Welcome to the second season of Coram! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? At the end of the previous season, Naphtali ended things with Natalie, the Smiths got introduced to an entitled side of Sodjah, and Elias is in love. How’s all that gonna pan out?

Well, buckle up and let’s find out!

“Natalie, you have disgraced us! Ehh, you have disgraced us big time! What will the women at my seamstresses’ association say if they hear of this? Aooo, Awurade! Na where kraa did this obsession with extravagant weddings come from?”

“Hmmmm, Esi, I wonder ooo. I don’t know what’s wrong with a lot of young people these days. So many of them don’t understand that marriage is not about the grandeur of a ceremony. It’s about commitment, understanding, and building a life together. Look at your mother and I, we’ve been married for thirty years, and we didn’t have a lavish wedding, but we’ve been happy all this time.”

“Tell her! Ah, all this superficiality doesn’t matter after the wedding is over. What matters is how you and your husband live together. Ah, ah, ah…”

“I… I-I… I just… I just wanted it to be perfect-“

“Don’t be silly over there! Does big and expensive mean it’s perfect? Don’t annoy me! Ah, who told you that that even guarantees that your marriage will be happy? Do you know the number of people who have done small weddings and are enjoying their marriages?”

“Hmmmm, I just don’t understand. You’ve scarred the poor young man so much, he doesn’t want to hear any pleas. Kyerɛsɛ, the counsellor tried to reason with you kraaa, you wouldn’t listen. And that’s a man who has one of the happiest marriages.”

“Say it again! As for Mr. and Mrs. Dolphyne, we know of them. Granted, their wedding was small because of how young they were and all, but, still, what mattered to them was making the marriage work. That’s what they’ve been doing for the last thirty years, and see how happy they are. Why couldn’t you take a cue from that? Huh? Oh…”

Sitting in her chair in her apartment, that dressing down from Mr. and Mrs. Adeko played back in Natalie’s mind. It had been such a low moment, having to deal with their anger after Naphtali and his family officially came over to declare their son’s unwillingness to continue with the wedding, citing her unreasonable behaviour and demands as the cause for this decision. They had pleaded and begged, but Naphtali, who had sat in that meeting in between his parents with the steeliest expression on his face, had refused to budge. Natalie’s stubbornness had done enough; he was done. He was no longer interested in marrying her.

Her parents weren’t the only ones tearing her a new one, of course. Naphtali’s parents were just as disgusted at her. Her older sister in the Netherlands had lambasted her heavily, furious that she had wasted money on a flight ticket back to Ghana for nothing. And the least said about her family head’s remarks, the better. Everyone was livid with her, in one way or the other.

Sniffing and wiping her eyes, Natalie shook her head. If there was one thing she really wished she could do, it would be to turn back the clock and drop that demand for a massive wedding. In hindsight, she now realised how foolish her stance had been. This was a young man who had loved her and wanted to make her his wife, surely there was nothing more beautiful than that. Why in the world did she deem it non-negotiable that he pay through the nose for a massive wedding?

Now here she was on a Saturday afternoon, sitting in her living room, still shedding tears over her folly. On a day that should have been a day of vigorous but excited preparation towards their wedding, she was mourning the loss of a beautiful relationship, destroyed by her own madness.

If only she could hit a rewind button and make everything right!

Alas, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride…

***

“Oh, so we were right all along?”

“Yes oo, Nana. It’s unbelievable. I’m still in shock. I never thought she’d actually go this far.”

“Chale, Divine. I’m shocked myself. So she actually went that far? Pushing her fiancé that hard for an expensive wedding? Ah, ah, ah. What was the point? Now it’s all fallen apart.”

“It’s sad, chale, really sad. We obviously don’t know exactly what happened, but she must have really gone overboard with it. But… chale, doesn’t she know that marriage is about so much more than just a lavish ceremony?”

“Exactly. It’s about commitment, it’s about understanding, about compromise… it’s about facing life’s challenges together. Not about getting hung up on superficial things like the size of the venue or some designer gown. Marriage is a partnership, not a competition to see who can throw the most extravagant party. But chale, ibi like she forget all that. All sakeof fairytale wedding.”

“Hmmm, ɛyɛ asem ooo. And now look where it’s gotten her. No wedding, and likely a strained relationship with her ex-fiancé.”

“Chaleyyyyy. It’s so unfortunate. I just hope she learns from this experience. Marriage isn’t about the wedding day ooo, my guy; it’s about the lifetime that follows. Hopefully she’ll let that stubbornness of hers die before it ruins any future relationships, na chale, life is too short to let pride get in the way of happiness…”

***

“Oh okay, okay. Well, um, I promised I’d get back to you about what you said yesterday. Soooo… Sodjah, about coming to stay at our place… I don’t think it’ll be possible, with the way things are at home. But I made some checks during the day and I found a good place to stay for you. I spoke to the lady and she’s a very sweet personality. She’d like to even speak to you tomorrow morning.”

“Mtcheeew! Nonsense!”

Sitting on the floor of his sparse room in the new house he was now staying in, Nii Sodjah was a heck of a mental mess. Sure, he was now free from that abusive woman he called a mother, and was under the care of a loving, pleasant lady who had been nothing short of kind to him since his arrival. But he was still miserable.

And this time, it was all his fault.

His expression was one of deep regret and sadness as he replayed the event in his mind.

That moment he scowled at Wayne’s offer to stay at another place and blatantly spewed venom at him.

Yes, he had not been happy about it; he wanted to stay with the Smiths. But how he wished he hadn’t spat at the man like that! He should not have let his emotions get the best of him the way it did. It was wrong, and now it had cost him a precious relationship.

“How could I have been so stupid?” he muttered mournfully to himself. “They were the only ones in this whole world who cared enough to help me in any way. And what do I do? Push them away with my arrogance and rudeness. Ah, how could I?”

Memories flooded in. Memories of them meeting with him in Zachary’s Corner and commiserating with him as he recounted his mother’s horrible actions toward him. Memories of the encouraging phone calls between him and the couple…

Memories of that rude reaction. Memories of that harsh response to the apology text he sent.

A text that shattered his heart into a million pieces the moment he opened it up.

“They were like guardian angels to me,” he continued, wiping his eyes to keep the tears from trickling down. They did so much for me. They were so, so kind to me. I shouldn’t have done what I did. I shouldn’t! I shouldn’t! Arghhhh, God!”

Clenching his fists, he pounded his thighs, feeling a wave of self-disgust wash over him. He knew he needed to make things right, but the fear was that it might well be too late. That text from Wayne was quite telling; the man wanted nothing to do with him. The fact that he and Alayaa rejected his calls made it only more obvious that they were still as peeved as ever.

He sighed and shook his head. “I wish I could turn back time and change my actions. I wish I could apologize and show them how truly grateful I am for everything they’ve done for me.”

Alas, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride…

***

The nurses’ lounge in Garsah Medical Center was virtually empty, save for one table, occupied by Stephanie Amartey and Alayaa, who were busily wolfing down some fried rice for their lunch. Alayaa had a much bigger portion on her plate, thanks to her pregnancy spiking up her appetite, and was already clearing it up faster than her best friend, who couldn’t resist the chance to make fun of her.

“Ei, Mrs. Smith! See how you’re clearing your plate! On any other day, you’ll be flexing the food. Now see you! Konji is making you finish all your food!” Stephanie teased.

Alayaa shot her a playful glare. “Oh, jee jɛmɛ! Can’t you see how famished I am?”

Stephanie, hardly fazed, pushed on. “Why won’t you be famished? Always jumping on your husband’s legitimate sausage, why won’t you be famished?”

“Please, when something is sweet, why won’t you keep doing it?”

Stephanie laughed out loud. “Ajeeiii! You eh, the way you and Wayne can’t keep your hands off each other, six children in three years! Mark it on the wall!”

“Oh please, we’ll use protection after this one. We’ll use condom.”

“Apuuu! You’ll use condom for the where? My friend, get away!”

“Ah, Awula, what’s your problem? I said I’ll collect with condom. Can’t a girl change her mind?”

“Your face like ‘change your mind’!”

“Ohiɛ fɛɛfɛlɛ, onu!”

As Alayaa and Stephanie were joined in mutual laughter over their silly little banter, the former’s phone began to ring. She glanced at it on the table, and ignored the call, rolling her eyes.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow. As Alayaa’s best friend, she knew the story of Nii Sodjah very well. “Lemme guess. That foolish boy who was rude to you and Wayne when you tried to help him, right?”

Alayaa nodded. “Yep, the very same foolish boy.”

Stephanie shook her head in disgust. “That boy really isn’t serious. Ah! How can you be so disrespectful, especially to people trying to help you?”

Alayaa sighed. “My sister, say it again. Wayne is still furious to date. He doesn’t even want to hear his name anymore.”

“Can you blame him? Na if you’ve gone out of your way to help someone going through so much abuse, only for that person to be so rude to you, won’t you be upset? Chale, the boy never force. Ahhhba!”

“At all. What annoyed me kraaa was the so-called apology text he sent Wayne. Some aloo apology bi. You can see it was just damage control he wanted to do. Ah! The thing really pained us. Na Steph, don’t we have the right to say we can’t let him stay with us?”

“Oh, Madam, you have every right! You’ve done more than enough to help him. You guys got him a therapist he can stay with. You went the full mile for him. So that foolish entitlement of his diɛɛ… it is total madness. Ah, is it by force that you should open up your home for him? Mtchew! Nonsense! Madam, forget him! You and Wayne did what you had to do. Now just focus on yourself and your family, wai.”

“Oh sharp, my sister, sharp. May the Lord help him recover from his issues. Now diɛɛ, it’s about us and our sweet baby.”

“That’s all. You did what you needed to do. I know Madam Henrietta will help him from now on. So chale, face your front. Now let’s hurry up and finish. I need to get to Ward 16 and give that boy his injections…”

“Me, I’ve finished ooo. Abi you were laughing at me when I was eating fast. You see your face?”

“Leave there!”

Well, Nat and Sodjah at this point have to deal with the consequences of their terrible decisions. Too bad for them…