Uduak sat up in bed with a start. She felt so groggy as she wiped her watery eyes and tried to take in her surroundings. Her room was as immaculate as it had been for the twelve years she had lived in it. She threw her long legs over the bed and walked to her calendar to see what day it was.

‘Oh my crap!!!’

It was her wedding day! Who forgot their own wedding day? She wondered as she headed for the bathroom.

‘Uduak!’ her sister, Mfon called obviously from down the stairs because Mfon never called from reasonable places. ‘Rise and shine, beautiful bride!’

Uduak squeezed a more than generous amount of toothpaste onto her brush and brushed vigorously for more than fifteen minutes. The third shrill call from Mfon brought her to consciousness. She rinsed off her mouth and entered the bathtub. She could hear all sorts of voices downstairs. Her mother was probably shouting her head off by now. Screaming for everyone to pack the food, chill the drinks, and make the garden presentable. After all, it isn’t everyday that someone’s first daughter gets married. Soon, her mother entered her room and opened the shutters. Uduak could see her heading for the wardrobe that held the $100,000 wedding gown.

‘Uduak!’

‘In the bathroom, mom.’

‘Its 8 ‘o’ clock, Uduak. Do you want to be late for your own wedding?’

Uduak rolled her eyes and got out of the bathtub. She tied a bathrobe about her lithe body and walked into her room. Her mother began the well practised job of fussing about her and dressing her up. Needless to say, Uduak looked quite beautiful after the whole ordeal was over, but she had never felt so fake. She wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Mujtaba didn’t recognise her when he lifted the veil at the chapel.

Mfon bustled into the room.

‘Oh my God, Ud, you look so beautiful!’

Uduak looked into the mirror and saw her reflection staring right back. She was fair skinned, so fair that she was considered an albino by some people. Her hair was a coppery brown colour and her mother had put it in curls that framed uduak's oval face and high cheek bones. Her lips were the most gorgeous of reds. Her eyes were light brown and became slightly grey when she wanted to cry and her long coppery lashes cast a shadow on her cheeks. Uduak frowned. So what if she was beautiful? Her life was ending today anyway. She knew she was making a huge mistake marrying Muj. She had known since they’d been dating in Showers those six years ago. But she had to marry him. Marriage was the only cover up plan for the unforgiveable thing she had done. Her eyes welled up a bit ant she used a long slender finger to wipe a stray tear.

‘Sit down, Uduak!’ her mother fussed. ‘You’re going to ruin your makeup, you silly girl.’

Mfon was staring dreamy eyed at her elder sister. ‘Oh, i just envy you Ud....you’re so beautiful and smart, and now you’re getting married to a totally gorgeous man.’

Uduak couldn’t blame her sister. Youthful exuberance was making her think that way. Reality strikes sooner than you think and then you see that marrying a gorgeous man isn’t all that counts. Especially when you despise him.

‘Now Uduak,’ her mother kept saying. ‘I’m going to make sure your father is ready. You know how men can be at times. Last time i saw him, he was drinking schnapps with one of your drunk uncles. He hadn’t even taken his bath. Make sure u sit still, honey. The car is coming soon to pick you up. Don’t go about fussing and making a mess of yourself.’

Uduak rolled her eyes. Look who was talking about fussing!

Her mother headed for the door. ‘Mfon! You, follow me. You’ve got to take a bath and get ready.’

Mfon started to complain.

‘Keep quiet!! Abasi! Am i the only person in this house with the knowledge of the times? Your elder sister is getting married and you’re not ready! Now before i open my eyes, you should have had a bath and started getting dressed.’

Mother actually shut her eyes and in no time, Mfon had zapped out of the room. Mother shot Uduak a look. ‘You! Stay here oh. I don’t want to hear any stories.’ With that she left the room and slammed the door shut.

Uduak let out a breath that she didn’t know she had been holding. She sat still, looking out over the window at the surroundings she had spent most of her adolescence in. The surroundings that seized to be hers from the moment she said ‘i do.’

A knock came on the door. Who was it again? ‘The doors unlocked.’

The door creaked as a head popped into the room. ‘Miss Uduak. A delivery came for you.’

Uduak recognised the maid. ‘Bring it in Ekaete.’

Ekaete brought in a small brown cardboard box. She dropped it beside Uduak and started to leave.

‘Do you know who dropped it?’ Uduak asked.

‘No. There was a knock on the door and when i went to get it, it was just the parcel I saw with your name on it.’

‘That’s okay Ekaete. You may leave now.’

Uduak stared at the box. It had her name boldly imprinted on it.

For Uduak Ekong. The BEAUTIFUL bride.

Uduak wondered why the person had put beautiful in upper case. It was almost as if she was being mocked. She had a very uneasy feeling settling about her. She tore at the cello tape binding the box and opened it. A hardcover notebook was inside it.

Was this some sort of sick joke? Who could send a notebook as a wedding present? She carefully picked up the notebook and turned it to the front. The only word written across it was: showers.

Uduak’s heart raced. Showers? That was ages ago. Had one of her classmates heard that she was getting married to Muj? What was this all about? She had a very bad feeling about the contents of this book, but curiosity won common sense and she looked cautiously at the door before opening the book. It was a scrap book of some sort. Pictures of the days in showers. Whoever did this had really taken their time to arrange the pictures in the order of events. The orientation day in September when they all met for the first time, the makeup party in the UFP hostel, oh, those were good times and Uduak felt the beginning of a smile come across her features. Suddenly her hands froze as she turned the page. Seven pretty faces came to view and amidst them was a face that she had dreaded from the first day she saw it...and now, she knew that face had come to haunt her once again.