My friendship with Nonye is one I didn't expect will last as it has. She is from Abia state. I met her on a bus heading to Ariaria market one time when I was heading to my state, this was in 2019. After some months, we lost contact, leading to communication breakdown.
Luckily, she found me on Facebook and we reconnected. She informed me that she and her fiance would soon be getting married, but she wasn't specific about the date or month, which led me to assume maybe they hadn't finalized the details.
I expressed my happiness for her in all forms to ensure she felt my sincerity. I was waiting to receive an invitation card on WhatsApp, but to no avail. Sometimes I ask her how she is coping with the whole wedding preparations, and she responds positively.
One day, I received a Facebook message from Nonye inviting me to her wedding. I picked up my phone and called her to pull out my vexation.
"Nonye, you should have waited until the wedding day to send the invitation card. Your wedding is on 9th December and I'm just receiving the card three weeks before the date?"
"Anne girl, I'm sorry. The truth is that the initial cards we printed were exhausted, we had to go for another printing, and the man just delivered them today," She explained.
"You don't trust me, or what? I sense a lack of trust. You knew the date; why didn't you tell me earlier enough so I could start making preparations?"
"I'm sorry, Anne."
The day of her wedding happened to be the same day I had an examination scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and last until 10 a.m. Being a course that I'm familiar with, COM128: Introduction to Photography, I finished the examination quickly and boarded a car to Abia state. Akwa Ibom to Aba takes just an hour if the bus engine is alive.
I got to Abia State and brought out the invitation to locate the church where the wedding was taking place. I saw St. Michael's parish, Umuahia Road.
The wedding was to start at 12 a.m., and I got to Abia at 10:40 a.m. The first bike I stopped told me to get to the church; it would take an hour, and the amount he would get from me would be 1,000 Naira.
"Sir, the amount you are charging is almost what I paid to get to Abia State."
"Nobody will charge you less than that fine girl. You are bigger than that amount, naw."
"The last I can pay is 500 Naira please."
The man, hearing that, drove out angrily. I kept bargaining until I saw a man who agreed to carry me for 800 naira. After pleading with him to drive quickly when I saw it was already 11:05 AM, he promised.
I climbed the bike and we began the second journey. The first fight I had with the bike man was when he was driving slowly. I pressured him to increase his speed and drive faster, but he objected and said his bike break was malfunctioning. I swallowed my spit and allowed him to drive.
After a 30-minute drive, the man ran out of fuel, and we were not anywhere close to the filling station. At that moment, my anger got to the peak. Being in a place I didn't know, I had no choice but to stick with someone who knows better because I was in a place I was unfamiliar with.
"Please, no vex. Let me just go and buy fuel from the black market."
Just 30 minutes remain before the ceremony starts, and I was not even sure whether I was close to the place. I waited for about 20 minutes before the man rushed back with what looked like two liters of fuel. He emptied the fuel into the bike, and the journey continued. Checking my wristwatch, the time was already 12:30 p.m.
"Sir, Had I known your bike was this sluggish, I would have preferred to pay 1,000 Naira and get to my destination on time rather than this waste of time I'm experiencing here."
"No worries; you go meet up." That was all he said.
We arrived at the wedding location at 1:50 p.m. I was unsure whether to smile or show my real feelings. I angrily gave the man 500 Naira and made my way towards the church. Knowing I was angry, he collected it and began struggling to start the bike.
I had to pretend to be happy because it was a wedding ceremony, but my heart was tremendously hurting. Knowing that the most crucial part of the Mass had already ended, the couple had made their vows, exchanged rings, and cut the cake, and I was left to witness just the recession. The recessional hymn was sung,and we joined the recession pew by pew as father with the mass servers led the way.
For the first time in my life, I encountered such. Even though I made every attempt to make it in time for the wedding, writing my exam as quickly as I could and arriving in the state early enough, I still ran out of time. I explained everything that happened to Nonye, and she told me that's how the majority of the bikers in that area operate. That I would have used a cab.
It's a good thing she appreciated my presence, even though I missed the wedding. I was there for the traditional marriage. I didn't stay till the end of the traditional marriage because of the distance. I began another journey to Akwa Ibom state, the experience was nothing compared to the initial as I enjoyed a peaceful journey back home.
THE END
I AM 
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