SPICE OF LIFE (E-Book Series)
[CHAPTER 3] - God When
The proposal went viral. It was
reposted on all the events pages I follow with comments section filled with “awwns”,
“I go love”, “God when!”, “Love is beautiful”. Our plan had utterly failed. Mira
made fun of us throughout the entire process and over the next group call. The
stench of failure was just too much. So, this week was the ideal moment for me
to start my social media detox. Chuks rolls with the big guys, the CFOs, Top C Executives,
A-list Actors and Musicians, Importers and Exporters, Men of high timber and caliber
and the likes, hence the publicity. Some of
his close friends hired Simi and a musical band serenading the proposal.
Immediate Bikes and I entered, they started playing “Complete Me” by Simi,
while Chuks got down on his knees. Bikes was so shocked, excited, jumping up
and down, running from pillar to post, confused on who to hug, between Simi,
her favorite musician or Chuks or her friends, who had to pretend that they
were happily keen on the whole romantic show.
Unfortunately,
I was the one who was startled without knowing it! I couldn't even conceal my
fury; Jenjen had to constantly remind me to smile and play the happy friend.
I'm not sure why this plan didn't work out. I refused to believe that Precious
abruptly called off last minute without any explanation. I had to back down
when she threatened to expose us to Bikes if we disturbed her further. Wahala
Pro max.
Abike
has been quite enthusiastic. She is currently the star girl of the moment and
has been chatting nonstop. My girl was glowing. I mean, she was overjoyed, and
I felt awful that I wanted to wreck this for her. I had tissues on hand and
arranged activities to keep her mind off Chuks. Everything has been canceled! I
know you may think I'm evil or envious of my bae, but I'm not. I really don't want Chuks to hurt her the way
he damaged me. I failed a semester after Chuks left me. My grades suffered because
of being downcast, reasons why I ventured into events. With my GPA, I didn't
have a chance to acquire a job at KPMG like NoNo or a scholarship like Jenjen.
I was a highflyer in school, and Chuks nearly broke me, but it's all good, I
have my small events company now, and to be honest, this proposal has put me on
the map. I have a lot of bookings already, and there is no doubt that we are
expanding.
Chuks
has often called to apologize especially when JenJen and I confronted him on
his little escapades in the last weeks. We had to use that as an excuse for the
reason behind our gloomy faces during the proposal. But I don't want him to
happen to my Bikes. She's very pure-hearted and lovely! Bikes chose me to be
her maid of honor, and Mira's laugh at the announcement still haunts me in my
dreams. I feel terrible, Am I wrong to want the best for my girl? Am I crazy to
believe Chuks can't change? Am I vengeful or being unnecessarily
over-protective? I know Chuks can't change. There must be a backup plan.
“Did
Precious sound scared during our last discussion, I am pretty sure she sounded
scared to death or threatened.” JenJen said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Babe
rest na, you carry this case for head pass me.”
Jenjen
is staying at my house for the duration of her summer visit; we have lamented,
cried, blamed ourselves, and gone through all the stages of grief, and now we
don't know what else to do. Jenjen is still frustrated that Precious cancelled
at the last minute; She has been stalking the girl's posts, opening burner
accounts, and following all her friends, to get close enough to learn the
truth. JenJen is a Lawyer. Lawyers do not know when to rest.
“Rest
ke, I just spoke with Amaka, Precious’ best friend, and you won't believe what
she told me.”
“What
did she tell you?” I could feel a spark of hope. I stopped cutting the onions that
was “actually” making me cry as I was in the process of preparing stir-fry spaghetti.
“Wetin she talk na Bae” I almost shook the hell out of her.
“Calm
down, na” She laughed hysterically, “No
be you don back down.”
“No, I
didn't oh, back down ke, I was just too angry and disappointed.”
“Taaa!
Get away You, you were mocking my Enola Holmes abilities, Fish, please go back
and continue cooking, and let that food be very sweet oh, if not no gist for you.”
We
both laughed. I love this girl. Jenjen is the type of person who must find humor
in every situation. My ride or die. Amongst the girls, Jenjen and I have the
longest friendship in the group. We go way back from the same secondary school.
Then we met Amira in University, roommates at Favour hostel at Unizik. We
became that trio nobody wanted to mess with. In
service camp, we met Nono and Abike. Nono was that serious UNN student who had
ICAN and ACCA completed even before graduation and still graduated top of her
class; but she wanted an adventure during service year, whereas Abike was that
daddy's girl who you had to protect all the time, private expensive schools
throughout her life, so innocent, playful, and sweet. Omo, we had fun in
Ibadan, so many happy memories. We have been there for each other since then,
despite life taking us down different roads. We've remained faithful to one
another, which is why we're not backing down in this #ChikeForever fight. Did I
mention that's their hashtag? Thanks to Mira. It's better than Chuks'
suggestion of #Abukwu Does he even know what it means in Yoruba. This dude sef!
Enough backstory let's get back to why this chick lied to us.
“Amaka
stated that Aunty precious seemingly resolved to do more than herself, abandon
the plan, and remind…” she made air quotes “…uncle Chuks of everything he would
lose out on before marrying.”
“Well,
that's not entirely awful, it could have worked,” I answered, “maybe assisted
our plan, why didn't we think of that?”
JenJen
glanced at me like I had no brain.
“What
are you saying? It messed things up. Instead of seduction, they had a furious
disagreement, so Precious claims but Amaka believes something else transpired
because She said that Precious has not been the same after the incident and She
has refused to talk about it, Amaka sounded concerned. That is why she agreed
to talk to me, to find out if we knew anything..”
“Hmmmmn,
this sounds scary. Chuks is a womanizer and all that, but I doubt it is
anything serious. The girl was paid off handsomely, that is what I can say.”
“Dara,
there’s more to this shit that meets the eye, especially those of ordinary human
beings who do not wear glasses.” We both laughed, Jenjen always found a way to
glorify her myopic vision.
“I
wonder what the argument was about, this case just keeps unfolding, but this is
where I hang my boot oh, Bikes is a big girl, not
the 20-year-old we met at the Ibadan camp, at this point, I don't care if she
goes into the lion's den; if she wants to, Godspeed to her; but I'm done”
Jenjen stated.
“No!
No! No! No! No! No!, Jenjen you can’t back off now na, abeg, you know this case
is delicate, we must save Bikes from a sad marriage” I pleaded as I dropped the
chicken in the sizzling oil.
“This
is something you do all the time, Dara and I don’t like it, you always want to
save everybody, Mother Gothel. Let's face it, you've told Bikes everything you
know about this man, wait first, first of all, which friend dates her friend’s
ex, who does that.”
“Jenjen, she didn’t know we dated! I am not
Mother Gothel but Bikes is tangled”
“Oh
Please! Spare me that rubbish talk. She broke the sister’s code. You would
always defend her, keep giving her room to hurt you over and over. You and I
know that Bikes isn't going to back down, even if it is plain as day.”
“Nobody
likes being cheated on Jenjen, Bikes is a romantic, she won’t take cheating
from anybody, even if he’s Elon Musk.”
“Is that what you think, or what helps you
sleep at night. Think about it Bae.”
“Jenjen,
you sound like you think Bikes is deliberately doing this to hurt me, you and I
know that Bikes cannot hurt a fly, much less me or any of us, we are family. Common
we can’t count the times, Bikes have saved all our asses, remember na, the time
we were all arrested at Ibadan in that yeye club, Remember when I got burnt in
that awful Ponzi investment, I took my mom’s club savings, Bikes took the blame
and loaned me money to pay back, Bikes is the first person to run to any one of
us if we are sick or stranded or in need. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but
I just don’t think Bikes deserves Chuks… This guy is still galivanting around
town, frolicking around with anything in skirts….”
“So
why are you bothered now? Do you think she doesn’t know?”
“She
doesn’t Jenny, Bikes doesn’t know” I had
started sauteing the vegetables. Jenjen laughed mockingly.
“That’s
another problem I have with you, you think you know people well enough; do you
know why I am backing out?”
“Because
your nickname rhymes with Chicken, Jenjen, Chicken, Jenjen Chicken” We both laugh.
“Waka,
you’re mad” More laughter, I added spices and seasoning.
“I
spoke to Sope. He called; He was disappointed in us. He said he had told her and
shown her evidence of all Chuk’s escapades. He was the person that gave me those
girls contact. Do you know what Bikes told him? Our Sweet Bikes told him to
mind his business and get over her.”
I
stopped stirring the spaghetti, my mouth hung open in shock. I can’t believe
it.
“..
aii … ehm… No… It can’t be true” I stuttered.
“Aunty
don’t add saliva to my food. See Bae, Bikes knows what she’s getting into. Just
take your money from the event planning, get your notoriety, and go on. Omo,
Bae the aroma alone of this food is killing me. Let me go and offload my stomach”
Jenjen disappeared to the restroom leaving me alone to my thoughts.
Maybe
I should heed her advice; after all, I have large sales lined up from this
proposal alone, including two sizable weddings and three company events due
this quarter. Maybe I should just focus on my work and wish Bikes all the best.
Does Bikes really know that Chuks is cheating? And She’s okay with it. No Na,
Bikes can’t stand cheating or baby mamas and all these things. What if Sope is
just lying, Sope may have presented it from an aggrieved ex perspective. That
guy needs to take lessons from me. World’s best aggrieved ex expert like me. I
laughed as I mixed the spaghetti thoroughly and reduced the heat for it to cook
slowly.
Wo,
Jenjen is right, this plan to continue in my efforts to try to save Bikes is a
dead one. Everyone has backed out and is on the side of love now.
It’s time to embrace the inevitable. #ChikeForever. My phone beeps as a new
message pops in. It’s from Bikes. From the notification bar, it read.
Baby
girl, we are meeting Chuks mom tomorrow, and I'm nervous. Please follow me for
moral support.
Ohhhhh
God!! Bikes keeps roping me in so deeply. Why me na, she should go with Nonso
now. Nonso is Igbo, why me? But wait, I can see another roadblock. Chuks broke
up with me years ago saying that his mother doesn’t like Efik girls, how much
more Yoruba girls. Igbo mothers would want their sons to marry from another respectable
family within their locality, talk less of Only son. They need a
daughter-in-law that can cook with that awful smelling ogiri okpei, prepare Ofe
akwu and Oha with ede. This is another lifeline. Mother-in-law might not like
her, and if the stories I've heard about the Anambra men are true, “mmanyi si
na I can’t marry you” can be our last hope.”
I texted
Bikes back reassuring her and affirming that I would go along with her.
“Eureka!,
Eureka!!” I ran to the room to tell Jenjen. Mother Gothel’s plan is back.
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