During my traditional wedding, I was inside the room waiting for them to come for me so I could go and meet my husband when I heard the sound of commotion outside. I heard men shouting and women trying to calm the men down. I quickly got up and looked through the window and saw my father-in-law so angry that his cloth had been lowered to his waist. He was shouting, “Get up and let’s go. They should keep their daughter in the room and marry her.”

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP CHANNEL TO RECEIVE ALL STORIES IN YOUR INBOX

Ei, what’s happening?

The commotion got louder and louder until I decided to step out. My husband had taken off his wedding cloth because he didn’t want it to stain with dirt and was trying to calm his family down while my elder brother was on the other side calming my family down.

What happened?

The ceremony got to the point where they had to go in and bring the bride, but my family decided to use the opportunity to make money. Led by my aunty, they would go and come back to say, “The bride is too far, so we need lorry fare to go and bring her.”

They would mention an amount and my husband’s family would pay. My aunt would go and appear again saying, “The bride needs money to buy water to drink. You know it’s a long journey.” My husband’s family paid, only for my aunt to appear again without me, telling them thieves had stolen my bag on the road so they needed extra money to buy bags for me.

These things happen in traditional marriages and sometimes it’s funny or annoying the way people do it. My husband’s uncle was the first to get angry. They said he got up and said, “The thieves who stole her bag should marry her too. What nonsense is that? How much do you want to fleece from us in the name of marriage? Is that how they did it to your husband?”

My uncle also got angry and attacked, and it became attack for attack. The tension got so high no one was willing to listen to another until both families got engrossed in a fight. When I got to the scene, the chaos was at its peak. My husband was signaling me to go back inside but I thought my family needed to see me to restore calm.

My corset was too tight I couldn’t even breathe properly but I was there calming my uncle and other siblings down until I don’t know where the hand came from. It hit me and I landed on the floor.

Everyone went quiet immediately and their attention came on me. I was on the floor crying, not out of physical pain but emotional pain. How could they turn my wedding into a boxing arena? My husband held me up and took me inside.

We remained there until my dad came back to call him and said, “Let’s go and continue. The church is already waiting for us.”

It’s Not God’s Law For A Man To Apologize To A Woman

Yes, we were able to continue with the traditional wedding and later went to church but that incident marred my wedding in a way time can never heal. By the time we got to church for the church wedding, a rumor had spread that the wedding wasn’t coming on because there was a huge fight between the families. It was embarrassing.

I just needed to tell the story here and see if it can help me forget. We got married and are happy now but once in a while the incident comes to mind and I cringe.

—Mercy 

This story you just read was sent to us by someone just like you. We know you have a story too. Email it to us at [email protected]. You can also drop your number and we will call you so you tell us your story.

******