You are always mine

“By the power vested in me by this community, I pronounced you both husband and wife.” There was a standing ovation, followed by applause from the crowd. Michael and Mariana were standing and facing each other under the traditional marriage hut. They were standing on sacred ground according to the history and tradition of this land. Many had come to witness a beautiful marriage, some came to see the foreigner Mariana was marrying. Few wondered how the foreigner came to fall in love with Mariana who had an ugly background. But there was someone in the crowd who never wanted this union.

This person followed whatever the crowd was doing, the clapping, the smiling, and the standing.

There was a great smile on Mariana’s face. She looked at Michael, someone who had come and was about to change her course of life in a few minutes.

“Be fast, let us leave here.” Michael thought. He was looking at the elderly man who was officiating the wedding. The elderly man wore off-white trousers and a faint blue long sleeve with rough edges. There were red beads around his neck and two on his wrists. His hair was partially grey and his mustache and beards were shaved. He had brown teeth, a big nose, and dark eyes. His chin was on Mariana and Michael's heads, making him a tall man. This was the sixth wedding he had been privileged to officiate.

“You may kiss your bride.” The elderly man said to Michael and he walked away joyfully from the naked hut. Michael moved closer to Mariana and held her waist with his hands and placed his lips on her mouth and they kissed. Someone in the crowd looked at the ground while others were stretching their necks to take a proper view of the most romantic moment of the wedding.

The small hut was built with four standing bamboos and whenever there is a traditional wedding ceremony in the community, the roof, made of palm, was always replaced with fresh green palm fronds.

The crowd who came for Mariana’s wedding was huge. Michael, her husband, was the CEO of the telecommunication company that was established in Mariana’s community four months ago. Michael was a Caucasian while Mariana was a Pacific Islander.

After the kiss, they left the shield of the hut and the rays of the sun for the second time fell on them and they walked to their seats. The crowd who was sitting down in different colored canopies could properly see Mariana. She wore the traditional wedding clothes. It was a white lace material with a flowering design at the front. The gown held her breasts, it was off-shoulder. The gown had a long wide tail, and it swept the ground as they were going to their seats. On her neck was a red small bead and in her right hand, was a fresh white rose.

Michael wore a huge oxblood judge material. Those who dressed him used the material to wrap him and he looked like a huge statue. They thought they had done him a favor, and his appearance would elevate him and show everyone how great he was. But Michael was very uncomfortable in his clothing. To the eyes of the people who came, it showed he was a rich man. Only the rich in the community were able to buy such material.

"Please hurry up. These clothes are tickling me and I am very uncomfortable." Michael whispered those words into Mariana's right ear. They had gone to their seats, under a small canopy. This canopy was well decorated with fresh white and red roses. And it was closer to the crowd compared to the traditional hut they took their vow.

"Please, tell your people to serve the food. I want to leave here. I am not comfortable with this wear." He whispered again into Mariana's ear.

The marriage ceremony has a program and the sharing of the food was the last thing to do. They have not danced. They have not walked around the crowd. And the bride has not gone to the "artificial market" to buy things, then prepare them and serve her husband. This was part of a wedding program, and it was part of happiness and entertainment to the crowd.

Mariana and Michael didn't court for long, and she still sees Michael as her boss. And she does whatever Michael asks her to do, without objecting or coming to a common ground.

"Are we not following the printed program?" She asked politely.

"I never thought I would feel and appear awkward in this dress." Michael replied.

The crowd was full of life. There was happiness in the air. Those who came to play the traditional music were at the right side, waiting for their turn. Mariana touched her bridesmaid and whispered Michael's order to her.

"That is the last thing in the program." Her bridesmaid replied to her.

"I know. My husband has a flight to catch." She used her intuition to answer her. The young lady left and went to the host of the occasion and delivered Michael's order. The host was a tall man with long beards and full hair. He was not surprised. He had gone across the seas and one of the myths they shared was, people across the seas are always in haste doing things. Thus, a marriage ceremony was not excluded.

The host raised the microphone in his right hand and said.

"Our newest couple wants us to eat. But our daughter must first go to the market to buy the food that we are going to eat." The crowd clapped and some aged ones nodded their heads. It was a custom in a traditional marriage ceremony, the bride needs to go to the market to buy and cook food for a husband before the crowd and before the distribute the marriage food.

The wedding ground was a wide empty land. At the extreme, far away from the crowd, there was an artificial established market just for the wedding ceremony. Mariana stood up and took a small basket with a handle and went to the market. As she was walking towards the market, there was applause and hailing from the crowd. Mariana smiled and went away. When she got to the market, she bought things that she can easily cook so that the ceremony can continue and they can share the wedding food.

The market was built with fresh bamboo and it was a small market that will be removed after the wedding. She bought some pieces of tomatoes, pepper, onions, Maggi, vegetables and some fresh fish. She paid and came back. Before she came back, her bridesmaids had prepared the fire and washed the utensils she needed for the cooking. It was customary for her to prepare the food without any form of assistance. She placed the fish on a chopping board and used a small knife to remove the scales from the back. Then she washed them and cut them into smaller pieces. She fried the fish and prepared a small stew.

Meanwhile, Michael was stamping his right foot on the white ground and was unhappy with the prolonged ceremony. He wanted a modernized wedding ceremony, but Mariana needed the traditional wedding ceremony to lay upon her, her dignity. Her mother was partially ostracized, and she was a product of disgrace. With this ceremony, she had been able to stand out and her heart knew no bounds. She was not too bothered by Michael's facial look. Her joy was to see the end of the ceremony.

She presented the food to her husband. The crowd kept quiet and watched. They were waiting for Michael to take the food into his mouth, and after chewing, Mariana gave him a cup of water. As soon as he drank the water, the crowd exploded in joy and those with the musical instruments started beating the drums.

The host ordered the sharing of the food and young girls came out and started sharing the packed jollof rice and meat. Those at the front roll were the first to collect their food and started eating. As they ate, they were nodding their heads to the melodious sound of the music.

After some minutes, those who were the first to collect the food started vomiting what they ate. And their fingers started shivering. The sound of the music and the joy of the occasion silenced the few people who vomited. After the vomit, some started falling from their seats. The music automatically stopped and before the host could announce with his mic to stop everyone from eating, about a hundred people had fallen.

"Mariana is cursed! Mariana is cursed!! The curse of her mother is upon her." A elderly relative chorused these from the crowd. Others were wailing and the peace wedding ceremony became unorganized, everyone moving left and right, and were carrying anxious faces, looking for ways to revive their falling brothers, sisters, relatives or friends.

"Who must have done this to me?"

And before Mariana's bridesmaid could hold her hands and pull her away from the scene, Mariana lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

“Help! Help!!” Her bridesmaid cried out in fear.