ERRONEOUS WAY TO LOVE pt32
I was cooking at the backyard when mum
ran into the kitchen very excited and full of
smiles.
“Guess who just visited us?” she asked
happily,
“I can’t guess mum, please tell me” i
begged.
“Emmanuel came with his parents, they are
in the sitting room with your father” she
said to me. I quickly dropped the kitchen
spoon i was holding, without minding where
it fell nor the rough clothes i was wearing
and ran into the sitting room where dad sat
with Emmanuel and his parents.
I greeted and welcomed them happily, my
heart pounding furiously. Emmanuel stared
at me with a smile, understanding the
girlish shyness and sweet fear that had
changed me into a timid girl. He stood up
without wasting time.
“Mary please i have something to tell you”
he calmly said to me. My face instantly
flushed at his words, eyes drooping with
shy, sweet happiness.
“Let’s go outside dear” he begged. I
breathed deeply, looked at my dad who
nodded in approval, shrugged and left the
room with him.
“I have borne my impatience and pride for
the last three months,” he said when we got
to a lonely part of our compound; “but i
now must speak to you, for i can bear it no
longer, Mary. Oh, do not turn away from
me! I can’t hold my pride anymore, I love
you, and i want you to be my wife– my
wife, darling; and i will love you– I will
cherish you– I will spend my whole life in
working for you, I have no hope so great, so
sweet, so dear, as the hope of winning you.”
he poured out.
I made no answer. Yet my silence was more
eloquent than words.
“It seems a strange thing to say, but,
Mary all the time i was away, my heart was
really with you” he confessed. I listened
with a happy smile playing round my lips,
my eyes drooping, while my face flushed
and turned from his.
“You are my fate, my destiny!, if only you
will say yes to me. Your love would incite
me to win name and fame, not for myself
but for you. Your love would crown a king. I
beg of you, say yes to me this instant.
Surely great love wins great love and there
could be no greater love than mine” he
begged desperately.
It was at this stage that our eyes met. The
next moment he clasped me to his heart,
pouring out a torrent of passionate words–
such words, so tender, so loving, so full of
passion and hope, that my face grew pale
as i trembled and listened.
“It’s love that makes life. Only to think, my
darling, that you and i may spend every
hour of it together. Just say yes to me and
by Easter we will get married” he proposed.
I raised my eyes to the fair, calm heavens,
and infinite happiness filled my soul, a
deep, silent prayer ascended unspoken from
my heart.
“Yes Emmanuel i accept you” i finally
opened up with tears.
____________________
He smiled happily as we hugged each other,
but deep down i still felt an uncertain fear.
With a whimper of relief he smiled at me.
His face was absolutely ashen, his lips
white, as he pulled me savagely into his
arms, folding me into the safety of his
body, cradling my head, then cupping my
face in his hands and tilting it upwards.
His eyes moved feverishly over my face as
if he wanted to reassure himself i was really
there.
“Thank God” he murmured as he bent his
head, pressing his lips to my hair.
“I thought i’d lost you again” he confessed.
“But what kept you away for so long?” i
asked curiously,
“It was my pride my dear, it ate me up like
a terminal disease, but i eventually
overcame it and came running with my
parents. How do i make up for my complete
and utter crassness?” he asked
remorsefully. I looked away.
“I got this for you……” He said, as he let go
of me for a moment, pulling out something
from his pocket,
“Now i want to do it properly, before
anything else happens to come between us”
he smiled as he held out his hand. In the
centre of his palm lay a golden ring.
‘Mary—‘ he pulled me gently back into his
arms.
‘I love you—‘ he murmured.
“I will forever love you, cherish you–”
“Comfort you, protect you…..” he kissed my
middle finger.
“Honour you and make endless fantastic
love with you for all the days of my life.”
Holding up my third finger, he slid the ring
onto it.
“If you will have me” He prayed. Through a
shimmering veil of tears, i gave a soft
laugh…….
I was so happy, and so thrilled, because all
my dreams were coming to past. What else
could i wish for?
Together we walked into the sitting room to
break the joyful news to our dear old
parents.
Emmanuel made the necessary first
payment which showed that he has reached
an agreement with my family, just like our
custom demanded, before collecting the list
of items required for our traditional
marriage, Promising to show up three weeks
later for the first stage of Introduction……
Unluckily it never happened as we planned.
Precisely two weeks later, I got a very
terrible news which almost killed me.
Hmmmm it truly wasn’t the kind of news i
was expecting at that stage of my life,
neither is it the kind of news you guys are
eager to read.
-To be continued-
smiles.
“Guess who just visited us?” she asked
happily,
“I can’t guess mum, please tell me” i
begged.
“Emmanuel came with his parents, they are
in the sitting room with your father” she
said to me. I quickly dropped the kitchen
spoon i was holding, without minding where
it fell nor the rough clothes i was wearing
and ran into the sitting room where dad sat
with Emmanuel and his parents.
I greeted and welcomed them happily, my
heart pounding furiously. Emmanuel stared
at me with a smile, understanding the
girlish shyness and sweet fear that had
changed me into a timid girl. He stood up
without wasting time.
“Mary please i have something to tell you”
he calmly said to me. My face instantly
flushed at his words, eyes drooping with
shy, sweet happiness.
“Let’s go outside dear” he begged. I
breathed deeply, looked at my dad who
nodded in approval, shrugged and left the
room with him.
“I have borne my impatience and pride for
the last three months,” he said when we got
to a lonely part of our compound; “but i
now must speak to you, for i can bear it no
longer, Mary. Oh, do not turn away from
me! I can’t hold my pride anymore, I love
you, and i want you to be my wife– my
wife, darling; and i will love you– I will
cherish you– I will spend my whole life in
working for you, I have no hope so great, so
sweet, so dear, as the hope of winning you.”
he poured out.
I made no answer. Yet my silence was more
eloquent than words.
“It seems a strange thing to say, but,
Mary all the time i was away, my heart was
really with you” he confessed. I listened
with a happy smile playing round my lips,
my eyes drooping, while my face flushed
and turned from his.
“You are my fate, my destiny!, if only you
will say yes to me. Your love would incite
me to win name and fame, not for myself
but for you. Your love would crown a king. I
beg of you, say yes to me this instant.
Surely great love wins great love and there
could be no greater love than mine” he
begged desperately.
It was at this stage that our eyes met. The
next moment he clasped me to his heart,
pouring out a torrent of passionate words–
such words, so tender, so loving, so full of
passion and hope, that my face grew pale
as i trembled and listened.
“It’s love that makes life. Only to think, my
darling, that you and i may spend every
hour of it together. Just say yes to me and
by Easter we will get married” he proposed.
I raised my eyes to the fair, calm heavens,
and infinite happiness filled my soul, a
deep, silent prayer ascended unspoken from
my heart.
“Yes Emmanuel i accept you” i finally
opened up with tears.
____________________
He smiled happily as we hugged each other,
but deep down i still felt an uncertain fear.
With a whimper of relief he smiled at me.
His face was absolutely ashen, his lips
white, as he pulled me savagely into his
arms, folding me into the safety of his
body, cradling my head, then cupping my
face in his hands and tilting it upwards.
His eyes moved feverishly over my face as
if he wanted to reassure himself i was really
there.
“Thank God” he murmured as he bent his
head, pressing his lips to my hair.
“I thought i’d lost you again” he confessed.
“But what kept you away for so long?” i
asked curiously,
“It was my pride my dear, it ate me up like
a terminal disease, but i eventually
overcame it and came running with my
parents. How do i make up for my complete
and utter crassness?” he asked
remorsefully. I looked away.
“I got this for you……” He said, as he let go
of me for a moment, pulling out something
from his pocket,
“Now i want to do it properly, before
anything else happens to come between us”
he smiled as he held out his hand. In the
centre of his palm lay a golden ring.
‘Mary—‘ he pulled me gently back into his
arms.
‘I love you—‘ he murmured.
“I will forever love you, cherish you–”
“Comfort you, protect you…..” he kissed my
middle finger.
“Honour you and make endless fantastic
love with you for all the days of my life.”
Holding up my third finger, he slid the ring
onto it.
“If you will have me” He prayed. Through a
shimmering veil of tears, i gave a soft
laugh…….
I was so happy, and so thrilled, because all
my dreams were coming to past. What else
could i wish for?
Together we walked into the sitting room to
break the joyful news to our dear old
parents.
Emmanuel made the necessary first
payment which showed that he has reached
an agreement with my family, just like our
custom demanded, before collecting the list
of items required for our traditional
marriage, Promising to show up three weeks
later for the first stage of Introduction……
Unluckily it never happened as we planned.
Precisely two weeks later, I got a very
terrible news which almost killed me.
Hmmmm it truly wasn’t the kind of news i
was expecting at that stage of my life,
neither is it the kind of news you guys are
eager to read.
-To be continued-
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