I was passing by a church where a wedding was going on. I wasn’t dressed like a lady attending a wedding—I was just walking to the market to get a few things. A few meters from the church entrance, I heard a voice calling, “Madam, here’s the entrance!”

I turned and saw a gentleman busily pointing toward the church. I smiled to myself. “Who wouldn’t know where the entrance is that it should take a tall gentleman like this to show the way?”

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When he got closer, he asked, “Who are you coming for—the bride or the groom?” I looked at my dusty feet and the dress I was wearing and wondered what he saw in me to ask that. I smiled and said, “No, I’m not coming to the wedding. I’m just passing by.” He responded, “Oh really? Such a shame. You should be here sitting at the high table.”

I thought it was a joke, but his face was serious. I said, “I’m sorry, I have to go.” He asked for my number. I didn’t even think twice. I told him while walking away, sure I wouldn’t pick up if he called.

The day he called, he said, “This is Joshua. I was the usher who wanted to usher you to the wedding by all means. The groom said he knows you—so why did you lie to me?”

We argued for over ten minutes. Finally, he said, “Good to have your number. At least I know you, and you’re my friend.” I protested, “That’s not how I make friends. I don’t befriend people who try to force me to attend a wedding I didn’t know existed.”

But Joshua kept calling. Morning, afternoon, evening. He texted as if he’d known me for ages, and each message made me smile. We started getting along well. We talked about work, and he was so bent on knowing where my office was that I finally told him. A few days later, he showed up asking, “Did I come at the right time, or are you busy?”

We talked for a while before he left. Afterward, he texted, “Why do you always look like someone attending a wedding? Look at you, even at work!”

Our first real date was at a church program, a group meeting discussing marriage and Godly ways to find the right partner. I thought he might say no, but he came. And for the first time, he owned the discussion. The ladies were asking where he came from and if he was a church member. Everyone wanted to hear him talk just so they could laugh. Afterward, one lady walked up and took his number while I stood there watching.

I said to myself, *He’s not a bad guy. Maybe I should open my eyes and look at him differently.*

So I agreed to go on a date with him, this time at his place of choice. He took me to a spot with music and food. You should have seen him dancing offbeat without a care. Every move he made, everything he said, was funny. I wished the night wouldn’t end—I hadn’t had an outing like that in a long time.

When the waitress brought the bill, he looked at it, gasped, and widened his eyes. I asked, “Why?” He started laughing. “Looks like we’re going to wash plates, sweep the restaurant, and add a little payment before they let us go.” He handed me the bill. “Can you help?”

I called the waitress and paid. He sat there with a mischievous smile. I asked him to get up. He said, “A woman who pays? I love that. Why aren’t we married already?” I answered, “Because you haven’t given me a ring.”

As we walked through an empty pathway outside, the most unserious man I’d ever met went down on one knee, with no ring, stretching out an empty hand and said, “Just pretend I have a ring in my hand while I say this. Would you marry me?”

I played along. I jumped. I screamed. I stretched out my finger as he put on the imaginary ring. “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you!” We hugged, held hands, and walked away looking into each other’s eyes. He said, “I never knew you could be this dramatic. We should start a movie very soon.”

We started as a joke. I didn’t know where it was going, but the next morning Joshua texted, “Thanks for last night. You came to my rescue, not just because you paid, but because you rescued me from being single. I hope we always stay happy.”

He followed me to group discussions every Wednesday. Then one Sunday, he took me to his church. After service, he held my hand and said, “Follow me.” Minutes later, we stood before an old couple. “These are my parents,” he said. He introduced me as his wife and told them, “Get your money ready. You’ll soon follow me to her house.”

His dad was as funny as Joshua. He told me, “Come home when you’re ready. You have a lot of questions to answer.” From all indications, they loved me. I could tell from their questions and the light in their eyes when I answered.

On my twenty-sixth birthday, Joshua showed up with a small parcel. He tossed it to me as if it were nothing. When I opened it, a little ring sparkled like something expensive. I asked, “What’s this?” He answered, “Sanitary pad. Don’t you have eyes?” We burst out laughing. I stretched out my finger. “Be a little romantic. Put it on and tell me something sweet.”

He took the ring and, while sliding it onto my finger, said, “Happy birthday. This is my promise: the next time your birthday falls on a Saturday, that will be our wedding day. I don’t care if it meets us ready or not.” I looked at him. “Do you know my birthday next year falls on a Saturday?” He answered, “We’ll be ready.”

On my birthday the following year, I woke up looking at my wedding dress hanging by the wall and my shoes beautifully placed on a pedestal. I told myself, *It’s happening. I can’t believe this is happening.*

The first call came from Josh. He said, “Happy birthday. I’ll be waiting for you in church.”

Suzzy, my younger sister, was next to me. She said, “You don’t deserve this guy at all. How much did you pay God that He favored you this way?”

She was joking, but it drove me to tears. Suzzy knew my story well—the places I’d traveled in the name of love, the men I’d disappointed, and those who disappointed me. She’d never known me as soft, so watching me act like that felt strange to her. I answered, “It’s called grace. Having what you don’t deserve. And it’s always free.”

We had a small wedding, but our journey hasn’t been small. We’ve done eight years already, with two children. Joshua is still the same joyful hurricane I married. This guy can annoy the spirit out of me, but the same man can make me laugh even when I’ve sworn to keep malice for days.

What Will Happen If You Do It On The First Date?

Sometimes I replay that wedding day in my mind. I imagine what would have happened if I had kept walking. If I hadn’t paused to listen to a fake usher. Eight years later, I still laugh like a girl who doesn’t know how this story ends. Eight years later, I still wake up every day grateful that I stopped walking in front of that church. Because that was the day I met happiness. That was the day love tapped me on the shoulder and said, “You. It’s your turn.”

And truthfully, it has been my turn ever since.

—Karen

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