‘So’mo pe iwo ni iyayawo ni?* 'You have to tie gele'!* And so I did! I had the gele tied firmly to my head on the 18th of May 2013. It’s always been a peculiar date ‘cos it doubles as both Ope(My Baby Sis) and Tennessee’s (My mom’s 3yrold terrier) birthday. But this year, it also trippled as Yewande’s Inroduction! I’m sure everyone almost forgot birthdays and only looked forward to Yewande’s intro. Well, I did! I honestly forgot my birthday this year (May20) too! The month of May was all about Yewande’s intro!
“Introduction,” as we call it here, is the equivalent of the Western ‘Meet the Parents’ gathering. But you can be sure that as with other Yoruba gatherings, a simple introduction can be overtly hyped with so much pomp and pageantry. And of course, my sister’s into wasn’t short of expectation…
Like all other gatherings in my father’s house, I anticipated lots of things : to give up my bed, my room, clean up more, yell more( well, I no longer yell as much*smile*), kneel(to greet) more, serve more, and of course dance more!
And guess what? I also expected to feel marital pressure in a new dimension… why? Because people, especially two dear people to my heart had earlier warned me to do something about my unmarried status before May 18, 2013 which was the beginning of my younger sister’s marital journey. They had speculated that I would understand the consequence of my unmarried status the moment Yewande started her journey. And of course, I laughed about their fears and made jokes of their speculations!
Please don’t get me wrong! I sure want to get married. I’m most definitely mindful that my biological clock is ticking and for a plethora of other reasons, I certainly want to get this phase over and done with! The crux of this piece is simply that I’m all the more convinced that my sister’s wedding isn’t gonna add any more untold pressure… My erstwhile best friend got married seven years ago, countless other younger friends and family have gotten married after that too and I have been extremely joyful. So why should my sister’s own be different. Someone said because she’s blood! But hey, to my mind, that makes it all the merrier!
Now, my sister’s journey has begun and honestly, the pressure I felt the most was the pressure of the gele on my head! Loll! But seriously, taking it off was a huge relief! And just as I took it off and sat to catch my breath after the ceremony had been rounded off, my sister came to me, knelt before me, placed her head on my thighs and asked me to pray for her! It was a beautiful moment and for me, the high point of the day! And of course with tears of joy trickling down my face, I poured out blessings from the inner recesses of my heart. I’m positive that no demon can block or delay answers to the prayers I prayed…
I’m sorry to disappoint all the concerned stakeholders (and perhaps myself too)! Maybe I’m just weird as some say or perhaps I’m just used to being a late bloomer or I just have the mind of Christ! Whatever the case, I’m convinced that the success of any of my siblings cannot warrant unnecessary /additional pressure on me neither can it cause any form of resentment. I really wish someone can search my heart and see how much love I have for allllll my siblings. I love them all too dearly! To the point that I don’t care if they love me back… their success, my success, their pain, my pain, their joy my Joy! Smile*
Let me seize this opportunity to doff my heart to the best doctor in the world who graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy this month too! I love you brother and I’m so proud of you!
That said; let someone tell the Unmarried Big Sister to go get herself a husband so that the stakeholders can have peace! LOL! Fret not my people! I have that sneaky little feeling that he is around the corner! Though he tarries, soon he cometh…..
Common Husband! I’m waiting…..Meanwhile; let’s roll out the drums for the first Aderoba Wedding!
He! He He!
*Don’t you know you’re the mother of the bride (translated literally)
*Gele is the traditional headgear of Yoruba women
