"No, I think it looks better over here."
"Mba Chichi. It is a disco strobe light for god sake. Disco lights are meant to be in the middle of the dance floor not at the entrance..Ahah?" I exclaimed exasperatedly, while massaging the bridge of my nose.
"Sheesh! Okay, the middle of the dance floor it is, before you eat me raw." Chi retorted, slapping her hands against her thighs in defeat.
It was finally the day of the party, so Chioma and I were refurbishing the hall to fit young adult standards. The hotel had already set everything up for us before, but we tore it down because the arrangement made it look like a wedding reception, which was a far cry from what we wanted. So far it looked great.
Chioma, my younger brother Kelechi and I mounted pink and purple strobe lights, created a dance floor, the DJ's island and scattered a few chairs here and there. Of course my parents could have hired people to do this, but we insisted on doing it ourselves. And it was fun!
"So, Chidinma.." said Chichi breaking my train of thought.
"Hmm?" I answered hesitantly, due to the coy undertone in her voice. Whenever she used that tone, it meant she was about to ask or do something she knew I wouldn't fancy.
"Tell me, did you invite Rex?"
My heart skipped a beat when she mentioned my high school flames name. Honestly, I was surprised to know that just hearing his name still made me react like this, even after so many years. Rex had been the perfect guy as at that time. He was everything; friend, lover, admirer, my future marriage partner, enemy, secret lover, the whole flames!.
We were together as an item from Senior Secondary one to Senior Secondary three. We broke up at SS3 second term, because we had our futures to think about and sadly those futures involved different universities in different states. He went to the University of Port Harcourt and I, University of Lagos to study Mass Communications. It has been four years since we saw each other. I tried contacting him, but he never called back, so whatever connections we had just fizzed out. I guess we both had busy lives.
"No Chichi." I answereid exasperatedly, "I didn't."
"Well that's just f**ked up!" Chi swore in response, clucking her tongue and shaking her head.
"Why on Earth do you have to be so vulgar Chi? Besides I couldn't invite him even if I wanted to. We haven't been in touch for years."
"Wait!.. you're telling me that after our grad party you two didn't see each other again?"
"Nope."
"Omo, girl, una own bad oo. At least you guys should have arranged for a get together na, I mean, just to get in touch na." She elaborated staring up at me as she rested her chin on the foldable ladder on which I stood, trying to install a strobe light.
"See girl, that was back then okay? Secondary school, when we still had stupid crushes and infatuations, nothing ever serious." I replied sighing heavily, already getting exhausted with the topic.
Chii just chuckled.
"See you. Talking like as if you didn't feel anything at all. Me, I didn't like anybody at all oo." She announced animatedly.
Now it was my own turn to laugh.
"Eziokwu!( Is that so?) Hmph! What about your Richie boy?" I asked teasingly.
"Richie ko?, Richie nii? Da one na human being? That time with in big eyes. Mtchewwww...." She hissed playfully eyeing me.
"Ohh, I forgot...its Samuel, your Superman. Two of you are so cute together." I teased again as I watched her smile, a wistful, longing smile.
Chioma had never really liked guys until she met Samuel. They met one day at the mall when an àgbero ( tout ) stole her purse and Samuel who had been stalking her ever since he laid eyes on her, ran after the man to retrieve it. Ever since then, they have been inseparable. Samuel just recently travelled to the States and even though he declares his love for her every single day, Chichi is scared that he might fall in love with some foreign woman and leave her.
"Abeg stop blushing! Let us go and look for dresses or go shopping sef. We still have like six more hours before the party." I exclaimed mockingly, while coming down from the ladder.
"Okay na. But abeg, no dress that your freaky fusion style. It's gonna be a party so dress fine o. Maybe another guy will see you." She said smiling widely, her diastema on full display.
"Onye alá!"( mad person). I said. We both justed some more about secondary school while packing up, the laughing loudly, we went outside to my blue convertible, Kelechi in tow as he draped both hands over our shoulders, feeling his newly gained height.
No one could replace Chichi in my life.
No one.
~~~~~~~
"Girl! Dis dress fine oh!" Said Chichi holding up a red body con dress with a peacock feather opening at the chest area that would probably show off cleavage. We were at Beauties' Boutique in ShopRite, the best place in Lagos for ladies to go shopping.
"No thank you!" I said. I absolutely hated dresses that show off cleavage.
"See Dinma, we have only four hours left."
"Chi, chill!" I said fishing out a purple dress from the standing clothes rack, a purple dress I fell in love with instantly.
"Okay, I've seen! Let's roll."
"Finally!!" Chichi exclaimed.
~~~~~~
For non Nigerians;
"Mba" means "No".
"Oo" and "na" is used for emphasis.
"Abeg" is another way to say please.
"Sef" can be translated to 'better still' in English.