Baba T dropped me
off at our own hotel later that evening. As he was leaving he said “I think I like you”, all I could say was "thank you"
as I hurried into the lobby. Laide was already very angry because she had no
idea where we were. I quickly apologized and blamed it on the best man. She
later told me that Baba T’s mum had been asking questions about me and wanted
to know things about my family. “Don’t
mind them, they are looking to add an extra to the wife they already got” I
said as I made my way into the bathroom.
The following day
was super busy, it was the day of the traditional wedding and I was with Baba T
for the most part. We were running around to make sure everything went on perfectly.
At a point, he asked if I could drive and wanted to hand me a car key so I
could run some other errands…that way we would be able to cover more grounds
before the ceremony that was slated for that evening. I told him I couldn’t
drive and he promised to take care of that as soon as we were done with the
wedding. In my mind, I was like “Where
will you see me?”
As we drove
around town, Baba T continued his ‘interrogation’ and wanted to know more about
my mum and siblings. I told him of my eldest brother that was working with the
government and had just gotten the job. Bab-T asked if he would be attending
the wedding and I said yes…he said he would like to meet with him and have a
chat.
The ceremony was
nothing short of glamorous…everything was well planned and 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 and his friends showered me with lots of money as they sprayed endlessly
(it was like a planned thing). My mum called me at the end of the ceremony and
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 and people used the
term derogatorily for a flaunter of wealth). I told him it was the man that
gave me the money I showed her the last time I came to Lagos. She nodded
her head for a while and told me to be careful (again).
Later that night,
I introduced my eldest brother (Brother Kola, like I call him) to Baba T and
they talked for a long time. I had to go back to the hotel with Laide to
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 and
his family went all out to make the day extra special. Laide just kept shedding
tears of joy and I couldn’t help but do the same. The Groom’s father talked
about how he (the groom) had been a good boy from childhood and 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 have used
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. Baba T
and 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 and ate but the food and
drinks kept coming. There were lots of eminent personalities and dignitaries at
the wedding and indeed they shut Lagos down like Laide had said.
PART 5 PART 7
PART 5 PART 7
© 2016 Lanre Olagbaju All Rights Reserved
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