Sammy, a friend of mine from Primary school, called me last week to invite me to his wedding. He wanted us to meet so he could personally hand me the invitation card and we could catch up over happy hour.
Immediately after finishing our phone call I called the only other person I’ve been in contact with from primary school, my longtime best friend, Kat. She was just as surprised by the news as I was meaning she had no idea.
“Sammy? The nerd from primary school?” she asked
I laughed then replied, “Yea, that’s him.”
“He’s getting married before us? Karma really has a sick sense of humour. Remember how we used to make fun of him for his funny walking style.” She said.
“You mean you and the other girls used to make fun of him. I was nice to him that’s why I got an invite.”
“Whatever. He’s probably marrying a nerd like him.”
“Wow, Kat. Really?”
I could tell she was bitter. Kat, more than anyone else, wanted to get married so bad this year. Her marriage fever had driven her to the point of seeking “divine intervention” from the men and women of God. However, she’d always meet the wrong men. They’d take her for a fool, promising her exactly what she wanted to hear only for the relationship to end for different reasons.
“Yes.” She sneered. “Anyway, you go and bring me hot, steamy tea.”
“Okay, love. Take care.” I hang up then quickly forgot about that story until Sammy called me to remind me about our meeting the next day.
He showed up with another guy, both looking dapper in tailored suits. The last time I saw him was probably two years ago at an event we had both attended. I stood up, hugged them both then sat back down.
“You look lovely.” He complimented.
I wore a navy blue pinstripe dress with a black blazer and gold accessories. It almost blew my mind how much we’d both grown. Being in his presence made me realize how much time had passed since our childhood days.
“Thank you. You too. So, how’s been the wedding planning?” I asked to break the ice.
“Crazy. I thought men had it easy but it’s not easy marrying a model.” He answered and I almost choked on a bite of chicken.
“Model? Like Naomi Campbell model?”
“No.” he laughed. “You actually know her. Remember Melissa.”
Of course, I remember Melissa. Everybody knew Melissa. She was the talk of the town, hot girl, everybody’s crush. She would have been the Prom Queen if we had a prom. How she remained beautiful all through primary school to this day even when the rest of us went through our awkward adolescent stage is the reason she’s on billboards and music videos. She was also the most popular girl in our school. That’s why I found it hard to believe that Sammy was marrying his childhood crush.
I was convinced he was joking until he showed me vacation pictures of the two of them together.
“How did I not know?
“You know, her social media pages are strictly business and I’m not on social media.”
“Can I ask?” he knew exactly what I wanted to ask.
“Ask.” He replied smiling.
“How did you hit on her? I remember you used to be extremely shy around girls.”
“Well, when you’re worth a million dollars… I’m kidding. I saw her on a billboard one day as I was driving to work and I remembered how insanely attracted I was to her when we were kids. Honestly, I think the whole school was. Anyway, I hit her up on social media and she replied like 2 months later but she was happy to talk to someone from her childhood. One DM and many dates later, I’m marrying my childhood crush.”
I felt so proud of him, like a big sister. He was always like a little brother to me. I understood him better than anyone ever tried to. He was a bit different but still a very interesting boy. And he’d help me with my studies.
He continued showing me pictures of them together and their wedding planning process. He was really a grown man and soon to be, a family man. Not only was he marrying the girl of his dreams, but he also had a successful business.
It wasn’t very common to hear such a success story from our estate. Many people lost direction. Some became drug addicts. Others left the country and we’ve never heard from them since then. This wedding gave me an idea to reunite our former classmates and childhood peers. The man was rich. He could afford to host a few extra people.
“Sammy, would you mind if I invited a few other people? I’m sure guys will be happy seeing each other again. and what better way than the wedding of one of our classmates.” I tried to convince him with a bit of charm.
“You mean the people who’d bully me and make fun of me on a daily basis?”
“We were kids. I’m sure they’re more mature now.”
There was a long silence.
“Fine. I’m passed it anyway. Here’s your invite. We have to go shop for top hats.” He said then hugged me goodbye.
The day finally arrived and I dragged half of the class, including Kat, with me to the wedding ceremony. Seeing all those people in one room brought back many fond childhood memories.
Just as I thought, the day was splendid. Melissa looked like a queen in her wedding dress. She was even more beautiful up-close with flawless, glowing skin. Sammy looked ecstatic to be marrying her. The class of ’04 were finally in the same room again.
We enjoyed the day, celebrated new love and all exchanged contacts so we could meet up more often. The best part, Kat met a very handsome guy at the reception and they really hit it off. Hopefully, this one is the one.
