SteemSeries by @nneoma: Countdown

Hi! It's @nneoma. I finally decided to start my SteemSeries after procrastinating for so long. It is just going to be a daily write-up that will be released at midnight or around the early hours of the morning everyday (yes I'm a night crawler). I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to upvote.. thanks!

PS: The title is still a work-in-progress and I am open to suggestions

merci beaucoup

EPISODE 1: DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

The blue dress was beautiful and it made Nkem look royal. It stuck to her body like a second skin and managed to be on the line between ravishing and trashy. She would have preferred something less revealing and more comfortable, but it was not her wedding after all. As she ran her hand anxiously through her hair, her ring got caught in her hair. After seconds of struggling, she managed to pull the ring out along with a few strands of her weave.

The ring.

She lowered her left hand onto her lap deliberately and stared at the beautiful piece she had worn on her finger for about three years. The sight of it did not put a smile on her face as it usually did. Instead it brought a scowl. Kingsley was supposed to be the love of her life. He knew her more than anyone else did. Even her twin! They had met in her first year, just after her pastor told the congregation that women were specially created by God for men. Kingsley had used the man of God's words to woo her and it would not have worked if he had not been so attractive. He was not as tall as she would have liked, but his sense of humour covered up for that. He was serving in the state at that time and she liked that he was older and more mature than she was.

Their relationship was fairly hitch-free. They fought like any normal couple, but they always settled their differences. At the initial stage, a mere kiss could fix any problem they had. Over time, they graduated to make-out sessions of different calibres, before they eventually started having sex. Her first time was in her second year after a horrible test. She was in a poor mood and she had called him 'short and dumb'. It was a difficult one to make up for and she decided to pay the 'ultimate price' as she called it. It had not been good for her, but she could tell that he had had the time of his life.

Months later, it became a routine which she had come to enjoy and even look forward to. He begged her to move into his small apartment in her final year and she did so. She loved him after all and she knew no other man. She could not lose him over a small inconvenience as that. She became his live-in cook, laundry woman, cleaner and whore and she seemed content with the roles..

When her colleagues started getting married, she realised she deserved a ring as well. Kingsley had an amazing job and she was months away from graduation. It only seemed right. The marriage talk came up in a small conversation and turned into their biggest fight. Kingsley had to leave the apartment and she followed soon after with her box in tow. He called repeatedly for weeks before he decided that he could only keep her with a ring. It had worked like magic, although she decided not to give up her new apartment. She stopped living with him, even when he constantly mentioned that it was a waste of money. At least, she wore his ring with pride.

Three years had passed and now she was going to be her twin's maid of honour. They had switched roles. Her agitation was fanned by the fact that her twin only got engaged two months ago. The girl was not pregnant (although her cousins had concluded that that was why she was in such a hurry). She was just in love, she claimed.

"Love", Nkem whispered unconsciously. It left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. Irritated, she picked her phone and called Kingsley.

"Hello?"
"Hey babe! I'm sorry that I couldn't make it to the wedding. I know you are missing me", he said jokingly.
Truly, she was missing him, but that was not her reason for calling him.
"Kingsley", she said in a low tone. She always called him Kay. Kingsley was only heard when something was wrong.
"Did something happen? Are you okay?"
"When do you plan to marry me?" she asked quietly.
"Babe..."
"Do you even plan to marry me?" she shrieked.
"Nkem, just calm down. You know you make crazy decisions when you are angry", he said slowly in an attempt to assuage her anger.
"Kingsley, do not tell me to calm down. I am calm. I have been calm for three years now", she shouted while demonstrating with her free hand. "I am going to ask you again. When do you plan to marry me?"
"Can we talk when I get back?" Kingsley asked quietly. His tone seemed a bit too relaxed to match the gravity of the current situation and that seemed to irritate Nkem the more.
"No!"
"After the wedding?"
"No!"
"Honey, you are not being reasonable about this", he mentioned.
"I will send your ring to you via DHL!" she suddenly said, surprising even herself. "Scratch that! I'm selling it! I hope it costs a fortune as you boasted!" she announced and cut the call, without waiting for a response. Right on cue, her battery died. She put her phone in her purse and walked to the door. As she reached for the door handle, the door swung open suddenly and hit her lower lip. The fury she felt died in her lips when she looked up to see her sister.

The evil twin that dared to get married before her. Ada did not look so evil after all. She actually would have looked very stunning, but for the tears that welled in her lower eyelids.
"Ada, you look amazing! What is the problem?" Nkem asked.
Then, the waterworks began and Ada collapsed in her arms.