Aso Ebi

As the rusty old bus galloped awkwardly along the pot-hole infested Benin-Ore road to the Niger Bridge leading to South-Eastern Nigeria, all Ada could pray for was serenity and peace of mind. Actually, that’s the only thing she’d been praying for since she first heard the news. She’d just come back from a very lengthy all-night call at the hospital and was looking to rest her tired bones, joints and muscles when Stephanie, her best friend since childhood, burst into her room in the Doctors’ Quarters.

“Madam you no dey pick your phone again? I’ve been trying to call you since.”

“My dear, no vex oh. I was very busy throughout my call period. You know as posting in Accident ward dey be naa. Wassup?”

“Ada, guess what? Just guess...”

“Steph abeg I’m too tired for this your drama jare. Wetin happen?”

“Ben finally popped the question to Betty yesterday! Nne eh, aso ebi things loading. We have a wedding to prepare for baiby!!!!!!!!!!!” She shouted excitedly and started twerking almost instantly.

“Wait first, calm down. I don’t understand what you’re saying. You mean Ben has proposed to Betty?” Ada asked, rather bewilderedly.

“Yes oh, na so we see am. Even Betty sef still never believe am. The thing still dey like film.”

“Wow, this is serious. I thought he was stringing her along like the other girls oh.”

“This girl, where have you been sef? Betty has been putting up Ben’s pics since yesterday naa. Betty no gree person hear word oh. Na Ben and Betty dey trend for BBM, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! ” Stephanie exclaimed in the loudest tone of her voice. She really did want the whole block to hear what she was saying, she was always that way when she was excited about something.

“Oh really? This work don backdate me finish. I would check for their pics online later.”

“Na to go find Ovation magazine begin find better style oh, plus Bella Naija. We gats represent oh.”

“Okay, no wahala. I’m really happy for them oh.” She added rather tamely.

And just like that, she got saddled with the ominous task of being in the aso ebi train at the igba nkwu of her friend- and ex-fiance’s sister. Ada was very happy for Betty of course. Her mum had been making snide remarks about how her friends- who in her opinion were too career-obsessed to marry early or at all- were influencing her negatively. So the news of Betty getting married would shut her mum up permanently- or at least, for a while. But as most good things have their shady sides, the unpleasant result of this good thing is that she would have to meet with Bona again.

She hadn’t forgotten the last time they met. It was during Betty’s graduation from her MBA programme. Betty had insisted that she come to celebrate with her on her graduation day. And with just having finished from medical school and generally resting at home while preparing for housemanship, she didn’t really have a reason to decline the invitation. But Betty had also assured Ada that it was safe to come since Bona wasn’t in the country at the time and wouldn’t be able to come for the graduation ceremony. Little did either of them know that Bona had decided to give his only sister a pleasant surprise, and so walked in a few minutes before the graduation ceremony commenced, to her utmost shock but to the delight of the graduand. 

Meeting him was awkward. Shaking hands with him during the post-graduation party was even more uncomfortable. She had managed to hide her shock and her emotions with a plastic smile plastered over her face throughout the remaining time she was there. And she fled home from the party unnoticed that night, with all the wounds she’d managed to close up over the months all opening up all over her heart.

That was one year, three months and twenty days ago. She could tell because she counted each day she got through without having called or texted or emailed him as a victory. Not thinking about him wasn’t part of the pre-requisites for the victories she kept count of, since she thought about him almost every time that she wasn’t busy. But resisting the temptation to contact him every day that passed was a triumph over him. And she had been winning every day after that fateful meeting at the UNILAG convocation ground.  Now it seemed she’d have to go through another tortuous meeting with Bona. And then start the healing process all over again.

These and many similar thoughts pervaded her mind as the bus gallopped down the dusty roads on its way to Onitsha. She wanted to believe she had prepared well in advance for this meeting with Bona. At least she had taken some precautions. Which was why she took the afternoon bus- to make sure she got to her destination late at night.Which was also why she was coming a day- or night- before the traditional wedding (Betty and Stephanie were not happy with her for that but at this point, she really couldn’t care less what they thought).  She was going to mentally steel herself when she sees Bona and behave like he isn’t in the room when he’s there. She knew it wouldn’t be very easy but hey, it needs to be done. 

“I’m a big girl,” she concluded, “I can handle it jare.” She craned her neck, struggled to stretched her legs and exhaled a deep breath. She was prepared for this.

But for some reason she couldn’t quite place, she had a feeling this meeting was going to be different.