A Couple of Three... Episode 1

Hello Blog fam.

I've been away for too long, and for good reasons too. I apologize for the silence. Instead of boring you with the reason for my long break (since 19th May), I'll just let you enjoy this new short-story series. Thanks for your loyalty to the blog.

I'm hoping you will enjoy 'A Couple of Three' just as much as my previous stories.

Enjoy the read, feel free to share with friends, and please leave your comments after each episode.

Thank you! :) 

***

• This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of Faith’s imagination and (actual places) are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. 

... Faith Tunde-Yara

They say life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. So was this beautiful moment that unfolded in the life of a certain guy called 'Me'.

***

The organist was the best organist one could find in the city of Lagos, and like I've come to understand, the best in Nigeria.
He played the popular 'Here comes the bride' tune with a certain uniqueness that brought tears to my eyes. As expected, I pushed back the tears. I was too popular in my own space, to allow any funny display of emotions that would go viral on Instagram and smear my reputation. I remembered one of such videos that went viral some two months ago.
I smiled widely as our eyes collided and my bride looked down, let out a cute smile, looked up and continued her walk towards me.
It was joy, mixed with excitement, a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment, peace... oh that peace that Pastor preached about and stressed a lot during the marriage counselling sessions... Yes, that peace... that surpasseth human understanding.
To say my bride looked radiant would be a gross understatement.
And so my queen approached me.

"s: d: m: s: m: d: l:......  r: m: d:"

"We are gathered here today to witness the solemnization of holy matrimony between Adesewa Oludoyin and Olukunle Israel..."

"yes, yes, yes... " I was in such a hurry...
"yes to everything Pastor... No one is against our union...
"Oh, yes, I do...." I excitedly answered all the questions that came as prerequisites for sealing the holy solemnization.

My bride was super calm, relishing every moment and smiling at everyone. It was her wedding day, that she had so meticulously planned for the past one year and two months.

"You may now kiss your bride" Pastor Johnson smiled at us both, moving his eyes from my face to my bride's face as he watched the joining of our lips in our first public display of affection as man and wife before the entire congregation.


.... And that's my cue to stop...
Or did you think I was the story teller?

***

"Honey, please drive faster, we'll be late."

"But I'm driving as fast as I can..." Kunle answered calmly.

"Honk now... Ohhh God..." Sewa shifted from her seat and pressed the horn to alert the learner driver in front of them to move out of the way.

"Babe, what did you do that for?" Kunle moved his wife's hand from the steering and drove on at the same pace he had been driving.

"But we're running late. I don't like getting to places late, and you know it. Besides, Tade has been waiting for God knows how long..." Sewa sat back in her chair and began to sulk.

"And she can wait a little longer. This is Lagos, she should understand the traffic situation by now.
I still don't understand the hurry. We're going to pick someone at the airport, not board a flight. So chill."
Kunle increased the volume of the radio and kept his pace.

His wife on the other hand kept tapping the screen of her phone, and he assumed she was updating her best friend of their movement. Then a call came in.

"My love, I'm so sorry. We've been stuck in serious traffic. We're almost there.
... Have you found somewhere to sit?
... Awww, I understand. Just accept us the way we are...
... Yes.. Okay... No o, I can't buy gala on the way. Haven't you heard of the new policy?..."

*loud laughter*

"... Yes, you should get. Take a stroll round the airport, you should be able to get gala... But, please don't get lost..." Sewa laughed some more.

"... Will you speak with him?" She paused to get a response from her husband.

Kunle shook his head to show his disinterest, then he whispered "LATSMA..."

"Oh, sorry. He can't. He's driving... " Sewa continued.
"yes... you know how it is now... Okay... I should place you on speaker?... Okay. Hold on please."

She shifted excitedly on the seat, tapped the screen of her phone in an attempt to place it on speaker, and moved the phone closer to her husband.

"I said No. Sewa, please stop stressing me deliberately." Kunle said in almost a whisper,  pushed the phone back gently, and shook his head at the same time. His countenance had changed..

"Sorry o." Sewa returned to her call. She giggled some more, laughed, exclaimed, sighed... all the way till they arrived at the airport.

"We are at the car park. I'll walk up to meet you, Just keep walking down... You'll see people walking towards the departure gate..."

*pause*

"... Oh.. okay... just stay put then. We'll come up to meet you." She ended the call and faced her husband.

"Honey, Tade has three boxes. Can you please come with me to help us move the boxes down?" She pulled her 'baby face' stunt that worked every single time.

"Okay... " Kunle said slowly, got down from the car, locked up and walked with his wife whose excitement was one he still couldn't understand. He wasn't surprised at the announcement of the three boxes.

'Women would always be women', he thought to himself.

He was eager to meet this best friend that he had heard so much about but was yet to meet in person. It had been 'Tade this, Tade that', all month long, from the very first skype call that Tade announced her visit to Nigeria, after several years of being away. She couldn't make it to the wedding and Kunle could not easily forget the effort he had to put into making his wife calm. She just wouldn't hear of it. They had planned their entire lives together, and her absence at the wedding was one that broke Sewa's heart into a million pieces. She recovered soon enough, especially after receiving the enormous wedding gift that Tade sent all the way from India. It was funny how their lives had turned, with Tade touring the world, and Sewa getting married earlier than they had both projected. Sewa was however, glad they kept the communication solid all these years. It was time to reunite, and such reunions were Sewa's favorite.

Sewa laughed out all of a sudden. Kunle had learnt over time to be extremely patient with her. She was weird in a sweet kind of way, and he was now slain by the unique weirdness of his wife; especially her sudden outburst of laughter every once in a while.
He lifted his head slightly from his own phone as they walked up the stairs to meet up with Tade. He had to make sure his wife was actually laughing at something every one could understand; and if not, he hoped she was still on the phone chatting away as usual with her bestie.

"And what's funny now?" He dragged his words.

"Huh?!..." Sewa stopped laughing abruptly

"Oh no. It's nothing, love. I just remembered one of the pranks we used to pull back in the day. I can't believe it's been five years; five long years..." She resumed her laughter again, this time holding her husband's hands and resting on his shoulder for support.

Kunle held her tight as they climbed the stairs. Just a few more steps and he would meet the lady responsible for his wife's recent behaviour.

"Babe, we're here. Call her again..."

Kunle began searching for anyone that matched Tade's description. There was a set criteria: a pretty lady, with three boxes, probably with sunshades, powerfully dressed, with a smart phone pressed to her ears or an earpiece plugged in, and most likely talking and laughing at the same time.
Sewa had so many friends; many female friends; too numerous to remember each face from her exuberant collection of pictures. So, Kunle just decided to pick one of the faces he could remember and began scanning through the just-arrived passengers as they walked out of the airport to meet their loved ones.

"Errmm, where is she?" He broke the silence. His wife was not the on the phone anymore and it seemed Tade was no where to be found.

Sewa was still scanning through the numerous passengers coming out of the airport, when she sighted Tade. She let go of her husband's hand and ran towards her friend. Kunle smiled as he watched his excited wife run towards a certain lady that did not match his imagined Tade. He shifted his gaze to yet another lady, strolling out with her phone in one hand, and a small handbag in the other. Sewa ran past both ladies towards her friend.

Tade had gotten one of the trolley pushers to help push the trolley where the three heavy boxes had been placed. He smiled widely as he watched his best friend run towards him. He left his arms wide open for Sewa to run into without interference. As soon as she was in his embrace, he hugged her tight for almost a minute, then lifted her up, and spun her around.

"S to the E to the W-A" Tade giggled as he supported Sewa who was still trying to find her balance.

"Look at you... my tiny baby..." He held her close again, kissed her forehead and proceeded to plant a light kiss on her right cheek.

Sewa smiled widely before starting.

"TADEEE... I've missed youuuu... Oh my word.,." Sewa replied amidst heavy breathing.

"And you had to remind me of how tiny I am..." She pushed his arm and laughed a little.
She was indeed tiny when compared to her Tall, and built bestie.

"Welcome home..." She let herself slide comfortably into his wide arms, which he wrapped around her neck, and walked out to meet her husband and the trolley pusher waiting for them.

Kunle was done clearing his eyes for the umpteenth time. He was now certain that the entire reunion drama that just unfolded before his very eyes was real. He was not imagining things.
His wife's bestie  was the same Tade that he had heard so much about. However, in the midst of the numerous stories he had heard about this Tade, he had missed a vital information: Tade was a guy!

"Darl, meet my T to the A-D-Eeeeee." Sewa's excitement was still palpable. She laughed as she nudged her husband back to consciousness.

"It's so nice to finally meet you..." Tade beat Kunle to the introductions, as he stretched out his palms to shake his friend's husband.

"She won't stop talking about you and I'm so glad to..."

"Same here. Finally... How was your trip?" Kunle cut in, squinting his eyes in a bid to hide his surprise.

"Good, good."

Sewa found somebody else to help carry the biggest and heaviest box, while the men pulled the other two boxes to the car park.

The talking reduced for a while, till the trio were in the car and on their way back to the house.

***

They say life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. So was this awkward moment that literally took Kunle's breath away in the weirdest way possible.

***A Couple of Three by FAITH TUNDE-YARA
***Photo credit: www.olgabolch.com