“How dare you?” I spit, and there’s a scraping sound as Rachel pushes back her chair and rushes over. “How dare you sit there and laugh at me?”
Ola, still finding the situation funny, pulls one of those faces that commuters exchange on the Tube when someone gets a bit prickly. “Okay, calm down. No need to make a scene. And don’t speak to me like that. Who do you think you’re talking to?”
“You’re such a bitter person.”
“Sorry, how am I a bitter person?” yells Ola over Rachel, who cries, “Girls. Please.”
“For months”—I carry on anyway—“I’ve kept my mouth shut to keep the peace between us. And what do I get in return? A slap in the face.”
“Yinka! That’s enough,” says Rachel.
“What?” Ola jerks, and then she kisses her teeth. “Abeg. I’m not even going to entertain this conversation. It’s not my fault that you lied.”
“And it’s not my fault that Jon wanted to be with me!”
“I said that’s enough!” Rachel cries, but my volcano has already erupted.
“Yes, Ola. I know that the same night Jon broke up with you, he told you he had developed feelings for me. But then you told him you were pregnant, so he had to marry you. And what did I do after finding out this information? I didn’t laugh in your face as you’re laughing at me now. I kept my mouth shut. And for what?” I fling out an arm. “To be repaid like this? Oh, and that picnic proposal that she told you about earlier?” I nod profusely at Jasmine, who looks stunned. “Yeah, that was BS. You know what, I should have laughed in your face then.”
By the time I’ve stopped shouting, a tense silence hangs in the air.
“Now look at what you’ve done,” says Rachel, as Ola’s chair crashes backward and she storms out of the room.
“Oh, yes, because it’s always my fault!” I yell this at Rachel. Then, as she dashes after Ola, “Yes, you go after her like you always do.”
“Rach, wait!” Nana is next to go, running after the bride-to-be, who cries, “My day is ruined!” as she rips off her sash and throws it on the floor.
The doors swing closed. Slowly, I face everyone. They’re all staring at me as though I’m a monster.
“Well, enjoy the rest of the bridal shower.” I snatch my jacket and bag from my chair.
It is only as I go to open the doors that I notice no one makes a sound. No one runs or calls after me.
Do you think I have time for this?
Hey, this is Rachel. Leave a message. （Beep!）
Hey, Rach. It’s Yinka . . . again. I know you’re really angry at me, and you have every right to be, but I’m so, so, so, so sorry. I’m know there’s no excuse but . . . can we talk? Call me back, please. Bye.
“Rachel! Thank God, you picked up.” I run a hand over my hair. I’ve tried calling her at least eight times already. Now it’s close to eleven and I’m nearly in bed.
“What do you want?” she says, her voice like ice.
I sit up. “Rachel, I’m so, so sorry.”
“You promised, Yinka. You promised me you wouldn’t tell Ola.”
“I had to!” I protest. “She left me with no choice.”
“No, you didn’t.” I’ve never heard Rachel this angry before. “Ola is really upset—”
“Oh, yes, because we don’t want to upset Princess Ola.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You always take her side—”
“And you always put me in the middle.”
“In the middle?” I let out an incredulous laugh. “You hardly back me. Even when Ola’s in the wrong, you still take her side. Ever since we were kids. Always having an excuse ready to justify Ola’s behavior.”
“Oh, Yinka, you sound so childish.” Rachel actually laughs. “You know what, I’m not going to engage in this conversation.” I try to interrupt, but she speaks over me. “I’m getting married in less than three months. Three months! Do you think I have time for this? This issue, beef, whatever it is that you have with Ola, sort it out between yourselves and quick. Because I’m not having my wedding day ruined like my shower was.”
“Well, in that case, tell Ola that I’ll be waiting for my apology.”
“You see! This is exactly what I mean. Do you know what, don’t speak to me until you’ve made up!”
To my shock, Rachel ends the call.
* * *
—
Twenty minutes later, when Nana gets home, I’m swiping madly on Hinge. Honestly, why did I think going on here would take my mind off things? What sane person asks a stranger, “Can I see your tits?”
“Come in!” I yell after Nana knocks.
She walks in and perches on my bed. “I brought you some cake,” she says, and hands me a piece wrapped in a table napkin.
“Thanks.” I put it on my bedside table. “Sooo, it looks like I ruined Rachel’s bridal shower.”
Nana doesn’t respond straight away. “Not exactly.” She shifts slightly. “We ended up going to karaoke. I wanted to call you, but Jasmine said it was best for you and Ola not to be in the same room. You know, to give you some space.”
“It’s okay. I’m not offended.” I return to mindlessly swiping through profiles. I can feel Nana watching me.
“Are we really not going to discuss what happened then?” she says finally.
I let out a deep breath and place my phone facedown on my lap. “Surely, Rachel and Ola filled you in.”
“Yes, but I want to hear your side of things.”
I run a hand over my hair. Where do I even start?
“Rachel told me something—it was when we were venue scouting with you. Something that Ola had found out and didn’t want me to know about. She told me so that I knew why Ola was acting weirdly.”
“Right—you mean this stuff about Jon fancying you back at uni?”
I nod. “Just before Ola told Jon that she was pregnant, Jon told her he had developed feelings for someone else. Well, he told her it was this random girl on campus. But all along, it was me. She only just found out.”
“That’s mad. And how did she find out?”
“Apparently they were talking about the past, and I’m guessing, maybe, that Ola probed Jon about this random girl he had developed feelings for, I dunno. I don’t know what in the world provoked Jon to tell her the truth—maybe he thought since it’s been over ten years and they have three kids, she wouldn’t see it as that much of a big deal. But, yeah, Jon told Ola that this random girl he’d developed feelings for was actually me. So essentially, I was the other woman. Well, almost.”
“Yikes.”
“When Rachel told me, I was like, now that explains why Ola has been so catty to me over the last few months. And why she randomly yelled at me at Kemi’s baby shower—”
“Sorry, rewind.” Nana cuts in. “Did you suspect that Jon had developed feelings for you at the time?”
“Hell no.” I scrunch my face. “I mean, he was always commenting on my hair, but that was about it. He never flirted with me. We didn’t even hang out. Trust me, Nana, I was just as shocked as you when Rachel told me. I was like, Jon liked me?”