“Ei, Mr. Cues, you still haven’t told me your formula for this your kelewele recipe ooo!”

“Ohhhhh, Asor, leave the man alone, lah! Which kind Plankton life be this?”

Quincy, passing by the table, laughed at Deladem’s shot at Nana Asor. “You know because of this thing you say, I actually checked out that Spongebob cartoon? The way I laughed when I saw what the Plankton eyi is about.”

Deladem raised his arms, as if he had been proven right about a point. “Ahhhhh, there you go. Mr. Cues, I beg, be like Mr. Krabbs with this one. Don’t give her any formula biaaa.”

Nana Asor shot him an evil look before turning to Quincy with a sweet smile. “Mr. Cues, you diɛɛ, I’ll see you in chambers. Ignore this Keta Squidward. Enemies are not God.”

Quincy burst into laughter as we walked away. “I hear you, Asor.”

“Oh, speaking of Spongebob, who’s heard the Afrobeat remix?”

“I have! Chale, it’s lit!”

“If Olivia hadn’t heard it, I would have been surprised! Livi and cartoons diɛɛ…”

It was a lively Saturday evening in Cues Corner as the entire squad, Olivia and Irene were having a grand time together. Plates of half-eaten burgers, fried rice, kelewele and salad, and glasses of colorful cocktails littered the table as they laughed, teased each other and enjoyed this time together.

A few more minutes of trolling and chatting, and then Deladem stood up, clinking his glass with a fork.

The table grew silent as Olivia looked up at him, a smile on her face.

They already knew what the announcement was about.

“Chale, my people, major announcement,” he began. “I know you guys already know what it’s about: our upcoming wedding. So, me and the old folks and Olivia’s people have been working on a suitable date. It’s not been easy, but chale, we’ve finally settled on a date. So, the date for our traditional wedding is officially four months from now, on the 30th of November!”

The table erupted in cheers, everyone clapping and whooping.

“Perfect! I must get my dancing shoes in order for that day,” Nana Asor declared.

“You’re not alone. We are destroying the dance floor that day!” Becky added enthusiastically.

Deladem laughed. “I know sey you girls diɛɛ, you go spoil there ankasa. Anyways, so since you’re all in the groom train, I dey beg, if you go fit give Yao your measurements without going to the shop, I beg, do am sharp. The sooner you do it, the better. Na Yao and last-minute nibbies diɛɛ, he no dey do am well.”

Everyone nodded.

“I buy the lace take give am already, so chale, no long tins. In case any other matter come up, of course, I go make you guys know. But for now… it’s on, chale! It’s on! We dey end November in style!”

As the cheers went round once again, Nana Asor’s face had a wicked grin. That type of grin indicative of an incoming silly comment.

“Ei, Didayy! So you want to enjoy adi dɛdɛ for Christmas, eh? Well, I respect that. More power to you!”

Everyone at the table groaned. Of course Nana Asor had to throw in a dirty joke.

“So you kraaa, will you die if you don’t step out of order?” Clarence asked her, receiving nothing but laughter in response.

As the excitement simmered slightly and Deladem took his seat, Becky held up a hand. “Speaking of announcements…” she began, “I have one to make myself.”

Everyone turned to her, curious.

She looked down for a moment, then looked around the table, a shy smile on her face. “So… I wanted you guys to know that… Rakim and I are officially dating now.”

Everyone gasped in surprise and delight.

“Oh, praise the Lord! FCC has won the girl’s heart!” Olivia cheered.

Deladem looked at her, slightly confused. “FCC?”

She nodded. “Yeah. ‘Fine caramel chocolate’. If you see that man…”

“Oh, I’ve seen him paaa. Abi we met him when he gave Clarence his job at the networking party. My God. Fineness be what? Bole-Bamboi Adonis paaa, sosket!”

Everyone laughed at this description of Rakim.

Then Bruce and Clarence turned to Becky, ready to attack. “So as you dey there dey tell we sey maybe one day, you go need loan, na you figure sey you dey whine we, eh?”

“Ashock sef,” Clarence agreed. “You dey there dey kikiki plus the guy collect ein number call am angel, you say oooh, maybe you’ll need a loan. Kai, you no fit fool we ooo.”

Becky looked ready to defend herself, even though she knew she was not convincing anyone. “Ah, but you too. He’s the one who asked for my number. Abi I can’t be rude and refuse him, especially after the whole…”

“Eiii, Rebecca Maayaa, you dey explain ooo! You dey explain pass!”

Silenced, she shook her head as Bruce’s interruption had the others cackling.

“Anyways, all that aside, it’s lovely to know that you’ve found love,” Delasi commented. “With all you’ve gone through, I hope he treats you right.”

“Oh, he will. Believe me,” Clarence assured her. “The little I’ve seen diɛɛ, I can see he’s a great guy. Maayaa is in safe hands.”

“Ahh, if you say so diɛɛ, we thank God.”

“Oh yeah, nothing to fear, Delasi,” Nana Asor asserted, the mischievous glint still in her eye. “If she needs a loan, she knows where to go.”

“I know right. Madam Future Loan. Loaner and loanee,” Bruce added. “Loan-ationship.”

“Bruce, stop!”

Everyone continued to laugh at the way Becky was getting roasted. As they cooled down, the conversation continued.

Five minutes in, and the Aforo couple looked at each other. In the spirit of PSAs, surely they could share their wonderful news with the rest of the squad. Especially since they now knew the gender of their baby.

They smiled at each other. Nana Asor gave a small nod.

And with that, Bruce slowly rose to his feet.

“Sooo… as we dey share public service announcements, I think it’s necessary I share this one,” he called.

Everyone turned to him, an expectant look on each face.

He looked down at Nana Asor, who smiled at him, and he took her hand in his.

Becky put a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God,” she whispered.

The looks of excitement grew stronger on everyone’s face. Clearly their actions gave a strong hint as to what the announcement was.

Bruce nodded. “Guys, it’s been a long and tough journey. But God has been good to us and finally answered our prayer. People… a sweet little princess is on the way!”

“Oh my God, congratulations!”

“Woooohoooo!”

“Oh, praise the Lord!”

“Ahhhhh, the Lord has done it, finally, finally finally!”

The two previous announcements were great to hear. But the Aforo couple had undoubtedly saved the best for last. As the rest hugged them excitedly and celebrated, there was a major outpouring of joy. They all knew how much the struggle with conception worried the Aforos, so this was magnificent to hear.

“Finally!” Becky exclaimed, her arms around Nana Asor. “Oh, God, I’m so happy for you guys. A little princess for our group!”

“Chale! We dey thank God!” Clarence cheered, shaking Bruce’s hand vigorously. “The thing tarried, but finally, it’s come. All glory to God!”

From that moment, the atmosphere only got better, a magical feel added to the gathering, as if time itself paused to celebrate these moments of love, hope, and family. As plans for baby showers, wedding details, and future double dates were excitedly discussed, this little corner of Cues Corner was alight with warmth and joy.

Just a group of friends celebrating their wins and reveling in their unity, as it should be.

Ahh yes, nothing better than sharing your wins with your favourite people. We’re approaching the end of this wonderful series, and you can just feel the love…