The day before January 1, 2024 was my friend's wedding. He couldn't wait to be joined to his wife as the wedding bell jingled in his heart. I was his groomsman, so I had to travel with him two days before his wedding to his village. We were welcomed nicely with freshly prepared palm wine and our local delicacies. My body felt a change as I gulped a meal it had longed for for quite some time. But this was not the most spectacular thing that happened, It was the start of a new phase in my life for the fairytale kind of ending.
The New year celebration started the very night the hands of the clock positioned at 12AM. The local drummers were set and the people couldn't wait to realize how true it was that they crossed over to the new year. The drumming and dancing started, children stood in a circle as they watched the few who were in the center dancing, on the other side of the dancing floor were men who had given themselves to drunkenness, I believe it was their way of celebrating the new year. Among them were those who had drunk themselves to stupor looking for support to help them stand their feeble feet.
On the other side of the field where the dancing was happening, was me and a damsel, who later became the beginning of a beautiful year for me. Love can happen anywhere, and this was the least place I could expect that love would find me. I had served my friend faithfully as a groomsman and nature felt it worthy to reward me with the chief bridesmaid. I can't remember giving her a love glance, there was no butterfly at my first sight, all I can remember was complimenting her beauty and the first blush was enough to melt my rigid heart.
The rest of the holiday became especially beautiful as we spent the rest of the days in the village together exploring every cranny with beautiful gardens that spice up love. What could be more beautiful than finding love just at the end of one year after so many years of looking for Cinderella only to end up falling for Sandra-rella. She was a girl i have met once and she wasn't my spec but suddenly became someone i cherished in one night. This made the holiday altogether wonderful.
The drumming and cultural dance didn't hold much interest to me, the cold breeze that enveloped the serene atmosphere in the village no longer appeased me. The food was no longer enticing, finding love held me bound to the beauty of the holiday and for a moment I was glad I was there. I was able to have a new friend and a lover to start the new year with. I know this may not be a big deal finding love but not for someone of my type whose heart was made in the brick house heated until it hardened. If there is one thing I gained during this period of celebration, then it should be the fact that the holiday gave me a gift that will mark the beginning of something beautiful.