Desiree (E1 – E5)

E1 - 3 Days to the Wedding

Day 1

“You look amazing!” 

Desiree stood in front of the bathroom mirror clad in a black mismatched bra and panty set, staring down her reflection. Looking into her own eyes, she willed herself to believe the words. 

“Your dress is amazing,” she tried again, waiting for the statement to go from her mouth, register in her brain and eventually show on her face. Nothing! She forced on a fake smile, “I love your dress; it looks amazing,” Nothing! She added a higher pitch to her voice, “…It looks amazing on you!” 

Yeah right, her sarcastic subconscious replied; with a frustrated grunt, she turned away. She looked at her suitcase on the bed, open but everything was still neatly folded in. She thought about how easy it would be to just zip it up and leave. She would get to Lagos late if she left now, but at least she would be home. Safe. No! You have a plan. Ughhhh, the plan, the reason came all this way. She took in a large breath and turned her head back to the looking glass to start again “I’m so happy for—” —brrrrrr— the sudden loud vibration from her cellphone cut off her words. 

 She let out another sigh, this time in surrender as she grabbed her shapewear from the towel rack. She walked the four steps out of the bathroom to the bed in her small hotel room.

Without looking at the caller ID, she picked her phone from the bedside table and answered, “Hello?”

“Oya, tell me, have you finally run mad?” 

“Hannah?”

“No ohh, it’s Jesus.”

“That’s unnecessary.” She replied calmly.

“Really? Then tell me, why would a sane person quit her job and hitchhike her way to Ibadan for no good reason?” 

“It was a spur of the moment decision,” she explained, as she cushioned the phone in between her right ear and her shoulder and began squeezing herself into the bodice.

“A spur… what… see you’ve started with this your English… There was a two weeks’ notice Desiree! Two weeks! And you didn’t even tell me.”

And herein lies the real problem. “I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Ahh, Desiree so I am now anyone…” she let out a loud breath, “What is going on with you? Are you sure about what you’re doing?” she asked, calming her tone.

Her friend’s sudden change in pitch surprised Desiree; she had built defences against “loud Hannah”, “harsh Hannah”, even “rude Hannah” now she sounded almost empathetic. She didn’t have any defence against “understanding Hannah” , that was a side of her friend she rarely saw. “No… but… I just… I… I know I need a break… I need space to breathe.” She replied, letting her defences down a bit.

“And you’re going to do this break thing in Ibadan how?”

“I… I… I don’t have to explain myself to you, Hannah.” Desiree answered a little hesitantly, her wall slowly going back up. To be honest, she didn’t know what exactly she was doing yet but it was a weekend, a free hotel room and a party, the perfect recipe to forget her troubles. 

“Hmmm, no, you don’t, but I’m only trying to help,” clearly picking up on the hesitation, Hannah added, “You quit your job and travelled to Ibadan to attend your ex- boyfriend’s wedding that seems more like a cry for help than a break.” 

“He’s not technically my ex…”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t go.”

“Why not? I was invited, just like everyone else that’s going to be there.”

“Well, how do you know he actually expected you to go?”

“He sent me a personal invite.”

“Omo, babe, when I get married I’m probably going to send all my exes invites, not because I want them there ohh. I just want them to know I’m getting married.”

 “… I’m not his ex.”

“Look, you are going through something right now, I understand, but I just don’t think this is the way to handle it. If this is about La—“

“No, it’s not about that,” Desiree added quickly. 

“Then what is it about?”

“Temi’s my friend, and I’m going for my friend’s wedding, that’s it,” 

“Well, I’m not sure your friend’s future wife will be so happy about you being there.”

Hannah’s statement disturbed her, she hadn’t thought about what Temi’s new bride would think about her being there.  She’ll be busy with an entire wedding, why should she care about one random guest? Yes, exactly! Besides, how could she change her mind now, she had RSVP’d weeks ago. And the plan. Yes, and there’s that too, no going back now. With a huff, she briefly recessed her body shaping task, her underwear halfway up her thighs, she took the phone in her hands; “It’s not like I’m going to barge in and object to the wedding you know. She won’t even notice me.” 

“Right,” Hannah didn’t sound convinced.

“I am just going there to enjoy the festivities like every other guest,” 

“I know, I know, I’m just saying that you don’t have to go to the wedding at all. You need some time away, I agree, we could go stay in my auntie’s place in Ghana. You know we’ve been planning to do that for a while. That sounds a lot nicer than Ibadan.” Hannah was using her marketing voice now. The same voice she once used to talk an Igbo trader who had used a wooden box under his bed to house his life savings for forty-five years into getting an account with her in under thirty minutes. It wasn’t even that Hannah’s words were so persuasive, it was the tone in her voice; like she was haggling with a child. She may offend you but she would still get her way.

“It sounds good to me too, but it’s just not what I want right now.” she put the phone back in its former position as she began struggling with the girdle again. She was happy to be far away from anyone and anything she was used to, even if it was just for a weekend. And to be alone, she really needed to be alone right now. So stupid decisions could be made in peace. She shrugged off the thought as it came.

“And what is it that you want ehn? To embarrass yourself? This isn’t going to help you get over you-know-what.” Hannah said sharply.

 “I just don’t want to think about anything even if it is just for a few days, is that a crime?” She replied, trying her best to sound confident, a far cry from how she felt.

“This whole thing seems so somehow Desiree; I mean how will you even make money when you get back?”

 “I will figure everything else out later,” 

“When?”

“When I get back!” She hadn’t meant to yell, but she could barely keep her nerves from showing in her voice this time. She didn’t need to hear all this right now.

To her utter surprise, Hannah let out an exasperated sigh and said, “Fine,” after a long pause.

She couldn’t believe her ears; was that defeat she just heard in one word? Had she actually beat her friend in a battle of words? That was unheard of; she was even more surprised by what Hannah said next. 

“Did you at least pack your magic tights and that wonder bra that gives you cleavage?” She was trying to change the subject.

Desiree smiled, relieved to be talking about something else. “Hannah, don’t be ridiculous…” she let out a grunt as she finally got the tights over her butt. Two victories, she was on a roll, “…of course I did,” 

“Good, if you’re going to do something as stupid as this, you might as well look good doing it.” then she let out a laugh that sounded more like loud wheezing when she added. “It will add to the healing process, trust me.”

 Desire let out a laugh of her own, a nervous giggle, at Hannah’s joke and at successfully getting her stomach fully covered. “Now that I can do.”

***

The engagement party was in full swing when Desiree drove into the parking lot. With the ‘mummies and aunties’ dressed handsomely in their iro and bubas, ‘baby girls’ in tight-fitted and stylish lace outfits. “The big men” had on their parachute looking agbada’s, swinging it over their shoulders with every step they took. Others looked understated yet smart in their simpler brocades. And they all shared a familiar look of crazed wedding party hunger as they walked in and out of the centre of all chaos, a huge white tent.

 Desire found a spot to park, which was no easy feat considering how packed the entire place was. She switched off the ignition and sat frozen in her seat. The crowd made her nervous. She pictured herself driving the short trip back to the hotel, grabbing her bag and making a run for it, all stupid plans aside. Coward. Yeah, well, sometimes being a coward is the smart option.

 A small knock on her car window jolted her from her daze. She turned sharply to see a strange person making gestures at her. It took her few seconds to comprehend the gestures and see that the person wasn’t so strange after all.

“Temi!” she opened the door and jumped out and awkwardly into her old friend’s arms.

“Desire it’s been too long,” he said, returning her awkwardness with some of his own. Desire hadn’t meant to be so forward, but she acted on impulse. She stepped back from the weird embrace and gave him a once over with a wry smile.

“Ah ahn Temi Daniels, look at you looking all handsome and ready to be married. That bride of yours is a lucky girl ohh,” And she meant it, he looked really good in his dark blue agbada and gold cap. He always did clean up nice.

 He gave her a shy smile and adjusted his glasses “I try small…but look at you babe…” he said sizing her up in return, his smile changed to one she didn’t quite understand. He was probably surprised by how she looked; they hadn’t seen each other physically in almost ten years. She had changed but not much, she’d gained a little weight since her university days but even that wasn’t obvious. Or that’s what you like to tell yourself.

 Maybe it was her dress, her royal blue gown was simple, the fitted— a better word would be tight— lace gown came down to her ankles hugging her every curve on the way, with a midthigh slit to allow movement. Thin strips of light blue net started at the edge and fell off her shoulder and the neckline she felt was subtlety showing just a hint of her usually absent cleavage. Topped off with her silver gele perfectly styled, shiny silver clutch and silver stilettos she looked good enough to be a bride herself. Someone else’s bride of course. Of course. “You came to steal the show.” He finished.

 Not that that was what she was trying to do; not really, but his praise gave her a small boost of confidence.

Desire laughed and gave him a side hug; this one was quick and much less awkward. “Thanks, Temi.” 

“I mean it, babe. Come, let’s go.” He gently took her elbow and he began to lead her towards the tent. “Tola is inside, I want to introduce you.” And she followed obediently.

Entering the tent felt like entering another dimension, the décor was just exquisite. There was a line of glass chandeliers that shone in a single file down to the end of the tent with shiny crystals hanging from them. The silver dining settings all around the room looked almost regal, the combination of colours of the asho-ebis, gold with a touch of blue on the right side (the bride’s side) and royal blue with a touch of gold on the left (the groom side), a seemingly never-ending red carpet setting a demarcation in the middle all with dwarfed in a white background.  It looked like a circus and an organized congregation all at the same time. Fuji music blasted from the speakers coming from a live band somewhere in front but she couldn’t see with the throng of guests scattered about.

“I was surprised when you texted me that you were here, it was getting so late I thought you were not going to come.” He spoke close to her ear, loud enough so she could hear him over the music, “I’m glad you did.” he said looking at her as he gave her elbow a gentle squeeze, she got a strange feeling in her belly at the familiarity.

At a loss of words, she said “I’m so happy for you.” It was one of her practised responses for the night. One down fifty more to go.

Temi couldn’t spot his bride-to-be in the swarm of guests so he sat Desiree at a table near the entrance, one of the few that were still free and went in search of her. Desiree didn’t mind her table; she always liked being close to an exit whenever she was in a crowded room. Her wandering eyes caught a glimpse of a few familiar faces, two, in particular, caught her attention, Temi’s little sister Bola and her best friend. Considering they had only ever spoken once maybe twice before she wasn’t expecting a friendly reunion, still, she gave them a small smile when they looked her way. They didn’t return it, in fact, her friend seemed to turn away with a scowl. Well moving on… she looked away, buried her embarrassment and continued scanning the room. Everywhere was so busy with servers moving up and down, older women, dressed in gold moving around taking orders and barking them back at the servers. She could see the pride in the women’s faces, the pride they took from having a role they considered important to play in the festivities while their fat husbands sat on their tables laughing, drinking and waiting to be served. 

 She spotted a small bar heavily stocked with wine and hard liquor; it even had two bartenders arranging colourful cocktails on a tray, she made a mental note of it. A hand suddenly on Desiree’s shoulder brought her out of her head, “Omoge, have you had anything to eat?”  It was one of the women formerly barking at the caterers on the other side of the room.

“Oh don’t worry ma, I’m not hungry yet,” Desire felt a bit queasy, her underwear and her dress were a little too tight, she could barely look at food talk less of eating.

Looking truly concerned, the older woman insisted “Oh no, you must have something, what do you want to eat? Someone will get it for you right now… Mfon! Mfon… come here.” Ignoring Desire’s faint decline she beckoned a young lady with a tray in her hand over.

“I will make sure you eat, everybody must eat ohh, Mfon take her order… what did you say you were eating my dear?”

Nothing “I’ll just have rice ma,” she answered reluctantly.

“Alright Mfon will get you rice.” she said with a smile then she leaned towards Desiree and whispered in Yoruba “Sisi eat ehn, see, men like girls body,” It was unexpected but her tactless advice made Desiree chuckle. The woman laughed in return murmuring something about “children of these days” and then she shooed the server away making the girl bump into one of the guests and drop her empty tray.

“Ohhhhh see what you have done…my son, don’t mind this clumsy girl” Mfon began to apologize profusely in Yoruba with a small, shaky voice. “Don’t talk to him jare,” the woman scolded, losing her former warmth. 

Before Mfon could start her timid apologies again the young man put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright aunty, it was only a mistake.” the guest answered calmly. Something about his voice made Desiree suddenly interested in seeing his face but he already had his back to her. “Don’t stress the girl,” He wore a black agbada with a gold cap that he took off as he bent to pick up the tray and handed it back to the girl. She got a hint of his side view but it was gone in an instant. 

“See your mouth like I should not stress her, mtcheww, this boy you like woman too much.” 

Black agbada only shrugged as he replied in Yoruba as well, his voice still as calm as ever “I have heard, ma” there was laughter in his voice. Desiree liked the ease at which he spoke his Yoruba, how he got the tonations right while still managing to sound modern, she envied that. Her Yoruba always sounded forced, even after consciously working on it for the past five years. She found herself leaning forward to get a better view of his face.

“Desiree?” a female voice called from behind her making her freeze, she didn’t know why she felt like she just got caught doing something bad. Yeah, you were just innocently checking that random guy out. When she turned around she was met with shiny gold lace, probably the brightest in the whole room, her gaze followed the lace to the top to reveal the identity of its wearer. Tola Badamusi soon to be Daniels, her attire was too lavish to mistake her for anyone else but the bride. Desiree stood up so she could look at her opponent in a less submissive position. 

Her professionally tied gele gave a clear view of her facial features. Tola wasn’t someone you would call beautiful on sight; her features were too sharp, Desiree decided. 

Temi came out from behind her putting a hand around her waist, with a large grin he said; “Tola this is Desiree, Desiree meet Tola.” Tola smiled then and her features transformed before their very eyes, they turned almost stunning. Her big dark brown eyes seemed to shine and her fair skin had a glow she hadn’t noticed the moment before. Her features may be sharp but they suited her perfectly. Desiree felt a pang of unfounded jealousy but she covered it up with a forced smile as she stretched out her hand.

“It is nice to finally meet you, Tola. Congratulations to both of you on your upcoming nuptials.” the words sounded forced even to Desiree’s own ears, she stood in front of her mirror this morning practising those exact words for more than thirty minutes and she still messed it up. “You look amazing, that dress is… beautiful.”

Tola gave her a quick scan up and down before taking her hand and returning the fake smile with one of her own. “Thank you so much,” she said “Have you had anything to eat or drink?”

 “She just got here.” Temi chipped in.

“Someone came to take my order…” she added trying not to sound as tense as she felt.

“And they have not brought you anything yet? That is nonsense. Bam Bam! Don’t worry I will make sure you are well taken care of….Bam Bam!” she said completely ignoring her and Temi both. “Bam Bam!” Tola yelled out again and a tall, heavily contoured young lady appeared from within the crowd, beside Tola in an instant. What is she, a genie? “Where were you?… Never mind, this is Desiree, Temi’s friend and she hasn’t had anything to eat. Abeg babe help me sort her out.”, Bam bam gave Desiree a similar once over her friend had given her earlier. Then she turned and was gone as fast as she came without even inquiring what the choice of food or drink was going to be. Tola turned back to her, “Thank you for coming to celebrate with us.” Desiree realized that she wasn’t the only one full of practised words for the day.

“Thank you for inviting me.” Giving hers back a little more confidently now.

Tola’s eyes wandered to the tent entrance, already losing interest in her fiancé’s friend, “Sandra, Obinna…” she started waving her hands as she moved away from Desire and towards the door.

“Enjoy the party, Desiree!” Temi said before walking off to catch up with his wife.

Desire sat back down on her chair with a huff, she felt physically drained, the interaction had exhausted her. She looked up just in time to see a waiter pass by with a very exotic looking cocktail and suddenly she knew where might get strength from to endure the rest of the party.

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