is an entirely different story.

Laila had changed into another outfit for the reception. It was a gold coloured off shoulder dinner gown that hugged her curves. The dress glittered under the lights. Her hair was let down, it trailed down her back, giving it a wavy look. Her makeup was touched up a bit and she looked different as the silver jewelry she wore had been replaced by golden ones.

She looked ravishing.

Yemi on the other hand had changed from his gold coloured suit to black pants with a gold shirt and black waist coat.

The hall was decorated beautifully and I marveled at how well the groom's family managed everything.

People that have money...

********

The groom's family danced in first, with Davido and Olamide's'The Money', while my parents, older siblings and some extended family members came in with Kuami Eugene's 'Meji Meji'featuring Davido. It was so cute when my cousins took the floor for a while with their amazing dance moves.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen danced in with 'In my Maserati' By Olakira. Soon after we danced in, we stood in front of the podium where the couple was to sit down. Their love seat was beautiful and the cake was huge. It had to be Yemi's mum who ordered for it to be that way,as she was known for extravagant things and she almost monopolized the whole wedding planning but for the fact that my mum vehemently refused.

"Ladies and gentlemen it's the moment we've all been waiting for..." The MC who happened to be the famous Dan d'humorous  said into the microphone jolting me out of my thoughts.

"Join me as I welcome the newest couple in town... Mr and Mrs Yemi Adetokunbo!" With that there was an uproar in the hall room as the DJ quickly switched to Joeboy's 'Call'.

It was obviously my ringtone and favorite jam at the time so you could imagine me dancing to it like there was no tomorrow.

As expected, my sister killed it with her entrance. Yemi didn't fail us either, it was like a competition between both of them before the Disc Jockey switched to the chorus of Baby by Joeboy.

Their moves were fire , believe me.

The screams from the crowd were mad! People had started spraying money sef. Phones were up in the air as we all recorded the special moment, myself inclusive.

I saw Tana giving my sister a thumbs up, I was sure she was the one who warned her to dance well as she didn't do so at the traditional wedding.

She can't fall our hand twice na...

Finally they danced to their seat and the music was put off temporarily. The chairman of the occasion mounted the podium and gave his speech. My phone was buzzing from the numerous notifications that were coming in as a result of people's likes and comments on the live Instagram video I had uploaded during the couple's entrance. I was very sure that my sister's wedding would trend for weeks on social media.

I didn't pay attention to the speech going on, I was hungry. Just like the caterers read my mind, they started serving the meals. Tana soon came to join me at where I was seated. The girl just wanted us to take pictures like the previous ones were not enough.

"Come na, Arin, Ayo and Tobi said they didn't snap with you" She pouted, she knew I couldn't say no to those adorable munchkins.

I stood up and walked out with her, they were only doing boring things in there anyway. Taking photographs took over thirty minutes.

Those children couldn't run out of poses.

Tunji walked in on us while going out to make a phone call or rather run from his parents. We had a few photos and made small talk before walking back into the hall.

I rushed to sit by Travis and his wife and took a few adorable selfies with them, I did the same with Igho and Grey. I wanted to savour the moment before we went back to the way it was before the wedding.

I already had lots of photos with Laila while at the hotel room so I didn't bother about her.

Soon they cut the cake and played the normal wedding games. They had their first couple's dance, it was the most romantic thing I had seen. Ed Sheeran and Beyonce's 'Perfect' Played in the background, the lights were off and the couple were in the spotlight. Laila was in tears again.

This one can cry o!

From the large screen mounted above us, we all witnessed Yemi kissing the tears on her face and capturing her lips once again. The shrieks and squeals from us brought them out of their reverie as it seemed like they were lost in their own world.

The gifts came pouring in, it was way more than that of the customary marriage. They even got a car,the latest Range Rover from Yemi's father. Mum and Dad gave them a washing machine and LCD television.

Like the guy didn't have them already.

I rolled my eyes at the gesture.

I had had my fill with the food I was given. The caterers outdid themselves but I craved more.

"Well let's welcome the bride, she has something to say" The MC announced.

I turned quickly to see her standing in the front of everyone present, holding the mic with an obvious smile on her face.

"I know its not my duty to give the vote of thanks but I must thank you all for celebrating with us, we truly appreciate your presence and support in both cash and kind" She paused and there was a small applause.

"I want to thank my family as well for standing by me, especially my lovely sister Titilola she did something very nice for me and I can't thank her enough" She paused again searching for me with her eyes and when she saw me, she smiled warmly, beckoning me to come up to her by nodding at me. I was taken aback but I stood up anyways and walked up to her cat walking, BTW.

I no fit fall my hand nau...

I stood next to her, facing the crowd with a nervous smile on my face.

What's Tolani up to this time?

"For those of you present at the church wedding, you saw my dress right?Wasn't it beautiful?" She asked eagerly and some people hummed, the rest nodding their heads. We saw a photo of her in the dress displayed on the projector, those who weren't present at the church wedding were awed by it's beauty.

Uh oh...

She continued.

"This beautiful sister of mine here, is the designer!"She announced excitedly.

I heard gasps from all corners , some others were pointing and there was murmuring all over the place before I heard the applause from the crowd.

"I just want to say a big thank you, I love you and you're the best sister I could ever wish for" She said dropping the mic right afterwards and hugging me.

She whispered "I've dropped the news, you take it from here, it's about time you followed your dreams".

The applause increased. A nervous smile cracked my lips as I walked back to my seat receiving accolades from people around me. I made the mistake of looking towards the direction of my parents and my eyes met with my father's cold glare. My mom looked tensed but was trying to mask it up with a plastered smile. I gulped as it dawned on me that I was in for trouble with them.

I brushed it aside, and enjoyed the event. Laila threw the bouquet and her bestie/maid of honour caught it.

The dancing drained me.

The DJ killed it mehn!!

Finally the wedding party came to an end and the bride and groom were sent off in their new ride. I didn't know where their honeymoon was going to be but I made a mental note to ask her later.

The wedding was finally over. Now I could catch a breather, or not.