TO BE A MRS

I took giant steps as i walked to my front door. I was almost home and I couldn’t wait to jump on my bed, after today’s stress, i needed it so badly.
I kept walking faster and faster, and Tada – I opened the door, heaving a sigh of relief.

“Boo, boo, you are back ”

No that didnt come from my husband or boyfriend, but from Nelly my housemate and best friend for several years.

“Come and see ” she said in her usual chatty manner and shifted on the sofa creating space for me to seat beside her.

I rolled my eyes as I joined her on the sofa. “I didn’t rush home for this”, I lamented , as my neatly laid bed was still on my mind.

She pointed to a picture on her phone and with tired eyes I looked at it, slowly my brain registered what was on the screen and at that instant all tiredness left my body.

“It’s a lie” i shouted, as my eyes opened wide enough, i feared it would tear. “Ayo just got engaged?” I asked , not expecting an answer as why else was the enormous diamond ring on her finger.

Nelly kept gushing about the ring and “wowing” and “awwing”

” I’m happy for her” I finally said and tried to fake a smile as I dragged myself to my bed.

The long desired sleep had gone as all I could think of was Ayo getting engaged. We had all been coursemates back in uni, and immediately after graduation one by one people started getting married. Wedding invitations came in almost every week, every Saturday was booked and lots and lots of asoebi to buy.

Nelly had also gotten engaged early August but wasn’t planning on getting married till next year.

Even though i would never admit it , I felt pressured and now my second best friend Ayo just got engaged too. It seemed like the universe was pointing fingers at me, asking “when will yours be?”

I was 24 which was quite young to me but nobody seemed to want to calm their ovaries anymore and I couldn’t help but be worried.

I picked up my phone to call Juwon my boyfriend but changed my mind. “Just do it,break up with him” one part of my brain was saying ,”he is wasting too much time”. I nodded in agreement to it, the other part was telling me to calm down,I frowned at it,I definitely couldn’t calm, I didn’t want 25 to meet me in this condition and February was fast approaching.

I was still in this dilemma when his call came in. “Speaking of the devil” I muttered and picked after the first ring.

“Hey” I said, if I wanted to do this,there was no use sounding all friendly.

“Hey sugar” he replied

Oh God why did he have to be so sweet,it only made things harder for me.

“I was wondering if you were busy tonight, I want us to go out for dinner, you would love it and….” he started to say

“Juwon” I said, cutting him short, the earlier I did this the better for me

I summoned what was left of my courage and told him i wanted to break up. I stammered throughout, making incoherent sentences, about how age wasn’t on my side , how my biological clock was ticking, how I loved him but had to end things. By the time I was done I knew I had passed the message across.

Silence

“Juwon?”

More silence

I’m sorry”I said

“It’s okay” he finally replied

Silence on my end.

More silence . As I heard the click sound, he had ended the call.

Juwon dropped the call and looked at the ring he was holding and then at his expectant friends who had helped him plan every bit of the proposal that was supposed to happen that night.

“What did she say?” They asked, their eyes shinning with excitement.

“She broke up” he said ,as he threw the ring on the floor and stormed out of the bar,heartbroken.

cc:naijastories