A DAY TO THE D-DAY
Amelia went to the Mensahs house on the eve of the ceremonies to deliver Amelia's dresses and accessories to her and also to check on the decoration that was being done in the Mensahs house especially the living room because that was where both the christening and traditional marriage were going to be hosted. She also wanted to spend the night with her so that she could assist her with anything she would need.
When she got there, Mrs. Mensah was about to serve dinner so she asked her to help her with it because there were lots of guests in the house whom she needed to attend to. She told her to be patient with the guests because some of them were her in-laws and if they're not treated well, they would give her problems ( in the Ashanti's tribe, it is said that, a woman isn't only married to her husband but to his entire family and they must be treated with respect). For Amelia to help Mrs. Mensah avoid problems with anyone, she asked her to put the food in big bowls so that everyone would dish out what they would eat. If it happened that way no one would complain about how poor he or she was served. Mrs. Mensah was impressed with her suggestion so they went by that. They put the bowls of food, stew and soup, fruits, juices and water on the dinning table and then called everyone to eat.
She served her husband in their bedroom because he was a private person. She served Phyllis and Amelia too in Phyllis' room because they didn't want Phyllis to be seen by a lot of people until the ceremonies began. Amelia couldn't be happier for her friend because she's told her about her past relationships and they were heartbreaking. "At long last, this worked for my beautiful kind hearted friend. May she never loose her joy because of this marriage." She whispered to herself. They decided to let Phyllis try her "slit and kaba",( the Akan names for a top and long skirt sewn out of the African wax print) dresses and wedding gown on as well so that they would fix any faults on any of them. She couldn't hold her tears of joy when she saw them especially the wedding gown, slit and kaba. She loved the slit and kaba because the kente cloth was woven with royal blue and white threads which are her favourite colours. She almost fainted when she saw her wedding gown because it wasn't just beautiful but it was elegant, chic and royal just like she had always wanted her wedding gown to be like. She embraced Amelia and broke down in tears in her arms because no one had ever shown her that much love and care apart from her. She had always been the one giving and it really felt good to receive because it made her feel that someone cared about her.
Amelia then gave her the shoes and accessories for her to try them on too. "oh my God! Ame! I love the gold and silver shoes. Wow! these are lovely to adorn your feet with." Phyllis said with so much joy and appreciation. " Well, my mom and I agreed to give you a Cinderella themed wedding since I have always knew she was your favourite fairytale character. So the silver pencil heels which is a replica of Cinderella's glass slippers is to complement your beautiful wedding gown and gold block heel is to complement your slit and kaba because your mother said you would love a blue, white and gold themed decor". She giggled and lied on Phyllis' lap while she ran her hands through her silky long Brazilian weavon.
While they continued to talk about the upcoming ceremonies and what their expectations were, Mrs. Mensah joined them. She requested for their audience since she wanted to have a discussion with them. " Amelia, I would like to thank you for being a good friend, oh no! a sweet sister to my daughter. You have really shown her much love and I would like to thank you for that. May God bless you. I hope both of you continue to build your friendship with this loyalty you both have towards each other." She hugged her and whispered God bless you into her ears. Amelia also thanked her for being receptive to her as well. They then left each other's embrace. Mrs. Mensah sat in between them and then held Phyllis' hands and said, " my Cinderella, like I always told you while you were young, a woman becomes a queen the very moment she gets married and have kids too. Her family becomes her kingdom and she has to fight to protect and defend it from perpetrators. There are challenges in every marriage and in raising children too but you would have to face and handle them with smiles though your heart may be bleeding. No matter how hard you try, you can never be a perfect wife or mother but you can be an impactful wife and mother. Please don't kill yourself just to achieve perfection and lest I forget, your husband is going to hurt you so many times, please learn to forgive him and no when to talk and when not to. Don't ever leave him because he cheated on you but if you think he's stopped loving you, then you can leave. Please remember, "no where cool".( this means there are chances everywhere) She hugged both girls and said prayers over them before she kissed them good night.
Mrs. Richards also called them on WhatsApp video call and talked to both of them. She prayed for Phyllis and advised her. She also thanked her for being an awesome daughter to her. She told her, she couldn't wait for tomorrow to come so that, she would witness the true Cinderella because she knew her daughter,Phyllis was more beautiful than the Cinderella in the fairytale. Phyllis also thanked her for the love she's been showing her and for organizing her wedding for her. She blew them kisses and hanged up. Denzel joined her and Mr. Richards at the living room and asked for their permission to go to his parents house so that they would make arrangements for the program the next day. He thanked them for all the love and support they had been giving him.
" Denzel, you're now a man so you can't afford to not dream and accomplish it. You have to be visionary and hard working for the sake of your wife and children. Don't forget that, starting from tomorrow, you'll not only be a married man and a father but you'll be a husband too. Don't ever forget to be either of them else you would regret that later in life. Phyllis is going to make mistakes that would offend and hurt you, learn to forgive her and make the marriage work. She's a visionary, focused and smart woman, she will be a good help to you. All the best, my son." Mr. Richards said that with mixed feelings. Both Mr and Mrs Richards hugged him and blessed him before he left for his parents house. They both walked him to the gate before they came back to the living room. Mr. Richards broke down into uncontrollable tears because he had missed Denzel's mother and because he couldn't perform the traditional rites as his father. Mrs. Richards served him whisky on the rocks with lime to calm him down.
When Denzel also got home, he opened the bag Mr. Richards gave him and it contained while kaftan, kente cloth, a three piece royal blue suit with white shirt, an Italian leather slippers, a native sandal and a black pair of shoes. He also gave him two expensive roles watches, an Italian leather black belt and an expensive perfume called Diesel, only the brave wild. He loved all the gifts he was given by Mr. Richards and they fitted him perfectly well. His father also had a talk with him and left him to sleep early so that they wouldn't be late for the ceremonies on the next day. As soon as, his father left, he called Phyllis so that he would check on her and Beryl. They both wished that they were even done with the rites because they were so anxious. Amelia snatched the phone from her and told Denzel to hang up so that they would prepare for the next day. She congratulated him and hanged up.
Mrs. Mensah came to take Beryl to her room so that Phyllis could have a sound sleep for the next day's program. She asked them to shower and go to bed so that they would be able to wake up with a relaxed face tomorrow to enhance their beauty. She told Amelia to take charge of Phyllis since she would be her bridesmaid during the wedding. She switched their lights off before she left the room with Beryl after they finished showering. They both kissed each other good night and went to sleep. It took Phyllis a while to sleep because she was restless.