Spice of Life - Episode 2 (Abort Mission)

SPICE OF LIFE (E-Book Series)
[CHAPTER 2] -  Abort Mission

Bikes is far too young. She's about 24, and the rest of us in the group are much older, wiser, and not married. Amira is the next youngest person; she will be 26 in a week and is already married; we don't even know if she is happy because she rarely posts with her husband and children. Amira married during our final year. This was my first Yoruba Owambe. The wedding included numerous firsts. It was my first time in Lagos, my first time leaving the Southern Nigeria, and my first time attending a Muslim wedding. It was breathtaking. Amira was adorable, and her groom was stunning. It's the way he adores her. I am like True love has been spotted!! Keep going! That was the day I chose to get into events planning, and it was also the period I finally got over Chuks. The agony of my poor grades in year one because of Chuk’s bad influence gave way to the excitement of new beginnings.  I began my micro event career after receiving training from Amira's event planner. Yes, I've seen enough to know when love is phony. I've planned a lot of weddings, and roughly 15% of them have failed, and believe me when I say I saw it coming.

What is wrong with these young folks? Just rushing to marry whoever is available. I informed Bikes about my history with this person, and she challenged him about it. Their relationship was almost over at the time, but he acknowledged his mistakes, came to our flat, and apologized profusely, and before I knew it, Bikes was bowing and apologizing on his behalf. Then it hit me: Bae has fallen way too deep. I don't detest Abike; she's my second favorite person in our babygirls4life group. Bikes is so nice, innocent, and faithful. She always avoids guys like this like COVID19. But Our Babyboy loves a challenge. But to be fair, she couldn’t help it. I mean no girl can. Have you seen Chuks? Gosh, He is sculptured like a Greek god maybe Eros or Perseus. His chiseled body bearded handsome face and tall, light skinned, killer smile and sweet mouth is enough to do the magic. My biggest flex then in year 1 was that I was dating the hottest boy on Campus. That’s why I can never date a hot man again oh. Once bitten, 200 times shy.

When she told me all about the relationship, I initially wanted her to chop his money and go but I should have known better. To be honest, I wanted to use Bikes to get my revenge. Abike is very morally sound and independent. She’s not about that life. Bikes believes in true love fantasies. She also believes that people can change for the better now. she believes that he has changed, Chuks the unchangeable, I laugh in PDAPC!! Change ko! This guy will cheat on her, I know this.  I know this guy like the back of my hand. I have his past questions. He would pretend for a year or two and then the demon will come back with 7 others. They have been dating for 6 months although they've known each other for 2 years now.

Abike was a graduate trainee in his dad's company. I can imagine the love story on BellaNaija. The boss and the trainee!! In an all romantic fairytale destination wedding planned by the Jilted single Ex. Anyway, I am planning this wedding with joy because it’s going to be a surprise for Abike and a surprise it would be, I laugh maniacally 🤣🤣 as I think of the carefully crafted plan Jenjen and Nono worked up. The perfect strategy to expose the Cow from series of little mishaps leading to the grand finale on the surprise engagement day. Wetin concern me, I have collected my down payment which I would use to spoil my Baby girl silly, she would heal in the Bahamas after the heart-breaking events. It wouldn’t have mattered because I can plan any of my bae’s engagement for free but since its Choki, I mean Chuks. Na! he must pay every kobo.

Omo, the more I think of this plan, the more excited I am. Everybody is on their dramatic and sneakiest behaviour. After all, we don’t want to ruin the surprise. Jenjen’s words not mine. So, I am meant to be extra close to Abike, being supportive as ever. Nono is on the planting seeds of doubts act and every seed planted must be watered by me, supportively. Yes Bikes, I am aware, he has had a foursome like 9 times in a month in school but that was a long time ago, he may have change. Yes Bikes, I know he dated 10 girls at a time, including me, but to be fair, I guess we were all being childish.

Amira is on the you deserve better act and trying to match make Bikes with her former reasonable crushes. Mosope showed up at our house not so long ago after a little incident with Bikes car on the road. That was purely natural, I mean we did not jinx the car. Things like this happen occasionally. But when Bikes had asked Mira to call the mechanic, Mira called Mosope by mistake 😊 and initiated a happy reunion. Sope drove Bikes home that night and had his mechanic work on Bikes car at no charge. Can I get some awwn!! Oh, I remember Sope, the sweet hot fellow trainee that Bikes left for Chuks. They always studied together, stayed up all night doing group presentations in our apartment. Young love before Chuks came and disrupted the perfect ship.

Then there was Jasper, who stays abroad, who sends us cash till he told Bikes that he had married a US citizen to gain his passport and Bikes was very angry that he would stoop so low. She stopped calling him or picking his calls. But somehow, somebody removed him from her blocked list, and he told her, he has got his citizenship and is divorced and ready to settle down. Mira is really working tirelessly to show Bikes better options. Although she is not really sold on the plan. She still has her reservations.

 Jenjen is working on Chuks, instigating, and ensuring Chuks keeps bumping into his Exes, Crushes, flings, one-night stands every single minute especially when Bikes is with him. So far so good, the plan is going well, because word on the street is that Chuks hooked up with one of the lovers and the girl kissed and told and it was juicy. So bad boy is still the baddest boy in the game, old habits die hard, and Bikes just must see that. The other ones did not tell so much, but I know that things happened and Abike and Chuks had fought 3 times since our meeting. So much hope!!

Its 2 days to the DDay and I’m super excited. I and Bikes are shopping dresses for the "girls’ hangout" which was the decoy for the engagement party. She talks about her latest promotion to Assistant Manager and brags that she’s the only person in the office that has been promoted 2 times in succession.

“That's the good thing about dating the boss!!” I said as I shoulder bump her smiling like a fool whilst planting this seed of discomforting truth.

She smiles with a tinge of guilt, “Dara, it’s not all that, I work hard you know, I worked for it.”

“Of course, Most certainly you did” 😉 I winked, we both know behind this modesty is the realization that there is no way in this country, in any firm on broad street or VI or Lekki, you can go from a graduate trainee to Assistant Manager in 2 years because you are hardworking.

She frowned. Seed has been planted and watered successfully, time to activate the supportive friend, so I stop the joking face.

“I know you do baby girl, don’t mind me, you’re the smartest person in that company and you deserve it, all the highlights and recognition, I am so happy for you Bae.” I touched her little chin.

“Thank you so much Dara, like everyone is just saying the same thing at the office, giving me that look, like I am sleeping my way to the top. You know that’s not me. I am not that kind of person, I nearly turned it down but it was from the chairman of the board herself” The chairman of the board is Chuk’s aunty and this is common knowledge but let’s hear it for hardwork. Bikes is beginning to surprise me by this total ignorance to obvious truth, is this what Love does to someone? The Bikes I know would have refuted it, she is the boss chick, independent woman. Bikes is a feminist a strong one at that. These days, love has weakened her to being feminine. We are all putting up an act right, because normal me would have pressed on, but this is supportive Dara.

“I know you hate Chuks but thank you for putting up with him for my sake, you have been very supportive. I know it’s not easy and I sometimes feel bad, like I broke the sisters code or something and….”

 “No! No!! No!!! Don’t feel bad, I love that you’re happy, oh come on, my love for you is way bigger than my detest for your boyfriend, and he knows if he tries any rubbish. His body won’t be found anywhere🤣🤣, I am no longer little Dara of yesterday oh, forget sisters code, rule no 1 is Never fight over a guy, we are still on point with that” She laughed and hugs me so tight. I spotted a red dress from the corner of my eyes.

“Okay that’s the one, Now let’s test these babies.”

 

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D-Day, the event place was booked and ready, The Gardens Ikoyi looked like an enchanted forest, Chuks really know this girl very well. My girl loved fairytales. Don’t worry about the charge, he paid heavily for it too. I am not even bothered if he tells Bikes that I charged him a lot because he won’t get a chance to. Hahaha!! this relationship ends tonight. Jenjen has set the plan in motion, Precious, the ex he hooked up with, their relationship lasted for about 4 years, with a lot of break-ups and dating other people at different intervals during the period. Always, because Chuks cheated. But they really could not let themselves go.

Somehow Chuks had convinced the girl into believing that he only cheats on her so that their relationship could grow stronger. So, 4 years then she cheats on him with her lecturer to pass a certain final year course and her best friend ratted her out, and she’s kicked out of the relationship. I laughed so hard when I heard the story. In these 4 years, bae has had 2 abortions, treated STD twice, that’s what you get for being a nice forgiving girlfriend, I am grateful that my Mumu no reach that one.

Chuks must really love the girl, she said they have met intimately 3 times in this past month. You know that ex you never get over from. Jenjen said that she had Chuks in her bottle. Chuks couldn't resist her. Precious was also not happy with the engagement like I dated you for 4 years and continued to satisfy you when all your girlfriends couldn’t, you meet a girl in 6 months, and you are proposing already. Wow! Just wow! Man of the year!

Wo! Enough with the backstory, but why do guys do this though, it’s so not fair. But to be honest, we, girls sell ourselves too cheap. most girls are just desperate for everything money, sex, marriage, the fruit of knowledge of good and bad, true daughters of Eve, always desperate for something. Well, story for another day.

 Bikes and I are already on our way to the venue. we are doing a mini-Karaoke singing Joromi by Simi . Oh Boy! Simi’s voice is magic so also is Bikes. She has the voice of an angel. So soft-spoken, I begin to feel bad that we are going to make her cry tonight.

I turn into street as my phone rings, I see its from Jenjen, her flight landed in the morning, and we had left her to catch some sleep at the hotel where she was lodged. Nono and Amira are already at the venue along with other friends and colleagues for the surprise.

“JenJen!! What’s up bitches!” Abike exclaims Jenjen favorite catch line as she picks the call. Something’s off. Jenjen does not sound like herself.

“Hey Boo!! where’s Dara.”

“She’s driving, wait let me put it on speaker, are you okay Jenny? you’re on speaker.””

“Yeah, I am fine, still Jetlagged.” She sounded tired or worried.

“Jenny baby, how far, what’s up na?” I asked.

“Bae Amina code red” she says, no way, there cannot be a code red not now na. We’ve planned this stuff thoroughly. I nearly missed the traffic light stop. I hit my brakes.

“Who is Amina, what’s code red?”, Abike asks, “Hope she’s still coming for our nights out oh, Jenjen hope you’re still coming. Jenjen please just try…. ” My heart was racing, I have a lot of questions and Jenjen had a lot of details to give but sweet Abike is here, we can’t say much.

“No code red today oh, Jenjen” Abike says, oh this sweet little child, she doesn’t understand... code red means a lot of things, like you are stained with your menses, something came up abruptly, code red also meant warnings for death, dangerous things are about to happen and so on and so forth. This time Code red meant that Precious has bailed on us. JenJen had been waiting for Precious to send the pictures and videos, we were going to play during the engagement just as Chuks goes down on one knee. It would have been epic as the screen is facing Bikes and Chuks looks up with hope, totally bewildered and unaware. Amina was the name we gave our mission and now Mission has been aborted. My face fell.

“I feel sick dear Bikes, I had a long flight, I don’t what I ate, I have a terrible stomach upset” This Aunty wants to bail on me with this her fake made up illness.  The traffic light turns green.

“Better drag your silly ass down here” I nearly screamed as I zoomed off...

Click here for Chapter 3

Written by Rosemary Ugwuogo aka Dauntless