CHOICES - by Vivian Ikhomiya

Chapter 5 The wedding preparations began a few weeks later. Kelvin and I spent more time at his parents' house because his mum wanted everything to be perfect. I was genuinely excited. This was our wedding, after all. I imagined the planning would bring us closer. Instead, it felt like I had shown up to someone else's meeting. His mum spread out fabric samples, invitation designs, and a notebook full of ideas on the dining table. "So," she said happily, "let's start with the colour theme." "I was thinking emerald green and—" "Oh, let's hear Anita first," she interrupted before I could finish. Anita smiled modestly. "I think champagne and ivory would be beautiful. Kelvin has always liked simple, elegant colours." His mum's face lit up. "Exactly! Anita knows Kelvin better. Let's go with that." I forced a smile. It's my wedding. I let it go. Then came the menu. "I think we should include—" "Anita, what do you think?" his mum asked again. "I know Kelvin isn't really a fan of spicy food. He'll enjoy this menu more." "Oh, you're right," his mum agreed immediately. "Anita knows what Kelvin likes." Again. The decorations. The music. The cake. Every single time I opened my mouth, I was interrupted. "Let's hear Anita." "Anita knows him." "Anita has good taste." By the fifth time, I couldn't hold it in anymore. "But... it's my wedding." The room fell silent. His mum looked at me as though I had said something unreasonable. "And?" she replied. "Anita has known Kelvin for years. She knows what he likes better than you do. We just want this day to be perfect." I stared at her, trying to process what she'd just said. "My wedding should be about what we want," I said, my voice trembling. "Not what Anita wants." His mum's expression hardened instantly. "Watch your tone." "No," I snapped before I could stop myself. "I've been watching my tone since the day I met you. Every idea I have is ignored. Every decision is handed to Anita. At this point, I'm starting to wonder who exactly is getting married." The entire room froze. Even Kelvin looked up. His mum pushed her chair back so abruptly it scraped across the floor. "Kelvin!" she exclaimed. "Are you just going to sit there and let her speak to me like this?" My heart pounded as I turned to him. Finally. Surely now he'd understand why I'd been so frustrated. Surely he'd tell his mother that I deserved to be part of planning my own wedding. Instead, he sighed. "Babe... calm down." I frowned. "Mum is only trying to help. You're overreacting." The words hit harder than I expected. Overreacting? I looked at him, waiting for him to say something else. Anything. He didn't. Slowly, I turned toward Anita. She had lowered her head, pretending to straighten the stack of invitation cards in front of her. But I caught it. The tiny smile tugging at the corner of her lips. It disappeared the moment she realized I was looking. That's when I knew. She hadn't said much throughout the conversation. She didn't have to. Everything was unfolding exactly the way she wanted.

Other insights from Vivian Ikhomiya

Referral Earning

Points-to-Coupons