TWELVE
The day had been busy for the couple. Rick had to perform three different intense surgery and each one lasted at least four hours. He had left home very early thinking of the two operations but got to the hospital to meet an emergency. He had to rush to the operation room without preparing. Though the day was hectic but he was thankful the three operations were successful.
Diane’s day too was filled, as she had a meeting with her companies’ directors. All the directors of her companies from other countries had been in the country for days to talk about business fare in their various quarters. But today’s was most tiresome since they started. The meeting lasted thirteen and a half hours.
Both of them couldn’t be thankful enough for having their soothing shower, time to themselves and finally this delicious dinner with chilled Grape wine to relax.
‘Mother called,’ Diane said eating.
‘Oh, what did she say? Did she say anything about the wedding?’
‘Yes, she said the Father has chosen a date.’
‘Okay?’ Rick was eager to hear, looking at her but Diane ignored and kept eating in pretense not to hear him. ‘So?’
Diane looked up, ‘what?’
‘She didn’t give you a date?’
Mouthful, ‘she did.’ Diane continued eating.
‘And?’
‘What?’
‘The date!’
‘Tomorrow.’
‘Oh okay,’ then it struck him, ‘wait what?’
Diane nodded, caging her brewing laughter.
‘What, tomorrow? Th—that’s ridiculous; no preparations, no nothing, that’s fucking not possible,’ fear enveloped him.
Diane saw his expression and as much as she tried to bottle up her laughter she couldn’t hold it any longer, she burst into laughter. She slapped her palm against her mouth for food not to pour out.
Rick looked at her in confusion.
‘What?’
Diane was successful in suppressing her laughter; she swallowed her food and looked at him.
Rick was still staring stupidly.
‘Diane, it’s not funny. Tomorrow?’ he spread his hands, ‘no preparations, no nothing, it’s not possible.’
Diane couldn’t help his facial expression denotation, she burst into laughter again.
Rick sighed and looked at her, ‘okay tell me, you’re kidding right ‘cos tomorrow is out of it.’
Diane breathed and tried to calm herself, ‘oh what a good laugh after all the stress.’
Rick chuckled watching her.
‘Oh damn! you need to see your face, jeez, you’re not a man,’ Diane said laughing.
‘Gosh Diane, stop kidding, it’s not tomorrow right cos it’s just few hours to tomorrow.’
‘No it’s not tomorrow; it’s August 27.’
‘That’s in three months, is that not too far? Wait, that’s my—’
‘—dad’s birthday,’ Diane smiled, finishing his sentence for him.
‘Yes. I’m suspecting mom, I hope she didn’t plan it with the Reverend Father?’ he smiled.
‘No she wouldn’t do that. Moreover, I feel that’s cool, dad will be happy wherever he is.’
‘He’s dead Diane. He doesn’t know if anything is happening.’
‘I know he’s dead. They are dead but who knows?’ Diane blinked in thoughts.
Rick looked at her in amazement and chuckled lightly.
Diane smiled. ‘But you were scared hell when I said tomorrow.’
‘Of course, what did you expect?’
‘I expected you to comport yourself. What if it’s really tomorrow, at least pretend it’s real and say something, you know— like a plan or something.’
‘It can’t be tomorrow, you scared the hell out of me, my head was already scrambling, calculating a lot of things— today, tomorrow, just less than 3hrs, ah! What would happen?’ he laughed. ‘Well, we would just go to registry and then have another auspicious date for the white one.’
‘Even at that, we’ll still need to do some things; you don’t just go to registry like that. Moreover it might be booked already.’
‘Yea, you are right but we can just buy them off, there is nothing money can’t do, they would fix us in instantly.’
She gave him a stern look and he laughed seeing that.
‘I know.’
Diane ate on, ‘better; you wouldn’t do that.’
Rick looked at her and chuckled.
Diane continued, ‘We shouldn’t use our money to oppress people. We have enough good things to buy than buying off people’s happiness. You know— like the house you are buying tomorrow?’
‘I said I know, I was just teasing you and you should know that,’ Rick said.
‘Yea I know and I’m just saying too, moreover money can’t buy everything. You didn’t buy my love,’ she said.
Rick was silent; he looked at her, smiled and continued eating.
Diane stopped talking and focused on her food.
‘Did you?’ she looked up at Rick.
‘My love,’ he looked in her eyes, ‘Nothing can buy your love.’
Satisfied, Diane smiled and continued eating.
But Rick wasn’t done, ‘moreover I didn’t have the money then.’
Diane looked up at him instantly. Rick winked and they burst into laughter.
‘I was just so lucky to have you with me my love,’ Rick said with smiles.
Diane looked down and became sober, ‘or unlucky, I didn’t give you everything and I’m sorry.’
He looked up sharply at her.
’Oh no, no c’mon, Goodness Diane— you shouldn’t say that. Fine, it was your decision but I accepted, I mean I could have rejected but I agreed which equally mean it’s my decision too. So we both decided to wait, okay?’
She bit her lower lips, and nodded.
‘Love is not all about sex and moreover, I’m having it soon,’ he winked at her.
She smiled and shied away from him to her food. He admired her with smiles as she picked her food with her spoon.
It was only three months to the wedding day, so Diane and Shannel decided to start shopping for the wedding items little by little in any free time they got.
The day was so cool and alluring. One could almost swear it would rain. It was a perfect day for the girls to go out for shopping and they decided to retime their busy schedule for the day to another day as the weather was not something to miss a walk together. They were in the mall picking almost everything their eyes came in contact with and their basket was almost full but that’s no problem, they would just go for a new basket.
‘Really, you mean he already had the nick name Stone?’ Shannel laughed.
‘Yes,’ I couldn’t believe it either.’
‘And that lady you guys met told you this?’
‘Huh uh, a very lovely lady, I didn’t even know Rick had a lovely childhood friend like that.’
‘Well it happens; you don’t get to know everything about—, what’s that, is that a wristwatch?’
Diane looked at the direction and they went to it.
Shannel gazed at it.
‘Wow it looked so much like a wristwatch’.
‘It’s a bracelet but if you ask me, I would say there’s no difference. A wristwatch is also a bracelet ’cos nowadays people wear wristwatches and when you look at it well enough, you find it’s just a bracelet i.e. not working.’
Shannel laughed. ‘And guess what?’
‘It’s golden, your color,’ Diane tilted her head at her.
Shannel grinned at Diane.
Diane knew what that grin meant. ‘Take it, I know you will anyways, it’s not like you’ll ever let it go.’
‘Of course, I’m never letting it go, and it will fit my gown,’ Shannel said happily.
‘Just remember I’m the one getting married, and you’ve not even seen the gown.’
‘Don’t need to, golden matches all colors.’
Diane laughed and they moved on shopping.
‘You know Rick is acting somehow these days. He’s really trying to hide it but I can see through him like a clear mirror,’ Diane said in thoughts.
‘Maybe it’s the wedding anxiety.’
‘Nah, I don’t think so, he’s disturbed; something is bothering him and I’m only waiting for him to tell me.’
‘Why don’t you just talk to him instead of speculating? I’m sure he will tell you. He doesn’t keep things from you and that, we know very well.’
‘Yea, and that’s why I’m bothered. Why is he keeping this one from me?’ she was thoughtful.
‘C’mon girl, just talk to your man and stop thinking so deep.’
‘Okay, I guess that’s what I’ll do.’