I have a friend
He invited me to Sheraton Hotel to witness him propose to a lady he was dating
The Friday night music band aided him in delivering his proposal
It was an “Awwn” moment
Pictures and video were very plenty
They announced that day that they would be getting married at Ikoyi Registry two weeks later
We were all encouraged to be at the wedding to support the cute couple.
Two weeks later, I got to Ikoyi Registry
I saw some of my friend’s crew and joined them
Then he and his wife to be emerged and walked into the hall where they would be joined together
I realized something was off
“I asked one of his other friends seated close to me to confirm my eerie feelings.
The friend laughed and confirmed that what I observed was indeed a fact.
The wedding went on
When they were done
My friend came to hug me and thank me for showing up
I said “Shina, the person you got married to is different from the person you got engaged to?”
He looked at me and laughed
He said “Hm, this one has loved me for a long time but she was forming hard to get
That other one was the one I settled for when this one insisted she wouldn’t marry me.
Anyway, after the engagement happened and it became the talk of town
This one heard it and suddenly showed up at my house
I really liked her, so I didn’t send her away
She came in and I saw that she was carrying a small travel bag
She said she came to spend the weekend
Ah!
I didn’t know how to tell her that I was engaged
I was sure she had heard of it but she pretended she did not
Baba, I know it was all messed up but she was the love of my life and I didn’t have the mind to send her packing
So she stayed
She cooked, we ate, watched TV, took a nap and got deep into talking and sharing our life journeys
That was how I realized she was really the one for me
I mean…
Anyway, the one I proposed to came to check on me after trying to call and seeing that my phone had been switched off for hours.
When she got to my house, she saw this one there and began to throw tantrums
So I told her that I would have married her with all sincerity because I loved her but she was not my real true love
I don’t know how to explain it but I know you know what I am talking about
She threw my ring at me and walked off in a huff
This one picked up the ring and asked me when is the wedding
I told her
She said she can work with him
I went to meet her parents that day
She showed them the ring and told them I had proposed
The family accepted me and agreed for us to be married today
So here we are”
My mouth hung open for a long time…
The marriage is five years old today, they have two children and by all standard I can say they are a happy couple.
When I had the opportunity to speak to the wife, she said she liked him but didn’t like the job he was doing at the time and was hoping he would get something better
Then he got something better and got engaged
So she decided to test if he really loved her or not
It turned out that the other girl was only a second fiddle
A substitute whom he settled for because she was not available
Which means it was because he couldn’t have her that he proposed to that one
“So I took my rightful place and sent that seat filler running”
Wow
PS: I am happy for everybody involved
I tried not to judge
If he had married the other lady, they most likely would have gotten divorced, separated or be in a miserable marriage by now
If he had not proposed to the “seat filler” the real wife might have still be playing hard to get it get married to somebody else
It is easy for by standers to judge people from the spectator’s stand but those in a situation know better what they went through to arrive at their decisions.

If you are reading this and you are in a situation or threading a path that you are not sure will lead to your destination, please reach out to me in my DM or be at The flight on Saturday in Lagos.
There is a God who smoothens the path of his children
He is still setting the courses of his children

-GSW-