Cake, Chaos and Compromise
915 Words
"If I hear the word 'wedding' one more time..."
Ada let her head fall onto the sofa cushion.
"...I might actually scream."
Dara, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor flipping through a bridal magazine, looked up and laughed.
"You don't mean that."
"I absolutely do."
"You've been engaged for barely two weeks."
"I know."
"And?"
Ada sighed dramatically.
"I'm already tired."
Before Dara could tease her again, Ada's phone buzzed.
She didn't even bother checking the screen.
"If that's another relative..."
"It probably is," Dara said.
Ada picked up the phone.
Instead of another aunt or cousin...
It was Tobi.
She smiled instantly.
"Hi, babe."
"Please tell me you're free."
Ada sat up.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to escape."
She laughed.
"Escape from what?"
"Home."
"What happened?"
Tobi groaned.
"They've been discussing wedding cakes for almost an hour."
Ada blinked.
"...Wedding cakes?"
"Apparently, a three-tier cake is 'too small.'"
She burst into laughter.
"And that's funny to you?"
"A little."
"I'm suffering, Ada."
"I'll make it up to you."
"You can start by rescuing me."
She glanced at Dara.
"Where are you?"
"The café opposite the shopping mall."
"I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"I'll be the guy pretending to read the menu while hiding from his family."
Ada laughed.
"I'll find you."
Twenty-five minutes later, Ada and Dara walked into the café.
Sure enough, Tobi was sitting in a corner booth with a menu held suspiciously high in front of his face.
Dara folded her arms.
"He's actually hiding."
Tobi slowly lowered the menu.
"I prefer the word surviving."
Femi, who was already seated beside him with a plate of meat pie, raised a hand.
"Welcome to the support group."
Ada laughed.
"You too?"
"They dragged me into the cake discussion."
"And?"
"I made the mistake of saying chocolate cake is nice."
Tobi pointed accusingly at him.
"That started a thirty-minute debate."
"I didn't know it would."
Ada slipped into the seat opposite Tobi and reached for his hand.
"So..."
He squeezed it gently.
"So."
"Tell me everything."
Tobi took a deep breath.
"My mum wants a traditional fruit cake."
"My aunt wants vanilla."
"Your cousin suggested red velvet."
Femi added with a straight face,
"And somehow someone mentioned six tiers."
Ada stared.
"Six?"
Femi nodded.
"I'm not joking."
Dara leaned back in her chair.
"We haven't even chosen a cake..."
"...and somehow it's already causing trouble."
The four friends looked at one another.
Then, without warning...
They all burst into laughter.
Maybe...
Laughter was the only way they were going to survive this wedding.
Femi picked up the last piece of meat pie and held it triumphantly.
"I've reached a conclusion."
Tobi sighed.
"Should I be worried?"
"A little."
Femi took a dramatic bite before continuing.
"I don't think the cake is the problem."
Three pairs of eyes turned to him.
"It's the people choosing the cake."
Dara nodded thoughtfully.
"He's making sense for once."
"I always make sense."
"You really don't," Tobi replied.
Everyone laughed.
Ada rested her elbows on the table.
"Okay... let's settle this."
She looked at Tobi.
"What kind of cake do you want?"
Tobi blinked.
"No one has asked me that."
She smiled.
"I'm asking now."
He thought for a moment.
"Honestly?"
"Honestly."
"I don't care if it's one tier or ten."
Femi gasped dramatically.
"Blasphemy!"
Tobi ignored him.
"As long as you're standing beside me when we cut it... I'm happy."
Ada felt her cheeks warm.
Dara smiled and quietly looked away.
Femi placed a hand over his heart.
"That was beautiful."
Then he frowned.
"...Still think it should have chocolate somewhere."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Ada reached across the table and intertwined her fingers with Tobi's.
"My turn."
He smiled.
"What kind of cake do you want?"
She shrugged.
"I've never really dreamed about the cake."
"No?"
"I dreamed about the marriage."
For a second, the noise of the café seemed to disappear.
Tobi couldn't take his eyes off her.
"You really know the right things to say."
She smiled.
"No."
"I just know what's important."
There was a comfortable silence before Dara clapped her hands once.
"So..."
The couple looked up.
"Since neither of you cares that much about the cake..."
"...why don't you choose it together?"
Ada tilted her head.
"You mean go to a bakery?"
"Exactly."
"Taste different flavours," Femi added quickly.
"For research purposes."
Dara laughed.
"For eating purposes."
"Same thing."
Tobi smiled.
"I actually like that idea."
Ada nodded.
"So do I."
"Then it's settled," Dara said.
"You two will choose your own cake, and afterwards everyone else can argue about the decorations."
Femi raised his bottle of malt.
"To peace."
Everyone lifted their drinks.
"To peace."
Their bottles clinked together.
None of them noticed the elderly woman sitting at the next table, who had been listening with an amused smile.
As she stood to leave, she paused beside them.
"You young people."
The four friends looked up.
The woman smiled kindly.
"I've been married for forty-three years."
They listened attentively.
"I can't remember what our wedding cake looked like."
Ada and Tobi exchanged a glance.
"But I still remember how my husband looked at me when we said our vows."
She smiled at the couple.
"Spend more time preparing for your marriage than your wedding."
With that, she picked up her handbag and walked away.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Finally, Femi broke the silence.
"...I'm still getting chocolate cake."
The table erupted into laughter once again.
- Writer
