25 AND NIGERIAN episode 5

It was noon when we got to my father's house, only De Steven my father's elder brother and my mother was around.  I had to go and fetch my two other uncle's who i think were with my mother on her decision about Omeroha. They didn't know Preye had an edge over Omeroha, he is educated,enlightened and even wealthier than Omeroha, because someone is not showing off doesn't mean the person is nothing but i wasn't bothered because what ever i and Preye had was false so i didn't even want to start wasting my strength in convincing anyone.

After pleasantries were exchanged, Preye made known why they had come and presented the gifts he had brought which included cartons of wine and wrapper for my mother. Normally, he only needed to bring a keg of palm wine or a bottle of wine because this was knocking on the door(iku aka) but i had insisted he brought those to satisfy my mother's want but i guess it didn't work because when my uncle's asked her to call me so i can attest to knowing Preye and accepting his marriage proposal.   
 My mother smiled from ear to ear and told me Omereoha has married you and put jara, she said i should go out there and tell my uncle's i don't want Preye again. I just smiled,walked into the sitting room and answered the affirmative to all my uncle's questions leaving my mum mad, it was all over her face when De Steven gave Preye a copy of the bridal requirements and asked that when he comes for the introduction and performing the four days rites he should come with his parents.
Preye and his friend left and i stayed to leave the next day. That evening my mum convinced me why Omereoha was the best for me and that he was inviting me to his house that evening as he was in town, i agreed to go just to stop her from further stressing the matter.

By 7pm, Omereoha's driver was at the gate already. My mother was in my room once again doing what she knows how to do best; convincing me, i got dressed and in a few minutes we were there.
Omereoha is from the neighboring village so his house was a trekking distance, he was at the sit out and was smiling as he saw me. He motioned me to come upstairs,  he asked me to sit and brought out drinks.    When he talked, trickles of spit made patches by the sides of his mouth, oh God how i hate this man, if only he knew how everything about him puts me off, he would just give up on me and find himself another woman.
It was 7:45pm when i asked to take my leave but he kept convincing me to stay, i knew if i stayed five more minutes there i would do something nasty, i didn't want my mother to feel bad so i insisted i had to go home. He asked his driver to drop me off, in his words ''bia ka ibula my sweet potatoe, nne i will see you before you travel tomorrow inu'', what a phrase. My own was, let me just leave this house first so i just smiled and said okay.
That night, Preye called me severally saying he misses me and couldn't sleep and asked if i could be in Port harcourt as early as possible, i didn't understand him so i was worried something might be wrong with him or maybe he is just trying to act the role of the ''fiance''.
I left very early the next day throwing a deaf ear to all my mum's sermon to wait a bit, i knew why she wanted me to wait a little longer, i didn't want that annoying Omeroha to meet me so i attended the 6am mass and left as soon as we got home, i didn't even wait to have breakfast. Preye was at the park already when i alighted from the bus, he hugged me so tight, it felt strange but i felt it was also fiance duties when we had to drive straight to his place and the cook had made a delicious breakfast at his order. Something Preye never does....

Preye had spoken with his parents and reached an agreement to go see my people the next month so that everything can be put in place and we can have our traditional marriage towards the end of the year because the rains were already coming and we couldn't do it now.   Preye's mum also insisted we had to do a church wedding and Preye agreed but he told them he had plans for a white wedding outside the country, it was one of the plans right because we both knew we weren't going to that extent and Preye in his calm manner would always tell me to relax that he knew what he was doing.

Every plans were put in place and the traditional wedding was set for  November 5th despite the fact my mum tried to kick against it while encouraging her Omeroha who continued to shower her with gifts and food items. My twin brother and my aunt Chinasa was always at my defense and at one point my twin threatened never to come home again if our mum continued with her disturbance, that was when she calmed down, my brother was her weak point, i don't think she loved Akudo the way she loved my brother and he was the only one who could talk and she listened.

Preye asked that i move in with him, he said it would make the plan perfect and no one would suspect a thing, those months together were part of the best, it was as if Preye was rebaptised or a new spirit was working in him. He spoiled me silly, we took trips together and we really acted like people who were in love, we were almost the perfect couple in everyone's eyes and it seemed as if we were no longer acting, it seemed so real but i knew we couldn't share our beds, what ever i felt had to be limited to the plan.
 I was still head over heels with Preye but i couldn't make that fact known, i just hid it because i still saw Preye as the womanizer he was but he would always say he has changed whenever i teased him about the numerous girls that hanged around him.

One month before November 5th and i suddenly developed cold feet and didn't want to go along with the plan again, i decided to let Preye know as soon as he gets back from work because i can't continue denying  the fact that i loved him and was acting or rather would have to keep acting to a plan and torturing myself.  We would have to call the wedding off and i wasn't going to give a damn about anything now.....

Ifunanya Ononiwu (c) 2016