Wedding Dress, No Address

So today started like any other chill Lagos afternoon, until I got a Bolt request from a hotel in Ikeja. When I arrived, I saw this young woman—wedding dress and all—running towards my car like she was in a movie.

She jumped in, slammed the door, and said, “Drive! Just drive, abeg!”

At first, I thought it was a prank. Maybe some TikTok people again. But when I looked in the rearview mirror and saw real tears, smeared makeup, and a guy in Agbada chasing after us barefoot… I knew this was real life.

We zoomed out of the hotel compound like GTA. I didn’t even ask questions at first; I was just trying to avoid hitting any okada or danfo. After a few silent minutes, I finally asked, “Madam, hope you dey alright?”

She took a deep breath and said, “I no fit marry am. I just realized today that I dey marry for my parents, not for myself.”

Omo. That one hit me deep.

She said she met the guy only 3 months ago—family introduction, prayers, fast track everything. The man was rich, successful, respectful, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was settling… for peace, not passion.

I nodded slowly as she continued, “You know the worst part? I saw my real ex at the hotel lobby this morning. He came to drop something for his friend. When he saw me in my gown, he just looked at me and whispered, ‘You sure?’ That one broke me.”

She said that question alone unlocked everything she had been suppressing.

“I’m going to Yaba,” she added, “to crash at my cousin’s place. At least till the family calms down.”

I respected it. She wasn’t just running from the wedding. She was running toward something real. Her own voice.

As we got to Yaba, she laughed and said, “Na you go be my new best man o. I go dedicate one chapter for you when I write my memoir.”

I dropped her off, still in her gown, barefoot, holding a small purse like a handbag of courage.

Her phone was already blowing up, but she walked into that compound like a free woman.

On my way back, I checked my app—no tip. But honestly, I didn’t even care. Not all rides pay in naira. Some just stay with you.