My heart did that fluttering thing it had been doing more and more lately. I buried my face in her neck, breathing in her familiar scent.
“You’re freezing,” I murmured against her skin.
“Tell me about it. The snow’s coming down so thick I could barely see the road. I had to drive like twenty kilometres per hour the whole way back.” She pulled back to look at me, her hands settling on my waist. “Good thing I’m not planning to go anywhere else today, because this Nigerian girl is keeping me warm and cosy.”
I laughed, swatting at her playfully. “This Nigerian girl has been watching the show you recommended and is getting emotionally invested in fictional rich people.”
“As you should be, because David Rose is a treasure.”
We stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, and I felt that familiar pull in my chest. The one that had been growing stronger every day, the one that made me want to say things I wasn’t ready to utter.
“Let me put these in water,” I said finally, taking the flowers.
She nodded and headed towards the bedroom. “I’m going to change out of these wet clothes before I freeze to death.”
“Okay, dear.”
A few minutes later, I was arranging the sunflowers in a vase when I heard my phone ringing from the bedroom. The ringtone was loud, cutting through the comfortable quiet of the house.
“Princess!” Marley called. “Your phone!”
She appeared with it in her hand seconds later, now in joggers and a T-shirt, her hair still damp. “It’s your dad,” she said, settling onto the couch beside me.
My stomach dropped because they rarely called unless something important was happening. I took the phone, my finger hovering over the answer button for a second before I swiped to accept.
“Daddy, good morning, and happy New Year,” I said in Igbo, switching to speaker.
“Kelechi, my daughter!” My father’s voice boomed through the speaker, full of excitement. “Happy New Year to you, dear. How are you? How is Canada treating you?”
“I’m fine, Daddy. The cold is… an adjustment.” I glanced at Marley, who was watching with curious but respectful attention despite the language barrier.
“We have wonderful news,” my mother chimed in, her voice breathless with excitement. “Your father and I have been discussing with Chukwuma’s family, and we’ve decided to move the wedding forward.”
The world tilted. “Move it forward?”
“Yes! To Easter, in April. April thirteenth, to be exact. We thought it would be perfect timing. The rains will have started, everything will be fresh and green.”
My throat felt like it was closing. “But Daddy, I’m still in school. My semester doesn’t end until May.”
“Eh, don’t worry about that. You can just take a little break. After all, marriage is more important now. You’re getting older, and the Okafors are eager. We don’t want to risk them changing their minds.”
My heart started hammering as the room spun. I gripped the arm of the couch, my knuckles going white.
“But I thought… I thought we agreed on December, after I graduate.”
“Plans change, Kelechi. This is better. It means you’ll have more time to settle into married life before going back to your studies. That is, if you go back at all. Chukwuma is from a wealthy home; he can provide for you.”
My mother’s voice cut in, oblivious to my panic. “We’ve already started printing the traditional wedding cards! The designs are so beautiful, and the venue has been booked too. Chai, my daughter, you’re going to be such a beautiful bride.”
Bride. The word felt strange.
“Are you still in contact with Chukwuma?” my father asked. “He’s been asking about you.”
“Yes, sir,” I managed, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. “We… we text sometimes.”
That was true, technically. He sent messages, and I responded with brief, polite replies whenever I remembered to. I was never in the mood for calls, always finding excuses when he suggested talking.
“Good, good. He’s a good boy. His father says he’s been saving money for your future together. You’ll be very comfortable.”
