Escaped on my wedding day

Old dreams

Doris let herself into the tiny apartment as though she'd lived there all her life. She dropped her bag beside the door and headed straight for the bathroom without saying a word. The journey from the village had left a layer of dust on her skin, and she couldn't think straight until she had washed it away. The cold water ran over her face and shoulders, carrying away the sweat, the fear, and the remnants of the wedding she'd escaped only hours earlier. She stared at her reflection in the cracked mirror. The bride was gone. The woman staring back at her looked exhausted, frightened, but strangely lighter. For the first time in weeks, she could breathe. She wrapped herself in one of Temi's old towels before changing into a simple blouse and a pair of faded leggings. By the time she stepped into the living room, the smell of fried chicken and freshly cooked rice had filled the apartment.

Temi was already scooping food onto a large plastic plate. Without asking whether Doris was hungry, she placed two generous pieces of chicken beside the rice and set it on the small wooden table. Old friends didn't waste time asking unnecessary questions.

"You should eat before you start explaining yourself," Temi said, dragging a stool closer.

Doris smiled weakly. "I was hoping you'd say that." She sat down and took the first spoonful, the warm food settled into her empty stomach like medicine. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the ceiling fan squeaking overhead and the noisy generator outside the window.

Temi folded her arms. "So..." she began. "By now, you should be in your husband's house, enjoying yourself."

Doris looked up slowly. "You've started."

Temi couldn't hold back her grin. "I've started."

Doris shook her head. "I told you before I came that I wasn't going through with it."

"I thought maybe village people would change their minds."

"They almost did."

Temi's smile faded. "You actually escaped?"

"I climbed through the window."

Temi blinked. "You what?"

"I climbed through the window."

For a moment, Temi simply stared, then she burst into laughter so loud she almost slipped off her stool. "You? Doris? The girl that was always following rules in school?"

"I was desperate."

"My God..."

Temi wiped tears from the corner of her eyes. "You actually ran away from your own wedding."

"I didn't run."

"You flew."

They both laughed. The laughter lasted only a few seconds before silence settled between them again.

Doris stared at her food. "I couldn't marry him."

Temi nodded gently. "I know."

"He was old enough to be my father, my mother didn't even ask me if I was interested." Doris sighed. "It was like my life didn't belong to me anymore."

Temi reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "It belongs to you now."

Doris looked at her gratefully. "Ahn… before I forget." She bent down and reached into her travel bag. "I bought something."

Temi's eyes brightened. "Chin chin?"

Doris nodded dramatically. "Fresh one."

"Bring it!"

Doris searched inside the bag for a few seconds before looking up with a perfectly straight face. "Sorry."

"What sorry?"

"I finished it on the bus."

Temi narrowed her eyes. "You better be joking."

"I'm not."

"You finished the whole thing?"

"I was hungry."

Temi pointed toward the door. "You can still return to your village."

Doris burst into laughter. "So that old man can continue where we stopped?"

"You deserve him."

"You wicked girl."

The apartment filled with laughter once again. When they finally calmed down, Doris pulled out another item from her bag. She handled this one carefully. A worn notebook. The corners had curled with age, and the cover had faded from years of being carried around.

Temi's eyes widened immediately. "You still have it?"

"Of course."

"You kept all your fashion sketches?"

"I'll never throw them away."

Temi collected the notebook and flipped through its pages. Elegant dresses, corporate suits, wedding gowns, even casual wear. Some pages were covered with tiny notes about fabrics and beadwork, others had measurements scribbled in the margins. Temi smiled. "You've improved."

"I've been practicing."

"You remember Rich College?”

Doris laughed. "How can I forget?"

"You were always drawing clothes instead of paying attention in class."

"And you were always collecting punishment because you refused to stop talking."

"I still refuse."

They both laughed. Temi stopped at one particular sketch. A fitted evening gown with hand-drawn bead patterns. "You did this in SS3."

"I remember."

"We really believed we'd own the biggest fashion house in Lagos."

"We still can."

Temi looked up. "You still believe that?"

"I have to."

"What was the name we gave it then?"

Doris frowned thoughtfully."It started with 'Tem...'"

Temi snapped her fingers. "Temidoris Fashion House!"

Doris laughed. "Yes!"

"You'll design."

"And I'll sew."

"We'll become rich, we'll employ people."

"We'll travel, we'll buy cars."

"We'll buy houses."

They both laughed again. For a few moments… They were seventeen again. Two girls dreaming inside a classroom. Life had seemed much simpler then. Temi slowly closed the notebook. "You know..." Her voice became quieter. "Everybody comes to Lagos believing they'll make it., then Lagos started collecting payment."

Doris looked at her "What payment?"

"Rent, transport, hunger, disappointment." Temi shrugged. "If you don't have money..." She snapped her fingers."...this city humbles you."

Doris listened carefully.

"You also need connections, the kind ordinary people don't have." She leaned back in her chair. "I've seen graduates selling recharge cards, I've seen people with master's degrees driving keke, lagos doesn't care who you were before you arrived."

The room became quiet. Temi opened the notebook again. She pointed at one of Doris's favorite designs. "You know what?"

"What?"

"Throw this notebook away."

Doris frowned. "What?"

"Use it as tissue paper."

Doris laughed so hard she nearly dropped her spoon. "Lagos has dealt with you."

Temi raised both hands dramatically. "Dealt with me? My sister… Lagos has flogged me, it has slapped me, it has taught me lessons I never registered for."

Doris continued laughing, then she became serious. "I still need work."

Temi nodded. "I know."

"Anything. I don't care what it is, I just need to start, I can't sit here doing nothing."

Temi tapped her fingers thoughtfully against the table. "I'll ask around tomorrow. I know someone who sometimes gets ushering jobs. They pay small, but it's a start."

Doris's eyes brightened. "I'll do it."

"You haven't even heard of the pay."

"I'll still do it."

Temi smiled. "I knew you'd say that."

Doris looked around the tiny apartment. It wasn't much, the paint on the walls had begun to peel, the curtains had faded from years of sunlight. The fan made more noise than a breeze, yet it felt safer than the house she'd left behind.

She looked at Temi. "My beloved friend."

Temi placed a hand on her chest dramatically. "Continue."

"My one and only friend."

"Continue."

"My personal destiny helped."

Temi laughed loudly. "My head is swelling."

"You deserve it."

The laughter slowly faded. Doris stood and walked toward the small window. Outside, Lagos buzzed with life despite the approaching night. Danfo buses squeezed past each other, a conductor shouted destinations at the top of his lungs. A woman pushed a wheelbarrow loaded with oranges. Somewhere nearby, someone argued over change. The city felt alive. She rested both hands on the window frame.

"I came here to make something of myself."

Temi looked at her quietly.

"And I will." Her voice carried a certainty that surprised even herself. "I don't know how, I don't know when but I know one thing." She turned. "I'm never going back to that village."

Temi smiled softly. "I know you're hardworking, I've always known, God will help you."

Doris shook her head. "I believe he will." She smiled. "But he has already helped me."

"How?"

"I found the courage to climb out of that window." She looked back toward the city lights stretching endlessly into the distance. "The rest...I'll fight for."

Outside, Lagos carried on without noticing the young woman standing behind the window. Cars honked impatiently, generators rumbled, streetlights flickered to life. The city welcomed thousands of strangers every day, some came chasing dreams, others came running from nightmares. Doris had come for both. She smiled at the glowing skyline, believing it held the future she had always wanted. She had no idea that somewhere in that vast city… Someone was already preparing to open a door that would change her life forever.