The Exchange
Episode 6
He asked me about my late dad & when he extended his condolence, I could see the sincerity in his eyes; he said he could imagine life if he had lost his dad & mentioned how his dad helped him to overcome some challenges that could have gotten him expelled from school while studying abroad. He later dropped me off at our own hotel later that evening. As he was leaving he said “I think I like u”, & I said “thank u” as I hurried into the lobby. Laide was a bit upset when I got into the hotel room we shared bcos she had no idea where I was & she was worried. I apologized & explained that Baba T suggested we had lunch after we had finished the assignment her father in-law gave us & we lost track of time. She smiled & said Baba T’s mum had been asking questions about me & wanted to know details about my family; I was a bit uncomfortable bcos that’s what Baba T was doing all afternoon at lunch & I told her so but she replied “Don’t mind them, they are looking to add an extra to the wife they already got” but as I made my way into the bathroom, I replied, “U know I’m already engaged & I’m not available.
The following day was super busy, it was the day of the traditional wedding & I was with Baba T for the most part. We were busy making sure everything went on perfectly. At a point, he asked if I could drive & wanted to hand me a car key so that we could run errands separately & cover more grounds before the ceremony would begin by 4pm in the evening. When I told him I couldn’t drive, he looked at me strangely & promised to take care of that as soon as we were done with the wedding. In my mind, I was like “Where will u see me?”
As we drove around town, Baba T continued his ‘interrogation’; he wanted to know more about my mum & siblings. I told him that two of my elder brothers were civil servants, while the third had just gotten a job with the bank & the forth has gone for youth service. Bab-T asked if they would be attending the wedding bcos he would like to meet with them & I said yes.
The ceremony was nothing short of glamorous, everything was well planned & nothing was lacking. Food, drinks, decorations, clothes, accessories, the band was a high class Juju musician. That was the first time I saw people getting gifts for their traditional wedding. The couple got about 3 brand new cars from friends of the groom’s family. The money I made on the dance floor almost brought me to tears. Baba T & his friends showered me with lots of money in hundred Naira notes & they sprayed me endlessly (it was like a planned thing). My mum called me at the end of the ceremony & asked who the “Darosha’ was (Da rocha was the name of a Brazilian merchant that was believed to be the richest Nigerian a long time ago & people used the term for a person who flaunts wealth). I told her it was the best man who gave me the money I showed her the last time I came to Lagos. She nodded her head for a while & told me to be careful (again).
During the event when most of the guests had gone, I introduced my brothers to Baba T & they talked for a long time. I said my goodnight & left with Laide, so that we can prepare for the big day.
I thought the traditional wedding was glamorous until I saw the church wedding. Every detail had an aura of affluence; the groom & his family went all out to make the day extra special, while Laide’s parents & their friends also added to the glamour, that my eyes filled with tears of joy. I have never seen anything like it. The Groom’s father spoke about how the groom had been a good boy from childhood & this was just a little way of showing how proud he was of him. It was during the reception that the groom’s father unveiled the secret present ~a brand new fully furnished house where the newly wed would start their family.
I was in awe of the gifts they received; there’s no way they could use everything they were given. I doubt if they had enough room in their house to even contain the gifts. I was the custodian of the bride’s money, that people were ‘spraying’ her; it was tiring, as the bags were getting filled up fast that two of her friends had to help out. Baba T & his friends ‘soaked’ me in money again at the reception when we were dancing with the couple & he did the same for my mum (I wasn’t sure how he knew that was my mum). There was an all-night party that continued till Sunday morning; people ate & drank, but the food & drinks kept coming. The gifts that was shared was out of this world, I couldn’t think how we would get all we received back to Abeokuta. There were lots of eminent personalities & dignitaries at the wedding, indeed they shut Lagos down like Laide had said.
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