The Life of the Party

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Heavens gracious! If there was ever a man born to cause trouble and chaos at a party, It was Seun Abiodun. It was always him.

Seun was not a bad person—far from it. He simply had what is generally known as natural talent for disaster. Somehow, no matter the event, he was believed to always spice things up, touching every sensitive part of the nerves, cracking bones, and making people fall from their serious chairs.(so to speak) with his funny accent, tone range, and, of course, his actions.

On this particular Saturday, Seun had been invited to attend his cousin's engagement party in Ikeja. It was a grand affair: two huge canopies was stationed outside, the chairs were all round and golden, arranged like a royal court, with trays of jollof rice and heap of fried and roasted beef and chicken according to preference. In one corner was a small live band that was struggling to stay in tune, serious people with serious faces were all seated down as if about to fall asleep.

Alas! Two hours later, Seun strolled in majestically, as if he owned the occasion, wearing dark glasses, a yellow shirt with a bowtie, well tucked in, coupled with his shiny shoes, exuding the confidence of a man who thought he was like a movie star. In reality, he looked like a waiter auditioning for a soap commercial.

He strolled in just as the MC was inviting the bride's family up to the dance floor.

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"Ah, Seun has arrived!" Shouted Uncle Tayo, clapping him on the back. "Now the party can finally begin!"

Seun grinned. "I hope there is plenty of food. I didn't eat at home this morning because I was hoping i could eat here."

Before anyone could actually utter a word, Seun was already moving towards the buffet.

The chaos really kicked off when Seun decided that the party was too boring and the band was playing too weak, so he decided that the party needed a little more energy. After piling his plate with jollof rice, beef, chicken, and puff-puff, he walked towards the MC and grabbed the microphone from him during a delicate introduction of the bride's father.

"My people!" Seun bellowed. "This is not a burial ceremony! This is an engagement party! Stand up! Dance! Hold something! Or better still, hold someone! Enjoy yourself! Enjoy your life!" he encouraged.

The guests blinked at him and immediately returned their gaze to each other, confused. "Who is this guy?" They asked, frowning.

"He is 'Seun the event mixer,' so to speak," Uncle Tayo, who was seated close by, gave an exaggerated answer.

Seun, undeterred, pointed at the live band and ordered, "Play 'Doremi' immediately! Let's enter into the spirit of the vibes!" he exclaimed, chuckling at the same time.

The band, who had been carefully following the programm schedule, hesitated. Out of nervousness, the keyboardist played two wrong chords.

Immediately sensing the weakness in their performance, Seun enthusiastically marched onto the dance floor, dragging two aunties from their comfortable seats and clutching designer handbags like life vests, while wearing the same silver-heeled shoes as if they were twins. They felt really mortified and ashamed. But there was absolutely nothing they could do; Seun had dragged them unexpectedly, and they were only a few seconds away from reaching the dance floor, almost few seconds to get to the dancing floor.
"Just a few more steps to be mocked and stared at by the already giggling crowd," one of the aunties being dragged by Seun, thought scornfully.

"Aunty Bisi, Aunty Ronke, come and show us your secret moves!" Seun exclaimed playfully.

Surprisingly, the crowd wasn't mocking; instead, they encouraged the two aunties, along with their children, who were laughing, hailing, and clapping as the two aunties started dancing. Even the bride's serious-looking father cracked a little smile.

Seun's antics accidentally lightened the entire mood of the party. He was indeed the life of the party

Unfortunately, he did not stop there.

Feeling very much like a champion, Seun was inspired to attempt a complex dance step that involved spinning on one foot while keeping his pile of jollof rice balanced in the other hand.

It was indeed a bold step.

However, It was also a very terrible idea.

"Seun! Seun! Seun!" the crowd hailed his name just at the start of the spinning. He was sure he had it all under control.

Seun's head swelled with pride.

He was just halfway through his spin when suddenly his slippery shoes betrayed him. Seun stumbled, his foot got caught in a chair, and—in what seemed like slow motion—he launched his full plate of jollof rice into the air.

Splash!

The rice flew like a bright orange comet, scattering across the dance floor and landing squarely on the bride's white lace gown, with a few pieces splashing on the groom's shirt

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Suddenly, a heavy silence fell like a grave yard.

Seun froze, his arms still in the air.

The bride gasped at the sight of basically seeing half of the jollof rice on her lace gown. Her mother shrieked. Someone in the back immediately dropped a tray of drink in horror.

"Oh no, no, no, no... darn it!" Seun exclaimed, holding his head.

"what to do! what to do!" Seun, thinking quickly, grabbed a nearby napkin and lunged forward, frantically trying to clean the gown.

"Don't worry!" Seun babbled. "Rice is actually a unique blessing! In some cultures, they throw rice at weddings!"

The bride looked at Seun like she were about to roll him in her arms like a ball and throw him across the field, where he would no longer be seen. She was furious.

Uncle Tayo interrupted by saving the day. He stylishly started laughing loudly as he walked towards the couple, then moved towards Seun and immediately pulled him away. Exclaiming, "It's good luck! In Yoruba culture, rice means fertility! This marriage will definitely have twins!"

Whether or not that was true, whatever he just did worked because the tension broke. Someone suddenly started clapping. Then another person. Soon, the whole crowd was laughing and cheering.

The band, sensing their chance, struck up a lively Fuji song. The dance floor flowed with guests, and even the bride forgot all about her stained gown and decided to join in.

Seun grinned sheepishly.

However, no one could deny it—once Seun arrived, the party truely came alive.

THANKS ALOT FOR READING