The Black Wedding

There she was, looking extremely beautiful and gorgeous in her white gown. She was staring at him with a huge elegant smile, a direct message to all, that the handsome man who was standing before her, dressed in a gray suit and brown leather shoes was the only symbol of happiness in her life, and the man whom she was going to spend her best and worst moments till the epitome of their life.
She was eagerly waiting for the 'I do' phrase. He also stood beside her,his hands held together and his fingers cris-crossed, eager to hold his life partner. It was the best moment of their life.

She didn't comprehend the pain and traumer she was causing in many of the single men, especially me. I sat there, with a big fat fake smile with my two front teeth protruding, filled with tonnes of jealous and regrets of why I didn't fight back when she told me it was over between us one year down the line.
Stacy was her name. The most beautiful girl I had ever fallen in love with. I loved her all heartedly but life happened. They say shit happens sometimes right?Yeah..it happened to me. She was the love of my life, my future and my happiness. I would not only have taken a bullet for her, but even the famous burning spear! You want to know how we broke up? What made us break up? I don't think so! You will end up hating her. But just a clue on our separation cause, she broke up with me for my elder brother Ronald who I had previously looked upto in matters of love. He taught me how to 'treat' a lady but how they ended up together in love, you will not want to know. This is a story to be told in the next world.

So by now I presume you understand who the bridegroom was. Yes, Ronald my elder brother, the charming handsome 29 year old young man who opened the womb for us. He was a cardiologist, very genius and loved by my family. He was my mom's favorite while I was my grandma's favorite.(you understand what this means right).

"Bro you are the one supposed to be standing next to that girl confessing your love to her!" Whispered my crazy friend. "shut up." I answered back not daring to look at him because down inside my heart I knew he was right. "You know am right..I am always right" I held his mouth. Victor had been my friend since childhood, attended same primary school, high school and even went to the same university.

The priest walked towards the two lover birds ready to proclaim them husband and wife of course with the power vested to him. He began to perform the obvious rituals as it was the norm. "Now the moment has come for me to perform what God has given me the power to faithfully perform. Kindly bring the wedding rings." Said the priest.
Surprisingly, no one knew where the rings were. There was total confusion as everyone including myself wondered what was happening. The best maid couple dashed out, and later came back with sweat on his forehead.
"Hello, you mean you organized this expensive glamorous wedding and forgot only two most important things, your wedding rings!?" Asked the priest.
Stacy was mad, I knew that look, I could stay off her when she began giving that look. But just then, the worst happened, Victor asked me if I could lend him my phone. When I got in my pockets to reach for the phone, I found something I didn't expect to find on me. They were the wedding rings that everyone was looking for!!

Chapter Two

I held the rings in my hands, confused on whether to feel happy that my revenge game had began or sad that I was the epitome of disappointment to my brother on his very special day. I looked at Victor who in turn looked back at me with a chicky smile. "Bro, are those what I think they are?" He asked.
I didn't answer him anything but stared at him with my big oval brown pupiled eyes. I felt a tremor on my heart, my legs were trembling and there dripped small tiny pigments of sweat on my forehead. Stacy was now in tears while Ronald was engraved in anger. The priest stood there in pretence of waiting for the rings he knew would take a miracle in the promised Canaan for them to appear, not knowing they were somewhere whithin the congregation.

"Here they are!" Shouted Victor. Everyone looked us, Victor and I were now the main focus of a crowd of about 800 people. "Holy Mary Mother..."(you know the rest) shouted the priest. "Yes, Nelson had them in his blazer. Hahaha. You are crazy man!" Victor shouted again.
I didn't look at him, I stared at the couple, tongue-tied. Stacy looked at me with the 'Nelson I will kill you today' eyes while my brother gave me a smile that I knew hell was coming to reign on me. "Why did you shout, you would have kept quiet, I would have taken them myself. I thought of using the f* word but no I thought I was smart than that, not knowing smarter men were smiling at me inside the church. Victor was my best friend but the most difficult friend to be with. I couldn't imagine I had put up with him for 20 years. Anyway, they say take your friend the way he is and learn to accommodate his worst side.

"Come on, bring the rings to the pulpit." Said the priest in a low tone. I stood up, held the two rings which I had not looked at them till this moment to experience their beauty. The walkway to the pulpit seemed to be so short. "Why did it take you so long to bring them my son, we were worried you know." Said the priest off the microphone.
"Nelson, was this your plan, eh! How could you do this to me. You are my brother for heaven's sake." Rambled Ronald. Those words meant one thing to me, 'Run' but no, I couldn't. Not when he had taken the love of my life.Not when he had stolen the most precious thing to me, my best friend, my special one, my love and and the future mother of our beautiful kids. The girl I had endeavoured so much with.

I fell in love while with her while she was in college and I had just began my first job as a journalist in one of the prestigious and popular media station. She was so beautiful, her beauty outweighed any scale of measure. She was mine and I was hers till our last. She brought so much joy to my heart. A thought of her made me forget all my tribulations. She wiped my tears and coated my heart with happiness. Who else could do this if not for my one and only love, Stacy! But this excuse of a brother came out of the blues and stole her from me. It took him one single visit of my Stacy at my home, I didn't know that would be the end of us. And there he was shamelessly standing in front of me proclaiming of his disappointment in me! Who was the disappointment! He pounced on me, hit me with the pedestal flowers that were on the signing table, the bridal maids rushed to my aide.

"Stop this madness, you are wedding today and that there is your blood brother!" Shouted the priest. Victor ran to the pulpit and held me. Blood was profusely oozing out on my forehead. "How could he do this to me, he should have thought of being my bloody brother before hiding the rings, thanks Victor for letting us know he had them." Said Ronald.

From the ground, I saw Stacy, she was in tears. I didn't know whether she was crying for me or for my brother. I stared at her, with my eyes shouting to her why. I then turned to my mom, the message on her face couldn't lie, "you are the greatest of all disappointments son," that's what her face signalled.
I was weak at looking at my dad, I turned to Victor, " is my dad at the front line?" I asked him. " Yes, he's sitting next to your uncle. "What is he doing, I mean how is he?" I asked. "Dude, you are in for it today. He's holding his mouth but looking down." He answered but with a slight laughter. "What were you thinking Nel, what were you thinking. I respected you so much as my brother-in-law. You know this was my special day. Why did you spoil it. Is it because..." "don't move close to this confused species my love". Ronald intercepted Stacy.

I couldn't comprehend anything that was going on at the moment. I felt of being a great disappointment to my family. But again, I had nowhere to rest my eyes but on Stacy. "You are disgusting, an idiot and an embodiment of imbecility. You think you could ruin my day. Not today boy, not today. " Stacy continued.

"Now that we have the rings, perhaps we should continue. I presume these are the exact rings for the wedding you had bought. Wow, they are indeed beautiful and glorious!?"
Confessed the priest.

Stacy held the rings, she looked at Ronald and then looked at me with a mesmerized but shocked face, "these are not our rings sweetheart!!!" Exclaimed Stacy. "You are kidding right?" Said Ronald with a smile. "Ronald, these are not our wedding rings." She shouted. Instead of people looking at her, they all stared at me. I felt so heavy, loaded with over 1600 eyes and 800 souls filled with hatred and scornful thoughts.

I moved closer to the priest, it was first time to look at the rings and it hit me that Victor had committed the worst mistake in his entire useless and worthless life when he shouted " here are the rings, Nelson has them in his blazer."
Those were the engagement rings that Stacy and I had exchanged the previous year during our engagement date at the Dusit D2 hotel, a day before it was attacked by the terrorists!!!

Chapter Three

I looked at the glittering rings, so beautiful like Stacy who was my ex but now my in-law. I remembered that special moment when I bent my knee and uttered the words that are always avoided and traded carefully by most men, words that men carefully pronounce after conducting wide consultations and intensive and extensive research in a period of close to five years. Words that sends shivers of happiness in any woman's heart. 'will you marry me?' I remembered how she was filled with magnanimous joy which would later turn into tonnes of disappointment.
My large oval eyes turned to Stacy, she had no strength left in her, Ronald my brother slowly walked towards me, my heart skept, I grabbed Victors hands and held them tightly as I breathed vehemently through my mouth. I began to backtrack, not knowing what was going to happen next. The priest was still holding the rings. I could feel some wetness in my pants, a sign that all my systems had broken loose.
He folded his fingers, signifying that world war lll had been declared. My brother was a no nonsense man. Stacy had not moved an inch, she stood there, helplessly with her bouquet flowers in her frail hands. She held the bouquet flowers as if she was advertising them but no one was interested.

"Don't do this brother, think of the outcome" I shouted. Surprisingly, as I backtracked one step, Victor backtracked three steps. "Why are you playing games in my wedding Nelson. You had the chance to love her, but you failed. You were not a man enough to take care of her needs.Be a man Nel, be a man!" Those words hurt me so much. That I had failed to perform my duties in Stacy's life! Was he listening to himself? No, I had to fight back. Though blood brothers, born from the same womb and products of an ejaculation from one single source, but I couldn't take it anymore. It's not my mistake that Victor shouted of the strange rings in my pocket which I have absolutely no idea how they found their way in my pockets.
"You stand there accuse me of messing up your special day. Have you ever asked yourself the pain I go through every day, every night ever since you took her from me? "
I looked at Stacy, " I cry every night. I ask myself questions that I never had the chance to ask. But the tantamount and dominant question remains, why, why Stacy, why did you have to leave? You gave me no sign Stacy, no single sign to show that I meant nothing to you. You could have told me what we shared was a lie, I wouldn't have bothered you. I would have respected your wish and walked away. I gave you everything you ever wanted including what you never wanted. I was always at your doorstep even when you never expected with a bag full of shopping from Nakumatt when it was still Nakumatt. Tell me dear, my ever shining star, why did you give up on us. Why did you throw away the most important and special thing we shared. And you," I turned on Ronald, " why did you take away my happiness, you defiled my true love, you made me despise any girl and inculcated a seed of 'all girls are the same'
"Nelson" a heavy voice echoed in the house. It was Stacy's elder brother Arnold. "Let it go bro," he held me on my back.."I know you love her..but let it go. Trust me, she's my sister, let her go." Arnold was more than just a friend. He supported our engagement. He was always eager for our wedding. But no, fate had taken its course.
The priest was still holding Ronald, Stacy walked to Ronald, held his hand,kissed him deeply then took the microphone from the priest "With or without the damn rings, I must wed you my love, no obstacles will shutter this special day. I am yours and you are mine, till my last day." "But there must be something to symbolize your marriage!" Said the priest.

"To hell with the rings, you're right my lovely queen. You are mine and am yours till my last." Said Ronald.
"Nelson you don't mind us using these rings right?" Stacy mambled with a poisonous smile. I could see the evil in her eyes. That was not the Stacy I fell in love with. No, the Stacy I knew could not utter such sheer nonsense. Everyone ignored her, "Stacy, you are the one who had the rings last. You surely must remember where they are." Arnold said in a heavy, low but humbled tone.
"The bride and bridegroom have decided to go ahead with the wedding rituals without the rings, who am I to say no but pronounce them husband and wife." Said the priest in a frail voice.
"Amen!" The crowd responded in uniformity, as if everyone was tired with the drama. Not knowing that was just the beginning. " And so, let no man separate what our creator has put together." Uttered the priest.

"Father, forgive me, but I think there's one question you are forgetting to ask." Victor, had rattled again. "Shut up dude." I whispered to him. "And what might be the forgotten question my son, I presume it's not another hullabaloo from you again." Answered the priest.

"If there is anyone..." Said Victor but he was cut short by the Priest. " oh my good Lord God, how could I?. But again , is there anyone against the joining together of Stacy and Ronald, or forever..." Before he could finish, we heard gunshots from the back of the church. Within minutes, the church was under siege by men in black. " No one in or out!" Shouted one of the seven men in black covered in masks!
"Not again, I shouted!"