The Exchange written by lanre
Episode 6
When we talked about my late dad he felt sorry for me, I could see the sincerity in his eyes…he said he could imagine life if he had lost his dad and told me the story of how his dad helped him to overcome some challenges that could have gotten him expelled from school while studying abroad.
Baba T dropped me off at our own hotel later that evening. As he was leaving he said “I think I like you”, all I could say was “thank you” as I hurried into the lobby. Laide was already very angry because she had no idea where we were. I quickly apologized and blamed it on the best man. She later told me that Baba T’s mum had been asking questions about me and wanted to know things about my family. “Don’t mind them, they are looking to add an extra to the wife they already got” I said as I made my way into the bathroom. The following day was super busy, it was the day of the traditional wedding and I was with Baba T for the most part. We were running around to make sure everything went on perfectly. At a point, he asked if I could drive and wanted to hand me a car key so I could run some other errands…that way we would be able to cover more grounds before the ceremony that was slated for that evening. I told him I couldn’t drive and he promised to take care of that as soon as we were done with the wedding. In my mind, I was like “Where will you see me?” As we drove around town, Baba T continued his ‘interrogation’ and wanted to know more about my mum and siblings. I told him of my eldest brother that was working with the government and had just gotten the job. Bab-T asked if he would be attending the wedding and I said yes…he said he would like to meet with him and have a chat.
The ceremony was nothing short of glamorous…everything was well planned and nothing was lacking. Food, drinks, decorations, clothes, accessories, the band was a high class Juju musician. That was the first time I saw people getting gifts for their traditional wedding. The couple got about 3 brand new cars from friends of the groom’s family. The money I made on the dance floor almost brought me to tears. Baba T and his friends showered me with lots of money as they sprayed endlessly (it was like a planned thing). My mum called me at the end of the ceremony and asked who the “Darosha’ was (Da rocha was the name of a Brazilian merchant that was believed to be the richest Nigerian a long time ago and people used the term derogatorily for a flaunter of wealth). I told him it was the man that gave me the money I showed her the last time I came to Lagos. She nodded her head for a while and told me to be careful (again).Later that night, I introduced my eldest brother (Brother Kola, like I call him) to Baba T and they talked for a long time. I had to go back to the hotel with Laide to prepare for the big day. I thought the traditional wedding was glamorous until I saw the church wedding. Every detail had an aura of affluence…the groom and his family went all out to make the day extra special. Laide just kept shedding tears of joy and I couldn’t help but do the same. The Groom’s father talked about how he (the groom) had been a good boy from childhood and this was just a little way of showing how proud he was of him. It was during the reception that the groom’s father unveiled the secret present…a brand new fully furnished house where the newly wed would start their family. I was in awe of the gifts they received…there’s no way they could have used everything they were given. I doubt if they had enough room in their house to even contain the gifts. I was the custodian of the bride’s money, that people were ‘spraying’ her…it was tiring, as the bags were getting filled up fast. Baba T and his friends ‘soaked’ me in money again at the reception when we were dancing with the couple…he did the same for my mum (I wasn’t sure how he knew that was my mum). There was an all-night party that continued till Sunday morning…people ate and ate but the food and drinks kept coming. There were lots of eminent personalities and dignitaries at the wedding and indeed they shut Lagos down like Laide had said
