HE SAID NO
EPISODE 36
“Hello, am I speaking to Miss Amifel?”
“Yes, you are,” Amifel answered, oblivious of who she was speaking to.
“This is Cynthia, I have been trying to reach you for quite a while,” the lady at the other end said.
“Oh, okay.” Amifel still couldn’t remember, she tried to buy herself a little time to see if she could recollect.
“I wanted to tell you that we changed the colors of the day, we would now be using champagne gold and wine,” she announced.
“Oh, “ Amifel stuttered, still confused. “I am sorry, but I think I am mixing things up. What event are we talking about again?”
“My wedding, don’t you remember me? We met about 3 months back and I told you my wedding would be coming up around mid-June. Bidemi Ayangbami linked us up…”
“Oh, oh oh… I remember now, I remember. I apologize, please. My mind is super-clouded right now, I apologize please.”
“It’s okay, I think we need to meet, that is if you don’t mind. I have some new specifications.”
“Oh… Okay.” Amifel answered, without enthusiasm. “When exactly is the wedding please?”
“June 15 and 16, the engagement is on the 15th while the white wedding is slated for the 16th.”
“Oh…Okay. “she shrugged.
“Alright thank you… and please save my number this time.”
“Okay, I will.”
The lady hung up.
“Oh no!” Amifel shrugged as she sunk her head in the pillow beside her. She was preparing for a birthday party that was slated for later that week when she called. She closed her record book and laid back on Grace’s bed.
Amifel had been spending most of her time back at home, except she had engagements for an event and she still refused to talk to her parents.
Although she had been entertaining other events, Amifel had deliberately been avoiding wedding events in the mean-time, in her words, she needed time to heal and she was tired of planning weddings for other people.
“It makes me traumatized.” She had said in one of those instances.
She had been referring her wedding clients to close top-notch event planners that she knew. She didn’t mind losing the money, it was just for a while.
“When would you be ready?” Grace asked the previous week.
“I don’t know, much later.” She answered, not sounding like she would be ready in a year.
Grace, who had tried to talk her out of it, later had to give up on her conviction stories. Amifel wasn’t really someone that could be forced to do what she doesn’t want to do. Thankfully, Grace’s wedding was still later in the year. She was definitely going to organize Grace’s wedding and that was non-negotiable.
Now, she was in a fix. Miss Cynthia’s wedding is less than a month away and she was supposed to organize her wedding.
Why can’t she turn it down or refer her to other people like she had been doing for a while? She already gave the young lady her word and she had collected a huge chunk of money as part payment.
She had no choice, well, except she was ready to return the money and lose a juicy client and possibly more referrals!
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Grace knelt with her sides close to the wall socket, she was ironing her clothes. Light hasn’t been so stable of late, Grace had to wear a rumpled gown to work that day and it didn’t feel good. As soon as power was restored, she ignored the tired state of her body, reeled her rumpled clothes off the wall hanger and set to work.
Amifel came in while she was at it, she was looking tired and the first thing she did was to unbutton her yellow shirt and yank it at the far end of the bed. After they exchanged pleasantries.
“Why are you looking like that?” Grace asked Amifel as she settled in, “Did mummy call?”
“No.”
“Daddy?”
“Have you forgotten so soon that I blocked them?”
“Oh, I forgot. Don’t you think you should at least speak to them? They must be worried sick by now, its going to a month since you left home.”
“I am not going back home!” Amifel said with a note of finality as she shot Grace a very stern look.
“At least, let them know you are fine, especially mummy.”
“Like they care, I am not a baby, Grace. They should know that I am fine.”
“I don’t know whether they know oh but I know that you are very stubborn,” Grace said with a smirk as she stood up to hang her ironed white shirt on the wall hanger.
“Don’t go and buy a wardrobe and mind your business.” Amifel hissed.
“Heed your advice first, at least I am not hanging it over your head.” Grace retaliated with her tongues out.
Amifel kept silent as sat still on the bed, while deliberately swinging her legs which were a few meters from the ground, the dejected look that she wore into the room had resurfaced. As Grace glanced at her, she felt that she had talked too much and guilt stung her momentarily.
“Are you angry?” she asked, pausing her ironing for a while as she sat on the chair and faced Amifel.
“Urghhh,” Amifel shrugged. “Whoever takes you seriously does not really know you.”
“Yeah, right. How did your day go?”
“Good, I guess. I went to see a client, she wants me to organize her event.“
“Isn’t that supposed to be good news? I mean, that sounds like money to me.”
“Yeah, her wedding is in two weeks.”
“Oh… wow! Do you know her husband?”
“Hell no.”
“So why are you not happy that she is getting married. “
“I have to attend her wedding.”
“Oh oh…” Grace chuckled, she already crossed her Ts, Amifel was still avoiding wedding parties. “Well, you don’t have to attend.”
“I wish, I really wish I could organize her wedding without being in attendance,” Amifel repeated, dabbing her face with her right palm.
“You gat no choice baby,” Grace said without sympathy, as she resumed ironing. She straightened out her black suit trouser on the thick clothes she folded for ironing.
“I know, right. You don’t have to poke it in my face!” Amifel sulked as she landed with her back on the bed.
“But seriously, maybe this is a setup oh.”
“What do you mean?” Amifel asked as she unpacked her bag.
“You know how God does his things…Maybe he wants you to be conversant with weddings so you can do yours like a pro, or maybe he wants you to learn better dancing steps, “Grace said with a sarcastic tone.
“Hope you are not hungry? Are you saying I don’t know how to dance?”
“Ah! Ami, fear God oh! Is it those archaic stepping that you call dancing?” Grace who had already left her clothes was reeling on the floor, laughing her head off.
“Look at this one, as if your own is better.” Amifel cackled coldly.
Amifel usually avoided dancing, especially in front of Grace because she usually made fun of her dance steps, Grace had said she was dancing like a cock that had seen a knife. You know how a cock scampers for his life when he sees you bringing a knife close to its neck… something like that.
Blessing and her mom also said the same thing, Amifel did not think so but she avoided their banters all the same.
Grace would not understand, she really won’t.
She had no choice though. But after this one, “I am turning down any other wedding ‘skorobo’” she said to herself, resorting to fate.
To be continued…
Written by Sodamade Olamide Tolulope.
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