#THE_MIRACLE_I_nee-d_2
EPISODE 25
*[Three Months Later]*
“Aww! You look like a billion dollars!” Prisca cooed with a happy smile as she admired Kimberly while one of Ella’s girls made her up.
Because of the friendsh!pwhich had struck up between Pete, Ken, and Eric over the last couple of weeks, Ella had also become closer to Kimberly.
Hence she was in charge of Kimberly’s make-up and had come with some of her staff who had taken care of the make-up of every one of them, including Wumi and her mother who had insisted on staying with Kimberly since Kimberly had no mother to be around her on such an important day.
“I know, right?” Ella asked with a big smile as she admired Kimberly’s make-up throu-gh the mirror, “Ade plea-se hurry up, it’s almost ten and we don’t want them to start the wedding without the bride,” Ella told the girl who was still taking her time decorating Kimberly’s face.
“plea-se don’t rush her o, my sister-in-law nee-ds to look her best. The church can start if they want to start, as long as she is there in time to say ‘I do’,” Wumi who just finished dressing up said.
It was the morning of her wedding, and all the ladies were gathered in s£nator Abamba’s house since they had done the traditional marriage there the previous evening. Almost everyone was re-ady to leave for church and they were waiting for Kimberly to be set.
Kathleen walked into the be-droom dressed in a fashionable onion pink lace go-wn and gele, which matched the one Ella and Wumi were also wearing as that was the marriage asoebi. Only Prisca was dressed differently in a flowing go-wn as the maid of honor.
“Kat, you should stand close to Kim and learn everything, very soon it’s your turn,” Ella said with a teasing smile.
“Why do you think I’m here before?” Kathleen retorted, and all four of them giggled.
After her engagement with Pete, he had taken her to see his parents, and both his parents had loved and accepted her effortlessly. She had also met the other members of his family at their father’s seventieth birthday celebr@tion.
A month earlier she and Pete had traveled down to Delta state, to see her people and also to fix a d@t£ for their introduction, which was to take place the next month. They had both agreed to have their traditional Marriage in the village, and the white wedding in Lagos so that most of Pete’s family and friends could easily attend.
“Kim darling, are you re-ady?” Eric’s mother asked as she walked into Kimberly’s be-droom, dressed in a stylish black lace go-wn and silver gele.
Kimberly turned at the sound of her soon-to-be mother-in-law’s voice, “She is almost re-ady,” Ella as-sured Mrs. Obasan politely.
“Wumi, instruct the drivers to get the cars re-ady. We have to leave in a colorful convoy. Lagos will know that my only son is getting married today,” Mrs. Obasan said in a very excited voice, ma-king them giggle, while Wumi rolled her eyes as she walked out of the be-droom to do as she was told.
“Do you ladies mind excusing us for a moment?” Mrs. Obasan asked once Ade stepped away from Kimberly to show she was done.
“We will be in the other room,” Prisca said as they all picked up their bags and left.
Kimberly stood up to look at Mrs. Obasan who was smiling at her fondly, “You are nervous, aren’t you?” She asked, stepping forward to adjust the crown on Kimberly’s head as she watched her closely.
“Very nervous,” Kimberly confessed with an awkward smile. In the weeks following Eric’s grand proposal to her, so many people had had so much to say about their relationsh!p. While others had been happy for them, wishing them well, some of the men she had been with had chos£n that time to talk about how promiscuous she was, and how Eric must be an idiot for wanting to marry someone like her. Others had said she probably used Jaruma’s product on him, while some had said it was love. It had been a serious debate on the pages of different blogs, and Prisca had been following each comment, attacking the people she nee-ded to attack while defending her best friend. Although Kimberly had been sad, her joy over being with Eric had overshadowed her sadness and embarras-sment. Eric had told her that the best way to deal with negative comments online was to ignore them because many of the people spewing trash were having their own problems and looking for people to unload their cra-p on.
“You want to tell me what is bothering you?” Mrs. Obasan asked as she gently pu-ll-ed her to the be-d and sat down.
“What if I ruin everything as people predict I would? I know thera-py has been going well for the past few months, and staying at home has been helpful too. But what if?” Kimberly asked, looking at the woman who had shown her more love in the past months than any other lady she had known ap@rt from her mother.
“What if you don’t ruin it? What if you both get married and live together for the next fifty years?” Mrs. Obasan countered with a kind smile as she took Kimberly’s hands in her own.
“I know Eric is my son, but I will also advise you as I would advise Wumi… Focus on the positive. Be the half-full type of person instead of the half-empty kind. Be optimistic. Who cares about what those social media loudmouths think? What do they know? Do they know where you’re coming from? Do they know your struggle? Do they know the manner of people you have around you who are willing to support you every step of the way? No, they don’t, and as such, their opinions don’t matter. So instead of dwelling on the negative things, they have said, why not strive to prove them wrong? Living with Eric and throwing your love in their face every day for the rest of your life would be more satisfying than allowing their negativity to get the best of you. So just stick to the routine. Don’t miss your thera-py sessions, no alcohol, no clubbing on your own, no male friends until you’re sure you can stand it. I’m sure you will be very fine,” she as-sured her, and Kimberly let out a small sigh of relief. If Eric’s mother believed in her this much, then she had no choice but to believe in herself.
Less than an hour later they all arrived at the church, and as Kimberly stepped out of the white Limousine van which she had come in, Eric checked out her de-ep v-n£¢k, long-sleeved, mermaid white go-wn as he walked over to join her, “I’m glad you picked such a simple go-wn. I can easily undress you myself,” Eric whispered to her as he took her left hand in the crook of his arm.
“Wow! How did you know what I was thinking when I picked the go-wn?” Kimberly whispered back, ma-king Eric chuckle.
“I can’t wait for the day to end alre-ady so that we can be alone,” Kimberly said with a dreamy sigh.
“Soon, love. Soon,” Eric promised.
***********
Chuka walked over to where Prisca was standing away from Kimberly and Eric, “Prisca, right?” He asked, and Prisca turned to look at him.
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t get the chance to talk to you during the introduction and marriage because we were both very busy,” he said, ma-king Prisca wonder what he wanted them to talk about.
“There is something you want to say to me?” Prisca asked with an expressionless face.
“Yes. I saw you in my former neighborhood. I just didn’t realize you were Kimberly’s friend. And you left before I could talk to you,” Chuka said, ma-king Prisca frown.
She hadn’t seen him take note of her. She had been extra careful for him not to see her. So how did he see her? “Maybe you’re mistaking me for someone else,” Prisca said, looking away from him. Why was she feeling guilty when she hadn’t done anything wrong?
Chuka grinned at her, “Nah! I don’t think so. I have an eye for beautiful women so I don’t forget their faces easily,” he as-sured her.
Prisca decided it was time to change the subject, “Good for you. I think it is time to go in,” Prisca said, j£rking her head to the side to indicate that everyone was re-ady for the opening procession since the choirs were alre-ady singing the hymn.
“Since I’m the best man, I as-sume you are my woman for today,” he said with a wi-nk, but Prisca hurried away from him to where Kimberly was standing and lifted the flowing p@rt of the veil off the ground.
“We are next,” Pete who was dressed in a white agbada and onion pink cap, whispered to Kathleen who was standing next to him on the line.
“So I heard,” Kathleen said with an amused smile. She had planned on them having their courtsh!pfor a year before getting married, but her mother wouldn’t hear of it. Her mother had insisted they court within six months and get married. She saw no reason why two people who lived in the same compound nee-ded a year to get to know each other.
“We have re-ad six books now, fourteen to go,” Ken whispered to Ella as they both walked behind Pete and Kathleen.
“So?” Ella whispered back.
“You said you wanted to re-ad twenty books before getting married,” Ken reminded her, and Ella turned to look at him incredulously.
“I said AT LEAST twenty books. Not twenty books. Hold on, is that why you have been recommending we re-ad those short books?” Ella asked suspiciously and giggled when Ken gave her a sheepish smile.
“Come on nau, shey I’m trying? It’s been over three months now,” Ken pleaded.
“And you decided to bring this subject up while we are marching down the aisle with Kim and Eric?” She asked dryly and turned to look ahead of her when she noticed c@m£ras flashing in their direction.
“We will revisit the subject after the wedding,” Ken whispered. Three Months was the longest he had stayed without being with a woman, and as much as he loved Ella and was becoming a devoted Christian, conji nuh dey obey Bible verse or ton-gues.
Soon everyone was seated, and both Kimberly and Eric were asked to step forward and re-ad from the Bible together. Prisca and Chuka went with them to the front and helped them open the Bible to the book of 1 Corinthians 13. Chuka held the Bible in front of them, while Prisca held the mic in front of theirl-ips.
“If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God’s Word with power, revea-ling all his mysteries and ma-king everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, Jump, and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t f0rç£ itself on others, isn’t always “me first,” doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes plea-sure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in ton-gues will end; un-derstanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. When I was an infant at my mother’s brea-st, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good. We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering throu-gh a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”
Tears dropped from Kimberly’s eyes, and her voice quavered with emotion as they re-ad the lines together. Soon there was no dry eye in the congregation as they all watched Kimberly cry as she continued re-ading. Eric took a break and turned to her, “Crybaby, you’re not only going to ruin your makeup, but you’re also going to ruin my clothes if you keep this up,” he whispered to her softly, and soon realized his error when both Kimberly and the congregation started laughing. The mic had still been in front of him, hence everyone had heard what he said.
“We will give her a moment to compose herself,” the officiating minister said, and Prisca handed the mic to Chuka while she tried to use her hankie to wipe Kimberly’s face in a way that wouldn’t ruin her makeup.
No matter how much Prisca kept cleaning the tears from her face, the tears didn’t stop flowing from Kimberly’s eyes. All she knew was that God had chos£n to honor a shameless sinner like her. Her story perfectly describe-d the Bible verse that said, “It is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy.”
She could never be thankful enough to God for ma-king a message out of her mess, and gracing her disgraceful life with a man like Eric who loved her in every way she had never imagined possible.
Once they were all seated, the pastor began to preach about love. Everyone of them had different thoughts on their mind as they listened to him. Love had found all of them at different times, in different places, and had happened to them all in different ways.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 26