The wedding feast

The wedding committee had been planning for months. The soon to be bride and groom, Sekai and Tinei, attended every meeting with trepidation as the budget skyrocketed and the parents from both sides continued to add new names to the guest list. It was their turn to shine and payback for all the invitations they had accepted in the past. Their philosophy seemed to be 'What's another one or two mouths to feed?' even though Sekai's parents' pockets were not a bottomless pit. The bride's family were not city dwellers and didn't want to look as if they were letting the side down. They instead volunteered to bring the chicken meat from the rural areas where Sekai's mother was well known for her farming enterprises.

"Are we sure about this? We could always place an order for chickens for butcheries near the venue," said Tinei's aunt, who had been made responsible for supervising the catering. "I know fresh chickens, especially from out of town, are cheaper, but is fresh food something we want to cut corners on?"

No one took notice of her comments since the meeting unanimously agreed that free-range chicken was far tastier than the frozen lot which one bought in the city. The bride and groom were reminded how lucky they were that their parents were chipping in to reduce costs.

The night before the wedding was hectic as the wedding planner put the last minute touches on the marquee and made sure there was overnight security in place. Nothing would be more embarrassing than to wake up the following day and find the expensive décor had disappeared. Those responsible for the bar had made sure everyone was catered for since the bride's family claimed they abstain from alcohol consumption because of their religion.

The big day arrived, and the excitement levels were palpable. The short non-denominational wedding service to please the parents went without a hitch. As the crowds grew, the newlyweds began to wonder why they had spent so much time on seating plans and balancing the number of guests from each family because the whole world and its mother had turned up in time for the buffet lunch.

"This crowd is way over the hundred guests we invited. Did your parents ask your whole village to come because I don't know most of the people milling around? "said Tinei as he cast his eyes around.

"Don't blame my parents!" said Sekai laughing, "It's your side who wanted a lavish city wedding to impress your parents' friends from their church and golf.  It's out of our control. Let's enjoy it!"

Soon the speeches started, and everyone lowered their voices as the groom's father approached the podium.

"This is a wonderful day for our family. We cannot thank Tinei enough for being a dutiful son who has made us proud and brought us such a lovely bride. Sorry, can I hand over the microphone and take a short break..."

Tinei's mother followed with her eyes as her husband made a hasty retreat from the stage and headed to the cloakrooms. The master of ceremony caught unawares, grabbed his programme and made a joke which no one seemed to appreciate as he called the next speaker after the groom's mother declined to fill the gap in deference to her husband.  The programme, supposed to run like clockwork, was now being overshadowed by people moving back and forth as the night wore on. Something was up, but Sekai and Tinei couldn't put a finger on it.

As the couple opened the dance floor, half the wedding party joined them in a half-hearted rendition of the song and dance 'Jesuralema' by the famous South African artist Master KG. The mood became more subdued even before the bridal party left; the numbers had depleted drastically as guests trickled out of the venue, some making a hasty exit without saying goodbye.

Tinei's aunt approached the parents' table and enquired, "Is Tinei's father ok because he has been behaving very strangely this evening. He was, however, not the only one."

Tinei's mother, in a low voice, said, "I'm surprised you are so chirpy. He's suffering from a stomach upset, and I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the guests are going down with food poisoning."

"You mean from the buffet?"

Tinei's mother continued whispering, "You forget I am a nurse, and I can read the signs. Food poisoning usually shows up hours or days after eating something that makes you sick. Tinei's father is complaining of cramps and diarrhoea. I'm sure it's the meat."

"But the chicken was brought in fresh last night. We didn't even have to defrost it. "

"That's exactly the problem. You forget that it had travelled a long distance to come here and it's the height of summer. Sekai's parents were very generous in offering to help reduce the costs, and we all welcomed it. But  was the meat refrigerated properly from source to the city?"

"I wasn't there when the caterers offloaded last night."

" You are probably all right and have always had the constitution of a rhino," said Sekai's mother laughing.

"But what about you? No ill effects?"

"You know I love chicken! The minute I heard about the plan to bring the meat from the rural areas and then cook the next morning, I feigned I was more of a pork or beef person, and so I didn't eat the chicken!"

"This is a disaster! How do we know how many other guests are affected?" said Tinei's aunt.

"All we can hope for is that the newlyweds are enjoying their honeymoon, and they arrived at their hotel without incident."

"Have you heard from them?" said Tinei's aunt.

Tinei's mother got up as she answered her phone, ready to leave.

"Speak of the devil! Tinei, did you get to your hotel safely?"

"Hie Mum. Thank you very much for everything. Just checking up on Dad. I hope he's feeling better. Sekai, however, is not feeling so good. Something about stomach cramps and a headache. To be on the safe side, I called 999, and she is on the way to the hospital."

An ambulance siren drowned the rest of the conversation as Tinei's aunt said, "An auspicious start to married life?"