Each time I see the picture of my wedding cake, the rather funny but sad story of the wedding cake comes to mind.
I was told by a good friend,
during my wedding preparations that there was a lady in Enugu that makes great
wedding cakes. In fact my friend, though not familiar with the lady, offered to
take me to her.
Dressed rather casually, I
decided to park my own Mercedes and I joined my friend in her own car which was
a cute looking but modest Volkswagen (known as Beetle in those days) and she
drove us to the cake maker’s place.
Upon our arrival, the popular
cake maker, (whose name I withhold for obvious reasons) totally oblivious of my
identity, took one derisive look at the car we arrived in, and was not
impressed. I told her I needed her to make my wedding cake, and she started
coming up with all manner of excuses.
First, she told me her cakes
were very expensive and I definitely would not be able to afford it (at 25,000
naira in those days), and offered to direct me to a cheaper cake place,
stressing that she only makes cakes for important personalities ( even going
ahead to drop names. such as one Union bank manager, one boutique owner, etc
who in her estimation were ‘dignitaries’) but I told her that I could manage to
afford it.
She then asked where the
wedding was taking place and I told her it was at Abuja. She said I would have
to pay for her transportation to Abuja to mount the cake and that since she
only travels by air, not road, this added cost would be difficult for me to
carry, to which I replied that I would pay.
She raised the issue of hotel
accommodation, which I assured her, would be taken care of.
My friend kept nudging me and
whispering in my ear, ‘Tell this woman who you are so she can put a stop to
these nonsense questions’, to which I replied no. I was secretly amused, albeit
perplexed at that moment about human nature and social climbers, which by her
attitude, this lady clearly was.
What I found surprising was
that the lady herself was definitely not well off, her own car was an old
Corolla, her surroundings not plush, and she was merely one of those ‘I must
belong by all means’ type of people, yet she had the temerity to look down on
others she considered not ‘rich’.
To cut a long story short,
still not convinced that I could afford her services (judging by my casual
dressing and the modest ride, which was not even mine, meaning I probably had
no vehicle of my own), she briskly discharged us both, telling me to drop my
number, and that she would call me.
I dropped my number with her
under my Igbo name Odinaka, and we left. I never heard from her again.
I simply took up a generous
offer from the Canadian chef at the Nicon Hilton Abuja then, who was a master
baker, and my gigantic multi-tiered wedding cake was made at no cost at all,
simply as PR to market and advertise the Hotel’s services.
The Enugu cake maker one day,
just a week to the wedding, saw the television broadcasts of our impending
wedding which was a big event at the time, and realised it was me who had come
to her place for a wedding cake.
She flew into a panic and
quickly managed to find her way to my house, and started begging, with all
kinds of bland explanations, asking why I didn’t introduce myself
‘appropriately’ ( by which she meant as a ‘VIP’), and even offering to make the
cake free of charge, but it was too late.
On this day, a beautiful breezy
day in November 1994, it was a memorable wedding ceremony at the Nicon Noga
Hilton (Today’s Transcorp Hilton), Abuja, the first wedding event ever hosted
there. And it was grand…
This life size multi step cake
seen in this picture, much bigger and more lavish than any conceivable one the
Enugu cake maker could ever have offered, was donated by the management of the
Hilton.
The Enugu Cake maker lost a
great opportunity to showcase her skills and her product since the event was
telecast across the country. TV, radio, Newspapers, Magazines and every
conceivable news medium with the Hilton Master Baker taking the cake credits.
This advertisement masterstroke
greatly boosted the Hilton Events hosting business and facilitated countless
more weddings at the same Congress Hall at Hilton. Last I heard, the
Cakemaker’s business has since folded after she faced some difficulties in her
business several years ago.
Moral of Bianca’s true life
experience teaches us an important lesson: Never judge a book by its cover.
Just because someone doesn’t look rich or important doesn’t mean they aren’t.
We are all equal in the eyes of God, no matter our status, clothing, or the car
we drive.
Don’t relate with others based
solely on who or what they are, what they have, what car they ride or how
expensively or poorly they are dressed
Sometimes, people miss out on
great friendships and opportunities because they are too busy judging others.
Bianca learned that even when one door closes, another, even greater door will
open.
So, the next time you meet
someone new, remember Bianca’s story. Treat everyone with kindness and respect,
no matter what they have or how they look. You never know what wonderful
connections and friendships might come from it!
In the end, life is about love,
kindness, and the special moments we share with each other. Let’s embrace those
moments and remember that we are all part of the same beautiful world.
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