The wedding was going to start at 4p.m but Kay and Chorale got there at 2p.m.
When her mother saw her, her eyes were filled with tears, tears of happiness.
“My little girl is all grown up now!” she exclaimed and hugged her. Everyone laughed.
Both Kay and Chorale went to greet most of the relatives they knew around. They saw Chorale’s favorite cousin, Elise and went to greet her as well. She was so happy to see that Chorale was expecting a baby soon. Kay stayed back to talk to Elise’s elder brother, Ethan. He was an architect and he wanted to discuss some business with Kay.
Chorale excused herself. She had to go and see her sister. On the way to the bride-to-be’s room, she overheard an elderly woman who she didn’t recognize as a relative gossiping about her to another woman that Chorale didn’t recognize either.
“Is that not the first daughter of Agnes?” the old woman in a very faded white African print dress asked.
“She’s the one” the other one in blue answered with so much disdain evident in her tone.
“When did she get married that Agnes did not let us know?”
“Married?” the one in blue spat, “That wayward girl didn’t get married, my sister. I heard she moved in with her very rich boyfriend and now she’s pregnant with his child, and unmarried too.” She answered, adjusting her head scarf on her head as they walked away, unaware that Chorale had heard their conversation.
Chorale was shattered. How did they think like that? The fact that she was unmarried and pregnant didn’t mean that she was wayward or any less of a woman. She wiped her tears and walked away. She was not going to let their ignorant comments ruin her day.
She first saw her dad when she entered the house and run to hug him but he was on a call so she signaled to him she would be back. She knocked on so many doors, all the time getting the wrong room before she finally saw her sister’s room. She knocked several times before she heard a thin voice say, “Come in, please”
She opened the door and her mouth hang open in shock and admiration. Admiration because, her sister was already dressed in her gown, just without the veil and she looked so beautiful. Chorale had tears in her eyes.
The gown was simple but elegant. It was a mermaid gown that was fitted till the calf and then tapered into a long trail behind her. At the back, it had been cut low to the waist, revealing her beautiful brown skin and accentuating her curves. She looked queenly.
Chorale was shocked because, her face looked like she had been crying a while ago. Why would she cry on a day like this? When Valerie turned and saw that it was her elder sister at the door, she burst into fresh tears. Chorale was alarmed and rushed to her side,
“What’s wrong, Val?” she asked, hugging her sister who was taller than her, even without heels.
“Chorale…I…I’m nervous.” She wept, “I’m so excited for today, it’s making me nervous.”
Chorale hugged her tighter and told her to let all her tears out. She patted her back, and told soothing words to her. After a few minutes, Val calmed down and they sat on the bed.
“Feel better?” Chorale asked Val who was sniffling into a tissue and she nodded, “Thank you.”
“You look beautiful,” Chorale complimented.
“I do?” she asked, wide-eyed and Chorale nodded, with a smile. But your make-up is a mess now. Let me help you with it.” She used a facial cleanser to clean the remains of the previous make-up then she applied primer and concealer that matched Val’s skin tone. Val had oily skin, so she applied a matte-finish foundation instead, over the concealer.
“Where’d you learn to do make-up so well?” Val teased and they both laughed
“Derrick’s girlfriend taught me,” she said, now applying a bronzer and highlighter to her forehead, nose, cheeks and her chin.
Val’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, “Derrick has a girlfriend?!”
“He does. And I know the girl too. She’s the daughter of a good friend of mine in Mexico” she put blush on Val’s cheek.
“Mexico? So that’s why he wants to go and study in Mexico, huh?” Val asked.
“I think so,” she laughed. Then she swirled the chair to face the mirror so that Val could see her face. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took herself in, “I do look beautiful.”
“But I’m not even done yet. Just you wait and see” she swirled the chair away from the mirror and got to work on her eyes. The make-up artist had earlier on shaped and filled her eyebrows so Chorale just went on to dust and crease her eyelids with a nude eye shadow. Then she used some eyeliner in her waterline, adding definition to her small eyes. She finished it with some mascara.
When she stepped back and looked at her handiwork, she smiled in satisfaction.
“I’ll do your lips now. What color do you want?” she asked, looking at the different colors of lipstick that had been lined up on the dresser.
YOU ARE READING
CHORALE SANDERS
Romance"I cannot tell you anything right now, but promise me, Mama Rica. Promise me you'll take care of him for me, now that I won't be here to." She took the older lady's face in her hands, looking at her with very teary eyes. "Don't leave him like I am...
