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Novel Title:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â TAKING CHANCES
Genre:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Contemporary Romance
Prize: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â N200
Blurb:
Daisy leaves her life behind in America to chase a dream in Nigeria â Jide, the only man she ever desired but who didnât care she existed. Â
To further prove her love for him, she leaps at the one chance she gets to become his bride; forgetting that after the wedding comes reality.
Life becomes a roller coaster of loneliness, heart breaks and regrets for her as she wonders if love was really worth the chance she tookâŠ
Authour:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Cynthia Ukamu
CHAPTER ONE
The sun smiled pleasantly at the large spaced and brightly decorated garden of Queens Hotel which was being used as the reception venue for the wedding of Jide and Daisy, the atmosphere was cheerful as would a wedding, bustling with guests in their Aso-ebi uniforms, the couple and the bridal train were beautifully dressed in their wedding apparel.
Daisy looked exceptionally beautiful than she had ever Imagined herself, and Jide, who, though seem to have a frown permanently etched on his face, did not look any less attractive as they sat on the special table meant for the bride and groom.
Nobody would ever have imagined that behind all that façade of smiling faces lay two hearts burning with anger and fear. While anger burned brightly in Jideâs soul, fear of the unknown stationed itself strongly in Daisyâs heart like a lump refusing to be swallowed. Even as they were both trying their best to put up appearances for their guests like the happy couple they should be.
And even though Jide seemed to be struggling with that part, It was all Daisy could do whether she preferred to or not, she had to make her step-mum see how happy she was and relay the information to her dad who had decided not to step foot in her wedding.
It was ironic that her stepmother was the only family who had come to celebrate with her. Her step-siblings couldnât care less and it took all the will power she had to plead with Uncle Tobechi to come give her away in marriage and not long after, he left. Her uncle had initially disagreed and termed it a âtabooâ for him to give Her away in marriage when her dad was still alive, but then again, her Dad had vehemently opposed the union, so, expecting him to give her away was like expecting the moon for breakfasts!
But the wedding had to go on, not even the insanity of it had deterred her. Yes insanity it was, getting married to a man who she hardly knew and who hardly knew her in this 21st century with all her education and exposure was madness personified! But as they say, it was too late to turn back the hands of time. The clocked stopped for her the day she had alighted the flight that brought her to her destiny.
The âI doâsâ have already being said some hours ago at Love Word Assembly and they were now man and wife before God and before all these guests gathered here. The guest comprised people mainly from Jideâs side â his colleagues at work, his family, his friends and also friends of his friends.
The number of people who knew Daisy, even slightly were not up to ten and that made her feel more scared and lost as if on an island; her stepmotherâs presence couldnât even quell the feeling. It was so bad that even the chief bridesmaid who was perfunctorily dabbing away at her face trying to make her look splendid every now and then was scarcely known to her, she is a friend of Jideâs sister whom Jideâs Grandmother had recommended because, according to her, she complemented Daisy just perfectly.
Daisy nonetheless still braced herself to go through the ordeal she put herself in for if everyone abandoned her, she couldnât abandon herself. And now, more than ever, she missed her deceased mum.
The feedback noise from the microphone brought Daisyâs wandering mind back to the venue, even as the MC started speaking:
âItâs time now for the bride and groom to cut the wedding cake, but before that, I would like to call on Miss Sarah Opeyemi, C.E.O of Sarahâs Bridals to come tell us the make-up of this cake and its significance to our lovely couples hereâ he announced cheerfully.
Amidst clapping, the said Sarah walked elegantly to the stage, collected the microphone and started speaking:
âWell, on behalf of Sarahâs Bridals, I am glad to inform you thatâŠâ
But Jide wasnât listening. He had constantly checked the watch on his left hand and at other times checked the âOrder of programmeâ that was placed on their table. He was checking it again and was visibly irritated.
âJust Number five?â he muttered angrily to himself ââŠwhat is this silly lady yarning on about?â he added while scanning the crowd looking for no one in particular. His eyes had continuously roamed everywhere but on the lovely woman seated by his side, he felt the more he forced himself to ignore her, the more he could cope with the whole nightmare that began with her.
âI need to visit the toiletâ he whispered to Ade seated by his side. Ade was his best man.
âCome againâ Ade replied, his eyes focused on Sarah Opeyemi and ears attuned to her speech.
âMehn fuck this! I need to visit the gentsâ Jide cursed a bit louder now, making a move to stand up. He felt suffocated. But immediately, his friend held him back.
âWhatâs the problem with you man?â Ade asked, finally giving attention to him
âI want to ease myselfâ he said under his breath
âHold it down man. No way that happening cause Itâs time to go cut the cake made with honey, love and blissâ Ade replied sarcastically, and joined the audience already clapping.
âYou have my permission to go cut that charade cake, thatâs why you are my best man isnât it?â Jide said but stood up nonetheless. Daisy also stood up, her countenance still looked cheerful even after hearing the last part of their discussion.
In between Miss Sarahâs speech, Daisy had wished that the honey professed by Sarah as a significance of sugar in their marriage, would really sweeten the life that lay ahead of her, and whatâs more, sweeten the attitude of Jide, even for an hour.
âThe groom always cuts the cakeâ Ade replied him minutes later as they walked to the stage.
The rest of the ceremony dragged on slowly, Jideâs anger increased with each activity they observed that was stipulated on the program menu. When it was time to feed each other the cake, Jide almost stuffed Daisy with the cake, that singular act had given him utmost pleasure. âServes her rightâ he thought to himself.
Daisy had however tenderly given him his part of the cake, but inside she was burning with anger, Jide was really acting stupid and childish, she thought, he didnât have to be so wicked trying to choke her with the cake, so she would cough out her pitiable self in front of all these people.
But she wouldnât retaliate because there was no telling what lay in the sleeves of this husband of hers, and so she carried on with the facade of the happiest bride on her happiest day.
But how hard it was!
Also, during the couple dance, No matter how pretentious Daisy had tried to be, it was obvious that the rift between them was far from friendly, much less conjugal, those who had had an inkling that some things were wrong with this couple could really rest their case because Jide had been miles apart from Daisy and seemed more to be dancing with one of the female guests who had come to dance with them, even the M.C observed that and chipped in:
âIt seems our groom here canât tell the difference between a lady on white and one on redâ But Jide was far from caring, if they wanted a dance, he reasoned, then dance he must give them, no matter who was on the receiving end. He so hated his wedding and loved every opportunity he could get to create a scene, that would at least teach his manipulative family spearheaded by his grandmother to stop meddling with the affairs of a grown man, he had had his misgivings about working in the family company, which meant he had to see the face of his over bearing father on a daily basis, an interaction which had finally led to this sham of a union.
And although it was too late to turn back the hands of time; it wasnât too late to create a media scandal that would get through the thick skin of his family. This dance was therefore, short of the expectations of what lay ahead for them and their docile pet, Daisy.
****
When the wedding finally ended at about 6pm, Jide, to the chagrin of everyone wasnât available to give a âvote of thanksâ, it was said by his father. He had left halfway during the presentation of gifts and his space had been filled by Ade. That act had almost brought Daisy to tears, her rock-solid-donât-care act couldnât withstand that blow, and it took words of encouragement from Ade to calm her, for he had said:
âDaisy donât work yourself up unnecessarily, Jide can be impulsive at times, but heâs a wonderful guy most timesâ
âYeah rightâ Daisy had snorted in reply, sniffing in a tear and calming her nerves. The other reason she could still smile was because she was receiving gifts from the guests, gifts that seem to go on forever. The Olukoyas had friends who were very generous; she hoped she would soon get mixed in their world and earn their acceptance.
âThis is enough to compensate all my loss right nowâ she had thought, calming herself.
But when at about 7pm and Jide still had not showed up, his number wasnât connecting and nobody could say for sure where he went. The reality set in for her.
âThis is an exclusive case ohâ, it has always been the bride who gets missing before or after the wedding not the groom, this definitely is a shockerâ Ade had replied dryly to Jideâs father when he had asked him of Jideâs whereabouts.
âThatâs how silly and childish Jide is, let me just set my eyes on him, he will surely have a piece of meâ his father had replied angrily and stormed off to go quiz more of his friends.
Ade had just shook his head, and walked towards the exit door, he was already tired of Jideâs attitude and the drama of the whole evening, âwhatever happened to pretendingâ he said to himself.
Daisy on her part had calmly gone to one of the rooms they rented in Queens Hotel to moan her situation, she just wanted to be far from everybody. For though she had not expect the wedding to be so rosy, she hadnât imagined it would be this bad, she was indeed starting to regret everything now.
She wondered when her tears would break forth, she was showing so much strength and calmness than she ever knew she had. âYou never know how strong you are until you have to be strongâ she said quietly to herself as she slowly lay on the bed she had been sitting on.
Just then she heard a knock, she didnât feel like seeing anybody. âWhy wonât they leave me alone for onceâ she cried silently without making a move to see who had knocked.
The door opened and in walked Jideâs grandmother.
âDaisy Omo miâ she said going to seat by her on the bed âAm really sorry for all that happened today, Jide was soâŠâ
âMama It is okay, thereâs no need to feel sorryâ cut in Daisy then she squeezed herself more, her wedding gown protesting the act.
ââŠOnly God knows all the pain youâre going through now, no one envisioned that it would turn out this way, on behalf of the family, I must take theâŠâ mama continued undeterred, her face revealing how unhappy she was.
âMama please, if thereâs anyone to blame here, Itâs me. Iâm the one who fell in love with a man like Jide, I did nothing to stop this charade because of thisâŠthisâŠâ it was hard to admit ââŠlove, I seem to feel thought I felt, a love that is causing me so much sorrowâ Daisy completed, still lying down.
âPlease donât be hard on yourself Daisyâ Mama cooed, tenderly stroking her arm.
âIâm okay. I just want to be left alone for nowâ Daisy calmly said. She really loved this woman who has been more than a mother to her during her years in the United States, but right now, she was irritating her with her insistence on crying over spilled milk. The best she could do now was to let her be.
Mama, as if reading her thoughts, stood up. âI also came to tell you that Jide is around now, but heâs having a word with his father. He will join you shortlyâ she said walking away.
Daisy said nothing, what was she expected to say Thank God? Jide could bloody well get missing again for all she cared. Yet deep down in her heart, she knew she cared. The reason she married him in the first place.
When mama got to the door, she stood for some second as if contemplating what to say. Finally she uttered:
âPlease take it easy on yourself, everything will be fineâ then she shut the door quietly.
Daisy still said nothing. She just lay still in her pile of white lace, she wasnât crying, she just didnât know how she felt.
Some minutes later she heard a soft knock on the door, exasperated, she shook her head mentally âwhy wonât this people ever hear!â
The door opened and in walked her step mum.
âChinweâ her stepmother called softly âAre you sleeping?â
Immediately she heard her native name, she stood up quickly from her bed. There was only one person in the wedding who knew her by that name.
âAunty, no Iâm not sleeping, I was justâŠâ she stopped talking and looked down at the lace bulge of her gown; she was tired of putting up appearances.
âOh Chinweâ her step mum called and went towards her, extending her arm to embrace her.
Daisy slowly walked into her open arm, she felt heaviness in her heart, right then she knew the tears would soon come; but why now and in front of her? The very person it shouldnât.
âAm sorry I couldnât support you enoughâ her aunty said patting her back.
âYou tried the best you could, I just wishâŠwishâŠmy father was here now or even my motherâ the tears had finally let down and Daisy was crying softly.
âThis was what your father had seen in the first place that had made him put up strong oppositionâ
âEven if no one believes me, I love Jide, thatâs why I married himâ Daisy defended in a teary tone.
âYou donât know what youâre saying childâ her stepmother replied, Daisy disentangled from the embrace and her step-mum led her to the bed. She was still crying softly.
âHe obviously doesnât love you backâ aunty said as they both sat down.
âHeâŠhe⊠I donât knowâ Daisy had wanted to defend Jide, but she knew in her heart that her aunt was right. It was obvious to all but her that the man felt zero affection for her.
âItâs okay, just relax, everything will be fineâ aunty finally said.
Daisy nodded her head and rested it on her auntâs shoulder. Everyone seemed to be saying that a lot to her, only at this point, she didnât believe it would. But what were her choices?
They stayed that way for minutes. This bond they now seemed to share was all new to Daisy, it wasnât as if they were enemies, but they had always been distanced, each acknowledging the other but not really bonding. Whenever she came home to Nigeria â which was rarely, she often stayed in her fatherâs house, she never could stand her step siblings attitude towards her, but the few times she did, Mrs. Amaka Okechukwu was civil to her and treated her fairly well. Daisy however hadnât cared to get any closer; after all it was this woman who took her motherâs place, keeping her at armâs length was just fine.
The relationship she had with her father didnât fare any better, she had quite some grudges against him, and the part he had played in this marriage would definitely fuel the grudge. Thinking about all these things made her cry the more.
âCalm yourself nowâ her aunty said softly.
A phone rang just then, it was her auntâs. Mrs. Amaka picked it up saw the caller and cut the call. Daisy shifted away from her as she made to stand up. Standing up she said: âThat was your father, obviously worried, I must get going now, you know how it is with Lagos traffic at night and on Saturdays?â
She didnât really know but she nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, they were now red and a bit swollen.
âJust tell dad⊠everything was fineâ she begged
âI willâ her aunty nodded knowingly. Her phone rang again.
âItâs him, I must go, please take care and stop crying, everything will be fine. See you at the church tomorrow, Okay? Byeâ she finally said and started walking away, her phone kept ringing. When she got to the door, she waved Daisy before stepping out. Then she closed the door softly behind her.
âWhy is everyone saying everything will be fine when nothing looks fineâ Daisy wondered as she started lying down again but midway the door opened. She stood up abruptly as the object of her woe, Jide, walked in.
âMrsâŠâ he drawled ââŠItâs time to go. Forever after await usâ he said with sarcasm. Then started walking away, but stopped when he noticed she hadnât made a move to stand. âAnd you better not keep me waiting!â he almost shouted and stormed off.
Daisy slowly, gathered her crumpled white lace of wedding dress, stood up and walked out to the future that awaits her.
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