My Groom?

I used to always hear about it but I never imagined that it’ll happen to me. It was one of those things like Ebola or HIV/AIDS or Winning the lottery that never happened to me; maybe others but not me. And I was mutually not interested in it. 

I had been dating Dennis for a little over two years before it happened. We had talked about marriage several times and in fact, he was the one who brought it up initially. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, he’d say. Then he’d look into a distant future and smile warmly. I liked that smile and something about it was really assuring.

Who had I not met? His mom, his dad, his three siblings, his uncles, his aunties, his cousins, his nephew and his nieces, his grandparents and even one of his maternal grandmother’s sisters.

I was his wife in the eyes of everyone but the law. And I really did not mind. I had to finish school first, and then get settled with a good job after my service year before I could think of getting married to him. He was also trying to get established in his career, so we both needed the time. 

Just last week however, he first called and asked me if I knew any good DeeJays. I said indeed I did. I gave him the phone numbers of two DeeJays and he thanked me. Then about an hour later, he called to ask for information on where someone could purchase Iced-blocks. 

I was curious so I asked him if he was planning a party. He evasively answered by saying that it was for his friend. He was just assisting. ‘Which friend?’ I asked with a database of names in my head. 

‘‘You don’t really know her. She’s a friend’s friend’ he said unconvincingly. Then he sent me her picture. Beautiful.

Because I was trying to be a good and trusting girlfriend, I said, ‘Okay o’ 

On Friday, my friend, DJ Encore, invited me to the party job I helped him get. I was shocked. Dennis didn’t invite me to his friend’s party? But maybe he wasn’t going, I thought. After all, he and the girl weren’t friends like that.

I decided to shock Dennis by attending the party and then coming back with pictures and stories to laugh at him by.

Turned out it was a wedding reception. The beautiful bride was truly Dennis’s friend. And her groom was handsome and familiar; so familiar he looked exactly like someone I loved before; sometime in the past. For there and then, the love I had for Dennis became the thing of a past.