THE PRESSURE IS GETTING WESSER

When I woke up the next day, I had the urge to get up and fight. But then I remembered I was no longer one of God’s strongest soldiers.

The fight, the battle called life, did not belong to me anymore.

“What do you want me to do now?” I stared at the ceiling, “I can’t just put my life on hold while the world is moving.”

Change your routine. Your heart is not calling for a man or job, its calling for a change. I heard a voice say in my heart, the same voice that told me to “let it go”.

If I was going to surrender, I’ve got to listen to the stillness of my heart.

As I began to listen to the stillness of my heart, there was an old saying I began to embrace more:

Life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it.

For many years, I did not learn that I could put my emotions into a box. Just because I felt the sting of loneliness or anxiety at night did not mean that they defined my entire existence. It was only an emotion I felt in one moment, I did not have to carry it with me the next morning.

But then it wasn’t just one night.

It was when I watched my brother go on dates with Lotanna.

It was when I saw Saratu and her fiancé’s pre-wedding pictures.

It was when I saw Ebun, her husband and their 3-month-old baby’s cute pictures.

It was when everyone I knew had a job to go to while I was stuck at home, looking for someone to talk to.

How was I not supposed to feel lonely or anxious 24/7.

Then I was reminded again that my heart was calling for a change. A change I had no idea about.

And that change came about one unexpected morning... on Saratu’s wedding day.

“Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” Saratu kept screaming at the top of her lungs.

One would think her fiancé had an accident. Or the wedding reception got burnt down.

But it was for this reason,

“What happened?!” Ebun asked as all the bridesmaid rushed into Saratu’s bedroom to find her on the floor.

With eyes red and hair flying all over the place, Saratu replied, “That witch cancelled on me! My make-up artist travelled for her own stupid wedding!”

Can you imagine?

I looked at the other girls. Some were just as enraged as her, while others tried to hide their laughter because how could such coincidence happen on your own wedding day.

Then this is where things get tricky.

“Don’t worry,” Ebun said, picking Saratu up from the floor, “Ruth will do your make-up for you.”

Eh me? Did Ebun want to kill me?

Doing make-up for an angry Saratu was like painting an angry lion’s face. They would eat you alive.

Lotanna agreed with Ebun. Then the other girls agreed, trying to escape getting called next.

Ebun recalled when I did her make-up for most of her date nights before she got married to her husband. She always told me that I could be a professional make-up artist one day but the thought of throwing away my law degree for a “hobby” sounded crazy.

At the end of the morning, I did Saratu’s make-up. My first bridal make-up. And no, she did not eat me alive.

From Saratu’s make-up, came another bridesmaid’s make-up.

Then the mother of the bride and her two entourage.

Just when I was about leaving for the church service, Saratu’s mother slipped a bunch of 50k cash into my hands, thanking me for my hard work.

I told her I was only doing a favour for a friend, but she said,

“Every work well done needs to be rewarded. Who knows? I might call you again for another event.”

And boy, she wasn’t joking.

From that one wedding, came two, four, ten more weddings. More brides called me. From traditional wedding make-up to court wedding make-up to pre-wedding photoshoots. Everything that involved a woman being in love.

As for me... oh well. Single till we die.

But it didn’t matter anymore because my change had come. I now had a purpose. I had something that gave my life more meaning.

Then I had a dream last night.

I was standing on a long queue with a bunch of people holding their baggage in their hand. Some seemed heavy, some seemed dirty.

But in my hand… there was no baggage.

It was something different. A make-up brush.

It was the lightest thing I have ever carried. And my heart felt the freest than it had ever been.

I knew I was right where I needed to be.

The following day, after I was done with another bridal client’s make-up, she exclaimed while looking into the mirror,

“Wow! Boaz was right when he told me to use you.”

“Boaz?” I asked.

“Yes. My brother. He has always been a huge fan of your works and bribed me to use you.”

I was impressed. Especially coming from a man who was actually interested in anything that had to do with make-up.

After I finished doing the rest of the bridal train’s make-up and everyone had gone for the church service, I began to pack up my make-up items when a young man fully dressed in agbada walked into the sitting room.

He bent over to help me pack my stuffs, but I told him not to worry and just go for the wedding.

“How could I abandon the person that made my sister’s day the happiest.” He replied.

“You must be Boaz.” I looked at him and smiled, “Thank you for recommending me to your sister.”

“I know a blessed hand when I see one.”

I blushed, “That is the most beautiful thing someone has said to me.”

He smiled, “Would you like to hear many more beautiful things over lunch tomorrow?”

Hm. Was this uncle using style to ask me on a date? Okay now.

“Let me be the judge of that tomorrow.” I agreed.

And forever. Maybe.

Because who knows? Maybe this could be the beginning of another forever. And everything else after.

There was one truth I learnt from this entire past journey;

Just because others were ahead of me did not mean they had won the race of life. The fastest runner didn’t always win the race.

Life… was all decided by one simple thing; chance.

By being in the right place at the right time.