HE SAID NO
EPISODE 37
Cynthia’s wedding came sooner than she expected. It was another elaborate wedding, she was already in the hall, way before the event started. The wedding guests were going to join in for the wedding reception right after the church wedding.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of the elegantly decorated hall. As she walked down the hall, she sighted the seat with different names of groups and families beautifully inscribed on fancy cards. She couldn’t help but marvel at the dramatic metamorphosis of the rather bland hall that she saw some days before.
The atmosphere itself was serene, just perfect for the moment, with dim blue lights and glowing candles romantically illuminating the whole place. This was not the kind of atmosphere that Amifel needed at the moment but she had to stay, to oversee the turnout of the event and to put things in order when due.
The tables, which had on them, shimmering silver clothes alongside luxurious chairs laced the corners of the hall. The tables directly in front of them had all sorts of exquisite wine cups and cutleries, not the regular types but the ones that must have cost a fortune.
The church wedding seemed to be done with as the wedding guests trooped into the hall in their numbers looking all shades of amazing, Amifel grabbed a seat at the end of the long hall.
The event was going quite well and everything seemed to be under control until the master of ceremony (M.C for short), started making jokes. Amifel whose mind was not in the event or anything he was saying stayed right where she was, at the back. Somewhere in between, she heard him say that his name was ‘Oracle’.
” All the single ladies in the house, wave those beautiful hands in the air!” he screamed.
Hands of different shades and sizes swept across the air almost in an instant.
“Bachelors in the building, can I hear you make some noise!”
Thick baritone voices roared throughout the hall in a rather unruly manner, which made it seem like all the men present in the hall were single.
“Una dey lie!” the M.C laughed. “See them, some of you get wife for house come dey look for spare parts here.”
He seemed to have gotten the guys, they were just having fun.
“I would be doing a quick hookup, I hear say some of una dey do blind date. Guys, look around.” He didn’t really need to say it; the guys had been looking around since they came in.
“Do you like what you see? “ he asked. “So, instead of those blind dates that you guys do, let me hook you up with a befitting wife here. Let me help your ministry. I will be picking a guy from the crowd and I, as the oracle of this event will be choosing a befitting young lady as his accomplice, is that fine?”
The exciting screams amidst the crowd and the intermittent laughter showed that they wanted ‘oracle’ to go ahead.
“Okay, young lady,” he beckoned one of the fair ladies on the bridal train, she was seated with other ladies on beautiful wine laced gowns.
He called on another guy on a suit and made fun of them while asking them series of questions to entertain his guest after he was done with them and a few others…
“Sorry, I think you are the one he is talking to.” A young man who stood beside her tapped her gently. She was looking intently in the couple’s direction but her wandering mind had drifted far away.
She stood up confused.
“Who is calling me?” she asked him, the young man pointed towards the couple, right where the MC was standing.
That was when she saw the piercing gazes of people all around the big hall, they were looking intently at her. She wondered why and suddenly felt embarrassed.
“Sister, please come.” Oracle beckoned on her yet again.
Amifel, who did not still know why packed the edges of her flowing gold gown while clinging tightly to her gold chain purse as if her life depended on it as she walked up the hall, she wondered what was going on and why the MC was calling her.
“Is there any issue? Did people complain about my services?” she thought to herself, she could literally feel the stern gazes of people tearing her apart and it was one of the most uncomfortable feelings in the world.
At that instant, she regretted that she asked Grace for a suggestion on what to wear and even heeded her advice to wear a shiny gold cinderella gown.
Just as she almost got to the oracle, the black high-heeled shoe made her leg do a mini flip flop and she almost tripped.
“Sorry, “ the MC said. “Please be careful.”
Her mind flew off! Seems like a bad sign.
“Take a look at her, isn’t she beautiful!” the MC said as he held out his hand to her. Amifel took his hands, still confused and embarrassed.
“She is a complete package!” he announced as people murmured. Amifel couldn’t bear to look up, they must probably be thinking that she was shy, no! she was embarrassed. Very.
‘She is the event planner! She planned this event!” Cynthia said from the stage.
She glanced back at Cynthia who was grinning widely beside her husband.
“So she is the brain behind this elegant event! Oh my God! Please ma, are you single?” Oracle asked.
Oh lord! this was more than she bargained for.
“Yes. She is single” Cynthia screamed again before Amifel could say a word.
“Madam, If I wasn’t married ehn. I would have helped myself sharp sharp and the young man that would get this fine woman is the luckiest in this hall.” Oracle boasted as he faced her.
Screams of ‘aaaaah” filled the hall. The smart MC got the gist and immediately paraphrased his statement.
“Apart from the amazing groom oh!”
“Yeah, so who would this lucky man be?” he asked, still holding Amifel’s hand as his eyes combed the nooks and crannies of the full hall.
“Yes. Young man. Please come.” He pointed towards the tail end of the hall yet again.
The young man unlike Amifel, stood up almost immediately as he walked confidently towards the oracle.
Amifel who was still looking at her toes, looked up at the young man as the MC put pulled him opposite Amifel, while oracle stood in between them.
It was the same young man who tapped her a while back.
“This young man is my padi, “ the MC began. “I know him personally, he is very nice and very single. I can assure you that he will take good care of you.”
Amifel looked in awe as the whole thing dawned on her. The MC was just catching fun and trying to put a smile on the face of his audience. The young fair man smiled at Amifel, she did not smile back. She wasn’t finding the whole scenery funny.
The MC placed Amifel’s hand in his.
“Oya guy, talk to her and let us hear her response.”
“Hey, let us just try to play along so we can both get off this stage.” He whispered to Amifel with smiles as the MC chuckled loudly.
“Please smile, “ he continued as he held her hands.
Amifel nodded and managed to fake a smile.
“Talk to me, she is smiling already. What’s up?” the MC asked.
‘We are cool.” The gentle young man calmly.
The MC must be feeling like a genius and he seemed to be satisfied because he ushered them back to their seats with their hands tightly clutched together like newly wedded couples, amidst loud cheering and ovations.
As Amifel walked back to where she was seated, she snatched out her hands somewhere before she got to her seat without looking at the young man.
She picked the paper bag she came with and went straight out of the hall. She needed some air.
The soft breeze outside abnormally felt cooler than the air-conditioned atmosphere in the hall, she must have been standing there for a few minutes when someone beckoned on her.
“Hi.”
It was the partner that she was betrothed to by the MC.
“Please, I want to be left alone.” She said coldly, looking away from him. Her facial expression changed almost instantly.
‘Okay. I just thought to ask if you won’t mind a bottle of water.” He pressed on.
“I am fine!” she answered with a note of finality.
To be continued…
Written by Sodamade Olamide Tolulope.
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