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EAVESDROPPING

"Can I have the bowl of salad?" Chidera asked her older brother, whom I haven't seen till this moment at the dining table where we've all gathered to have dinner. I stared at him for a good while, a part of me wondering if he would give me a proper greeting, but he barely said a word. Funny, I do not actually remember him being this proud.

I watched him pass the bowl to her, who sat beside me. Our eyes met for a moment, but he looked away like it was nothing. Okay, I know we're only a year apart, but I'm still older.

"So, Junior, how's the company faring?" I asked. That was enough to bring silence in the dining hall and for me to have their attentions, which I didn't believe should be so.

"Um, it's fine." His reply was brief, and he was back to scooping a spoon of rice into his mouth.

"I see... Any problem..."

He let the spoon slip out of his hand to the plate. "What do you want to hear from me? That I ruined it? You refused to work with us and constantly act like you're better than other members of this family. You should just stick to acting like we're a plague in your life."

I blinked several times in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"Junior, she's your older sister. Mind what you say to her." Mum intervened, and that kept him silent, but it didn't rid the irritation expressed on his face.

A light scoff left my lips as I looked from him to every other person at the table, who seemed to act like nothing happened. There was also this strange vibe from them that resonated with his words.

I had my reasons for not working in the family business. No one had yet to say a word, but I knew someday they would have me leave the position to Junior because he was the only male descendant and it's off I go to my husband's home. It's a patriarchy thing that will never easily disappear. Dad had passed away, and I didn't want to wait for that. Why would I constantly want to be reminded that I was a woman?

"Excuse me." I pushed my chair back and stood to my feet.

"Sit down." Mum ordered before I could take a step. I felt reluctant. I no longer have an appetite.

"I said, sit down. Regardless of whether you like it, we're all going to sit together as a family and have dinner. Sit." She ordered once more and who was I to disobey, so I took my seat and picked my spoon off the plate.

A quiet sigh left my lips. This was really going to be a long holiday.

That night, I couldn't fall asleep. I stared at the ceiling in the room's darkness after they had turned the generator off. Maybe it was because of what transpired between junior and me or the fact that my family believes I'm an obnoxious snob. Perhaps it was the breakup I'd gone through, or something was just wrong with me.

I turned on my side, feeling restless, and that was when I noticed Lota was still up. We shared the room and bed. She had her back to me, but the light from her phone stood out amid the darkness.

"What are you doing?" I had to ask, and she turned to me.

"Reading."

"Reading?" I repeated, not really buying her story.

"Yes. There's an app, Wattpad, with an uncountable collection of stories. I use it often." She confessed as she pushed her phone in front of my face, and I stared at the screen. Using her fingers, she scrolled up and down before excitedly narrating to me the plot of the present book she was reading.

* * *

Preparations for the traditional day had begun, from the mounting of canopies to decorations. People from the village, friends, family, neighbours trooped in and out of the house, offering to help in whatever way they could. It was noisy. If I could lock myself up in my room and avoid the questioning looks from the older women, then I would, but I couldn't. It would be way too rude of me.

"This is yours." Chidera said as she handed me the sewn material. I stared at the dress made of lace; It was pretty, but... there was simply a but for me.

"What? You don't like the design?" She asked with a worried expression.

I shook my head. "No, it's nothing... it's-it's beautiful." I admit. Although, that was not all it was for me, but it made her happy and her smile broadened before she continued giving the rest of the girls their dresses.

I and other bridesmaids are to dance as we trail behind her, out of the house and into the midst of the guests seated under the canopies. Honestly, for good reasons, I wasn't sure anymore if this was such a good idea even though it's more than late for me to go back on my decision. When I said yes, I had Steve as my fiancé so even if I was letting my younger cousin get married before me, I couldn't care much for people's murmurs but now... there was no Steve, or any man in my life, and the thought of being the center of gossip was getting to me.

"He's here!" Chidera exclaimed as she stared out the window, before rushing out of the room faster than lightning itself.

The others followed her; I wasn't as excited as they were, so I stayed put in the room and organized things as much as I could. I had seen him before, Eze, Chidera's fiancé, once on a WhatsApp video call when Chidera was trying to introduce us. Regarding his appearance, he wasn't bad to look at. He was also polite, and he seemed to care about her a lot.

Eze was from the neighbouring village, but he would perform the traditional rites here, so he and his guests were going to be staying over at the guest rooms in the next building till after the ceremonies.

The day, also known as igbankwu, was finally here. A light sigh left my lips as I stared at my full body reflection in the tall mirror. I had put on the dress Chidera handed me and folded my braids into a bun on the crown of my head. My makeup was nude, still part of the idea of not wanting to be noticed as much as the bride. I sighed again, feeling the nervousness kick in. It didn't help matters for me that music by the live band blasted through the huge speakers positioned at different corners under the canopies. Slightly, I shifted the curtains and peeked out through the window. The gates were ajar, a sign to let the guests know we welcome them in and the compound was busy, with guests loitering and some already seated.

"Sister Kasie." Lota's voice forced me to turn in its direction. She gave me a momentarily strange look. "Sister Chidera said to let you know we'll be dancing out in a few minutes."

"Great, because... because I'm ready to get this over with." I lied and smiled, a smile riddled with pretense and nervousness. Hopefully, she, or anyone else, wouldn't be able to see through it.

"Um, okay... You look pretty." It was a compliment, and this time, a genuine smile played on my face.

"Thank you."

She smiled before leaving the room and I tapped my chest as I felt my heart sink again

This is ridiculous: I'm being ridiculous. I'm happy for my little cousin, she's getting married to a man whom she believes is the one for her and invited me to take part in her joy. Silly thoughts shouldn't bother me. So, what if I'm going to be stared at funny or gossiped about between two jobless older women? I'm bigger than that. Right?

I picked my purse off the bed and made my way out of the room before my will could shake once more. Gently, having slightly lifted my dress to enable me to walk without tripping on it, I made my way down the staircases as quietly as I could.

"Should we tell her? He said he might make it here today and we can't let him say anything to her before we do." My mum's voice came through almost in a whisper, but slightly audible enough for my hearing the panic that riddled her voice.

"We will tell her..." Uncle Chimdi? "... but when the time is right. It's good what she had with Steve ended at the right time. This way, it'll be easier for us to talk to her."

What?

"But he can walk in here today, anytime. We have to talk to Kasie..."

"Not now, Ndidi. Look around. This is a festive moment, and we're not sure how Kasie might react. She could ruin everything." Uncle Chimdi interrupted.

Ruin everything? Why would I ruin everything? How big is this secret they're keeping from me? I heard mum let out a rather loud sigh.

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine." Uncle Chimdi assured her. And sooner than I expected, they were walking away from under the staircase where they'd been. I leaned further back to avoid being seen by them.

He? Who's this he they kept referring to? What are they keeping from me? It was strange neither of them seemed crossed with me when I said Steve and I broke up and now, to find out they were glad it happened... what exactly is going on? Well, I could demand for the truth from them, but... did I truly want to know what this truth was?

Apparently, turns out I want to know what they are hiding from me. My thoughts were full of questions. I barely danced the right way as we made our way out of the house in a straight line of six ladies, in same dress material, but with varying designs. Chidera looked extraordinarily beautiful in a flawless embroidery blouse and wrapper, accessorized with three large tiered strings of coral beads around her neck, matching with her earrings, also as bracelets for her wrists and her head adorned with beads. Her makeup made her look alluring. Her purse was small and matched her low-heeled shoes. In her hand, she also carried a dramatic feather hand-fan to accompany her dancing. She couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear.

The girls and I waited as she kneeled in front of her father and mother, who blessed her and handed her a cup of palm wine to go in search of her husband. Again, we had to dance around with her as she scanned the crowd for where her be-to-husband might have sat down. Finally, she did, and we waited as she walked up to him, kneeled once more, and drank a bit from the drink before handing it over to him. He drank it all, and the crowd cheered. Then he helped her stand to her feet, inserted a few currency notes into the cup, and they made their way back to their parents. They both kneeled, prayed for and declared married in the sense that he'd performed all the traditional rites. Thank God; I couldn't help the smile that curved my lips just watching Chidera look so happy.

I'm famished. I picked a plate off the rest at the buffet area and reached out to pick the serving spoon, only to meet another hand as well. Instantly, I looked up to the face of the owner, who flashed a weak smile in the heat of the moment.

My eyes slightly widen. White. That was the only word that came to mind. 

First three chapters are here! Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next three chapters. Like I said, updates are daily. Thank you guys sooo much for reading these chapters. Again, hopefully, you haven't given up and will stick with me till the end. Please don't forget to vote or comment to show your support.