“Oh okay. So they’re all there already?” Olivia asked as she adjusted her seatbelt.
Deladem nodded, moving the car out of the junction leading to the Forson home and onto the main road. It was Saturday, and the squad was meeting up in the Fugah home. With the old folks off to Keta for the weekend, the twins and Delali had the house to themselves and had decided a little get-together was in order. “Yeah. Everyone’s there. Even Becky.”
Olivia’s expression lit up instantly. “Oh, that’s good. I was a bit worried about her, you know? I’m glad everyone’s rallying to keep her spirits up.”
Deladem nodded, his grip on the steering wheel firm. “Yeah, chale. We can’t allow her to be trapped in her place, dealing with all that pain and stuff, you know? We’ve got to help her out. Be her support. That’s what we’re there for.”
Looking out the window, Olivia nodded as well, her eyes momentarily focused on the familiar sights. “Yeah… she’s so lucky to have all of you. You’re truly like a second family to her.”
She paused for a moment, then turned back to him, a warm smile on her face. “And you know, Dela, I feel so blessed to be a part of this group. Like, I don’t feel like I’m outside the circle. Like, really included.”
Deladem’s lips curled into a small smile as he glanced at her, his gaze lingering for a moment longer. “And we’re lucky to have you. They all adore you, Livi. And why wouldn’t they? You’re amazing, sweet, incredible… the most wonderful woman one could ever get to know.”
Olivia covered her cheeks. “Awwww! Stop it, Dela. You’ll do and make my head explode from all these compliments. Then you’ll have a car full of confetti instead of me!”
Deladem looked at her in surprise. “Ah, na where from that one too? Confetti for the where?”
Olivia deliberately looked away, pretending as if she was blushing even harder. He could hear her holding back a laugh.
It became apparent she was being her usual self. Silly as always.
He shook his head. “I should’ve known. You diɛɛ, if I follow you, eh…”
***
About half an hour later, and they were at the Fugah household, which was buzzing with activity. The dining room table was perfectly laid with various foods and drinks, and in the living room, Deladem’s PlayStation 5 was nicely set up. The stage had been set for a good night.
As they entered the room and were duly greeted by everyone present, Nana Asor and Becky couldn’t help but squeal in admiration of Olivia’s look. Looking spectacular in her red Burberry blouse and cute skirt, the ladies were loving her appearance.
“Oh my goodness, look at you, Livi! You’re giving main character vibes tonight!” Nana Asor exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she circled Olivia.
Becky nodded eagerly, also checking her out. “Seriously ooo. This blouse? And that cute skirt? Girl, you are serving! Like Gen Z people will say, this is giving everything it’s supposed to give,” she added with a playful snap of her fingers.
Olivia chuckled and posed. “Awww, thank you, babes! I do my best, you know.”
“And it’s working papa! Chale!” Nana Asor gushed. “Please, I hope there was no problem while you and Didayy were coming.”
Olivia looked a bit confused. “Uh, no. Why?”
Nana Asor then gestured in Deladem’s direction, a devious smirk on her face. “Na the way you are looking sweet and showing us legs, I must to check. Coz this your boyfriend, small leg he sees, then kpokpo body wan wound am.”
“Asor, behave yourself ooo!” Deladem warned over the laughter that erupted in the room. “You go do make I sack you from this house.”
“Oh, kyerɛ! Sack me because of what? Abeg, go and sit somewhere.”
Nana Asor’s retort had everyone in stitches. Vintage shithousery and ‘out-of-order’ attitude from her.
A get-together like this was never complete without it.
***
The room was alive with snickers and the sound of buttons being mashed furiously as Olivia and Delali sat in front of the television, with FIFA graphics on the screen. The other ladies were in the kitchen, and had insisted Olivia get some game time instead of joining them, saying they would call her at the needed time.
So here she was, looking like she was in the middle of a crisis as Delali ran riot while Bruce, Clarence and Deladem snickered.
“Ah! How are you scoring me again?!” Olivia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air as Delali’s player effortlessly netted his fourth goal.
“Uhhh… because I’m good at this game, and you’re… not,” Delali replied, grinning mischievously.
Olivia groaned, then turned to Deladem, pointing accusingly at her controller. “This thing is rigged! Dela! I told you this controller has issues. The buttons aren’t working properly!”
Deladem rolled his eyes. Just as they all expected, Olivia was resorting to crazy excuses and sidestepping the reality that she just sucked at the game. “Yeah, sure, the controller’s messed up. I can’t believe it,” he responded dryly in a monotone, robotic voice. “What a horrible state of events.”
“Yeah, this is awful. Absolutely awful,” Bruce added, mimicking the tone Deladem was using. “I can’t believe Delali’s taking advantage of your faulty controller like that. That’s so horrendous. Preposterous…”
“Farcical. Outrageous. Astonishing. Risible,” Clarence piled on, duly following suit. “Oh, what a travesty of injustice to poor Olivia.”
While Delali giggled at the show of sarcasm, Olivia glared at them, pouting hard. “Haters! You’re all haters. When I get my groove, you’ll see.”
“Sure, sure. We await the arrival of that groove,” Clarence replied, a cheeky smirk on his face as he picked up his bottle of Sprite.
Before the game could resume, Becky and Nana Asor emerged from the kitchen, wiping their hands on kitchen towels. “Deladem Etse Fugah!” Nana Asor called loudly.
Deladem turned sharply. “Ei! Na this one you dey call my full government name, wossop?” he groaned, feigning annoyance.
“Come to the kitchen, quickly,” Becky ordered, her tone laced with urgency.
“Why? Because of what?”
“Please, please, just come. Ibi serious matter.”
“Herh, see, if you don’t say why I should come, I’m not moving. I make comfy for here,” Deladem replied, crossing his arms dramatically.
Nana Asor narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “See, Deladem Etse Fugah, if you don’t get up this second, I’ll personally make sure you don’t get even one grain of jollof tonight. I make serious pass.”
A threat enough to shake Deladem up. He glanced at her, then begrudgingly raised his hands up. “Fine, fine. But this had better be good. Na the way you dey call my full name diɛɛ…”
“Oh, it is. Ibi very important,” Nana Asor replied smugly, dragging him toward the kitchen while Becky stifled a laugh as she followed them.
***
A few minutes on, and after a comfortable 7-0 win, Delali stepped out to get a drink from the kitchen. With the second match against Bruce beginning, Olivia looked determined to redeem herself. She sat forward, gripping the controller tightly, with a mock steely look on her face. “Alright, Bruce. I’ve got this now. You’re going down!” she declared with fake bravado.
Barely two minutes in, and Bruce had already scored.
He laughed, casually leaning back as he pressed the buttons with effortless precision. “I’m going down, eh? You sure about that, Livi?” he mocked smugly.
“Ugh!” Olivia groaned. “Why always me?!”
“Coz it’s FIFA, not Disney trivia!” Clarence replied cheekily.
By the time the first half ended, Bruce was leading 5-0, and Olivia was ready to throw her controller out the window. Before the second half could begin, though, Delali walked back into the living room, grinning widely.
“Olivia, Deladem wants to see you,” he said, his tone casual yet carrying a hint of mischief.
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Why? What’s up?”
“Oh, he just wants you to come and see something. Just go,” Delali insisted, trying to hide his smile. “He’s in the kitchen waiting for you.”
With a sigh, Olivia put the controller down and lifted herself up. “Fine. I’ll be back to destroy Bruce later,” she muttered, standing up and heading to the kitchen, ignoring the snickers from the guys.
As she entered, she noticed Delasi standing there too, leaning against the counter with an easy smile.
“Delasi. Where’s Dela?” Olivia asked, glancing around.
Delasi gestured toward the back door. “Oh, he’s outside.”
Looking a little confused, Olivia walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out.
“Wh-what’s going o…”
The sight before her stopped her in her tracks.
She covered her mouth. “Oh my God!”
The garden had been transformed into a breathtaking wonderland. String lights hung overhead, glowing softly against the darkening skies, while candles flickered along a carefully laid path. At the end of the path stood Deladem, looking dashing in a crisp white shirt and black slacks.
On his left side stood Nana Asor and Becky, looking as excited as could be. On the right stood her sisters, Estella and Aretha.
And behind him was a large neon board glowing with the words ‘Will You Marry Me?’
Now it all clicked—the ladies keeping her out of the kitchen, the secretive smiles, the extra levels of fooling all evening.
They were all in the know about this beautiful surprise.
Goodness! They had been discussing the future for the past couple of weeks, with Deladem making it clear he wanted to make her his wife sooner than later. But this had not been something she had expected.
At all.
As she stood there, dazed and amazed by the glorious view before her, Delali and Delasi appeared behind her, gently taking her arms and leading her toward Deladem. “Let’s go, Livi,” Delasi said softly.
“Incoming sister-in-law,” Delali added, a big grin on his face.
Her legs felt shaky as she walked slowly toward him, totally overwhelmed with emotion. The closer she got, the brighter Deladem’s smile became. By the time she and the Fugah siblings reached him, tears were streaming down her face, and her heart felt like it might burst.
As Delasi and Delali stepped away, Deladem took her hand and went down on one knee. The screams of excitement from the ladies on each side of him were almost deafening. And from the corner of her eye, she could see Bruce and Clarence eagerly recording every second on their phones.
This was not a drill. This was happening. Deladem was about to officially propose to her!
“Miss Olivia Forson,” Deladem began gently once the screams died down, “I still remember the day I slid into the DM after you commented on one of my IG posts. That was one of the wisest things I ever did, coz dear Lord, life has been so much better with you in it. You’ve been the most unexpected, beautiful blessing in my life. Before I met you, I thought I had everything figured out, but you showed me that there was so much more to learn, to feel, to believe.
“Your love for God has been a beacon for me. Watching the way you live your faith so authentically has changed me in ways I never thought possible. You’ve taught me how to love deeper, how to forgive faster, and how to sing almost every Hillsong song under the sun. Baby, I’m a better man because of you, and I mean that.”
The tears continued to flow down Olivia’s face.
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and it’s not just your smile or the way your eyes light up when you’re excited. Though I can’t lie, your eyes, eh… they’re so beautiful and so… hypnotizing. It’s like they hold entire worlds I want to get lost in over and over again.”
A chorus of Awws and ‘How romantic’ rang out briefly.
“Of course, I can’t forget the other side of you. The side that’s crazy, silly, and completely unpredictable. From the way you torment your sisters to your insane FIFA excuses… Olivia, I no go lie, you’re quite mad, but you’re my kind of mad. And I would rather spend my life with you and all your beautiful madness than with anyone else in the world.”
More Awwws rang out around the garden.
Deladem then pulled a velvet box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a simple but stunning diamond ring.
“Olivia Forson, will you let me spend the rest of my life loving you, learning from you, laughing with you? Will you be my wife?”
Tears streaming, Olivia nodded furiously, her voice breaking as she managed to say, “Yes! Of course, yes!”
As Deladem slipped the ring onto Olivia’s finger, a wave of cheers and applause erupted from the garden, with everyone clapping, whistling, and shouting their excitement. The moment he stood up, Olivia threw her arms around his neck, and he pulled her close, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. The cheering grew even louder, and Olivia couldn’t help but laugh against his lips, overwhelmed by joy.
Just as the cheers began to settle, the unmistakable opening notes of Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John floated through the air.
Olivia gasped and turned in the direction of the sound, spotting Bruce and Clarence by the speakers, grinning mischievously.
“A perfect song for the boss of Disney trivia!” Clarence declared.
As everyone loudly agreed, Deladem extended a hand toward Olivia, a playful smile on his face. “Shall we? Our first dance as fiancé and fiancée.”
Without hesitation, Olivia nodded, then placed her hand in his, and he guided her to the center of the garden. Everyone began to sing along, their voices blending beautifully with the music.
Deladem wrapped his arms around Olivia’s waist, pulling her close, while she rested her head on his chest, her tears still flowing freely down her cheeks.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “This is… this is just perfect.”
Deladem pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You deserve perfect, Livi. Always.”
As the song swelled, the two swayed gently under the soft glow of the garden lights while everyone continued to sing along to the timeless Disney favourite.
The moment felt like pure magic. The garden, the lights, the music, and the love they shared.
Olivia closed her eyes as Deladem spun her gently. As the final chorus played, she whispered, “I love you, Dela.”
“I love you more, Olivia,” he replied, holding her tighter. “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Such a beautiful moment—pure, heartfelt, and beautifully unforgettable.
Awwww, such a beautiful proposal! There’s not much to say, this is beautiful!
