Fraying Edges

Epilogue

As soon as the airplane landed on the Nigerian soil, Ruby felt different. It was like a sort of homecoming, and it made her heart swell with emotions. Amara was there to receive them, but as soon as she did, she was gone, saying something about going to a spa. Well, her wedding was the next day.

A flurry of relatives where crowded in the house as soon as they got there. After the wedding, she would be going to Imo state, the state her Mom was originally from, but they were currently in Lagos.

Ruby felt strange, like she had been transported to a planet full of rich cultural awareness . Her Mom seemed at ease, hugging everyone and greeting them. Her Dad was as quiet as Ruby, finding swift escape when someone asked for a volunteer to drive and pick up more relatives at the bus park.

"My daughter, welcome." A woman she recognized as her grandmother from her mom's photo album came to her. She had a contagious smile with laugh lines on her cocoa skin, and she pulled Ruby into a hug with surprisingly strong hands. The hug was warm and full, and Ruby felt she had been missing hugs like that all her life. Her dark brown eyes twinkled and the ringlet of fat around her neck jingled. "So I can finally rest. I have seen my other grandchild."

Ruby smiled, thinking she was a lovely woman. She thought about James who had not wanted to come, resorting to staying with Luke's aunt, and she decided that she would definitely give him explicit details on what he was missing.

Nigerian weddings were a vibe, she decided. From the beginning to the end, it was terribly lively. The couple was currently dancing to a live band. She felt so happy for her aunt, who had a huge smile plastered on her made-up face. She turned to look all around her, at the people talking gaily, some drinking wine from the round tables set to fill the lavishly decorated hall. People clad in ankara and sparkly materials. She looked down at the one she wore - a baby blue and red ankara gown that fanned out at her feet, and of course, with a pair of black heels.

Her parents seemed to be talking to people, and she was seated with some people she vaguely remembered, cousins from her mothers family or so. But she felt connected. It was unlike the family gatherings they had with her father's family back in Brooklyn. It was different, rich in culture and with a high level of excitement.

She threw her head back and laughed, catching a few people's attention. She did not mind, she was feeling some type of joy, a reckless abandon that had started since the end of winter. She was in the moment, in a place with people who did not really give off the air of know-it-all. She was in a place she felt she could call home. In a country the world seemed to have bad tales about, but they still managed to find joy.

Her new therapist had given her a choice of treatment after she had heeded Luke's advice to see one. And she was beginning to feel the change blooming inside her. She could still remember the hug she'd shared with Luke at the airport before she left for Nigeria - maybe she would eventually break her no-dating rule for him - but right then, she was grateful to call him her friend. And all her other friends; Daisy, Catherine, even Andrew who'd finally accepted her after the incident.

The day came to an end with a slow blues playing in background, and she knew deep inside her soul, that this country was also where she belonged. The night sky seemed to be in tune with her as she and her parents walked to the car they had come in with some other family members.

The sky was littered with numerous stars, the moon was full, and she thought, this would make for a good piece of art.

It was a new beginning - one that she was ready to take on with her will, self confidence and God. Pausing, she turned to her Parents and pulled them in for a hug under the Nigerian sky.

***

Family, friendship, people - they are important. But above it all, God is number one.

***

And, this is the end... Whew!