We ran through the crowd, swerving around the guests until we reached the parking area. I saw Kukie, but unfortunately she saw me too. She took off running toward the main road in the village. If she got there she might get a lift and then we’d never catch her.

“I’ll get her.” Gideon suddenly sped up. He was miles faster than me. In a few minutes, he was already upon her. She stopped; she knew she couldn’t outrun Gideon. He took her hand and marched her back to the house. I waited for them in the parking area.

“What do you want with me?” she snapped. “You’ve been troubling me ever since I got here. I’m Jomo’s friend. He invited me to the wedding. Who are you to chase me out?”

“You told me you came with Mike. Why did you lie?” I asked.

“It’s none of your business.”

“And I know Jomo didn’t invite you either.”

“So what? This is a village wedding, anyone can come! Who are you, the wedding police?” She tried to pull her hand loose, but Gideon held it tightly. “You can’t keep me. I didn’t do anything.”

“Did you put something in the food last night?” I asked.

“In the food? No! Why would I, I ate the food too. I had to rush home because I had a runny stomach.”

“But what about the cake? What did you do to it to make it fall?”

“What?” She looked at Gideon. “You can’t hear this woman is crazy? Let me go, she’s talking nonsense.”

“If you’re so innocent, why did you run? “ Gideon asked her.

“I was just going is all. I decided I didn’t want to be here after all.”

I noticed something then. Gideon held her right hand, but she was keeping her left hand hidden behind her back, as if she were hiding something.

“What do you have in your left hand?” I asked.

“Nothing! Leave me alone, I want to go.”

Gideon pulled her left hand out from behind her back. There on her ring finger was Bonang’s wedding ring.

“Where did you get that wedding ring?”

For the first time, her fighting mood slipped, underneath Kukie was suddenly scared. “I didn’t mean to take it. Yesterday, when we all left the house for the traditional doctor, I met Jomo outside. We talked for a bit. It was so good to see him again. I’ve missed him – he’s a good man. I wish we hadn’t broken up. I always hoped we’d get back together one day, but I guess that will never happen now.”

“So you stole the ring?” I asked.

“No! It fell. The box fell out of his pocket. I saw it when he’d already left with his mother. I opened the box and there it was. Then … I don’t know, I thought how I wished it was a ring for me. I put it on, but then I couldn’t get it off. I was in the tent just now hoping I could get it off and just leave it at Jomo’s place at the table. But then you came in and I got scared. You’re scary.”

“So take it off and give it to me. The wedding is going to start soon,” I said.

“That’s the thing, I can’t get it off.”

“Come with me. I know someone who can get it off,” I said.

We headed back to the house. I could hear the crying before I even opened the door to the bedroom.

“Oh, Lola! It’s all a mess!” Bonang said, falling into my arms. “My ring is lost and now the cake is destroyed. The curse! I told you it was the wedding curse!” Bonang didn’t see Kukie right away, then she did. “Why is she here?”

I showed her Kukie’s left hand.

“Why does she have my ring?”

“It’s a mix-up. Where’s Amogelang?”

“I’m here,” said Amogelang, coming out from behind Bonang’s dress.

“Do you have that oily spray for removing things?”

She dug around in her always ready backpack. “Here it is!”

I sprayed a little on Kukie’s finger and the ring slipped right off.

“Finally!” Kukie said shaking her hand. We all looked at her and she quietly left the room without another word.

“Okay, let me get this to Jomo. Everything will be fine.”

I gave a relieved Jomo the ring and went to take a look at the cake. I found Mrs Wang crying to the baker. “I’m so sorry! I put those crystals around the top for good luck. I never thought they would destroy the cake!”

The baker managed to put the tier back on top, and with a bit of repair icing from the back of his van, the cake looked nearly new. “You can’t put five kilograns of crystals on top of that little plastic stand. It’s not surprising it collapsed and that everything came tumbling down.”

The ring was found, the cake was fixed. Now to get this wedding started. I walked outside to see if the minister had arrived – that’s when I saw the traditional doctor from the day before.

“Dumela rre, it’s nice of you to come for the wedding,” I said.

“MmaBonang called me. She said the charms didn’t work, that the curse was too powerful. I brought some more of the medicine.” He took out a big brown bottle from his bag and showed me. “I must put a bit in the food again. That will sort everything out.”

“Again?” I took the bottle and looked closer. I smelled it. It was laxative! He was the one who had put it in the food. “Have you put this in the food today?” I asked him.

“No, not yet. I was just on my way.” He smiled at me, oblivious to the fact that somehow he had got his medicines mixed up.

“I think we’re good. The curse is over. Here let me show you to your seat in the tent.”

He willingly followed me and seemed to forget all about his bottle of medicine, which I kept and quickly dumped, throwing away the empty bottle.

*****

Despite all of the drama, in the end it was a beautiful wedding. Everything went like clockwork. I was happy when the band started playing because then I knew my job was over. It was time for the reception. I slipped off my shoes and sat down, putting my feet up on a nearby chair.

“You know, you’re a little bit amazing.”

I looked up and there was Gideon. Even though he was basically wearing a tree, he looked quite handsome. Somehow, with everything behind me, I finally felt relaxed enough to talk to him.

“Thanks.”

He sat down in a chair opposite me. “I wondered if you might find time in the middle of all of your private investigating to go out to dinner with a poor journalist from the city.”

“I think I might be able to squeeze you in somewhere,” I said.

I smiled and he smiled back, and I thought maybe, just maybe, there was something a little special there. I guessed we’d find out.

***

Tell us what you think: Do you think Kukie meant to steal the ring? Do you think Bonang and Jomo are a good match? Why? Why not?

The end