There was commotion in the hall because nobody showed up to give Antonia’s hand in marriage. Rev John also will not join them together without the consent of the bride’s family. On the other hand Mr Adeleke was ranting “you can’t join them together, he belong to my daughter”. While the commotion was on, Antonia excused herself to call her uncle who lives close to the church. Sir I have found a man I want to marry and he’s at the altar with me right now but the Reverend will not join us until someone in the family give my hand out. Sir, I will explain the details of my accidental, sorry coincidental marriage to you later. Please just come to first Baptist Church and stand in for the family before I miss this opportunity. Antonia’s uncle replied, But……. She cut him short, no but sir, just trust my judgment. You have to be here in 10 minutes sir.
In no time, Antonia’s uncle arrived. I am the representative of the bride’s family and I am here to willingly give our daughter’s hand in marriage to……. Of course he doesn’t know the name of the groom. The Reverend ask him some few questions and asked him to take her right hand and hand it over to him in the face of all the guests and cameras. Please don’t be quick to leave her hand. This will be my evidence in case of any litigation. He ordered the camera men to take more shots while he collect her hand from her uncle.
The Reverend picked up his minister handbook and proclaimed “I, Rev John Apilo as the servant of the most high God hereby join you Ola and Antonia as man and wife today in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit. Amen”. And there was a low cheer from the congregation amidst mixed feelings. The whole church became divided into two factions; those who think it was not right for the Reverend to have join Ola and Antonia together and those who think it serve Tosin well.
Immediately guests had formed small small groups. How can a man marry without paying dowry? Why would Antonia take her friend’s man just like that? This is not the attribute of a good friend. A man who already paid bride price to Tosin’s father now married to Antonia, Tosin’s best lady. Different groups with different debate over Ola’s marriage with Antonia.
Ola has just married a woman he never had a day courtship with. A woman he knows nothing about. Ola became second Adam who found his wife the same day of his marriage. Adam and Ola are two men who didn’t pay dowry yet married. It was like a case of a man who has a cap but has no head to wear it on and the other who has head but has no cap to wear on it. Everything was strange and unusual about Ola and Antonia wedding as all their guests waited tirelessly for the announcement of the reception party. Lo and behold there was no reception party. Ola has ordered the groom’s driver to drive them straight to an unknown hotel immediately after the wedding.
After a long waiting everybody dispatched and went on their ways. Food and drinks were in surplus because most guests never waited to taste anything. Tosin’s family members, relations, friends and well wishers left the wedding venue in annoyance. Tosin’s mother could not hold her tears for shame and disappointment.
Do you think doing everything possible to be with the person you love is a way of showing your love to your lover? Will you justify Tosin’s attitude?
Do you think Tosin’s father should have allowed his daughter be with David?
Do you think Ola was a smart guy? Can you do what he did?
If you were Antonia will you accept Ola’s proposal on the wedding of your friend?
As soon as they arrived at the hotel, Ola was set to perform his first conjugal duty. He went to shower and came in to bed with towel wrapped around his waist. ‘Can you join me on the bed so we can do like husband and wife’, Ola told Antonia in a romantic voice. ‘Come to bed to do what? Have sex? No, we can’t have sex now until you pay my bride price. We are not properly married yet until you do all the traditional rites.’
‘But the church has blessed us and the Reverend has pronounced us man and wife’, Ola argued.
‘I will not commit fornication with you, I cannot defile the bed.’
‘Forni what? Do married couples commit fornication?’ Ola asked.
‘Since you will not allow me touch you there is no need staying overnight at the hotel. Arrange your things and let’s check out now.’
‘But I thought we are here to rest from the stress of the wedding and to stay away from distraction’, she queried?
‘Did you bring me here just because of sex? Don’t you think we should think about how to sort out Tosin and her family palaver before thinking of sex? I am more worried about my friend and what she will think of me when she hears I am with her husband. She seems to me as the original wife. How can we even have sex when we don’t know each other’s health status? We need to do test for HIV and other life threatening diseases.’
Ola and Antonia managed to spend the night together in the hotel but it was an all night of argument and quarrel. In the morning, the argument and quarrel continued. ‘You are a gold digger, reaping where you you never sow’. You are a husband snatcher and a schemer’. Ola continued to rain insults on Antonia. ‘You are the one who is a gold digger who wants to marry another man’s love.’ ‘It’s you who wanted to take a woman that belongs to another man. ‘It’s you who wanted to reap where David sow. After all I didn’t force you to propose to me’. It’s not your fault, I should have turned down your proposal when your run away arranged wife betrayed you. I should have allow you bear your shame in front of your guests. Shameless man who is not man enough to marry by himself. Let me tell you, if you won’t measure up full for me, likewise I will not take it half-full from you.’
‘Today is Sunday and we are suppose to attend the second service for our wedding thanksgiving. Let nobody suspect anything, let’s dress up so we can meet up with the second service. Let’s switch on our phones now, many people must have been trying to reach us. They both switched on their cell phones’. After our wedding thanksgiving, we shall be heading to your uncle’s place to pay your dowry.’ Ola told Antonia. While they were still talking Antonia’s phone was the first to ring. It’s was her uncle who gave her hand in marriage. ‘Hello Antonia’, ‘hello sir’! ‘You have to see me immediately’, he told Antonia on phone. ‘We shall be coming after our wedding thanksgiving service’, she replied. ‘No, there maybe no need for that now. Come and see me first before anything. I will skip the church service this morning, just to wait for you’. ‘Okay sir, I will be there in a short while.’
‘Where are you going’? Ola asked! ‘To see my uncle of course, he wants to see me urgently. Moreover I cannot go to church with you this morning. You know I have no other dress than this. I can’t wear the same cloth I wore for the the wedding, for the thanksgiving.
‘We can go to the nearest boutique to get you some ready-made dress. If we don’t attend the second service for the thanksgiving it will raise a lot of suspicion’.
‘No, I have to see my uncle first. We can do our wedding thanksgiving next Sunday, she said. Moreover, today is Sunday and no boutique will open this early today. I have to see my uncle first’.
‘But I am the man and I am your head. The bible says “wives submit to your husbands”. ‘
But you are not my husband yet. I will only submit to you after you have become my full husband.’
While the argument was on, Ola’s mother called! ‘Ola where are you? Why did you leave the wedding venue without a word? You want to kill me abi? I and your father have been worried since yesterday. Ola, are you okay? Where is Tosin? Oh no, I mean your wife’.
‘She’s fine mum.’
‘Hold on for your father’, ‘hello Ola!’ ‘Hello daddy’! ‘What was the meaning of what you did yesterday? Why did you ridicule me amidst my friends and relatives? Why did you not seek my consent before doing what you did?’ ‘I am sorry dad, I will explain when I come back’. ‘Where are you now?’, his father asked. ‘Don’t worry dad I will be coming home soon’.