The invitation cards had gone round. Aso ebis had been distributed. Vendors were delivering at full speed. Preparations were at their maximum.
Jordan was ready — not just for today's dinner with his damsel, but for the big day. He smiled in satisfaction at the open shoebox before him. A pair of classic brown brogues lay neatly inside. He loved it. The next bag contained a carefully arranged set of expensive perfumes. He was so engrossed in unboxing the items that he did not know when his phone vibrated.
His best man, Nathy felt felt the vibration and looked from the parcel he was examining to the phone on his right.
“Hey, man, seems you have a message from Zia.”
The name ‘Zia’ sent cold shivers down Jordan's spine. He thought it was only ladies whose tummies fluttered over their men until he met the love of his life.
His smile broadened, his perfect set of dentition making his well-carved haircut more ostentatious. “My bride.”
Nathy laughed, fixing a mocking stare at his friend.
“See what a woman has turned my friend...” he was still speaking when he noticed how Jordan's smile had frozen halfway, like he forgot to complete it. Then warmth drained from his face. Nathy became impatient.
“What is wrong?”
Without a word, Jordan turned the phone over for Nathy to see.
Nathy studied it for a while, then he sighed. “Are you sure everything is fine with Zia?”
Jordan's eyes drifted to the transparent box on the bed that contained the wedding rings. He frowned. “I used to believe.”
The content of her text hit him again. “I don't think I can make it to the date.” And she had concluded that she was fine and he shouldn't bother calling.
Both friends exchanged glances, each had something going on in his mind that they didn't want to believe.
This was the first of its kind, Jordan thought. Or maybe there had been... more withdrawals, funny behaviours, more silence that he hadn't paid attention to. But this — the text message that popped up on his screen just an hour before their proposed date was the first of its kind. What more had he not noticed since he knelt and slid the pearl-shaped diamond ring on her third finger?
It had been three weeks. No words, and no explanation. Just silence. Confusion hung in the atmosphere. If Jordan was losing it, he needed no psychiatric ward to confirm it. For days, his world had been on hold. He wanted to understand the fate of things. And he needed it as badly as the next breath.
Zia finally decided to spill. She sat cross-legged, her eyes fixed on nowhere in particular. Her afro, big and perfectly rounded, was the most ostentatious part of her appearance. Jordan loved the floral dress clinging softly to her frame, and he didn't fail to admit it.
As they settled on the mat, face-to-face (as he wanted it), the garden suddenly felt too big for Zia. She looked around, and the trees and shrubs seemed to have grown invisible ears. And maybe—
“Babe.”
Zia flinched. He noticed, yet stayed calm, studying, taking silent breaths in order to buy some patience.
“I... I...” she stopped. Her throat burned, and she wished she could render her rehearsed lines without stuttering. But the memories kept flooding. Of the men who left with no words. The men who left with wedding bells chiming in the air.
“Talk to me, baby. Please.”
That phrase was familiar. Peter had said the same thing, but walked away right after their engagement.
Zia didn't realise she was crying until a firm hand dabbed her tears. Jordan pulled her closer, letting her break down in his arms. He patted her back softly, leaving soft kisses on her forehead intermittently.
Zia sniffed, grateful for the therapeutic hug. She withdrew slowly. “The three men I dated each left a month before our wedding.”
Jordan grew perplexed, unsure if she was speaking impulsively to something in the air or if she was revealing a hidden truth.
More tears poured out. “They all left without an explanation. So I thought you would leave as well. Or I was waiting for you to leave. I put up all those attitudes to shield myself from breaking down again. I was training my mind to do without you.”
Something in Jordan shifted.
Who were these men?
Why did they leave?
Why didn't she tell him before now?
He thought his head would explode with questions. He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself. He knew it wasn't the time to ask questions.
Taking her palm in his, he uttered, “Baby, I'm not your exes. I don't care why they left, but you've made my life beautiful in two years. Why would I leave? This is a promise from my heart. Please...” This time, she tried to hold his gaze. “You have to believe me.”
“Come to think of it, babe. I love God, and I'm committed to loving you as He loves me. So, there's nothing to fear.”
And indeed, there was nothing to fear. Minutes rolled into hours and days passed by quickly. Jordan was still there, waiting for the day he'd finally get to take his bride home.
Images were generated with Gemini AI
