Lady K
"Smile a little, can't you smile?"
I slouched even more, after mum said those words to me. How on earth was she expecting me to smile, after making me stand in front of four judging eyes, hers and Grace's included, and try on over eleven dresses. This was the reason why I hated to shop physically, and she knew it, but there she was, trying to make sure I chose a dress that was to her expectation.
"I'm tired." I told her for the last time, pulling myself lazily towards the couch, and throwing myself on it. I slowly reached for the bottle of water on the glass table in front of us. I could feel all their gazes shifting towards me, surprise all over them, while I took a big sip from my bottle.
"How can you be tired, when we've not found the perfect dress yet? Do you want to go to the GBTS gala naked?"
"How about I don't go at all?" I whispered loud enough for them to hear me.
"What?!" I could hear the fury in my mother's voice. She must have been so frustrated. I knew how much things like the GBTS gala meant to my mum. It always had her on her best behavior.
For as long as I could remember, my mum had done everything to be a part of the real housewives of Nigeria gang. I'm talking about the clique of friends, and even foes of the wives of all the rich and powerful men in the country. She had lived her life trying to rise to their level and their expectations. I never understood why trying to impress a bunch of rich women that probably don't do anything, but act like they like you to your face, while they gossip and spite you at your back, mattered to her.
Trust me, rich women did everything, but mind their businesses. They always saw themselves as rivals, and fought to be on top of the food chain they had created for themselves. They always loved to measure their worth to someone else's, and check if the price and quality of bags or clothes or shoes another woman wore, was better or higher than theirs.
Those were the people my mum wanted to impress. I mean, we were barely sure that we were on the final invitation list for the GBTS gala. Yes, someone her and Peter knew had promised to do all he could to get us an invitation for the event tonight, since Peter was looking forward to discussing some things, and working with Benjamin Ozor. He had always talked about the GBTS being a perfect opportunity for him to meet Benjamin in person, and try to strike a deal with him, and so a lot must have been invested into this "source" of theirs. But we were barely even on the list yet, and Mum had already pulled me out of my bed, and into her car, and then driven me to one of the most expensive cloth stores in the city, just so I could get a dress for the occasion. An occasion I didn't even want to go to, and worst thing was, Grace was on her side.
"Think about it as an opportunity to show Jeremiah that you don't need him in your life. To show him that he isn't better than you, and that you're just as luxurious as he is, or almost...okay not almost, but you're getting there. A chance to show him that he doesn't own you, and can not tell you what to do. You're going to look more beautiful than you ever did, and you're going to rub it in his face, and show him how much he's missing out on."
Grace's words were the only reason I agreed to this mess anyway, and at that moment, it was obvious I made the wrong choice.
"Do we really have to go ?" I turned to my mum finally. "I mean, we barely even have an invitation-"
Mum slapped my hand quickly to shut me up, before I embarrassed her in front of the attendants any further. She looked at them nervously, chuckling nervously too, while they both stared at us, surprised as ever.
"What do you mean we weren't invited? We were invited." She turned back to me, the really weird smile on her face fading away, she eyed me, muttering some words to me, so no one else heard.
"I still can't believe you're going for the GBTS gala, Kora." Grace turned to me "Do you have any idea what everyone would do to get an invitation, and here you are complaining about it."
"Tell her o," my mum cheered her on.
"I'd do anything to bag one."
"Do you know what I and your step father had to do to even be considered for a reservation? How much we spent? How are you not cooperating? Racheal didn't even give us a hard time like this."
"Go without me then."
"You think we won't?" She continued. "This is for you too. Kora. Do you know the kind of people that attend that event? This could be a chance to find someone good for you. A suitable husband. Someone that is better than those boys that wasted your time."
Husband? I was only eighteen, and I was sure I didn't care about a husband.
"Your mum's right." Grace added. "Think of the opportunities that would come from this. If you don't want to represent, I could take your place."
I exhaled, and then slouched into the chair, placing a hand over my eyes. I honestly wished Grace would take my place. Parties weren't exactly my thing, especially one that could make me really uncomfortable the moment I bumped into you know who. I still couldn't get over the horrible way, things between me and Jeremiah had been the whole week. At that point, I was done. I had decided to not push it anymore.
It was just me now, and I just had to go back to being on my own again, enough for myself. I was back to how it had always been, when I hadn't even met Luke. I was always scared of going back to that time, but it looked like I had no choice anymore. I let out an exhale. Now they were making me walk right back into the lion's den.
"She's going to keep checking." My mum told the women standing close to us. "Can we get other options please?"