Beautiful in White (Part 1)

 He had imagined this moment a million times already. But the song was wrong. In his imagination, the song Beautiful in White by Shane Filan played over and over as she walked down the aisle.

So as long as I live, I'll love you,

Will have and hold you.

You look so beautiful in white.

And from now till my very last breath,

This day I'll cherish.

You look so beautiful in white…tonight.

The song wasn't the only thing in his imagination that didn't match reality. The reason for her smile that had always dazzled him had nothing to do with him this time. Now, that gap-toothed smile bordered by two perfect dimples were focused on the groom. The man that wasn't him.

The entire reception hall had stood up as the new couple slowly made their way to the dais set up at the opposite side. Tears of joy were being shed by some including those who shared the same table with him. Their friends. Her friends, he corrected himself. Before the couple arrived, they had all been talking with him as an old friend, deliberately ignoring the fact that this was the first time they had seen him in years. That he had relegated himself from the status of a friend to someone they used to know. Not for the last time he questioned his decision to be present at this wedding.

He was in his New York apartment when he received the wedding invitation. He had already seen the pre-wedding photos on Junior's WhatsApp status, so he already knew about the wedding. What he wasn't expecting was an invite. She had sent only the invite, nothing more, in an email. This surprised him. It was how they communicated the time he lost his smartphone and the only way they could text was when he was at work using the office computers. He thought after this time, she'd have forgotten the address.

After a week of internal debate with himself, he RSVPed, brought forward the vacation he usually took at the end of the year, and before he could change his mind, boarded a flight to Nigeria.

He had met Esosa at the University. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She was smart, funny, stylishly dressed and way beyond his league. He never bothered with girls like her. To be honest, he never bothered with people in general. He made exceptions when he needed things he couldn't get himself. 

It was on one of those occasions that he found himself seated next to Esosa at a CHM113 tutorial. While she was studying biochemistry, he was a Medical Laboratory student and this course was the only thing they had in common. While he listened and tried to understand what the tutor was talking about, he thought out loud, "This guy is even worse than the lecturer."

Next to him, she snorted in laughter. 

"You are quite right. My brother can explain better than this."

United momentarily by their condemnation of the tutor, they engaged in jestful banter aimed at the tutor, trying to outdo each other. At the end of the tutorial, she told him about a study group comprised of just her friends and invited him to their study session that night. They planned to discuss the topic both the lecturer and tutor had failed to tackle. 

He had always been a loner. He didn't see the need for friends. That evening, however, he received his first taste of true friendship. Although they had gathered to study, they were affectionate with each other. They had a dynamic that was fascinating to watch. The group was made of Esosa's slightly elder brother; Osagie, Junior, Laura, Fejiro, and Chinyere. Two guys and three girls. Apart from Esosa and Osagie, the rest were unrelated to each other. They were from different departments and by a completely random set of events, they met each other at different times and over a period had become a sort of family.   

They fitted him into their group seamlessly. He felt a certain warmth he had never felt before. For once, he got the inside jokes. 

After that night, they met several times over the semesters. Even when they had no course in common, they still studied their individual courses together. As they progressed through the University, they formed a tradition of meeting just for fun at one of the fields scattered around campus. They'd have a picnic, play games and just enjoy themselves. These were the highlight of his years at University.  

His friendship with Esosa slowly metamorphosized into a romantic one after they left the University. During their national service year, they spent a lot of time texting or calling each other on Whatsapp. Falling in love was a novelty experience for him. He still was a loner, indifferent to most people and things. For this reason, he had dismissed all the crushes he had felt for different girls over the years as pointless. So it came as a shock to him when he discovered he loved her. He loved her so completely that he gave her all of him; his fears, dreams, future, and his past. As he listened to her; the way she talked about her challenges and how she overcame them, she became more perfect in his eyes. 

All this took place over hundreds of hours of voice calls, text messages and video calls. At the end of their service year, on the day they received their NYSC certificates, he called Esosa.

"Fine girl, how far? Congratulations."

"Ugly boy, how are you? Same to you, dear."

"I finally get to leave this dead place."

"Abi o! So when do I get to see you?"

Abruptly, he said, "I want to marry you."

The next few seconds stretched into eternity as he awaited her response.

"Finally! You see the light!"

TO BE CONTINUED

For the second part of this series, CLICK HERE