Once and Always.

The union of Olaoluwa Adenuga and Omolabake Metong-James was met with great celebration. Champagne flowed freely around the beautifully lit gardens in which the wedding was taking place. The gardenias in small clusters of white and pale yellow were trimmed to perfection and arranged in rows around the garden and down the make-shift aisle. The young groom looked rather dashing in his white tuxedo as he waltz with his bride around the open space, much to the adoring gazes of about 50 close friends and families. The bride was a sight to behold. An only child fondly called by her father the famous ship magnate, Chief Folarin Metong-James as his "jewel", Labake looked every inch the part. FMJ, as he was fondly called by his friends spared no cost when it came to his only child. Her dress was a Balenciaga, designed specially for the occasion and cost an amount that left many-a-jaw hanging when they heard of the price, which they most certainly did, thanks to Mama Labake who didn't cease to slip the price into any conversation she was having with her society cronies.

The tube dress was virginal white, and hugged the bride's body in all the right places down to her hips and finally flowed into an endless train. On her neck, was a thin line of clear cut diamonds with a pearl centre ordered from Cartier. A matching set of pearl earrings in the shape of teardrops hung from large diamond studs on her ear lobes. Her long silky natural hair was brushed up and tied into a bun at the top of her head with a diamond clasp securing the veil which she had flung backwards after the vows had been exchanged. When she smiled, one could see a beautiful set of white teeth peeking from her crimson lips. The naturally beautiful Labake looked simply magnificent on her wedding day.

The Vicar, an old friend of the family looked at the child he had christened some twenty six years before and said to his wife, "look at them, they look so happy together". And his wife had to agree as she saw Labake quickly wipe a tear from her eyes. "She's married one of the few good ones left", the Vicar's wife agreed, as she mistook the tears for happy ones.

Labake quickly wiped at the lone tear that had managed to escape. She wasn't going to cry now and ruin such a beautiful day. Everyone seemed to be having such a great time, even her husband who had had a little too much to drink and as a result had a goofy grin permanently plastered on his face. She smiled to herself, surprised she still had any tear left to cry. Heaven knows she had shed enough tears for two lifetimes, time after time Laolu hit her physically and emotionally in the course of their two year courtship.

Two years before, Labake was a beautiful young successful lawyer who had recently broken up with her boyfriend of four years. The soft spoken girl had a smile that lit up a room. An only child, she was the apple of both her parents eyes and as a result, her mum was constantly on her case to settle down. "Labake mi, don't you know you're getting old? Emi o mo nkan ti o n wa o. Don't you think your standards are rather too high? Dele ni yen, o ni pe o ti kuru ju. Bode o ni pe ko ni confidence. Fola, ni 'H-factor' abi ki le maa n pe...Uche yen, emi o tie gba tie e rara...omo Ibo ke? Olorun o ni je", her mother said, on one of those days she was troubling Labake about marriage again. "Anyway," she continued, "can you remember Laolu?". "Who's that?", Labake asked, not really paying attention to what her mum was saying. "Ahn ahn, so you've forgotten Laolu already, Uncle Tunji's son, who's been away in the Uk all this while. You people were almost inseparable when you were little. Anyway he's been back in the country for a while and I want you people to be friends", Mama Labake said with a knowing smile on her face. And that was how Laolu, her father's best friend's son was reintroduced into her life. Laolu was every girl's dream. Over six feet tall, he was handsome, charming and successful. He had a way with words and soon stole Labake's heart. She loved him very much and was sure he felt the same way too. Then one evening in the course of an argument, he hit her across the face. Hands against her cheek with a bewildered look on her face, Labake couldn't believe what had just happened. Laolu, haven realized the folly of his action immediately knelt at her feet begging for forgiveness. With tears in his eyes, he swore it would never happen again and the innocent Labake believed him.

But of course it did. It happened so many times that Labake had stopped counting. It never went past a slap and was often after he had had a little too much to drink. Once the act had been committed, like a remorseful school boy, he immediately fell to his knees, mouth filled with apologies. He really did have a way with words and Labake eventually always forgave him. She was convinced Laolu really loved her and had even convinced him to go for anger management sessions. All the while Labake kept the assaults from her parents as such news was bound to cause a rift in a friendship of over forty years. And so she endured, choosing her parents' happiness over her own.

Today, she had gotten married to a handsome man who in his own way loved her, and she would try to be happy even if it killed her, she resolved, as she snapped out of her revere. Things were looking up after all. Laolu hadn't hit her in the last three months and had acted every inch the doting husband to be. And so quelling the doubts in her heart , she smiled at their well wishers and spoke of her husband in glowing terms. She had even enjoyed the passionate kiss they shared at the altar.

Tonight she would forget the past and with optimism, forge ahead into the future. With this thought in her head, she dozed off resting against her husband's shoulder in the back seat of the Bentley that was taking the couple to the airport. They were spending their honeymoon in Malta. In what felt like a few minutes later, she felt her shoulders being nudged to consciousness but was too tired to respond until her eyes flew open when a hot slap landed on her face. "Dammit woman wake up and stop drooling all over my suit. We are at the airport!", her husband hissed in disgust.

Their honeymoon hadn't even begun.