EMERGENCY WIFE

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 Facebook had started posting the news to Facebook.

"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 Facebook 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 cussed 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 cussed the woman loudly.

"young man this is the house of God; we do not use fowl languages her."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. He might be the richest man in the city, the most sought after bachelor, but his private life is a mess.

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 and her 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.

"can I have my bag; I want to redo my make up."Chin Sun said to a girl who has suddenly appeared from nowhere.

The girl immediately gave her a bag, the bride's parents and bride;s maid were all surprised at the strange girl but were too preoccupied with the incident to think about the girl.

Inside the bag were some clothes and other things for change.

Chin Sun took the bag and went into the corridor, trying to locate the female restroom.

The bridesmaid offered to follow her but she refused. But winked to the strange girl.

When she reached the corridor, looked round and did not see anybody, she took another route to the back of the church.

There was an exist gate connecting the church walls and the backyard of the church.

Luckily for her, the tiny hidden gate was not locked but bolted. No! it was not a matter of luck; the gate was purposely kept unlocked for this purpose.

When she was a child, she always played with her friends whenever they come to church, so she knew the place very well. And it was not difficult for her to locate the small gate.

She unbolted the gate, stepped out, pushed it close, removed her wedding gown and changed into the clothes brought for her in the bag. She changed her high-heeled shoes, removed her expensive Jewelries, put them inside the bag and left through a narrow path road.

The strange girl who gave her the bag was already waiting for her at the end of the narrow part and lead her to a car that carried them away before people could notice her absence.

.....

Yesterday

"Chin Cho you remember that tomorrow is your half-sister' s wedding?" Chin Cho's mother Ae-Cha said with worry in her voice, she was afraid that Chin Cho was not going to agree with what she is about to say.

Yesterday, Chin Cho's mother Ae-Cha had called her to come back home, she traveled from school to Ado city where her mother was residing.

But Chin Cho loves the mother dearly and hardly refused anything or request by her mother.

In her mind, her mother was her only blood relation. Elvis was just a father in name.

When a father hardly fulfills his fatherly responsibility to his child, that father is not worth regarding.

So she thinks of her mother as her only flesh and blood.

She said offhandedly "yes mom, I remember the wedding tomorrow it has nothing to do with me."

She showed no interest at all in what her mother was saying concerning the wedding.

Her mother had called her some weeks ago telling her that her half-sister Chin Sun who was the same age with her was getting married to a very rich man, from a very powerful family.

She was neither interested nor jealous. Chin Sun can marry the richest man in the whole world for all she cared.

To her, it is not how rich and wealthy the man you marry is that matters, but how much you two love and care for each other.

As for her, she was already in a loving relationship, she was in love and the man was also in love with her.

Although, he doesn't have money yet, but both of them would make money and build their life together.

"Well I called you home because I want you to attend that wedding please." Ae-Cha pleaded as she went about trying to find some drink for Chin Cho.

This really caught the attention of the girl who had showed little or no interest in the wedding of her half-sister.

Ae-Cha would have loved to attend the wedding by herself, but she was too sick, and could not travel far.

If Chin Cho was allowed to hate her mother, she would have done so, she would not have hesitated to hate her mother for sticking and always trying to please a man like her father.

But her mother has always insisted that her father was not as bad as Chin Cho was making him look. "Your father is not as bad as you think, just that Jane is such a difficult woman."

She always try to defend the man she has mistakenly married some 25 years ago.

"I have my final exams starting on Monday, and you called me to come and attend the wedding of my half-sister; whom we hardly have anything in common?" She asked in surprise and anger.

This must be a very serious joke from her mother, and a very expensive joke at that.

She had labored, suffered and studied 'Industrial Mathematics' very hard for the past four years in one of the best university in the country.

She was hoping to come out with a very good grade, so as to get a good job, and live a better life; which seemed to have eluded her since childhood.

But now her final preparations had been interrupted for who? Chin Elvis, Chin Jane, Chin Sun or Bong Ae-Cha?

Chin Cho and her mother were resident of Ado city while her father and steps were residents of Kala city.

"Mum you know the seriousness of my final exams, yet you still decided to pull this sort of joke on me?"

But this was not a joke, her mother wants her to attend the wedding on her behalf. Ae-Cha wanted to please Elvis.

Elvis always try to keep his two families together, but his wife Jane would not allow it. But Ae-Cha having grew up without a father did not want Chin Cho to grew up without a father.

So anything that would bring the family together, she was in for it. Anything that would bring Chin Cho close to her father, she would do it.

But Chin Cho was thinking of something else.

She was hoping this was not true that her mother would not insist on her going to that wedding, and she would not hesitate to travel to back to school immediately. 'wedding indeed' she muttered under her breath.

She can't even remember the last time she met with that half- sister of hers.

In fact, the last time they met, they fought, they have always had misunderstanding with each other, and fought and quarreled over nothing and everything.

Chin Sun was jealous of Chin Cho because Chin Cho was more beautiful than she was.

In fact Chin Cho was adjudged one of the most beautiful women in the country.

If she had gone for a beauty context, she would have won without any stress. She was beauty with brains, but she had no interest in things like that.

On the other hand, Chin Cho was jealous of Chin Sun because their father only care for her.

She was so annoyed with her mother for interrupting her preparation for her final exams and making her travel for more than two hours to come and hear such nonsense.

She strode to the window and leaned on her elbows "am sorry mum, I would not be attending the wedding." She said bitterly, slightly raising her voice, her anger clearly written on her face.

She disliked her father, step-mother and step-sister, so she has no reason to attend that wedding.

Observably, the dislike was reciprocal, her step-mother and sister did not like her either, but for her father, she can't give a name to his feelings towards her.

It could be dislike, it could tolerance, but not outright hatred.

That girl Chin Sun and her mother have been the reason she had suffered all her life.

Chin Sun and her mother had clearly frustrated them, yet her mother would not mind all their evil treatments.

Anyway, she did not blame Chin Sun and her mother, she only blamed Chin Elvis and Bong Ae-Cha for all the pains she had suffered in this life.

She had heard that Chin Sun was getting married to a very rich and influential man. And if Chin Sun sees her in the wedding, her shoulders would even become higher.

So she had no intention of going to that wedding.

Ae-Cha knew that Chin Cho was not the type of girl to be forced into doing anything. If you try to force her, then forget about that thing being done.

But if you plead, persuade, coerce or even sweet-talk to her, she would certainly change her mind.

She has such a good nature that makes it difficult for her to harden her heart for long.

She always thought that her mother was too soft hearted and was hoping that she did not inherit such soft heart from her mother.

At some point she was afraid that she might have inherited such weakness. 'soft-heartedness.' She would hate herself if she does.

But undoubtedly, she has actually inherited that inability to say 'no' to someone's distressed appeal.

So Ae-Cha knew that so long as she is pleading with her daughter, the girl would not refuse her.

So she kept pleading with her.

"Please do this for your mum. And beside your father will really be happy." She said pleadingly.

"is this all about you or all about my father?" she fired angrily at her mother. Her eyes were red with anger.

Chin Cho was really annoyed; for the interruption of her exams preparation,

She has always found it difficult to say no to her mother in anything, but this time around, she was going to say capital NO!

She was not surprised though, but she was agitated. She knew her mother has always had a soft spot for her father.

And that is why she had refused to divorce him all these years despite all the evils he had done to her.

She had been abandoned by her father, yet she still wants to please the man who treats her so cruelly.

Chin Cho had come to the conclusion that it was stupid for a woman to be weak and submissive to a man. If she does, he would maltreat her.

"mom, am not going to attend that wedding, if I knew this was why you were calling me, I would not have come." She said flatly, by now she was fuming as her anger was yet to be abated.

She had thought that her mother's poor health condition has worsened, and she left everything she was doing in the school and rushed home.

If only she knew that it was a matter of Elvis and his family, she would not have come.

she never refers to him as 'my father' but always call him 'Elvis'

"I knew that you would not come, that is why I did not tell you the reason am calling you." She said to her with pleas in her eyes.

She even has to soften the tone of her voice more than normal just to give her the impression that she was begging and not forcing her.

The woman knew that her daughter did not like Elvis and his other family.

But for herself, she was a matured woman, and had since abandoned childish thinking.

She may not like Jane and her daughter, but she had once loved Elvis. And it gives her a sense of security and belonging to think that she was married and have a family.

She was an orphan and grew up in the orphanage, so she had always dreamt of her own family.

When she met and married Elvis, she thought she was going to have a happy family after all, but it was not to be so.

Another reason why she decided to stay with Elvis was that she did not want her daughter to grow up without a father figure.

But Chin Cho disputed all these, telling her mother those excuses were not enough to keep her glued to a man like Elvis.

Chin Cho dislikes her father's attitude and neglect and tries her best to live her life without him.

But her mother would not let the man go.

Chin Cho had scolded the mother several times for clinging on to a man who doesn't want her.

And the woman would always reply. "if he asks for divorce, then I would divorce him, but as long as he didn't, then I would not be the first to do so."

And Chin Elvis had not asked her for divorce, since 25 years now, and they have been living this way.