Ours

Chapter 17: The making of Mrs. Mensah

At exactly 5:00am, my eyes fluttered open. Woah, this is finally the day I become exclusively his. I looked around and all of the girls were still sleeping. They have worked so hard this past few weeks and I couldn't ask for a better circle of friends. With nostalgia, I looked at them sprawled on the bed in weird positions. I sat smiling at all the good times we had as a circle of friends and how free we were to move about anyhow we wanted without having to answer to anyone. I can't believe that is about to change. It freaked me out that I may not get the chance to have a sleep over with them anymore. I didn't even realized when tears started flowing on my face. Right at that moment, mommy entered the room with the aim of coming to wake me up. How surprised she was to see me already awake. She tip toed to my side of the bed, to avoid waking them up, and hugged me. That made the 'dam' I was holding inside, burst open. The girls were awakened by my loud sobs. Simultaneously, they all coed, awwwn. I was going to miss living here and all the fights I had with mom and Maame over doing of dishes and other household chores. Afterwards, we all got ready for the big day. Dressed in my gown, and my makeup done, I sat on my bed to think of all the possible things that could go wrong today. What if I trip and fall?  What if Duke doesn't show up?  What if people don't show up? will there be enough food for everyone? A whole lot of what if's occupied my mind. While I was in my own world thinking of the impossible, someone tapped my shoulder from behind. I turned to see Duke's younger brother, Yaw and in his hands were a parcel. He dropped it on my lap and said it was from his brother. The girls were squealing in excitement and they gathered around to see what the parcel contains. I opened the first box and it was a letter,  handwritten by 'yours truly'. In the letter, he assured me of how he can't wait to make me 'his'. The last part of the letter asked me to look in my window. we all rushed to the window and before me, was a car with the number plate inscribed 'wifey'. Oh my God, Oh my God somebody tell me that car isn't mine!  I shouted with joy alongside my bridesmaids. He phoned later to ask if I liked the car.
"Like?  Please I love it! Thank you very much odo", was my reply. We talked at length, with him trying to assure me that everything will go on as planned. We eventually got off the phone when it was time to get to the hall from our respective locations. All my fears were cast away as I saw him waiting at the other end of the wedding hall. Ah!  My heart was content; this big yummy bear was all mine and mine only. As my father handed me over to him, he did a little victory dance that got the audience laughing. Fast forward, it was time for us to say our vows. When the officiator asked, "Do you Ms. Ria Brown take Mr. Duke Mensah award your lawfully wedded husband... ",  I couldn't help but smile. Hmm, Mrs Mensah has a nice ring to it. After completing all the necessary formalities and taking pictures, lots of them I must say, we sett off to the reception venue. The scene before me, as we  arrived, was breathtaking. The whole auditorium was filled with various flowers of different colours, as well as artificial trees and grass. It was the perfect set up for a garden themed wedding. One could literally feel the love in the atmosphere  as we walked hand in hand towards our designated seat. The MC made the whole wedding interesting with his funny jokes and games. In all, I have never been to a wedding as lively as mine. There was a lot to eat and drink at the reception, and that kept everyone happy. Dusk soon fell and the ceremony had to come to a close. Stanley, who was one of the grooms men, drove us to our new home. It was ironic how he kept wishing us well and all the happiness in the world. It made me uncomfortable and surprisingly,  Duke rolled his eyes when he commented on how perfect we looked together. Now that I think of it, there has been some sought of tension between them for about a week now. What the cause of it was, I couldn't tell. Or perhaps, I was reading meaning into nothing. I wasn't going to ask him though, in case it is something I don't want to be confronted about. As we zoomed past the houses down the street, I couldnt help but wonder how life was going to be from this moment onwards. Finally, we arrived at our destination; a three bedroom house with an exterior same as all the houses on the lane. I couldn't wait to see how inside looks. My car I received that morning was already parked in there. Stanley took a taxi back home after he declined our offer to spend the night. I spent about twenty minutes exploring the interior of the house and I was amazed at how beautiful and comfortable it looked. With my eyes fixated on a piece of art hanging in the hallway, I didn't realize when my husband came in. He tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to see him holding in his hands, a bottle of wine and two glasses. He poured us both some wine and placed the bottle on the table. With his free hand, he held my waist and drew me closer. He  pressed a button on the remote beside us and "you and I" started playing from the in built speakers in the room. For about thirty minutes, we stood swaying to different love songs and sipping some wine. In the middle of one song, he spoke the most beautiful words my ears have ever heard.
"Sunshine, from this moment on, I promise to love and cherish you till my last breath. Your happiness is going to be my top most priority hence , I promise to be everything you will ever need to be happy. I can't thank you enough for accepting to be my wife. Your tears will be my tears and your laughter mine as well. I'm only human so I can't promise you perfection but I promise that I will try my best to try and be closer to perfection. My love, my sunshine, my wife, my everything, I promise to hold onto you because you are all I have got". With that he placed a kiss on my forehead. The goofy smile on my face was enough to let him know that I was smitten. It was only fair on my part to ensure him of how much he meant to me too.
"I'm never letting you go too my love. I promise to respect and cherish you every single day, to be everything you need in a wife, to be your best friend, companion and your moral support. Nothing, absolutely nothing can come between the two of us. This I promise you". The rest of the evening, I leave to your own imagination.