Chapter 1: Making a choice.

Omotayo 

   

  I sat impatiently beside my mother and opposite my elder brother who seemed to find my impatience and anxiousness amusing. He hasn't stopped blabbing about how dad summoned this meeting for my sake and that worried me because dad doesn't just call for family meetings like this without giving us a heads up or at the very least, a reason for the gathering. 

 "Dad knows I left work for this meeting, right?" Temitope, my elder brother grumbled and almost immediately, dad showed up behind him and smacked him from behind. 

"Why is patience so far from you?" he asked irritably and I chuckled when I saw Temi's expression to the question. He looked so gobsmacked and confused and it actually felt good to be the one laughing and not vice versa. 

"Omotayo, how are you?" Dad asked suddenly and the glint in Temi's eyes as soon as dad asked that question confirmed my suspicion. This meeting was definitely called for my sake and I can already guess what they want to talk about. No wonder Temi kept laughing. 

 "Daddy, I'm fine," I replied plainly, already frowning at them in advance.

"This one you're frowning, hope all is well?" my mom who sat beside me finally spoke up and I knew that question was not only rhetorical but it was also a warning in disguise.  

"Adunni let her be. Whether you frown from today till tomorrow, it's none of my business. Today is the day you'll explain to your mother and I why you still haven't introduced a man to us," my dad interfered and I immediately scowled. 

"Tayo, duro na, Kini o gbero lori ṣe pẹlu igbesi aye ẹ? Is it until you're old and grey before your buried senses come alive?" my mom spat out angrily and I knew better than to reply to her since I already made the mistake of sitting beside her. 

(Tayo, hold on, what do you plan on doing with your life?") 

  "So you won't answer me? You have the effrontery to ignore me and I'm right beside you?" she blurted continuously and I had to shut my eyes repeatedly to avoid rolling them. 

"Mommy, I'm not ignoring you. I just don't know how to answer you and besides, we've gone over this before. It's not my fault I'm still single now," I retorted angrily.

"So young lady, tell me whose fault it is. Is it mine or your mother's? Abi, is it your brother's fault that you refused to get over your past? Tell me, whose fault is it besides yours? Every time we bring up this subject it is always the same excuse and you're shamelessly not tired of repeating yourself. So because one man hurt you, you've solely decided the rest of them don't benefit you and for that Omotayo I pity you. I truly pity you because prideful women die alone and I won't be alive and watch my only daughter behave like a woman without training," my dad said angrily and I'm surprised to hear him talking like this. Is mom finally rubbing off him?

This wasn't the first time my parents called for a meeting to talk about my marriage but this was definitely the first time my dad would speak to me with so much anger and disappointment. I looked at him for a while before turning to look at Temi who seemed too engrossed in his amusement to even recognise the tension in the room. 

  "I'm very sorry dad. I promise I'll work on it," I lied, trying to ease the tension between us. 

"Work on what? Isn't that what you said three months back? You'll now expect me to believe you and allow you to walk out of here without a permanent solution? Lailai, not happening. Daddy Temi, e je so fun," mom quickly chimed in and the last part of her statement confused me. 

(Temi's dad, you better tell her.) 

  "Tell me what?" I questioned my dad and he sighed. 

"Well Tayo, your mother and I have two options for you. We spoke to your friend Ini and asked her to set you up on a blind date but she says she has offered that to you several times but you've constantly refused. Now, we are ordering you to go on three dates and pick your favourable choice or you can go with our preferred option which is an arranged marriage," he said and I deadpanned. 

The sudden silence in the room made me very uncomfortable and when I looked at Temi for support, he simply shrugs indirectly letting me know he wasn't getting involved. Stupid big brother, absolutely good for nothing. 

"So you're telling me to go on three blind dates or accept an arranged marriage?" I asked again and this time it was my mother that answered. 

  "Since you have refused to help yourself, we have decided to help you out. So yes, you can either choose to make it easy for yourself by going on these dates and picking your choice or you let us pick for you. If it were up to me, I'd pick for you cause I'm not even sure I can trust you to pick a decent man," she snarled and I really wished I could pull her ear till she understood how ridiculous she sounded. 

"But mummy, it's my life now. Why should you be choosing for me? You can't possibly force me to marry a stranger and I'm not ready to start going on dates," I clapped back and my mom turned red with anger. 

  "So you're even shameless enough to refuse? You looked at me from head to toe and you were still impudent enough to open your dirty mouth and spout those useless words? Can you see your life doesn't have a destination? Awon egbe e ti marry, won ti bi omo jo and you're here saying we don't have the right to pick for you. Can you see you're slowly going mad?" she yelled with so much aggression that actually scared me. 

(Your mates are married with children and you're here saying we don't have the right to pick for you.) 

 She abruptly stands up from where she was sitting and comes to stand right in front of me which meant she was ready to rush me slaps if I said anything that displeased her. 

"Adunni, just let her be," my dad attempted to chime in but when mom turned to look at him with her infamous 'don't try me frown', he knew she was definitely not letting me go easily so he accepted defeat and sat back to watch. 

"Now back to you Tayo. I know you hate me. You hate me so much and I am sure you want to put me to shame but you will not win. Olorun ti emi Adunni nsin, ko le fun e se. Laye laye, you will not succeed. So you better accept our option now and choose one. If not, Omotayo Ajibike Esther Davids, you will see my other side. W* ri oju pipon mi," she warned and started to untie her head tie like she was getting ready for a fight.

(The God that I Adunni serve, will not let you succeed. Never ever, you will not succeed.)

  "But mummy it has not come to this now. I'm just trying to let you see from my point of view how ridiculous the idea of an arranged marriage is and how unnecessary the option of going on blind dates is. What if I go and I don't like any of the three men I meet?" I tried to reason with her and the next thing she does is use her head tie to smack my head. 

"Is it not until you go before you conclude? Why must you always conclude before you even start? Daddy Temi, you see why we should have never allowed this girl to study law. Instead of her applying it only at work, she's busy applying it in her personal life. Omotayo, it is final. You're going on those three dates and if it doesn't work out, you're marrying our pick. Is that clear? Oniranu, omo lasan ikeji aja," She spat out and I gave up on trying to convince her. 

(Stupid child, second to a dog.) 

"Just three dates and all this pressure will stop?" I asked this time facing my dad and he immediately nodded positively, leaving me with no choice but to agree with their ridiculous idea. 

"Fine, I'll go on dates but please at least for now stay out of it and let me handle it," I quickly warn and walk out of the room before they start to disagree. 

****

  "Ini, why didn't you tell me my parents approached you to try to set me up?" I asked as soon as I barged into her office and she gave me an irritated look.

"Good afternoon to you, too dummy," she hissed but I was definitely in no mood for her childish ways. 

  "Why didn't you warn me about the pit my parents were digging for me?" I asked her and she shrugged innocently. 

"It depends on the one you're talking about," she replied and I deadpanned.

"You mean there's more?" I asked, dreading the mere thought that my parents had more shenanigans under their sleeves.  

"Well, they seem to be tired of your single life and they're willing to do anything to see you married and since that's my objective too, I have no problem helping them with whatever they need," she said to me and my brain boils. 

"Unbelievable Ini! But you of all people should understand me na!" I yelled at her angrily. 

  "Understand what Tayo? That you want to remain single for the rest of your life because of something that happened two years ago. Daniel and Sewa are still married and their baby is two years old and you're still here living with that anger and hate and as your ever caring best friend, I should open my eyes and watch you ruin yourself for people that are not worth it? Not happening my dear!" she hissed back at me and I cooled down my temper since everything she said wasn't exactly false. 

  "So now what?" I asked defeatedly. 

"Well now, start getting ready for your date cause in two days, you're meeting the first candidate!" she squealed excitedly and I faked a smile although deep down I had a feeling it wasn't going to end well.