The Marrying of ZIM

37. The wedding 2.0.

I haven't slept for more than two hours the most. I stayed up the whole night staring at the wedding suit hanging on the wall, I couldn't see it because it was in a black travel bag but I knew that it was there. The alcohol finally knocked me out at 6 in the morning and I was now being awaken at 8AM by Sharon and Mama Ekuban for a 4PM wedding.

"Can I please get just a little more rest?" I asked them.

"No, you know you have a full day of activities. Here, we brought you coffee." She rested the steaming cup on the bedside table and drew me up by my arm.

I groaned and sat up fussing before I took up the coffee cup and sipped the light brown liquid loving the familiar taste of hazelnut.

"What's first on the agenda?" I asked.

"You taking a shower and cleaning up." Sharon said.

I took a few more sips of the coffee while I scrolled through the messages I had with Fatima who broke her promise of not falling asleep on me. I scrolled through my twitter feed and laughed a bit before going to Instagram and liking a few pictures. I locked my phone and threw it down on the bed resting the half empty cup of coffee back on the nightstand.

I got up and walked into the bathroom seeing that this time around Mama E scattered sage and bay leaves in the shower and I could smell the strong and overpowering scent of the lemongrass essential oil. I brushed my teeth first then took up the citrus and cucumber pink Himalayan salt scrub that she left for me and stepped into the shower. I soaped up first and then scrubbed my entire body feeling the salt crystals move against my skin in a familiar way that I was used to.

I hummed a soft song in my mind while I rinsed off and got out of the shower feeling bright and alive, the effects of the liquor quickly wearing off. I wrapped up in the white fluffy robe that had my name embroidered into it, this was a gift from Sophia, a sorry I missed your first wedding and sorry I treated you like shit gift. She did get an invite and I knew she wouldn't miss it since she was trying to get on Richard and I's good side.

I had breakfast in my room alone while watching Invader Zim on my MacBook that I brought with me and felt my mood considerably lift. I didn't want to think about the wedding nor what would happen afterwards so I preoccupied my mind with everything else. We still had to get married and my worst nightmare, well one of but not the worst of the worst, had come true; I'd be marrying someone that didn't love me as I loved them. Even though I was fine with that prospect on the business level, I wasn't fine with it after falling in love with Kwashie. She should've just kept her secret and her life private and away from mine, I should've stuck with my original plan of keeping this strictly professional and uptight.

I must have dozed off because my shoulders were being shaken, forcing me awake. I groaned at the sun spilling through the light hotel curtains wishing I was home in my bed cuddled up against Fatima laughing at some old movie that she wanted to rewatch just for memory's sake.

"Where's Fatima?" I asked.

"She's with Richard." Sharon told me.

"I cancelled everything and allowed you to sleep hoping you'd wake up on your own but it's now 2:30 PM and we have to start getting ready missy." Sharon dragged me up from the bed and lead me to a makeshift vanity.

"I'm going for Lisa, go brush your teeth again." She instructed me.

I hissed my teeth and walked off to the bathroom leaning onto the counter roughly brushing my teeth and my tongue. I gagged before spitting out everything and cursing myself then washed my mouth out, I washed my face with black soap and patted it dry while walking back to sit in the chair in front of the makeshift vanity.