I always wondered if I was an after-thought with Ejike. That, up against Amoge, i was the woman he would rather marry. Did he wake up one morning he proposed with the itch, ‘hmmm, why not marry Trinity instead’? It was the Christmas after the one that he showed up with Amoge. Could he have decided that a poorly-planned and executed proposal would erase the unpleasant memory of the past. His sister, Ifeatu, wasn’t impressed too. And she wasn’t even there when the whole Amoge thing went down. She just knew that there were a better way to ask a woman to marry you than saying it in the same sentence as an announcement that you were tired of your “penny-penny” job and believed a UK Masters was the way to go.

“Mom, Manchester has the best business school the world over. It’s not about money, it’s about value! And what I’m really asking for is a loan. A low interest rate loan, to pay up in five years. I need time to save enough money to give Trinity the wedding of her dreams,” was how he put it, patting my hand as he spoke with immense pride.

As though on cue, Mummy Rose, Ifeatu and I paused on chewing our breakfast. Next, Mummy Rose took a sip of her water, Ifeatu gasped at Ejike, and I stared blankly at the tablecloth.

“Ejike dear, do stick to one subject, so you don’t get us all confused here,” Ifeatu sarcastically advised.

“Ify don’t be rude to your brother,” Mummy Rose cautioned. “So, Ejike, you want me to give you how much?”

“I’d need approximately £10,000, all expenses included,” he breezily replied, frowning at Ifeatu.

Mummy Rose exclaimed, “What does that mean, all expenses included? Young man, i hope you know you are not a toddler anymore. You cannot be talking about marriage – whether you be serious or not, i don’t know – while still expecting your mother to support you. Please, find out how much the school fees is and tell me. That’s all the money I’m prepared to give you. It’s a loan you asked for, it’s a loan you’ll get. I expect my refund in five years. Imagine! All expenses included!”

“Yes, mom,” he muttered. When we all resumed eating, he got his voice back and decided Mummy Rose needed clarifying about that tinny bit comment she made, “Mom, I’m serious about the wedding thing. Teeny?”