Perfect Without Scars .{major Construction}

prologue ♣ she's up for sale

Damn! She hated these charity balls  Ajora thought  huffing, her face unsmiling and looking stoic

“come on sis.  It can’t be that bad” Ella said to her sister Ajora, laughing.

  The limousine carrying them stopped. They had reached their destination.  The Eko hotel in Lagos.

They both came down while the limousine sped off to park in its specially designed parking lot.

“I swear Elle, the only reason why I come for these balls, is because I know I’ll see Chris here. If not, they’re pretty useless! Just ask us for our money, I mean we’re the rich class aren’t we? So ask us for the money then! Why ask for our presence as well?”

“Touché. Ajora. Touché!” Elle said, cocking her head, laughing.

                 *     * *

Half into the event, the M.C for the occasion, BasketMouth as he was popularly called, spoke up

“And now, for the season you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time for the ladies auctioning! All ladies between eighteen and twenty five years of age are required to step up on the stage.  They’ll be required to introduce themselves and showcase any one of their talents. Thereafter, the men would casts their bids, and the highest bidder gets to take the girl out to dinner, and if you're lucky,  breakfast tomorrow too.” he finished off musingly
The whole crowd cheered on!
Stepping up to the stage, Ajora felt a little bold, smiling confidently. She’d been seated by Chris, her fiance, all throughout the event so far, so she already knew for sure, who was going to be buying her dinner and breakfast tomorrow. There was no other person who was going to win her off apart from him.
Taking the microphone to introduce herself, she felt she could have easily done without it, but at the same time, didn’t want to end up shouting at the top of her voice
“Hy. I’m Ajora Ndukwe. The first daughter of Governor Ndukwe. And I’d like to sing a song as my talent display”
Good thing she was an amazing singer. Ajora thought, wryly. she decided to sing 'love don’t care' by Simi, a popular Nigerian female musician, also her own personal and favourite musician.

" ...mama call me O.
Just the other day,
she said hello hello
I’m talking to you baby,
somebody call me
He con dey tell me say.
He see you with Omo igbo.
Tell me, are you crazy?
Girl are you foolish?
Shey Yoruba don finish Oh?
Wetin you dey do with Okoro
Girl I’m you mother,
you know that I know better O
But my mama don’t know
That love don’t care
Who you be,
where you dey from,
love don’t care at all
love don’t care
Who you be,
where you dey from
love don’t care at all..."

The whole crowd cheered heavily, giving her a
standing Ovation.
She was genuinely happy. It was only this little part of the charity events that excited her.  That made her keep coming.  That, and Chris.  She got a chance to sing and for people to genuinely comment, not to mention good company for dinner that day and breakfast the next day; knowing Chris was inevitably, the companion. Those were the only reasons why she kept on coming.

“Wow! I don’t know if anyone’s ever told Ajora she’s an amazing singer.  A very beautiful one at that” basket mouth commented jokingly albeit genuinely touched by her angelic voice.
“And now, its time for the auctioning people! How much do you think this beautiful lady with the amazing voice is worth? And don’t forget  all these are for the HIV patients in Nigeria. So give generously. The bidding starts from five hundred thousand naira." He announced out loud, beginning the auctioning.
“seven hundred thousand naira” numbers thirty-seven said.
“nine hundred thousand naira” number thirty eight said.
“A million naira” A number twenty said.
“A million naira going...” basket mouth said.
“Two million” number thirty seven said again.
“five million” A number fifteen said.
“twenty million” A number forty said.
“fifty million!”
“A hundred million!”

Wow! Things were getting a bit heated up Ajora thought. they hadn’t bidded this much for any other lady. She did wonder though. Wondered why Chris, so far hadn’t bidded on her at all. While she was still deep in thoughts, the bidding had gone far.
“Two hundred and fifty million going one ……..two…”
“A hundred billion naira” someone in the crowd said, and the whole crowd immediately quietened  down, gasping, wanting to see...know who had bidded that much!
She didn’t have to look up to know who it was though. She could identify that voice anywhere. It was him. Prince Osarodion Oghosa Edobor-Uzamere Christopher Dozie-Williams! The last son of the oba of Benin. His mother was Igbo. The oba had married her, a very young woman, in his old age. And had been so much in love with her, that he allowed her give their son an Igbo name and an English name, along with  his already laid down Benin names. Which was how he'd come to have the name Christopher Dozie-Williams. A name that wasn't a Benin name, added to his name. Although the Benin Chiefs had protested, but the oba calmed them down with the fact that this was his last son. A son who wasn't going to inherit the throne. So they need not be so concerned. And now, he was know popularly as Chris than as any of his Benin names.
“One hundred billion naira going, one…..two….three. number one wins the lady!"
Number one.  His signature number. He always turned out being number one in all charity events.

Her heart beat with renewed love for him. She somehow couldn’t quite explain how she felt about him.  It was beyond explanations! He’d proposed to her just two months ago, and their wedding was scheduled to take place in a year’s time. It was going to be one of the biggest weddings the entire country of Nigeria had ever experienced. A rich class marrying into an even  filthier rich class. She’d finished medical school just this year but had decided to take a one year break and not practice at all, so that all her time could be devoted to preparing for her perfect, dream wedding and admittedly, if she were to  be realy honest, she could go the rest of her life never practicing medicine. She could go the rest of her life not working at all, or even lifting her hand to do anything and still live this resplendent life of luxury. Her family and the family she was marrying into, were that rich.
Gosh! Since when did life become so perfect? The perfect man, perfect parents, perfect twin! All just fucking perfect. Even if tomorrow, life suddenly decided to take a turn out for the worst,  I mean, just how bad could it get? She’d at least still have her medical career and her dream man right?
Ajora had no idea just how heavy the gravity of that statement  was.