Weddings were no longer celebrations for Aduni.
They were press conferences, her mother a evil journalist waiting to pull her in a string of many questions and of course potential marriage match making session.
Every auntie present was a journalist, investigators and prophets. Every smile she gave was evidence. Every plate of jollof rice collected was interpreted as a sign of emotional readiness for marriage.
At twenty-three, she had attended enough weddings to understand that the bride and groom were not the main event.
Single people were.
"I wished I had gone to work today!"....Aduni thought sipping the wine she had suddenly enjoyed ignoring her mother's icy and watchful gaze.
Aduni mentally hit herself for agreeing to this in the first place...she suddenly wished her sister is still unmarried. That thought brought her to check her messages
"Meeting on Saturday!"...her dad typed.
She sighed, wondering what went wrong for a family meeting to be called again. Looking back at her mother...she hoped they had long stopped fighting over petty things.
The hall was loud with music and louder expectations. Aso-ebi shimmered like coordinated ambition.
The master of ceremony was shouting about destiny and divine timing bursting in another joke, sending the crowd to the edge of crazy laughter. Somewhere among the crowd, a woman who felt she was a prophet was already telling another woman that the bride's younger sister was "next."
Aduni adjusted her gele and sat quietly at her table, sipping a drink she found relaxing
She worked hard.
She paid bills at home.
She had savings.
Yet somehow, the only promotion anyone recognize was Mrs.
Her mother leaned toward her.
"You see your mate?" she whispered, nodding toward the bride. "Her second child will soon follow."
Aduni nodded slowly.
In her mind, she replied:
Yes, mummy. I also saw someone buy land yesterday. Should we compare that too?
Outwardly, she smiled.
That was when a voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Are you enjoying the wedding," the man asked gently, "or are you here under family pressure like the rest of us?"
Aduni turned, so did her mother. That evil smile suddenly came alive and Aduni already felt a headache coming Her mother soon gave her " privacy"... making her more disgusted than she already is.
The guy smiled...he was tall, neatly dressed, and smiling in a way that suggested he had also survived several Nigerian weddings against his will.
"I was enjoying it," she replied calmly. "Until you came along!"
He laughed.
"Olatade. But everyone calls me Tade."
"Aduni." She replied plainly