She rushed out of the car, holding her ivory wedding gown and immediately got run over by a delivery truck. Blood flowed profusely from various parts of her body and painted the tarmac road red. Shocked onlookers rushed to the scene to help but there was nothing they could do. She had died on the spot…
‘I am so proud of you my sweet daughter’, that was my mother speaking to me on the eve of my wedding day, I was so excited. I was finally getting married to the man of my dreams; I had been waiting for this day ever since I was a small girl. I had always replayed it in my mind several times; it was a fixed thought in my head. Only a few hours were left before my D-day I and my bridesmaids were doing the final touches. I had my hair, facial, manicure, pedicure all done, I picked my wedding gown which was one of a kind, an attire of my dreams. It fitted perfectly and made me look like a princess.
“Baby you need to sleep and rest early tomorrow is a big day for you’’, my mother kept on insisting the whole day. She picked me up from the salon and we headed home for the big family dinner, the preparations still ongoing. My family had invited my in-laws and the bridal team for dinner in accordance with tradition. Everything was ready and my family members were patiently waiting for my in-laws to arrive. After an hour they showed up, though late it was a relief .
My family members were more than happy to host my in-laws. As the families were merrily having dinner bonding and celebrating the coming together of the two families, Daisy my best maid called me aside and said she needed to talk to me. I was certain that this was one of those pep talks one gets before they get married; daisy was my childhood friend we grew up together, attended the same schools from primary school to college, got employed at the same time, got engaged at the same time,
I met Tony my fiancée through Daisy. She was my best friend for life – she passed for a sister from another mother. We knew each other inside out; we could tell what the other was thinking at a particular time. We had so much in common that she was me and I was her. She had been there throughout the planning of the wedding and showed so much support for me and Tony. I loved her even more for this; truly she was a true friend.
‘I am pregnant’, Daisy uttered. ‘Congratulations dear I am so happy for you, how many months gone? Have you told Peter yet?” I asked daisy in excitement but she wore a sad face full of fear, she was all tensed up, anxious as if someone had died, well I expected her to be all happy and excited babies are blessings and it’s a joy for every woman at the right time to be excited about a baby on the way. She had a fiancée called peter, she was successful too. What more could she ask for if not to now start a family of her own.
‘Honey, where are you? Tony called out. “Here swiry” I answered back from my room. “Can I have a word with Daisy”? Tony interrupted us just before Daisy could answer me, I excused myself and joined my mother in the living room, I was super excited I was getting married in hours to come and my best friend was expecting a baby, what more could I ask for everyone in the house was all smiles, it was a happy house,
I kept on thanking God for this particular moment with every passing minute. After five hours of celebration, my in-laws had to leave we didn’t talk much with Tony that night, it was against our tradition for the bride to get involved a lot with the groom hours away from the wedding. I had so much to tell him, how happy and excited I was, how much I was grateful to him for the time we had shared and for making my childhood dream come true, how much I loved him and I couldn’t wait to share the rest of my life with him. Tony was my ideal man, my prince, the love of my life all the sweet words a girl in love would use to describe the man she adores.
It’s said that time tends to go fast when you are having a good time, I was forced to sleep early I didn’t even have the time to talk to Daisy about what she had just told me earlier on. The moment I closed my eyes was the moment I opened them and it was my wedding day. Everything was happening too fast from breakfast, to dressing up, to make up. Jubilant women were singing outside our gate with drums and the cameras. I became all nervous and anxious this was the moment.
The journey from home to our church was longer than usual but Daisy ensured that I was calm we chatted all the way and planned on the mega fun we would have during the evening party, and before we knew it we had arrived I couldn’t wait to see Tony and walk down the aisle with my mother. The minutes before you enter the church and walk down the aisle are the worst in a good way; well mine didn’t turn out to be the very best, my husband to be Tony had not yet arrived.
My mother seemed to be worried; she paced up and down anxiously. What could have happened to my dear Tommy, I had heard dreadful stories where the groom or bride did not show up I didn’t want to have the slightest imagination that it could happen to me because I wouldn’t be able to walk through it that was too much to bear. I tried calling him but he was not picking up, then minutes later his phone went off, I knew something was wrong, I had all the wrong presumptions maybe he had an accident, someone kidnapped him, his car maybe broke down but why is he not calling to let us know, maybe he is not coming he changed his mind, ooh no my Tony wouldn’t do that to me after all we shared. I was sweating, my makeup was getting spoilt. I didn’t care it was thirty minutes and the groom was nowhere to be found people were talking out there, Daisy excused herself and walked out of the car I was left all alone with no closure. I felt all naked emotionally.
From thirty minutes to forty five minutes, the pastor was getting impatient everyone was busy looking for the groom. Minutes later, mother came to the car she looked all composed than earlier, she held me in her arms trying to comfort me. She could see the pain in my eyes, and how scared I was. I felt better though I was still scared- an hour had passed, I was giving up and panicking and that’s when it hit me that Daisy hadn’t returned: double trouble. Where was she??We looked for her all over the church but she was nowhere to be found, this was a tragedy why was all this happening? Tony now it’s my best maid. I tried calling her but her phone was off .
No it couldn’t be that they both disappeared together. Daisy was my best friend, Tony was my lover. It was confirmed that she wasn’t in the compound. People were growing impatient and they were all talking in low voices, it was doomsday for me. It felt like a highway to hell.
I could tell by the look on my mother’s face that things were totally not okay; she knew the truth. What had I done to deserve this?? My phone beeped and a message came in, “Tony” It was a sigh of relief and my heart stopped pounding fast. Finally he is coming so I thought. It was not until I read the message,
“Honey I am sorry I could not make it to our wedding, I know I have cost you a lot, your dignity, time, money and the respect. Daisy and I have been seeing each other for some time and she is pregnant for me I couldn’t live with the fact that I betrayed you with your very bestfriend, so as we speak we (daisy and I) are on our way to catch the next bus to kisumu stay beautiful as always and I pray you find the right man. Have a happy life dear”.
It felt like a nightmare my body went stiff then I began shivering. Tears flowed freely I didn’t care about the make up anymore. Everything looked distant to my eyes. I could hear voices in my head. People seemed to be laughing at me in slow motion, I was broken and empty. Mother took the phone from my hand and read the message. Calmly she held my hand ‘we will walk through this together baby”. This words didn’t seem to matter to me, I was destroyed behold repair#theshame.
I rushed out of the car holding my ivory wedding gown, my mother following me in swift pursuit, calling out for me to come back out to the road. The world was empty to me I was running on an endless road, everything was rushing past me, nothing mattered anymore I was as good as dead and on my endless road I came body on with a delivery truck. All I saw was the spinning blue sky, fading screams from the people and all over sudden everything went cold.
