21| ℬᎾℳᎯ

   WE WERE STILL ASLEEP when mom came back this morning. His prayer worked. I slept through the night.

   Tee left immediately after he dropped her, so we didn't have a chance to say another set of thank you's. 

   We showed her all the presents and the look she had on her face when I showed her the dress was a priceless mix of excitement and pride.

   After maybe a million hugs, Chinny went back to her house. 

   "Bomate, come here and sit down, I need to do your hair." 

   "Can you tell how nervous I am?"

    "Come, sit here first."

   "Mommy. You're not listening."

   "Well you're calling me mommy, that's weird, and then Ivan will be here in"—she checks her wristwatch—"an hour. So allow me before asking questions."

   "What was it like, your prom?" I sit in the revolving chair, looking at her through the huge mirror in front of me.

   "You know I didn't have one"—she picks up the hair brush—"was in Germany and already pregnant with you."

   "Fine, but you never told me what it was like for you."

   "Boma if I keep answering your questions, we'll take three hours."

   "Please, you can tell me the story while you do the hair," I insist.

   "You won't give up?" she asks

   "I could, but you have to promise to tell me when I get back."

   "Alright I promise, can we continue now?" She says.

   I smile and hug her. She lets out a sigh and pulls my bun loose. 

   Breathe. I tell myself, letting out a deep breath and watching Mom transform my hair.

°°°°°

   "And. . . we're done." A soft gasp follows her voice, I'm excited and nervous altogether as she turns the seat around to face the mirror. "You can open your eyes now." She chuckles.

   My father lawd! My eyes light up in the mirror.

   "Mom!" I turn to the side, admiring how she straightened my hair, how two plaited twists run diagonally off the front to join a huge flat curled ponytail behind. I look like a dream. "I didn't think this could come out of. . .all that hair!" I smile so hard my lips hurt from the stretch.

   "What did you expect?" She chuckles, "I've known the secret to your hair for seventeen years." 

   "Obviously," I say. "I'll let you do my hair everyday." 

   She checks her wrist watch again, "2:20pm."

   "Twenty minutes on hair, worth it," I say, looking in the mirror again.

   "I'll be done with your makeup in another twenty minutes, then you can put on your dress and shoes on in ten minutes, and we'll do the final touches before he comes." 

   "Okay," I sit back down.

   "Glitter, foundation, mascara, lipstick, eye pencil, lip pencil, primer, powder, liner, what else? Okay shadow." She smiles, looking at me with the happiest eyes. "I'm so excited about this, you'll believe you're a fairy when I'm done beating your face up."

   "I know what I'm excited about and it's not prom, it's next month."

   "The wedding?" She rubs the first thing on my face. It's cold and creamy. 

   "Mmhm," I say. "I can't wait. Can I invite Ivan?" I turn.

   "Sit still!" She shrieks excitedly. "You'll ruin your make-up."

   "Sorry." I say but I'm still vibrating a little. "But I can invite him right?"

   Her laugh is followed by a short sigh and I imagine how gorgeous she'll be in her wedding dress. 

   "Why not. I'd personally invite him," she says. "Would mean a lot for both of you to see what true love is, and what it entails." My nose automatically wrinkles. 

   "I know what you're thinking and it's gross."

   "What's gross? If you guys are going to be running around like little bunnies, you might as well consider getting. . ." 

   "If you were going to say married, please don't." I wrinkle my nose and she laughs. It's not that it's a bad thing, it just makes me cringe. 

   "We have like a million things to do for the wedding, especially your dress, that's the most important factor." I say. 

   "Aunty Lisa is handling it and Adedimi is already designing the dresses. There's still time," she dusts my face with powder. "Besides, today is all about you. I want you to focus on you, and on having a memorable evening." 

   "I'll try not to hate everybody, if that's what you mean." 

   "Exactly what I mean." She says. I look up, she holds my chin and pecks my forehead.

  "Mom! My makeup!" 

   She laughs. "Look who's worried now." She laughs again. "Relax, I need to line your lids."

   I close my eyes and sit as straight as possible, feeling the blunt tip of the liner glide over my eyelids. I've never had real makeup on before and I didn't think it was this tedious. 

   "Let's see," she turns the seat around and I'm now facing the mirror. 

   I stand up and rush to grab my phone from the nightstand. The mirror doesn't seem to be doing enough justice. 

   "What are you doing?" she chuckles, watching me scramble around the room.

   "Taking a selfie." I position before the ring light and capture a few shots, before proceeding to send them to Chinny. 

   I hug her.

   "Don't smear it baby." She wraps her arms around me. 

   "Thanks for doing all this, Mom."

   "Aww. It's okay baby," she says. "Dress time. We have less than 10 minutes and you know Ivan is a timekeeper." She lays the dress on my bed like an AMVCA trophy. 

   "The meanest one." I laugh. 

   For a while, after trying without success to pull the dress up while avoiding my makeup, we're both wondering if doing the make-up first was the smartest idea. 

   "Finally." She yelps in excitement when the dress moves up from my non-existent hips. She's about to zip me up when we hear the doorbell.

   She runs to the window, and her mouth opens into a wide O, followed by a lot of exciting sounds, jumping, breathing, flying fingers and asking herself to calm down. She runs towards the door. 

   "MOM! ZIP ME. ZIP!"

   Why is it so hot all of a sudden? I'm almost hyperventilating.

   "Sorry love." She runs back, zips me up, kisses me and runs downstairs. 

   I walk to the window. I see his mom's car.

   It's really him, it's really happening. How did he even get in?

   My heart stops, then starts again. I walk to the door, hands on my tummy. I can hear Mom laughing. Ivan is telling her how nervous he is. 

   I'm going to melt. 

   "Boma!" Mom calls out, "Ivan is here." 

   I know that already. I whisper to myself as I struggle to buckle my shoes.

    When I'm done with the shoes, I rehearse different types of smiles in the mirror. None is near perfect enough. I turn around a million times, I don't know what I'm looking for. 

   Fresh mint. I open the first drawer on my nightstand and grab the packet of spear mint flavoured gum.

   Lip gloss. I pick it up from the table.

   Purse. I collect my new purse from my wardrobe and put everything inside.

   I talk to myself, even though I don't hear what I'm saying. My phone buzzes, a message comes in. "I promise I won't bite, even if I'll look at you like I want to eat you."  

   I text him back. "Cute. You better look nice." My words sound confident, but my feelings are all mushy. 

   "You have to come down to see," he says.

   "Get ready then." I text back before putting my phone in my purse. 

   Cluck. I open the door and begin my descent downstairs, everything moves in slow heated motions. 

   You're going to break the rules today.