Episode 16
Meanwhile, back in Nigeria, Sugar had just received a message in her email box saying that her application for permanent residence in Canada had been approved, she had completed all her certification courses and was now ready to start applying for jobs, she had also made all the necessary enquiries on what was required to enable her import her products to continue her business over there.
The incident with Michael had been very heartbreaking and devastating for her, she had been unable to eat properly for days, as a matter of fact, she became a shadow of herself. At some point, she started to experience broken heart syndrome. And yes! Broken heart syndrome is an actual medical condition also known as stress cardiomyopathy.It is a heart condition that is often brought about by stressful situations and extreme emotions. It can also be triggered by serious illness or surgery and is usually temporary. People with broken heart syndrome may experience symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath, the symptoms may mimic a heart attack but unlike in a heart attack where there is partial or complete blockage of blood vessels supplying the heart, in broken heart syndrome, the blood vessels are not blocked, however, blood flow through the blood vessels may be reduced. Broken heart syndrome can be treated using certain medications.
It took a lot to get Sugar back on her feet again but with the help and encouragement from Joycelyn, she eventually bounced back and made up her mind to start a new life in Canada and delete Michael from her memory like he never happened. She had planned that she would leave for Canada within a month from receiving her stamped passport from the embassy.
Michael on the other hand had managed to convince Irene to go ahead with their wedding plans with his many lies. He had invested a lot of funds in their wedding, Irene had demanded that they had a huge wedding with a minimum of a thousand guests.
She had insisted that her dress was to be imported from Italy and her shoes were to be custom made. Ordinarily, Michael could not afford any of the things that she demanded for their wedding, he had to take a loan from the bank and borrow money from friends and family to ensure that he met her demands. He saw the money that he was spending as an investment in his future and had promised to pay them back in a few months time. Irene didn't contribute any money to the wedding as she had told Michael that most of her funds were trapped in a fixed term investment. Strangely, Michael was yet to meet Irene's parents, but she always told him that they couldn't travel to Nigeria before the wedding and he would meet them when they arrived for the wedding. She requested a further loan of $10,000 from him for her parents' travel expenses and outfits for the wedding. Michael provided everything that she asked for without hesitation, after all, it was an investment.
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Finally, the wedding day arrived and Michael was very excited. "Today marks the day that I get one step closer to my American dream, from the moment I say 'I do' you must start calling me Mr Americano" he told Chinedu who was his best man, "that is not a problem, as a matter of fact, I have already starts calling you that" Chinedu responded, "MR AMERICANO" he shouted raising both hands as a sign of respect as Michael wore the last piece if his 3-piece suit. Michael was genuinely excited about what the future held for him, Irene had informed him that her parents were scheduled to arrive early that morning and he would meet them after the church service. She had told him that they couldn't leave earlier because her father was scheduled to attend an urgent doctor's appointment before they travelled. Michael didn't think too much of it, he was just happy that Sugar's stunt during their proposal had not jeopardised his chances with Irene.
He had also not spoken with Irene since waking up that morning, as she had firmly told him that she wanted their first conversation on their wedding day to be after they had been pronounced as man and wife. She explained that the decision was personal, it was something she had always wanted and Michael respected it.
He had hired a Bentley to use as his car for the day, he felt that anything less would be unbefitting of Irene's status.
Finally, he arrived at the church looking dapper in his suit, he arrived right on time and was escorted into the church by Chinedu. His friends and family had arrived, but somehow, he hadn't spotted any member of Irene's family, not even her parents. "They must be running late, their flight is probably delayed" he thought to himself.
It was time to begin the ceremony, but still not one of Irene's family members was present. Irene herself was already running late. Michael began to feel uneasy as the priest had threatened to proceed with the ceremony without them. He pleaded for a little more time and immediately stepped out to call Irene. All the while, he had been restraining himself from calling her because he was honouring her wish but at that point he had no other choice.
He immediately called her number and waited desperately for her to pick as the phone rang. After two unsuccessful call attempts, she finally picked her phone on the third attempt.
"Thank God you picked," Michael said, heaving a huge sigh, "what's going on? You're running really late, the priest is threatening to start without you" Michael said with urgency in his voice, "oh really?" Irene chuckled, "tell him to go ahead" she said, "what do you mean tell him to go ahead?" Michael retorted, "this is no joke" he added, "Ooh, I see!" Irene replied, "You seem to be alone on that because for me, this is a joke" Irene replied, "how do you mean?" Michael asked, sounding confused, "the whole relationship became a joke to me from the moment your real girlfriend showed up. You didn't think I was stupid enough to go ahead and marry you after everything she revealed, did you?" Irene asked, "Is this a prank or something?" Michael asked as his legs began to feel wobbly, his voice was becoming shaky, "I just boarded a flight back to Texas, we should be taking off in a few minutes and thanks to you, I'm flying business class" she laughed, "Oh! By the way, business class feels amazing already, at least it's not a bad compensation for all the time I wasted with you" she added with evil laughter, "happy Married life Michael, Congratulations on getting married to yourself" she said laughing as she hung up the phone leaving Michael dumbstruck and staring with his mouth wide open.