He Said no episode 36 – 37

HE SAID NO

EPISODE 36 – 37

“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 org-nize 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 org-nize 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 org-nize 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 org-nize 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 c*ck that had seen a knife. You know how a c*ck 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…
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HE ~SAID NO
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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 rom-ntically illuminating the wh0le 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 scre-med.

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 scre-ms 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 scre-med 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.

scre-ms 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 wh0le 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. Sh~ e wasn’t finding the wh0le 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…