My Brother-In-Law Is Doing Everything To Drain The Happiness Out Of Our Wedding

I didn’t know he wouldn’t be home. I called him in the evening and told him I would come for the projector. He answered, “Just let me know when you set off. I’ll make it ready for you.” The next day when I was going, I sent him a text. I didn’t know his house so I asked him to send me a Google location. He did and gave me another number. He told me, “I’m not in the house. This is my junior sister’s number. Call her when you get there and she’ll sort it out for you.” 

When I got there and called she didn’t pick up. I called again two minutes later and it was a call waiting. I thought maybe she was talking to her brother. Five minutes later she wasn’t calling so I called again. It was still a call waiting. I was feeling angry. I was already getting late for the program I needed the projector for. I kept calling and each time I called, it was call waiting. She was on the phone for over thirty minutes. I was hanging around feeling frustrated. And then she called. She said, “You called me.” In my mind, I was like, “It’s that all? No apology or anything?” I hated her for keeping me waiting. I couldn’t wait to meet her and tell her my mind. 

I said, “I’m the guy coming for the projector. I’ve been calling you since. You kept me stranded.” She burst into apology mode, “Oh I’m sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t know you were the one calling. I’m really sorry for keeping you stranded. Please where are you? I can bring it to where you are.” I was in the vicinity but I didn’t know the specific house. I told her where I was and she gave me another direction that led me to their main gate. I was still boiling with anger when I called to tell her I was at the gate. She came out. Immediately I set my eyes on her, all the anger dissipated from my heart. I told myself, “I deserve whatever she did to me. I should have been stranded longer than I did. Wow, she’s beautiful. How can ugly Tony have a beautiful woman like this as a sister?” 

She kept apologizing to me while handing over the projector to me. I told her it was alright and I held nothing against her. She gave me the projector and walked away. I was late but I wished I could talk to her for a little longer. What I was feeling in my heart was love at first sight and I was ready to pursue it. I told myself, “I’ll see her again very soon, no matter what.” 

All week I carried her in my thoughts. I couldn’t speak to Tony about her because I knew how guys could be protective of their sisters. I mapped out a funny strategy to see her again. One Saturday morning when I knew Tony wasn’t home, I went to his house and knocked at the gate. A woman came to open the door. She looked like Tony’s mother. I asked about Tony and she told me he wasn’t home. I asked about his sister and she asked me, “Which of them?” I was confused. “They are many?” I said, “The dark tall lady.” She told me, “I have two daughters. Both are dark and tall. Is she not your friend? How come you don’t know the name of your friend?” Then I recalled she wore spectacles the day I saw her. I told her, “The one who wears spectacles.” She was quiet for a while. I thought she was going to say, “They both wear spectacles…” But she said, “Oh that’s Erica. She’s gone to work. What’s your name? I will tell them you came around.” 

I went to their house every weekend three consecutive times before I finally got her to answer the door. She recognized me immediately when she saw me. She said, “You’re looking for Tony?” I replied, “Yeah, is he around?” I already knew he wasn’t around. She told me, “No he’s not. Why don’t you call him?” It was awkward but I had to admit I came to see her and not her brother. She looked shocked. “You came to see me? Is anything the problem? Why didn’t you call? Or you’ve lost my number” I answered, “No, I still have it. I wanted to see you again. It’s the reason I’m here. From here I’ll be calling.” 

“OK, so why do you want to see me?”

“Well, I don’t have any specific reason. It’s kind of awkward but since that day I’ve been meaning to see you.” 

“I’m here. Why do you want to see me?” 

She asked that question a million times and I didn’t have an answer for her. I kept beating about the bush until we departed. But that meeting wasn’t fruitless. She knew me and I didn’t have to introduce myself when I called. We texted once in a while. I was trying hard to get her to say yes to date but she was always busy on weekends. I kept hope alive that one day she’ll say yes. One day she asked, “Is Tony aware that you’re trying to get his sister to say yes to a date?” I answered, “He doesn’t.” She asked why, again, I didn’t have clear explanations. She saw through my efforts. As time went on, she did the maths and realized I was interested in her. It took me over a month to get her to say yes to a date. It was on the table that night when she told me she was in a serious relationship. My face changed, my whole mood during the night wasn’t good. I spoke very little while she was laughing a lot and eating heartily. It was a good night but knowing she had a boyfriend defeated the whole purpose.

One day I was at my desk when Tony walked in. He started talking right from the entrance; “You went to my house to collect a projector and you want to use the opportunity to chop my sister? Man, you have to be careful. You think she won’t tell me?” He wasn’t angry but he wasn’t looking happy too. I told him it wasn’t anything serious. “I just want her as a friend.” He retorted, “You and I know it’s not friendship you want. Please stay away from her. She’s not on the menu.” 

I called her right after Tony left my office. I asked, “Why did you tell him? You want him to come and beat me?” She laughed. She said, “He’ll definitely know so what’s the point? Unless you don’t want us to go a long way. Deal with him. When you’re done, I’ll be here. He has to know and he knows now so handle him.” 

Tony didn’t want to hear anything about his sister from me. I tried. I tried to be as logical as possible but he told me, “She can’t even be your friend. She has a boyfriend and she has told you so leave her alone.” I answered, “No problem. I won’t contact her again.” 

I tried not to call her again but that was the point her calls started coming. When I was trying not to text, she texted each morning to ask how my night was. She even initiated a visit and I accepted to have her around. That day when she was around, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. I could imagine my whole future with her and how she’ll fit into the role of my kids’ mother. I asked her, “So how’s your boyfriend? Does he know you’re here?” She answered, “There’s no boyfriend. The one I had left me a year ago. He was my brother’s friend. He warned me to stay away. I was the reason the two of them couldn’t keep their friendship. When the relationship ended bitterly, he confronted the guy and it made things worse. He blamed me for not listening to him. It’s the reason I told him about you.”

By the time she was leaving my house that day, she had said yes to me. But she said, “You’ll have to deal with my brother going forward. I’ll tell him everything about us so get ready for the fight.” I answered, “I’m ready for him. As time goes on, he’ll learn that my love for you is real and he would leave us alone.” 

A year later, her brother was still fighting with me. We were not even talking. He went around telling people how I’d betrayed him. No matter what I did to bring calm to the issue, he still didn’t see the need to welcome me into the life of his sister. Because of him, I couldn’t visit Erica. Because of him, his mother didn’t really like me. The only person who gave me welcome arms was Erica’s sister, Bibi. She was totally in love with our relationship and told us not to mind anyone. Sometimes she’ll come home with Erica and spend the day with us. 

Our relationship was a year and a half old but we had fought battles of all kinds. I’d made enemies with her brother and her mother didn’t want to hear about me. I proposed marriage and she said, “Marriage when the world is against us?” I answered, “They’ll both come around when they see some seriousness in us.” 

READ ALSO: Sometimes, When Your Best Friend Becomes Your Boyfriend, You Lose Both The Love And Friendship

Her mother laid down her armour weeks before the knocking rite. She said, “If it’s about marriage, then I can support with everything in me. I thought you were just playing games with her.” From there, she started calling me an in-law. Tony still didn’t want to hear about us, even after the knocking rite. He was there. He played his role as the senior brother but right after the ceremony, he started giving me an attitude. Erica said, “Leave him alone. He’s ashamed about the fact that he was wrong and we were right. Leave him, he’ll come around.” 

Our marriage is in October but Tony is still not coming around. He talks to me with his eyes looking away from me. I’ve tried all I could to make him part of the marriage planning but he’s not interested. When the family meets to discuss the marriage and he’s around, he’ll say no word. Even when his views are sought, he’ll say something like, “I have nothing to say.” It worries me a lot. It makes me think, “Is this all about how I met her sister or he just doesn’t want me in his family?” 

We were not tight friends but our relationship in the office was great. He was one of the few guys I spoke to after work. We even met on some weekends to do a side gig together. It won’t be wrong if I call him a friend but currently, I don’t know the name to give what we have. Everyone tells me to ignore him. His mother has called a meeting between us where she admonished him to let the bitterness go. All he said was, “I don’t have anything against him or the marriage. I’m just minding my business.”

I think of the marriage and how far I’ve come with Erica and I’m happy. I think of Tony and all the happiness drains away. What should we do from now to October to bring him on board? He loves his sisters, no doubt, but I love Erica more than anything now and I’m ready to make her the happiest. How can I make Tony understand that?