Chapter 1:  The wedding day

The bride and the groom were at the altar, the priest started the ceremony.  After a long and bored admonition from the priest, he proceeded with the other aspects of the joining.

At this point, the priest said to the congregation,

“Is there anyone in this congregation who has anything against this marriage? say it now or keep mute about it for the rest of your life.”

This was a formality observed in this congregation and its branches worldwide. It was not out of the ordinary, although some of the branches are beginning to skip this part saying that it was old fashioned.

But this priest, being an old man himself, did not and has never skipped this part in any marriage ceremony he has conducted in his 45 years of ministry.

The man looked at the congregation un-expectantly, and was to proceed to the next stage, when a woman of about 22 years of age suddenly stood up and shouted “yes, I have something against this marriage.”

The whole congregation gasped in astonishment.

Even the priest, he was old and vexed in age, he staggered and nearly fell to the ground, if his assistant was not on hand to hold him he would have fallen.

This has never happened before. In his forty - five years of pulpit ministry, he had never seen something like this.

Within this period he has been a minister, he had officiated more than 205 marriages. And had said the same thing over and over again, but no one has ever stood up to say that they have something against the couple being joined in matrimony.

This was the first time, and it was clearly shocking.

People in the congregation were whispering with each other

 “Why would the priest ask such question; didn’t he know who the young man was?”

The next neighbour would reply “that question is part of the church dogma for marriages, the dogma of the church cannot be changed because of one person.”

“Well everybody knows the young man, how notorious he has been, he has broken so many ladies’ hearts.”

“I still insist that the priest should have made concession for him.” Another person insisted.

“Maybe the priest doesn’t know his stories” another chipped in.

At the podium, there was a deadly silence.

Bon-Hwa Rohan Fernando was nicknamed ‘Gravity’ by his friends and mates. He was nicknamed ‘Acada’ by his family.  He was like the wind; impossible to trap, dangerous to offend, difficult to predict. He was very arrogant and full of himself.

He was tall, handsome, cold and dashing. The domineering aura round him made people breathless when they came close. He was the grandson of the great Bon-Hwa Fernando.

He was not just a play boy, but he was a wicked playboy. He had stepped on the feet of so many powerful men, and he was under threat from many angles. This is the reason this wedding was supposed to be a secret, quiet and low key wedding, but alas! It turned out otherwise.

After the first initial shock, the assistant priest quickly picked up the microphone and announced that “young lady, please come with us to vestry” the young woman was still standing up.

The young priest signalled to the couple to follow them into the vestry.

“please everyone should sit put, in the next twenty minutes, we will ratify the issue and the wedding will still go on.”

Immediately, the young woman was pulled roughly by two of Rohan’s men into the church vestry.

Within five minutes, the whole church premise was agog with the police and military men, journalists were everywhere.

Church members who were on F******k had started posting the news to F******k.

 “Woman have something against the marriage of Rohan Fernando,”

“Rohan Fernando at it again.”

 “Woman interrupts Rohan Fernando’s wedding.”

“When will the controversy about Rohan Fernando ever come to an end?”

They were so many headlines hitting F******k pages. People were telling their friends to stay updated.

Before the issue could be ratified, the whole country, even those outside the country have heard that some woman interrupted Bon-Hwa Rohan Fernando’s wedding.

In the church vestry, as the priests were interrogating the young woman; Monica James, Rohan was pacing the floor of the church office like a wounded lion.

His thoughts were completely disorganized.

The priest quietly asked Monica James “young woman, what do you say you have against this marriage.”

“sir, I have a child for him” the young woman replied calmly.

Rohan stood up with anger and was about to the hit the woman “you have a child for who?” he roared at the woman intending to hit her.

The priest raised up his right hand and signalled for him not to do so “young man stay calm, here is the house of God, we do not manhandle people here.” The priest said quietly in his priestly voice.

“Oh! Hell” he cursed softly under his breath as he was not allowed to kill the woman with his bare hands.

Chin Sun; Rohan’s bride was calm were she was, she was not disturbed, she was part of the party that planned the disruption of this wedding. Her own wedding.

The priest turned his attention to Rohan, Mr. Bon-Hwa, the young woman says that she has a child for you, is it true?”

“with due respect sir, I have never seen this idiot before, how could she have a child for me?” He caused the woman loudly.

“young man this is the house of God; we do not use fowl languages here”. He cautioned Rohan quietly in his priestly voice.

“Sorry sir, I do not know the woman, and besides I have never slept with any woman without protection, so she doesn’t have a child for me”.

Chin Sun; Rohan’s bride was fuming in her heart. So this is true of all she has been hearing.  These embarrassments were becoming too unbearable. This was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. She had endured enough for this flirt of a man called Rohan Fernando.

She had been feeling guilty in her heart in the part she is playing in the whole scenario, but after hearing this man confess to have sex with women but with protection, she felt exonerated in her conscience.

What pained her most was that, for the past three years they have been together as a couple to be married very soon, yet he has never slept with her without protection.

He always uses protection whenever they have sex, which means he has never made an exception for her, what shows that he loved her anyways?

 He sleeps with her with protection and right in her presences, he was admitting having sex with strangers but with protection.

She had simply endured enough for him and would not take it anymore. Thank goodness she had agreed to do this. She has found a more responsible man than Rohan.

While the interrogations were going on, she took permission “please I want to use the restroom.”

When she stepped out of the vestry, she saw her parents, bride’s maid, they all ran to her to find out what was going on, she flashed them a smile, but the smile did not reach her eyes.