It happened that I followed Aunty Titi to a wedding to help with catering, it was my first time, and all my thought was that it would be fun, I would be able to eat anything. And, In my head, it shouldn't be such hard work, is it not just to help with cooking, carry food, serve guests, while also sneaking some pieces of fried meat away. Easy, isn't it? After all, I had gone to a lot of ceremonies and had seen caterers and ushers moving/going around with, and smiling as if it was nothing.
Funny thing is, from the moment we arrived at the event hall, even I knew I was in for it.
It was strictly work and business now...
“Toyosi, oya, carry that cooler of jollof rice and follow me!" Aunty Titi shouted, her gown flapping around.
I bent down to lift the cooler and my back almost broke. "Aunty, are you sure this is rice and not something else.” I muttered.
“Better carry it before the hungry ones come over to drag it with you.”
Cooler in hand and breathing fast...I dragged my legs and staggered inside. The DJ was blasting “Godwin” by Korede Bello. I saw kids running between tables, and the hall was so big, aside the foods, I could perceive the smell of various perfumes. I dropped the cooler in front of the buffet table and wiped my forehead. Guess what..? That was just the beginning.
Not long after, the real work began. We changed our clothes, wore aprons and started dishing out food and serving. As you would have guessed, the guests were restless. One man in plain white agbada came over to our stand and shouted, “What are you people even doing, we've been here since morning. Are you people being biased, you keep skipping our table and while going ahead to serve others.”
I forced a smile and said, “We are sorry sir.”
He hissed and replied, “Better be fast or else...."
I wanted to impress the man. So, I picked up a tray and went ahead to dish fried rice, jollof rice, plantain, moimoi, salad and chicken, all about six plates. I balanced it well on the tray, then lifted it up and went my way. As I walked, I felt my trousers going down in a slow motion. My belt had broken, I balanced the tray on one hand and gripped my trouser with the other.
“Big boy, hold am well, camera dey fly o!” someone teased me from behind.
I turned slightly, saw the guy who teased me, standing right beside him was Ruth...My crush. She stood up to maybe change seat or adjust her seat. But then, she looked up and caught me staring. I panicked, my hand slipped, and the tray tilted.
Everyone's focus was already on me as gasps filled the air.
I quickly adjusted, gripped the tray with both hands. My trousers almost disgraced me, but I spread my legs a little bit apart and moved forward. The guests were already laughing.
Even Ruth was laughing laughing....an uncontrollable laugh. I wished the ground would open and swallow me up. Finally, I got to the table and placed the tray down gently. The man in agbada smiled in a sarcastic manner and said, “What if I didn't come over, well done anyways...by the way, did you borrow the trouser..?”
“Enjoy your meal.” I said, bowing and forcing a smile.
Back at the caterers table, Aunty Titi gave me a kind of odd look. “Toyosi, what's the meaning of all these, what's all this performance of yours..?” She said.
“The tray almost fell, that's why.." I replied, but she cut me off..
“Almost? Thank your stars it didn't, you would have paid for it with your pay and the pay for the next three events.... hurry up, people are hungry.”
I had found a thin rope and used it on my trousers.
I never knew what was next was even worse. I was asked to carry crates of cold soft drinks. As I bent to lift, my hands trembled, sweats drop. But, I carried it. Halfway across the hall, the rope came off. I looked around and saw that everyone was busy eating and gisting. I dropped the crate and stylishly knot the rope around my waist to tighten the trouser.
I managed to drop it (crate of drinks) off at the table it was meant for safely, but my back ached like I had been digging a soak away since morning. I stood in the middle of the hall amd looked around....The caterers I do admire, thinking it was an easy job, I never knew it was a war zone of..drop that food here, this is the next table, are you okay, we haven't eaten...
Back at our stand, one of the caterers whispered to me as we both scooped rice, “See, this work no be play o, body go tell you at the end of the day." She was telling me the work is not as easy as I might have thought it to be and that by the end of the day, even I would know I had done something.
And, she was right.
By evening, my legs felt too heavy for me to carry. Guests were still shouting and complaining...."No meat, no spoon, no drinks, something cold...." Sincerely, I wanted to scream, I wanted to shout, I felt like shutting them down. I wanted to tell them to cook their own food while going out next time, I wanted to tell them to join us and see how easy it is. But, I just smiled and nodded.
When we finally wrapped up, I collapsed on a chair, I looked at myself... This hustle of a thing is not easy at all. My shirt was stained, my hands smelled of..... different things, and my pride....it was long gone.
Someone tapped on the chair I was sitted on l, I looked back to see Ruth. "Wow, you are still around I said."
She smiled and said, “You tried today o, I never knew you are this hardworking, and I didn’t know catering work was this stressful."
“Honestly, it’s not as easy as it looked.” I responded.
I asked if I could get her contact, she nodded, handed me her phone with a smile on her face. And for a moment...the embarrassment felt worth it.
That night, I dragged myself home. I couldn't even eat. I just took a shower and lay down on the bed. I kept replaying how the day went. I had thought catering was just about food and you know....but it was pressure, hard work, sweat, humility and you won't even be able to eat anything again at the end of the day.
Until you wear that apron and carry the tray/crates, you won't know the weight being carried around by people.
I still do catering work sometimes, but whenever I attend an event as a guest and see servers rushing around, I clap for them in my heart, and I pray that someday they might have it easy. Because I know. It’s not as easy as it looked.
All pictures are mine.
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