"You didn't even invite them to the wedding, the wedding of their only daughter and sister! Did you call me here to be your wingman, or to share in the beating you're about to get?"
Olisa's words hit Chibuzor like a punch to the gut. He hung his head, the weight of his mistakes suddenly unbearable. He had thought everything could be sorted out later, too consumed with calming his own grandparents and locking down the marriage to consider the cultural and familial implications of his actions.
He looked back at Olisa, his voice low and remorseful. "You're right. I was wrong. I didn't think this through. But what do I do now? Please, Olisa, help me fix this."
Olisa sighed, shaking his head. "Chibuzor, I know you didn't mean to disrespect anyone, but skipping all of this? It was a massive oversight. You're usually so calculated, so prepared. What happened here?" He paused before adding with a resigned smile, "Fine, I'll help. Let's head back inside before they send a search party for us."
Chibuzor managed a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Olisa. You really are a good brother."
Rolling his eyes dramatically, Olisa replied, "That's what I've been trying to tell you this whole time."
As they opened the car door, Olisa shot a nervous glance at Chibuzor and blurted, "Chibuzor, do I really have to take the beating with you? Her second brother looks like he could knock us both out at the same time without breaking a sweat!"
Chibuzor turned to glare at him, eyebrows raised. "Didn't you just declare yourself a good brother a few minutes ago? What happened to that, huh? Are you bailing on me now, good brother?" He put extra emphasis on the last two words, his tone dripping with mockery.
Olisa threw his hands up dramatically. "There's a limit to brotherhood, Chibuzor! This is definitely past mine!"
Upstairs, Mrs. Anozie, her three sons and Nnenna sat as a united front, their gazes locked on Olaedo, awaiting her explanation. Standing before them, she took a deep breath and began carefully, choosing her words as though navigating a minefield.
"Mom, guys, I met Chibuzor a while ago, even before that jerk, Maduabuchi. At first, we were just friends while I was dating Maduabuchi because...well, I loved him," she admitted, her tone bitter as she said Maduabuchi's name.
Seeing their expressions soften ever so slightly, she pulled out a chair and sat, continuing cautiously.
"When Chibuzor asked me to marry him, I refused. I told him I was in love with someone else and planned to marry Maduabuchi. It hurt him, and we lost touch. But about three months ago, he called out of the blue, and we reconnected."
She glanced at her mother, whose face remained impassive, and braced herself. "After a few months of talking again, he asked me to marry him. I said yes. We've done the marriage registry, and we're planning to do the traditional rites in the future."
At this, Mrs. Anozie's brows shot up, her calm shattering like glass. "Olaedo," she said, shaking her head. "You got married just months after being betrayed so deeply? You didn't even give yourself time to heal! Worse still, this man couldn't even bother to meet your family or pay your bride price?"
"Do you realize the level of disrespect this is to us?!" Her voice grew sharper with every sentence, her anger now boiling over.
Olaedo's brothers and Nnenna silently backed their mother, their expressions a mix of anger and hurt. But they let her speak, as the de facto head of the house.
Olaedo lowered her gaze but answered steadily, "Mom, I understand how it looks, but I've thought this through. I took the time to heal before saying yes. And that's why we're here today, to meet you. He's also planning to pay the bride price in a few months."
Mrs. Anozie's frown deepened, and she threw her hands up in frustration. "Heal? You call this healing? You just called Maduabuchi a jerk! Healing leaves no bitterness, but you sound as raw as the day it happened. And as for Chibuzor, he only decided to see us today after a whole three months?! What kind of respect is that?"
Her voice dropped, turning icier. "As for this nonsense about paying the bride price later... Since when do we marry the bride first and pay later? You know as well as I do that, in our custom, a marriage is only valid once the bride price is paid. What you've done is not only disrespectful, it's an abomination!"
Her expression hardened, and she stood abruptly. "Olaedo, I'm sorry, but I cannot accept this man as my son in law. He has to leave my house."
At her declaration, Olaedo's brothers stood as one, their body language screaming readiness to escort Chibuzor, and his accomplice, out the door.
They marched downstairs just in time to see Olisa and Chibuzor hesitantly reentering the house. Emmanuel stepped forward to deliver their united message, but before he could say a word, the two sworn brothers instinctively stepped back, as though preparing for an ambush. Their synchronized retreat left the family momentarily baffled.
Mrs. Anozie decided to take the reins. Her tone, though firm, carried a hint of exasperation. "Chibuzor, your actions were not only a breach of our customs but also a glaring sign of disrespect to this family."
From the side, Olisa facepalmed internally 'This is a disaster!' I won't even blame her if she says "divorce my daughter immediately."
After all, without fulfilling the traditions completely, the marriage is not valid at all.
He looked at their angry faces again and made a bold assumption 'Wait....what if they really says so?!'
'Worse still, what if we are really beaten to a plump?!'
Sensing that her words lacked the fiery edge they had carried earlier, Chibuzor seized the moment. Dropping to his knees, he spoke with earnest sincerity, his voice low but steady. "Ma, I am deeply sorry for everything I've done. I now understand how wrong I was, not just toward you, but also toward Olaedo."