[This story is a
product of my own imagination. The names, characters, places and incidents are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,
living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No wedding, as far as my memory can go, and it does go many
years back, was ever celebrated with such glamour, pageantry, and great hype.
The hundreds that witnessed the solemn tying of the matrimonial knot during the
church service, and the dazzling wedding reception later that evening, all left
with mouths agape at the event, which, incontrovertibly was executed with near
flawless perfection and glitz.
Heralded as a perfect match by friends and relations, there was
everything in this pair that smacked of the happily-ever-after accolade. The
officiating minister waxed eloquent about this young couple and spoke glowingly
of the love they had demonstrated to each other and the integrity they
maintained throughout their courtship.
The fancied twosome had met eight years earlier at the
University of Zambia. Temwani, a gentle handsome young man, as much blessed
with a pleasant personality as he was with brains. He was in his third year at
UNZA doing economics. He was a mature Christian, and was serving in his second
term as secretary of the University Christian Fellowship. He was attending a
local Baptist Church in Lusaka, where he distinguished himself for his zeal and
commitment to the life of the church. His elders often relied upon him to take
on many responsibilities that most young people of his age were either not
available to do, or shrugged their shoulders in refusal, giving all kinds of
excuses.
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| The University of Zambia - many friendships leading to marriage have been born here. |
Chisala, the damsel, was the kind that few young men would
resist to look at twice. She was endowed with splendid teeth, dimples on both
sides of her cheeks, and long black hair. Her long, shadowy eyelashes were cast
discreetly down towards the lower part of her face. Chisala was ravishingly
beautiful, without being too conscious of it. She was pursuing Public
Administration, and was in her second year at the same university when she met
Temwani. She was spiritually reared in the Pentecostals circles, and naturally
gravitated towards Chi-Alpha, a charismatic student fellowship at UNZA.
Their worlds collided when providence led them to the ZANACO
Bank UNZA Branch at about the same time. Chisala was on the line right in front
of Temwani. She turned around and greeted him, flashing a huge smile that
revealed her flawless dental endowment. The double dimples dimpled effortlessly
with that one fine smile. “Hi,” is all she said, and yet that lone word rang
with a kind of rhythm in Temwani’s ear that made him think he was listening to
one of his favourite female artists. Struck by her beauty and demeanour, it
took him a few seconds to recover from the dazzling effect of her commanding
presence. Sheepishly, he responded back, “hi,” trying as much as possible to
hide the slight tremour in his voice.
“May I borrow your pen? For some reason, mine has chosen to
disappoint me.” She politely asked. “Of course, sister, here you are,” he
responded, with matching equanimity.
Well, to cut the long story short, after that brief bank
encounter, Temwani could not get her out of his mind. Not long after that,
providence seemed to be on his side. Apparently, one of her friends invited her
to the UCF meeting, and for a change, she skipped the Chi-Alpha meeting to come
and attend. Temwani, as secretary of the fellowship was in front giving the
notices and welcoming the visitors. And when he asked all the visitors to stand
up and introduce themselves, to his pleasant surprise, whom does he see? The
hitherto nameless beautiful pen-borrower in the bank. She too, seemed to
recognise him, and flashed her characteristic smile at him.
At the end of the fellowship meeting, our dear brother went over
to her. They exchanged the usual nice pleasantries – names, program being
pursued at UNZA, phone numbers, etc. Thus began their long friendship, which
soon led to one thing, and another, and another. Chisala soon left her
Pentecostal church and joined Temwani’s Baptist Church, and at school, she started
regularly attending UCF, much to the disappointment and annoyance of the
prospective suitors in Chi-Alpha.
Upon graduation, Temwani joined Stanbic Bank as a management
trainee and after he was confirmed, he was assigned to work at the bank’s head
office. Chisala also graduated a year after Temwani, and joined the Zambia
Revenue Authority (ZRA). Both of them were astute employees, and their hard
work saw them begin to rise in their professions. Officially engaged, they now
began to make preparations for their wedding. They looked forward to this day
with great excitement and unrestrained enthusiasm.
And when the day finally came, the intensity of their love for
each other was conspicuous to all. That was on Saturday, June 21, 2008. We had
just witnessed one of the most glamorous weddings in living memory. Two
lovebirds indeed, with a promising life right before them…so we thought!
It's good to "hear" your voice Pastor. It's been very quiet in the Living Room. I must confess I was caught unawares by the "sudden" end of the story. "Did I read the heading correctly?" I asked myself. "I thought the heading had to do with a fading dream marriage" the thought continued. As far as I could see, what I had read so far was only the beginning of the marriage. It was not until I scrolled back up that I was comforted by the "Part 1". I look forward to reading more of this captivating write up. The writing has filled me with fresh memories of when I fell in love with my Charity.
ReplyDelete“Ba Levi,” is all she said, and yet that lone word rang with a kind of rhythm in Levi's ear that made him think he was listening to one of his favourite female artists. Struck by her beauty and demeanour, it took him a few seconds to recover from the dazzling effect of her commanding presence.