Thirty

The groom was everything handy and the bride the mirror for beauty. This beautiful couple made a fine impression beyond the power of every spoken word. Two very different people who were once scared to get along, now joining in the lasting union of marriage. It was good that way.  So good to be done, their lives and their future for the time when they would live to remember, "yes I do and …Then it was that time when they were reminded to make the promise… 'Yes I do'. At least, he was old enough for marriage. He was only performing his natural social duty. With wide eager eyes, they looked at each other and discovered that inner feeling, more love now more defined like any other. She was unveiled and gorgeously appareled, and see her, a young beautiful woman and the newest couple in the city for that very time of the day.

The first priest spoke loudly to the moderate volume that the microphone provided. He read this oath separately pronouncing each in a clear affirmative tone. The church was filled to the last seat, and the choir who were mostly trained spinsters and bachelors in their best attire from Holy Ghost and new generation churches chanted and sang with all manner of enthusiasm,  skills and gently crooned the hymns to the delight of all. They all met in the first flush of their excitement. For those moments they sang, the whole place reverberated and the new couple felt the union, the vow of 'for better for worse' which would soon be read and they too knew it well. The sacred covenant binding to Christian – real Christian. The chorus which had continued, the lovely sweet chorus was everything to keep one nodding. The sound and voice quality was different, purely air shaking. These men and women were called for this as their talent, trained for this, not for anything apart from it. The divers and majestic harmony, expressed human emotion, the Lords thought. Their voice was of the best and as Gods children on earth, they had made others feel His presence.

         Damik was her Mr. bridesmaid and other ladies of her class who carried the long weeding gown that measured over 150 feet long, imported new from Britain – the first of its kind to be used by an African. She too was beautiful, purely an Amazon. Bevy of beauties standing in the most organized way, all ladies, in their late twenties and early thirties and working class groups and children of the politicians.  The others were purely bridesmaids. She had chosen blue for them, the reigning color for the year. The long full dress was at low neck and long tight sleeves with flowers in their long hair and stile toed cover shoes to match. She was incredibly beautiful in this gown. She was only smiling her way to the altar. She was truly beautiful with an enormous gap between her front teeth.  The early sun which had pierced from little openings fell on her hair, outlining the wonderful curl and twist which was truly the finest in the world of hair dressing.