Sally had worked so hard to build her business as a wedding planner to let one mistake ruin everything. She had watched the now-viral video of her getting into a heated argument with one of her clients at the club over and over again. She wasn’t thinking straight that night which led to the situation becoming bigger than it needed to be. That was the story of her life and how she ended up in the mess in the first place.
She had been planning Kate’s wedding for a month now and they had grown to be close friends. Kate invited her everywhere. Why wouldn’t she? Sally was the most fun and energetic woman she had ever met. She always lit up the room when she walked in and everybody liked her. Soon, Kate started inviting her for a girls’ night at her house. They drank, laughed, and played games all through the night.
“Brian, why don’t you join us?” Sally said to Kate’s fiancé as he poured himself a drink in the kitchen.
“No, thanks. I don’t want to spoil your fun.”
“Nonsense. Plus I want to know you as well. It’s part of my job as a wedding planner.”
Sally had a way of persuading people without even trying. Brian stood no chance and he found himself in the midst of five women, hollering at the gossip the ladies were dishing out. Every now and then he’d steal a glance at Sally and marvel at her infectious laughter. When she turned to look at him, he’d smile then look away.
The next day, it was Brian who invited Sally out. She was in the kitchen preparing breakfast while the other girls were sleeping.
“Yesterday was fun,” Brian said as he approached her.
“Yeah. You should come to hang out with us more often.”
“How about today? Can I take you for dinner?”
Sally hesitated.
“For the wedding?” She asked
“Of course.” He answered smiling.
They met later that evening at a high-end restaurant and four glasses of wine later, she was in a hotel room with Brian. She couldn’t fight the temptation and they slept together. From then, they met multiple times in the same hotel.
“We have to stop. I think Kate is suspicious of something.” She said to Brian.
“Why?”
“She thinks you’re cheating on her. She found hotel receipts.”
“We can’t stop. I love you.”
“I’ve told you. If you want to be with me you have to call off the wedding.”
“I will. I promise.”
******************************************************
One month before the wedding
“I’m going to tell her myself.” Sally threatened Brian after he failed to call off the wedding.
“Relax. You can’t expect me to leave my fiancé. You are fun and beautiful but I have invested a lot with her. I can’t just throw that away.” Brian explained.
“Do you think I’m joking?” She asked, removing her phone from her purse. “I’m going to call her right now.”
“What about your business? Do you really want to ruin your reputation over this?” He asked, taking out his Cheque book. “How much do you need?”
“I’m not planning your wedding anymore!! Get another planner.”
“I mean, how much do you need to keep your mouth shut.” He asked aggressively.
She was silent as she looked at him.
“500,000 shillings.” She said almost in a whisper.
He had handed her a cheque. “You have to finish the wedding planning. It’s too late to look for another planner.”
“After the wedding, I never want to see you again.” She said.
For the next few weeks, she went out of her way to avoid Brian. She never even attended the wedding. She got her final paycheck through a delivery guy and she was on to the next client.
However, a few months after their wedding, Kate reached out to Sally to help her plan another wedding for her friend. They remained close friends but Sally always felt uncomfortable around her.
The only reason she maintained their friendship was that Kate brought her a lot of clients. In fact, she helped Sally grow her small business into a multi-million empire. Within a few months, Sally was one of the most popular wedding planners in town.
Everything was going well for her. However, there was always the skeleton in her closet that threatened to ruin her reputation and business.
Brian was now the one blackmailing her.
“If you don’t want me to tell her, you better meet me at the hotel.” He texted her.
She continued to present herself as a responsible businesswoman on social media while she had an affair with her best friend’s husband.
*******************************************************
Two years later
Sally, the now self-appointed Beyoncé of her friend group, joined her girlfriends at the VIP section of the club where they were seated drinking champagne. It was her birthday and she had to make a grand entrance. So, she was escorted by a police car which trailed her silver G-wagon. When she arrived, three buff guys surrounded her and led her into the club to the VIP section. Even her friends were surprised by the grand entrance. However, it was her 30th birthday and she had to usher in the new chapter in style.
Two few shots were enough to loosen her up and get her on her feet jamming to the latest afrobeat songs. She was dancing for a while before someone interrupted her.
“You bitch!” The woman yelled as she raised her hand to slap Sally. However, her party was fast enough to intercept it which sent the woman stumbling backwards and falling.
“Who’s this?” One of her friends asked.
Sally was still trying to compose herself before the woman got up and tried to lunge at her again.
“You slept with my fiancé. He told me. I hired you to be my wedding planner and you slept with my fiancé.”
“It’s not my fault your man is unfaithful. I did you a favour, honey.” Sally answered nonchalantly as she sipped champagne.
Her friends laughed as they watched the lady struggle to free herself from the security guards.
“Remove this woman from our sight.” One of them yelled and Kate was quickly dragged out of the club.
****************************
“Kate? It’s Sally. Please talk to me.” Sally said in a shaky voice that betrayed her emotions. This was the 50th voice note she sent without a single reply.
She hadn’t slept for almost three days since the video of her in the club went viral. Most of her clients had abandoned her and the hate she received from online users couldn’t allow her to be at peace. Her whole world had come crumbling down in a matter of days. She tried to reach out to Kate but she ignored all her calls and texts and emails and voice notes. She even tried to call Brian but he didn’t pick up her calls either.
“Bastard!” She yelled as the phone rang without an answer.
None of her friends came to check on her. She was all alone with her thoughts which were getting darker by the day. Just when she was about to give up, her phone buzzed. Then she saw a WhatsApp notification from Kate. She opened it hurriedly.
“Meet me outside your apartment in 30 minutes.” The text read.
Sally wiped her tear and read the text over and over again until it hit her that Kate had finally replied to her. She quickly sprinted to her feet and made her way to the bathroom. She needed a shower so badly. After the refreshing shower, she poured herself a glass of whiskey to calm her nerves as she waited for her guest.
“I’m outside,” Kate said as soon as Sally answered the phone.
Without wasting any more time, she ran downstairs and met Kate standing beside her car.
“Hi.” She said meekly. Kate ignored her and walked towards the gate. Sally followed her and then took the lead once they entered the gate. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’m not here for pleasantries, Sally. I want answers.”
“I’ll answer anything you want.”
They got to Sally’s apartment and Kate made herself comfortable in a chair next to the door. Sally went to the kitchen and came back with two glasses of whiskey. She handed one to Kate then sat close to her.
“First of all, I’m very sorry for everything. I didn’t do it on purpose. It just happened.”
“Spare me the crap, sweetheart. When did it start?”
It then hit Sally that Brian hadn’t told her the full story or maybe Kate was trying to see if she would lie to her.
“When I was planning your wedding.” She answered.
From the blank expression on Kate’s face, Sally could tell she already knew.
“Why?”
“He came on to me. I was drunk.”
The pair went back and forth about the affair. Two hours and half a bottle of whiskey later, there was a sudden silence. Kate sunk into her seat and seemed to be deep in thought. Sally sat silently anticipating a slap or slew of insults from Kate. However, she just sat there with a defeated look.
“Why didn’t you tell me when you were planning the wedding? I would have never married him.”
“I was scared. He threatened my business.”
Kate was surprisingly graceful despite her once best friend sleeping with her husband. They hugged it out and cried in each other’s arms. Sally even offered to accommodate her if she needed to get away from Brian.
“Speaking of Brian, I have a proposal for you.”
“What?”
“I want you to be in a throuple with us.”
Sally burst out laughing thinking that Kate was joking but she wasn’t laughing with her.
“You’re serious.” She said
“Yes.”
“Did he convince you to do it? I know Brian can be a master manipulator.”
“No, I just think it will be fun.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
*****************************************************
It had been almost a month since the video of Sally and Kate arguing in the club went viral. The two ladies had reconciled and were even seen out together on several occasions. Despite the two appearing to have reconciled, social media was still holding a grudge against Sally. In the court of public opinion, she was still the home wrecker who slept with her friend’s fiancé when planning their wedding.
Several media outlets ran stories that fabricated all kinds of stories. They claimed that she had slept with every client’s fiancé when planning their wedding. Some of them tried to reach out to her to get an interview but she declined them. However, after trying and failing to clear her name on her own, she agreed to do an interview with out of the biggest media houses in the region.
“I’m not a home wrecker. I’m a victim.” She started as soon as she introduced herself. “Brian preyed on me when I was in a vulnerable state and threatened me afterwards.”
Kate, who had escorted her to the interview, was welcomed by the interviewer to share her thoughts. She walked into the frame and sat next to Sally. She then grabbed her hand and put it on her lap.
“I think I am the one who should be the angriest at Sally but she’s one of my closest friends. She’s definitely not the monster that she has been made out to be.”
“What happened then? Why were you so rude to Kate at the club? One of your friends almost poured her drink on the poor lady.”
“We were all drinking and emotions ran high. I felt guilty and continue to feel guilty about sleeping with an engaged man. However, for those judging me, you don’t know half the story.”
Things settled down after the interview. People saw Sally in a different light from the one in the viral video. She was sweet, charming, and most importantly, friendly. They actually loved her. Though she struggled to revive her wedding planning business. She was just glad that the public had forgiven her and she could go out without worrying that someone would hurl insults at her.
She also accepted Kate’s proposal of being in a throuple with her and Brian. It was actually better than she expected. However, things ended as fast as they started. Sally realized that she was a relationship kind of girl and that the party girl persona that she had adopted was not her thing at all. She met a good guy and began a new life with him that she hoped would lead to her own wedding.
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