The bachelor's Eve

"Your wedding is a week away; we should organize a bachelor's Eve party." I said to Femi (actual name withheld), who sat opposite me on a sofa adjacent to me. We had spent the past thirty minutes rehearsing how his wedding program scheduled to take place in a week's time would be, ensuring we put all logistics in place. Akin and Kola, our two friends in town, were to join us later in the day as they were busy at work, while Samuel and Paul, who worked in faraway Taraba State, Northern Nigeria (12 hours drive away), would join us for the wedding when it's a day or two before the wedding. All six of us have been classmates since 2009, when we resumed as freshman in college, struggling and barely experiencing social outings while in medical school. The focus often while in school was on our academics, and we spared little time for parties. Five years after school, I felt the bachelor's Eve was a good opportunity to reunite and party as we wanted.

"I'm not sure if it'll be convenient for me; I could be busy with some wedding preparations and rites." Femi replied. I knew he had a point, and being stressed the night prior to his wedding was one thing I would not equally approve of.

"Alright then, we'll hold it two nights before your wedding. Leave all the planning to me. All you have to do is show up for the party." I convinced him with a smile. We rounded up on our planning, and I made my way to my WhatsApp, where I created a group for the purpose of the party.

My other friends were excited and consented to having the party. We made some resolutions, which included an uninterrupted power supply, music, and a conducive venue. Food and drinks were not to be a problem, and this was where we needed extra hands and a woman's input, and thankfully my sister, Hive account@smc.arike.oba showed up to save the day. My friends and I contributed sparingly towards the bachelor's party, dishing out roles to each group member. Akin made arrangements for the venue; he got a rented apartment for a sitting room, while Kola was put in charge of the sound system and music. My sister and I took charge of food and drinks, where we ensured there was enough variety for all to consume.

Of course, we invited a few other people, especially ladies, to complement the guys coming. A few hours before the proposed time to commence the party, disappointments began to crop up. First, the sound system we had earlier arranged for got cancelled, and we had to source an alternative. There I learned my lessons about having alternative plans and also inspecting what others claim to have done. While my sister helped out by cooking some meals, the gas got exhausted, and at that point, frustration began to crawl itself right into my veins, and what seemed like a perfect plan began to look like a crumbling mud house.

It was at that instance that I began to sense the time hastening at a quick pace as our starting time approached. Apprehension was quick to overwhelm me, and despite my sister's efforts to calm me, my face could not betray my destabilized mood. I secured a Bluetooth speaker from a colleague at an extra cost and had to run extra errands to pick up a gas cylinder in my house. Though my face was worn out already by exhaustion, the beat in my heart began to calm when the troubling issues got resolved. My friends from the far north equally arrived in time to join us at the party. I got a large multi-colored party bulb to fix in the room, which gave the sitting room a feel of an actual club. The party began with an introduction, and we spiced it up by requesting some information, like relationship status. Appetizers were served while the introduction went on, and soon enough, Kola hit the game rolling. Bouts of laughter erupted at intervals, and everyone began to vibe to the fun at the party. Painfully, my sister could not stay late into the night, and I had to arrange for her to get back home.

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The groom was given special tasks to perform as a game while each of us present at the party took turns to ask him any question of choice, which he was bound to answer truthfully. Kola did a great job anchoring the party, and we all participated excitedly. Definitely, there were faces I did not know since my friends invited a few other friends of theirs. We all blended and made the party lively. The crown of the party was the dance floor, and even though I am not the dance type, I took gentle and slow steps to hide my lack of skill. We partied late into the night and, before daybreak, drove some ladies back to their homes while a few of us made the venue our abode for the night.

"Thank you very much for putting these together. I had fun." Femi said the following morning.

"It's not a big deal, what are friends for. " I said.