Twitter user @aishatodunola recounts what her mother did on her introduction last year:
Story of how my Nigerian mum shocked me on my introduction day last year. So my introduction was this day last year and we had to travel down to Offa from Lagos for it. My hubby and I, alongside a few other friends, arrived at Offa around 7:30 pm and drove for more than 6hrs.
Looking for a hotel to sleep (all the good and bad hotels were fully booked, I think they like Shina (fornication) in that place cos WTF!!!). We finally got a manageable hotel to sleep at 12:30/1 am midnight and we had to manage a few rooms.
My introduction was fixed for 11 am so I had instructed my mum to bring my photographer along in her car since she was coming into Offa the same day as the introduction. We all agreed on this alongside my photographer. As a very happy bride, I woke up around 7 am.
Was really stressed from traveling the previous day but I had to wake up early enough to start my makeup since my makeup artist also came a day before and we stayed in the same hotel.
So we started my makeup around 7:30 am, and it was going well while I was expecting my mum to Come in with my photographer latest by 8:30 am so we can shoot very nice pictures at the hotel before going to the venue.
At 8 am, I called my mum to find out where they were and she said they were like one hour away from Offa and will meet us up before 9:30 am. I was hoping they’ll meet up and just to reconfirm, I asked her if she was with my photographer and she said yes, that they were together in the car and will soon be there. My makeup artist continued, and I was enjoying every bit of her expertise till my phone rang around 9:30.
GUESS WHO CALLED ME??? My photographer guys, it was my photographer that called and said “sister Odun, I’ve not seen mummy o, I’ve been calling her since but she is not taking her calls, how am I supposed to make Offa before 11 am if she has not picked me up by this time”. Ahhh, my head rang!!
Shey na play be this abi na my ears dey pain me?? But my mum said you guys were 1hr away now, what’s going on here? My body started shaking so I ended the call and called my mum who immediately told me they were 10min away from the hotel address.
Then I asked her about my photographer and why he wasn’t picked up. Guess what my mum said, she said she is not coming with my photographer since I told her the photographer charged 55k for the event and it was too much for just a small introduction, so she decided to get another one that Someone introduced to her in Osogbo that charged her 10k for the whole event and they were almost at the hotel.
Brethren, at this point, I started crying and the entire makeup we have been doing for 2hrs was a total mess. Yes, guys, you heard right My mum changed my photographer to a 10k photographer from Osogbo that she has never met before or seen her job before. Ohhh God, I cried, and crode. My mum came few minutes after the call and met me crying and saw everyone (my husband, friends, and family) begging me to stop crying.
You know Nigerian mothers now, they’re never wrong. Instead of her admitting it and trying to persuade me to continue, she even faced the makeup artist to tell her that the makeup should not be much so the picture the Isonu photographer will take will be cool I wish I was an American that day ( you guys know what I would have done if I was).
I sha stopped crying after much begging and the makeup artist had to manage my swollen face like that after much crying. I was bent on the fact that the photographer should not move near me or even try to take any pictures at all. So I told a friend that came with an iPhone to take me pictures all through the event so I can give my photographer to work on them afterward.
Since I was already very late, my dad’s family was already calling incessantly cos hubby’s family was already seated and had been waiting. Omo, I was sad, angry and disappointed at the same time so I was already shouting at anyone who called my phone from the venue. They sha collected my phone make I no go abuse ebi oko (husband’s family).
We got to the venue and guess what?? My mum brought her isonu photographer there. My friends begged me to allow the photographer to take the pictures so I don’t make a scene in the presence of my hubby’s family so I agreed while I also ensured my friend took phone pictures. After the party, the isonu photographer sha started fighting my mum that she can’t take 10k again o, that it’s now 15k since she didn’t know the event will be that big. At this point, I started laughing at them, na una know where una take see each other so deal with it.
They sha settled it and said they will give the isonu photographer the 15k laidat o. After one week, madam photographer sent me five pictures promising to send the rest the following day. Immediately I saw the pictures, I told her not to bother sending me any pictures again, she should send them to the person that invited her and paid her for the job well done. I’ll be posting a few of the pictures and how I learned my lessons of not telling my Nigerian parent the prices of my stuff a very hard way.
For putting me and my husband on heavenly background, God will judge you. We dinnor even do this introduction in heaven, we did it in Offa.
