TEARS OF A HELPLESS WOMAN
© Pauline Mumbi
Atusaye and I travelled to the united States with the
Martin’s to celebr@te our engagement but most
importantly, I wanted to get a princes wedding
go-wn by Pinina and I found the perfect dress.
I didn’t know what to put together when planning for
the special day, all along i knew I wanted a fairytale
wedding but the time finally c@m£ and I was blank.
Clara suggested she knew a planner who could help
and she was right. The man knew what he was
doing.
I was so calm throu-gh the planning process, no
stress whatsoever. I was just glad that i was
getting married to the man of my dreams.
Despite everything I went throu-gh, I really wanted to
have my uncle walk me down the aisle.
Unfortunately he was still in prison so Mr. Martins
took that gap and filled in for the father I never had.
**********************************************
The morning of the wedding was so peaceful, I
woke up feeling very emotional. I couldn’t believe I
was finally going to be with the love of my life, i
had really suffered and now I was a few hours away
from being a wife.
Atusaye was just that gift I nee-ded from above and
he c@m£ at the perfect time.
The matron who happened to be Mrs. Martin’s was
very helpful. She made sure I was dressed on time
and she kept me calm. She also made sure
everything was sorted.
We spent a night at Clara’s house, she hosted us
and took care of our slee-ping and food
arrangement. I was marrying into a wonderful family
that was so selfless and this was comforting,
despite what the devil ploted in Nigeria, I managed
to reconcile with Clara and my mother in-law.
Joy and faith were in charge of makeup and they
worked their magic on our faces while keeping
mindful of time as they too were on the lineup. My
bridesmaids included Clara, Joy, Faith and Joy
(Atusaye’s sister)
***********************
When we were all re-ady I gathered all my bridal
p@rty in one place because i had something
important to say.
“I would like to thank you all for being a p@rt of my
life, each one of you has had a very important p@rt
to pl@yin my life. As you know my life has been a
roller coaster, I’ve had so many ups and downs..
The downs being many but all in all I thank God.
Today I want to thank God because he has shown
his mercy. I know marriage is not easy but with
God at the centre i know i will enjoy every moment.
I want us to pray.. plea-se pray for me as I take this
journey” I said emotionally.
“I agree my dear and I think we should pray now
and for your husband too. I know my brother and I
have no doubt he will make you a happy wife.” Mrs
Martin’s said as she ru-bbe-d my shoulder.
Clara spre-ad a mart in the be-droom and I knelt
down there while my bridesmaids surrounded me
as they held hands. Mrs. Martin’s led into a strong
prayer and everyone joined in, it was strong,
powerful and t©uçhed every area including our
unborn children.
When Mrs. Martin’s concluded the prayer a breath
of fresh air filled the room and I was calm and
peaceful. It was finally happening… I was going to
get married in less than an hour.
Mrs Martin’s dropped my veil and handed me my
bouquet, the most emotional p@rt of my morning
was being covered un-der the veil.
As I slowly walked out my bridesmaids ululated.
My heart was overjoyed. This was me… Mwansa
Yande finally getting married, leaving behind the
horrible life I had led. Each step reminded me of
the small chicken run I grew up in. The smell of
chicken feed and chicken manure c@m£ back.. The
faith and hope I had in having a better life clouded
my mind, the sleepless nights, tears and hungry
days. If this God isn’t to be praised then I don’t
know who deserves the praise.
I was a maid in r!pp£dclothes without anything to
my name but now I was not only independent but
also getting married to a wonderful man. I was an
outcast but God still saw it fit that I be called his
own.
Who wouldn’t want to serve a God like that?.
**********************
As the vehicle moved all I could think about was
Atusaye, I couldn’t wait to see his face and his
look. Mrs Martin’s sat next to and she kept
reminding me to breathe and take in the moment.
The vehicle finally pu-ll-ed over at the venue of the
marriage blessing ceremony.
When I was informed the bridesmaids had settled
inside my heart suddenly started racing but I had to
be calm.
Mr. Martins c@m£ to open the door and he held my
hand . We slowly walked to the chapel entrance.
“You’re nervous relax” Mr Marin’s whispered as we
stood at the entrance. The bridesmaids had just
made their way in and it was almost our turn to
enter.
As I stared at the chapel door and imagined just
how Atusaye was smiling it made me feel better
and calm.
The doors slowly opened and the celebr@nt asked
everyone to stand up to welcome the bride…… The
bride who happened to be myself. Mwansa Yande
was finally going to be a wife.
The keyboard finally started to pl@y”here comes the
bride”
While holding on to Mr Martin’s we walked slowly
into the beautifully decorated chapel. Just how I
imagined it, the ceremony was peach and white.
Material hang from the ceiling and it looked
beautiful.
My princess Pinina wedding go-wn was glowing with
the crystals flashing as people admired. The n£¢k
piece and tiara were all sh!pped from the USA…..
just simply amazing.
I looked up to peep and Atusaye was facing the
front, he clearly heard not to look behind until he
was asked to. I could see his hands make fists as
if he was nervous.
“Awwww he must be anxious” I thought
*********************
“Who gives this Lady away in marriage?” The
celebr@nt asked.
“I do” Mr martins replied.
When Atusaye got my hand from Mr. Martin’s I got
so emotional but I contained the tears.
“You look gorgeous honey” he whispered
I smiled hearing those wonderful words coming
from my husband to be.
It was a beautiful service, the preaching t©uçhed my
heart. Atusaye kept stealing glances at me and we
smiled at each other often all throu-gh the service.
***********************
THE VOWS
ATUSAYE:: One boring afternoon I took a drive to
relax my mind and refresh my thoughts. Little did I
know that drive was going to be the beginning of
something beautiful. That day i met a young lady,
She looked very tired and frustrated with life. To me
she was a diamond in the rou-gh and I believed it
the first time I set my eyes on her. From that
moment I knew she was no ordinary girl and I told
God if I drove back and found her there then I
would be taking her home with me. I quic-kly
informed my sister of this young lady I had finally
found to help her with the chores. She agreed
without hesitating and just like God had planned
it…. I found her there. Mwansa
my love no amount
of pain that life has thrown at me has or can
succeed in changing my feelings for you. Today I’m
joining myself to you accepting that you are the only
woman destined for me. I promise to love and
always stand by you, throu-gh ha-rd times and good
times. I can’t afford to be away from you any longer
my love. My promise to you is eternity of
togetherness throu-gh the the laughter and the tears.
********
I was emotional hearing Atusaye recite those words,
knowing they c@m£ straight from his heart made it
even extra special.
The celebr@nt extended the mic towards me.
“I wouldn’t want to be you right now … The
pressure is on” the celebr@nt tea-sed.
The congregation laughed and ululated. Indeed the
pressure was on, how could I ever t©p the beautiful
vows Atusaye made.
I cleared my throat and smiled. I knew Atusaye
could see the smile from my veil because he
smiled too.
MY VOWS:: My love Atusaye.. you showed me a
new side of life.
# The emotions were too many so i st©pped a little
to gather myself #
“Breath honey” I heard Atusaye whisper.
Its like his words triggered the emotions more and
tears trailed down.
I smiled trying to block the tears but it was too
late.
“Atusaye you got me my first br@nd new dress as
opposed to the hand me downs I grew up wearing.
The first time I ever smelt good, you were behind it.
You washed the dirt out of me and gave me
courage to pursue my dreams… Just that alone
gave me drive to work ha-rd and one day be able to
afford my own clothes and perfume. Today.. I can
testify that God is indeed able. He really is faithful
and because of him today I am getting married to
my best friend, my motivator, my confidant and the
most courageous man I know. He is my rock loving
and shielding me throu-gh every storm. This man
standing opposite me has taught me to love and
trust again”
At this time tears had alre-ady flooded my face and
I was shaking.
Atusaye equally broke down and the celebr@nt asked
for a moment of silence to allow us calm down. It
was very emotional.
“God if I had to do this over again I would choose
this path again” Atusaye whispered in between the
tears
The celebr@nt was amazed at the love we expressed
for each other and he challenged the guests to
believe in love. He said::
“True love is patient and overcomes every storm”
“What can I say? Who am I not to bless this union?”
The celebr@nt added
The rings were brou-ght forward by Joy (Atusaye’s
sister) who was my maid of honour. Having
blessed the rings the celebr@nt handed one ring to
Atusaye and asked him to repeat the vows of
commitment.
As Atusaye held the ring towards my f!nger I could
tell he was still very emotional.
“Mwansa take this ring as a sign of my love and
fidelity, in the name of the father and of the of the
holy spirit”
The crowd cheered really loud and now it was my
turn. I kept reminding myself that it was really true
and that it was really happening.
Holding the ring toward his f!nger I repeated the
words::
“Atusaye take this ring as a sign of my love and
fidelity, in the name of the father and of the son
and of the holy spirit. Amen”
The ululating was loud as people cl@pped and
congratulated us.
The certificate was pres£nted before us and we
signed it with Mr and Mrs Martin’s standing as
witness.
The moment everyone was waiting for finally c@m£.
The celebr@nt cracked a few jokes before asking
Atusaye to unveil his bride.
“Atusaye as you unveil you bride say these words
after me….”
“Bone of my bone, flesh of my flash.. Her name is
Mwansa Ruhai” Atusaye recited as he unwra-pped
my veil.
“Ladies and gentleman by the power invested in me,
I now introduce to you for the first time Mr and Mrs
Ruhai!!!”
The crowd rolled with cheers and laughter as
Atusaye and i k!$$£d.
Well I must say that k!sswas one of a kind.
We both bur-st into laughter after the k!ssbecause
Atusaye wore all myl-ipstick.
And just like that I was officially Atusaye’s wife.
**********************************************
We had just finished having lunch at Clara’s house
after the studio ph0toshoot, it was almost time for
the reception.
Atusaye and i had a table set out for us pri-vately
where we had our lunch and the rest of the bridal
ate in the dinning room.
“Honey I nee-d to change into my second dress” I
said to Atusaye.
“Oh that’s great then let me esc-rt you” he
responded.
“Honey??” I responded shyly.
“What? I am your husband..” he insisted as he
win-ked at me.
He had a silly smile on his face and he kept
wi-nking.
“Oh honey st©p it…. Can I at least worry about that
after the wedding.. plea-se let me go alone” I
insisted.
Atusaye was clearly amazed by my persistence and
it just made him more eager to esc-rt me but he
finally let me have my way.
“You better get used to this arrangement” he
giggled.
The thought of just sharing a be-d with Atusaye that
night killed me and I wished the reception could
last forever. I was so nervous
*********************
I had just finished changing into my second dress
in re-adiness for the wedding reception when I
walked out to meet Atusaye, he was b!own away
and kept reminding me how beautiful I was.
“Honey I hope you are re-ady to dance because am
re-ady to jive” he tea-sed.
“I got two left feet but we got this” I giggled.
****************
We finally arrived at the beautiful Ananda lodge
where our wedding reception would take place.
Outside we could tell the guest were aware of our
arrival from the loud screams and ululating
The grand entrance into the reception got everyone
on their feet, Little had I known Atusaye’s feet had
great rhythm.
The audience was taken by surprise seeing how my
husband and I killed it on the dancefloor.
It was a day to definitely remember and we gave
the media something to talk about.
The favourite p@rt of the reception was cutting into
the gorgeous 15tier velvet wedding cake, the k!ss
and finally our dance to the theme track of our
relationsh!p”hold on by Israel”.
That wasn’t the best p@rt yet.
The master of ceremony surprised the crowd
including my self when he asked me to stand and
sit on a chair that was place at the centre of the
hall.
The lights went off for a few minutes and when they
went back on, Atusaye and his groomsmen were
standing in front of me, they had re-moved their
jackets but had put on hats.
” what’s going on?” I whispered to Atusaye.
Suddenly a track by Runtown “mad over you” started
pla-ying and the men started their routine.
Awwww …….. it was so ro-mantic seeing Atusaye
slide from one direction to the other in
what seemed like a Michael Jackson inspired
dance.
The wedding sealed off with our s£nd off track
“unajaila” the danceable version by Tiye p featuring
Kekero.
************
I am just a blessed girl. Blessed beyond mans
un-derstanding.
To be continued…
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