Married on a plane by Ada Chisaram Nwosu

 

Married on a plane by Ada Chisaram Nwosu

Part 2

#############Back to Present########################

 

“I like to act tough but I won’t lie, that one got to me!” I said and laughed

“It is obvious!” Wendy said and sipped her orange juice

“Is that a Birkin bag?!!” Mina said suddenly looking in the direction of a lady walking out of the restaurant.

“No o! her overall fit is counterfeit clothing items. Can you imagine that the jacket is supposed to be Chanel?! What nonsense!” I said shaking my head

“People are really out here lying these days” Wendy said

“Seriously, Mina, you mean to tell us that you can not smell a fake from a mile away?” Wendy asked

“Smell?! Girl, she is recovering from financial cold. Her imposter perfumes will get in the way!!” I said and we all laughed.

WE were friends like that, mocking and teasing each other but always being there when real trouble arose.

“That’s alright already! Please continue and tell us how you now ended up marrying this evil man!” Chika said

“He was so rude to you though!” Wendy said shaking her head softly

“Was he wearing designer suit on that day? Tom Ford?” Mina asked and I shook my head “Maybe Gucci shoes?” Mina probed further and I shook my head again “Any sign of wealth?”  Mina asked sounding disappointed

“I mean, he looked like money” I said to satisfy her curiosity

“Ooooooh God! Let her continue” Chika half screamed exasperatedly

“Why are you shouting?” Wendy said looking up at her

“Always so serious!” Mina said angrily

“You all know that I later found out he was a manager in a sister company which is actually a million dollar company. So, yea, he is rich.” I said in a matter-of-fact manner

“Yea! I now understand!” Mina started to say

“Yes, go on” Chika said to ensure we did not divert the discussion

“I travelled to Abuja over the weekend for a business workshop. Company sponsored and all of that.” I said now getting into the real story “Guess who I met at the airport when I was returning to Lagos?”

“Olamide!” Wendy said

“You can’t be more correct than that.” I said and we laughed

 

 ############### Flashback ###################################

As I walked in after passing the search point, it is funny how we can spot hostility in a crowd; familiar hostility. I looked in his direction and he looked at me and smiled. I was shocked and looked behind in case it was to someone behind me but I was the one. He started walking towards me and my heart started beating fast.

“hello, he greeted smiling. He was wearing black sweat pants and a white jersey.

“Hello, good evening” I greeted still shocked that he was smiling at me and even striking up a conversation

“What is a beautiful lady like you doing alone in this crowd?” he asked playfully “Can I sit down with you?” he asked politely

“With me?” I asked still shocked. “Heyyyy! God! What is happening? Is this one looking for who to use for ritual? Why is he being so nice? Where is his big boy attitude? Why is he even acting like he doesn’t know me?” I asked myself while staring at him blankly

“Yea sit down” I finally replied and he sat and muttered “Thank you”

“I don’t understand!” I said softly “You have been ignoring me in the office even acting like I disgust you so why are you all of a sudden being nice?” I asked suddenly

“What?!” he said and leaned back placing a palm on his chest to express shock. “I do not do that! Each time you see me, you throw daggers with your eyes at me. Even when I want to approach you, you often hiss and walk away. You ignore me when I talk and act like I do not exist when I am in the same room with you.”

“Dear Lord!” I gasped and acted shocked “I do not do all these”

“Now, hold on! I agree that I can be rude sometimes but you are the queen of rude. I tremble anytime I walk into the company building and see you.” He said

“Really?! Then if I am the problem, why are you approaching me now? In public?” I asked scornfully “If you are going to be scared of me at the office, be scared of me everywhere.” I said as a joke though seriously

He got the joke and laughed heartily, swaying form side-to-side.

“You look approachable today and this is outside of office setting, even out of Lagos” he paused suddenly “Can we bury our beef today? I am exhausted! I don’t know why we are fighting but I give up, you win.” He said calmly

“Hmmm! Ok Sir!” I said suddenly growing suspicious of his niceness

“Don’t call me Sir, I am Olamide. What is your name?” he asked nicely

“I am Ada”

“Nice to meet you” He said calmly

I decided to flow in the moment and have fun. He was a good conversationist. He told me a whole lot about him. His parents lived separately though still married, he had a Master degree in Economics from a University in London. He hated Lagos so went to Abuja as often as he could. He liked to travel but hated flights.

“That’s very interesting” I said as he told each story. We traded stories, bought kilishi multiple times, joked about marriage and how beautiful our kids will look. As our flights were announced, we looked at each other and began to move to show our boarding pass and identity cards.

“Don’t worry, I’ll see what I can do so we sit together during the flight.” He said as he scrambled off to board the place as he was to sit in the first-class part of the plane. I waited patiently for my turn and wondered if this was all in my head and I was back in Lagos dreaming.

As I sat down on my seat, I saw him walking towards me.  He smiled at me briefly and began to negotiate to exchange his first-class seat with the seat beside me. I wanted to say ‘no’ but sometimes, a girl has greed and can indulge in it. Suddenly the gentle man, a middle aged man with a bishop collar smiled at him. The plane was closed and while the Pilot was waiting to take off, seats were exchanged.

We whispered to each other and exchanged numbers as the plane took off and the soared in the sky. Suddenly, I saw the Reverend gentleman walking towards us.

“If you two really want to, I have a marriage certificate signed and stamped by the appropriate authorities but with no names on it. I can give it to you as the people it was meant for have called off the wedding. Who knows? Maybe God wants it this way.” The man concluded. The people close to us in the plane turned straining their ears and eyes, watching and listening to this once in a lifetime real life movie.

“Ada, please, let’s do it, I know I love you and I want to marry you. What are the odds that this can happen? This is definitely a plan of God.” Olamide said

“Are you mad? How do I tell the world, my family, your family, my friends, colleagues and village people that I got married to someone I just started to know properly 2 hours ago?” I asked not believing my ears

“I know, but we are in this together. Us against the world. Let’s do it!” he said imploring me

“I can’t believe this is happening to me. Stop it! People will think I used charm!” I almost screamed

“Let them think whatever, we both know the truth!” he said

“God of mercy! Help me! How can you let this be happening to me!” I said then went quiet as the revered smiled and walked back to his seat

“Wait! What?! Is this even real or a prank? Where is the camera? Did you plan this? I’m not doing it! Don’t beg further, I won’t change my mind.” I said and looked around as the people immediately looked away.

“But why lose out on life when you can make one great decision to jump into great things from here on?!” he said pleading almost on his knees. I looked at him and I don’t still know how it came out of my mouth but I replied him suddenly.

“Ok! I’ll marry you! Let’s do this!” I said, the passengers around me gasped and the information spread round the plane like wide fire. I sat on my seat mortified and wondering what I had just done.

He immediately jumped up to call the Reverend who came smiling widely with a Bible, pen and the marriage certificate. We both gave two passengers our phones and they videoed the ceremony.

As the plane landed, we looked at each other and our marriage certificate. My name boldly written on it and his name too. I sat quietly and he too sat calmly.

His father walked with long strides towards us as we entered the airport car park, we looked at each other and knew that we were thinking the same thing in the moment. I snatched the certificate and put itinto my bag, we looked at each other swiftly and walked in opposite directions while he promised to call so we can meet up and know how to go on.

 

############Back to the Present############################

“Unbelievable!” Chika exclaimed

“Really?!” Wendy half asked half exclaimed

“Have you bought the rings? Cartier rings are one of the best” Mina said

“Rings?! For what?! The thing now is that we are still thinking of how we will explain to our families that this has happened

“I mean, there is nothing to explain. This is a sham marriage! Is this even legal?” Wendy asked

“You both are adults. What has happened has happened. Tell your families and let them accept it now. The earlier, the better. What can they do anyway? You can just even act like nothing happened then start the process of introduction to traditional marriage and then let them know what happened when they ask for a white wedding.” Chika said gently “You can count on my support through it all. This is interesting, who has this type of marriage story?” She said almost laughing

“I came back from a workshop married and I got married on a plane in the strangest way!” I said to my friends

“You should write this down. This must go down in history. Great love story, I guess!” Wendy said

We all laughed and began to reach for our bags to pay and leave. My phone rang, it was Olamide, I picked the phone and showed my friends the name on the screen and we started laughing again.

 

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Married on a plane by Ada Chisaram Nwosu

 

MARRIED ON A PLANE BY ADA CHISARAM NWOSU

Part 1

“What just happened?” Mina screamed out loud

“How could you? You are the responsible one!” Wendy cried even louder

“I know, I know” I replied miserably. “But can you all stop shouting?” I said looking behind to ensure that no one was listening. “I had to do it!” I said quietly

“Oh my God! Oh my God!” Mina said looking from face to face “She does not even know what she has just done to herself” She said pointing her five fingers at me

I got distracted looking at her finger nails. Then when I caught myself again, Mina suddenly withdrew her hand and looked at me angrily.

“I assure you that I know the gravity of my actions but where did you fix those nails? Very beautiful!” I said smiling and trying to reach for her hands which she immediately thrust towards me.

“Day bloom Spa. The girl that does nails is my cousin’s best friend’s younger sister!” Mina said also looking at her nails admiringly.

“Mina! Ada! Are you all serious right now?” Chika said looking from Mina’s nails to our faces.

“I am not surprised! Your friend just did the unheard of and your concern is where to fix your nails.” Wendy said from the corner though glancing at the nails

“Hmm!” I said and we immediately adjusted on our seats and I assumed a solemn look

“Girl! Let’s order something while lamenting. You know the waiters are staring at us wondering when we will place our orders. By the way, we need to be alive to drum into Ada’s ears what she has done.” Mina said and we all ‘hummed’ and ‘ahhhed’ in agreement.

We placed our orders quickly and began to admire each other’s clothing, bags, shoes and hairstyles until the food arrived.

“So, tell us how you all went from foe to couples in a day because you know how much you hated this guy. I can’t believe you are married to him. This makes for a great Wattpad story.” Chika said and we all laughed

“you all know how much I hated this guy!”

 

############################  Flashback   ##############################

I had just resumed to work in my new company that morning. It was my first job so I was both excited and scared. I wondered how I will make friends, who will warm up to me first. I even cooked up a scenario of an intense office drama and planned on how I will handle it, even coming up with apologetic, threatening and calming sentences. I must have looked so innocent and naïve with my black laptop bag and pink shoulder bag. As I walked into the reception and waited to be shown to my office, a young man came in. He was well dressed but it was not about his looks. He commanded attention once he entered the room. I noticed that everyone started running around in a frenzy on his entrance.

“Good morning” I greeted as he passed me

He glanced in my direction and kept walking to the receptionist. I was shocked and could feel his arrogance and hostility. I immediately rolled my eyes and decided that I hate him.

“His shoes are so ugly, they even look borrowed!” I muttered to myself while rolling my eyes

He talked briefly to the receptionist who smiled and nodded and laughed at his every word. I could not help but watch them angrily from the corner I stood still frowning to myself.

“What a way to spoil my first day! Oh Lord, is this you saying something to me about this job? Maybe I should not have taken this job. The company looks boring and the staff are so unprofessional. Just look at the way she is smiling like a monkey, maybe she is waiting for bananas to drop from his pocket into her mouth.” I said under my breathe angrily

Suddenly, I saw him walking in my direction. His face had a certain arrogance to it. He looked like one of those people who worked out at the gym all the time. They wore a certain look on their face that said “I am proud for nothing.” I immediately straightened up and adjusted my bag. I suddenly noticed the air conditioner must have been really low and my lips were dry and stiff.

“Good morning Sir” I added honorifics this time as I felt he must be a really important person in the company. Even the cleaner had added a little flourish to the way she cleaned.

He looked at me and stared at the art on the wall behind me

“This should be changed!” he said out loud. Then suddenly looking at me as if he had just seen me, he put his hands into his pockets and swayed from left to right for a little while then shrugged.

“What are you doing here?” he asked quietly but coldly

“My name is Ada Madu…” I started to introduce myself

“And so? You should get to your office now.” He said cutting me off and turning away

“This cannot be happening!” I thought to myself “So rude! I hope he falls so hard he doesn’t ever recover. Mean thing!” I said under my breathe as I looked around and noticed that the receptionist and the cleaner must have overheard as they looked like they were stifling laughter.

To be Continued

Would you ever be friends with a person that you have this type of encounter with? Have you had this type of experience? if yes, what did you do? if no, what would you do? 

PARIS: THE CITY WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE

 

The Eiffel Tower

The Louvre Museum

PARIS: THE CITY WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE

What are dreams made of?

Well, You will find out when you get to Paris.

I am here to inform you that if you have never dreamt of going to Paris, YOU ARE ALONE! The rest of the world aspires to at least one day see the lights glow on the Eiffel tower and walk through the city where dreams are made. Through the centuries, Paris has been known to be the city of enlightenment, fun, fashion, worldly pleasures, the home of luxury. People went to Paris to find love, establish their business, become wealthy, meet with the wealthy, have fun and experience the insatiable pursuit of worldly desires. French fashion remains till date a statement of proper, classy, expensive and refined clothing taste.

There have been many movies and books that have mentioned the need to go to Paris which changes the narrative or is a major step in the plot development and character development. Going to Paris was the dream for many and became the fulfillment of the dream for more. Paris is presented as colourful, extravagant, pleasure-filled, a bubbling mixture of lust and love, a place for lovers to meet or reconnect, a place for soul searching and again, a place where dreams are made.

La Ville Lumiere

Paris is popularly known as the capital of France. Paris today is located in Europe and is said to be the most populated city in France. Since the dawn of the 17^th century, Paris has been referred to as a major center for arts, finance, luxury, fashion, architecture, commerce and even science. However, Paris built itself over the years to become this city of grand splendor where the rest of the world longs to visit at least once in their lifetime. The word Paris as a city was first recorded by Julius Ceasar in the first century BC as “Luteciam Parisiorum” which is “Lutetia of the Parisii”.  The original inhabitants of where is today known as Paris were a Gallic tribe living by the Seine River during the iron ages and Roman empire days. It is important to note that the city’s name is not derived from Paris in the Greek mythology. Paris is also referred to as La Ville Lumiere meaning ‘the city of light.’ This is for two reasons, the first is that it was one of the first large European cities to begin to use gas lamps on the streets creating what is today know as street lights. The second reason which will explain the reason Paris is considered a grand city today is because of its leading role in bringing in the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of enlightenment was a period where the church was separated from the state and people began to pursue happiness and knowledge through reason.

Paris as a City Where Dreams are Made

-          Fashion: The term ‘French fashion’ has come to represent upper class fashion, beauty, and elegance. With leading fashion brands born in France, it does not come as a surprise that the city will be fashion forward. Paris is the birth place of haute couture. Some of these grand haute couture maisons are Givenchy, Dior, Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chloe, etc. The origin of the Haute Couture is traced to Charles Frederick Worth in 1858 who established the first true Couture maison at number 7, rue de la Paix in Paris.

-          Luxury: From time immemorial, Paris has been associated with luxury. This place is home to luxury brands like Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Celine, Lanvin, Yves Saint-Laurent etc. It is not strange to walk down a street in Paris and see a woman carrying an item from any of these luxury brands.

-          Wealth: Paris is known to be a strong economic center. In the past, many traveled from other locations to Paris in search of greener pastures. Today Paris is still a strong economic front and with all the tourism, luxury and fashion and pleasure it provides, it is understandable why this place should be a place of wealth creation.

-          Fame: With wealth comes fame. A lot of people achieved fame in Paris due to their works which might have never been recognized if created outside Paris.

-          Cabaret:  Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment which features performances such as songs, dance, poems, recitations, music and drama. It is performed in venues which have stages for performances. Cabarets brought together the wealthy and famous of Paris and cities around Paris. Cabarets were meeting places for writers, actors, artists and people who enjoyed arts as it combined entertainment with satire and political commentary.   Josephine baker became famous for her cabaret performances.

-          Moulin rouge: Moulin Rouge is a popular place in Paris. It was founded in 1889 by Catalan Joseph Oller. The Moulin Rouge is the home of the Can-can dance. The Can-can dance though first a seductive dance used by courtesans to entertain has today evolved into an expression of art. The Moulin Rouge is a tourist attraction and even has a popular hit song and movie to celebrate its existence.  

-          The Palace of Versailles: This beautiful tourist attraction located 12 miles west of Paris is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world. Known as Chateau de Versailles in French, the palace was a former royal residence built by Louis xiii between 1623 and 1634 and expanded by Louis xiv from 1661 to 1715.  This Palace is better visited than explained and is where the famous ‘Hall of Mirrors’ is located.

-          Love: It is a popular concept in movies and books that to find love, to reconnect with love, one must go to Paris. Even music videos have popularized this concept. Paris is often associated with romance and love, beauty and pleasure, loss and reconnection.

-          The Louvre: The Musee de Louvre is located in Paris, France and is said to be the world’s most visited museum. This museum holds some of the most popular works of arts including the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. The museum holds about 615,747 objects and displays about 35, 000 works of art.

-          Arc de Triomphe: known as the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile is a very famous monument in Paris. It is a triumphal arch. It is located at the western end of the Champs-Elysees at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle. This monument honours the soldiers who died in the French revolution and Napoleonic wars. Beneath this monument is the grave of the unknown soldier from World War 1.

The legendary Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel tower is a testament of the magnificence of the French architecture. It was built in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel’s company which designed and constructed the wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It is the tallest structure in Paris reaching heights of 324 meters (1,063 ft). The structure has become a landmark of Paris. When it is featured, everyone around the world recognizes it symbolizes Paris. It has been featured in many movies, music videos, photographs and literary texts.

Paris as portrayed in Movies

There have been many movies produced which present Paris usually as a city where love is found and dreams are made. Paris as come to represent love and reconnection in most movies produced. It is also the city where dreams come true. Some of these movies are:

-          The Last Time I Saw Paris: Paris becomes a place where love is found and lost; a place of reconnection for a family.

-          Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: Paris is a place where two best friends travel to and find love on this journey, lose this love on getting to Paris and reconnect with their lovers for a happily ever after in Paris.

-          Charades: This 1963 movie portrays Paris as a place of crime, conspiracy, justice and love.

-          Ballerina:  This 2016 3D computer animated musical comedy movie presents Paris as a city where dreams come true.

-          Midnight in Paris: A 2011 film set in Paris. Paris is where love is found and dreams are made realities.

-          Emily in Paris: This comedy drama presents Paris as a city of romance and actualization of dreams.

Paris in Literature

The setting of a literary work is very important in a literary work. It reveals the geographical location and explains the language, culture, architecture and even guides the storyline. Paris is a place of timeless and ageless tales. Works of art coming out refined as gold from the fire of time with each passing year.  Paris as a setting has been used to portray a bustling city, a city evolving, a place of history, a land of crime including murder mysteries, a place of victory and defeat, a place of politics and revolutions, a place of reconnection, a place of whirlwind romance and long-lasting love, a place of dreams, a place of wine and courtesans, a city of jewels and luxury, a place of dance and beauty. Some of the books set in Paris which will be great reads and readers can check out are:

-          A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

-          Paris Was the Place by Susan Conley

-          All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

-          The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo

-          Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

-          The Flaneur by Edmund White

-          Cheri by Colette

-          Nana by Emile Zola

-          Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant

-          A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemmingway

-          The Sun Always Rises by Ernest Hemmingway

-          Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin

-          The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

-          We’ll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury

-          Paris by Edward Rutherford

-          Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner

-          Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb.

Have you been to Paris? What do you know about Paris? Do you ever plan to go to Paris? Which French writer do you know? Which literary works have you read that are set in Paris?

THE LEGEND OF JANUS: LOOKING BEHIND

In ancient Rome, the god Janus was worshipped as the god of gates, transitions, time, passages, past and future, beginnings and endings. He had two faces, one looking back and one looking forward. 

One thing that seems to characterize every new year is the preparation to look forward. New year resolutions are made, promises are made, hopes and dreams are made and plans are made to reach certain goals. What many people miss however is the tiny little detail with great implication which is looking behind.

This post is about the lessons I learnt from 2021. While 2020 was a turbulent year for many, 2021 might have been even more terrible for most. 2020 focused on loss but 2021 became the aftermath with normalcy beginning to return and reality hitting a lot of people. 2021 taught many lessons and these lessons can be used in the new year for a much better year.

LESSONS I LEARNT FROM 2021

1.      Financial freedom is key: Money makes money makes more money. Strive to achieve financial freedom. Educate yourself on how to create wealth and grow financially. 2021 has taught me that financial freedom is not just having money coming in steadily but building your finances to where you can afford to take a break and you will still be fine financially. Read books, attend online lectures, study the secrets of others and invest in building your value and finance.

2.      Know when to let go: Knowing when to let go applies to friendships and relationships. Any toxic friend or partner should be dropped immediately for your mental health and personal growth. If all efforts to repair and maintain a relationship have failed, let go.

3.      Do not be afraid to try: An opportunity that looks much greater than your capacity might present itself. In this case, do not avoid it but take on the challenge and even if you fail at least you tried and you can learn from this.

4.      Depression is real and does not always look like what depression: It is important to understand the signs of depression, ask yourself questions and ensure that you are truthful to yourself.

5.      Do not box yourself, let go and dream big.

6.      Never follow the crowd: Envision, visualize, access the risk, plan and accomplish.

7.      Permanence is dependent on certain factors: Always be prepared for change. 2021 was the year a lot changed for many people. With the world being hit by the COVID-19 virus, change occurred suddenly and in the wake of this many fell to depression because they were unprepared or could not accept the new lifestyle they needed to adapt to. Be welcoming of change and always prepare for change.

8.      Be ready to walk alone: A dream can be chased only by the person that has the dream. When others do not understand or support your dreams, trudge on alone. Do not give up because others have given up.

9.      Avoid crime: With the advent of camera’s and the internet, every little detail can be captured, stored and retrieved. Watch your actions so as not to do what will be your downfall tomorrow.

10.  Stay low key: Practice keeping quiet and making loud moves. Never blow the news of your accomplishments on rooftops. This can lead to hatred and discouragements. The more people know about your plans the more they will try to discourage you.

11.  Never give up: No matter how difficult it seems, never let any situation make you discouraged. Always find a way out of a situation instead of being drawn back by it. There is always a silver lining in every cloud.

12.  Have a Plan: Never leave the house without a plan. Have goals for the year, have goals for every month and when you wake every day, make goals you must accomplish daily. To fail to plan is to plan to fail. These little daily plans will lead to the accomplishment of the monthly plans and in turn lead to accomplishment of the goal for the year.

These lessons were what I have been able to deduce on looking back at 2021. What did you learn in 2021 and how can these lessons be applied in 2022?