3| Vows

However, he should not even accept such an idea. This was the twenty-first century for crying out loud. Why would he agree to marry a stranger enforced on him by his parents? Such alliances were only common in the twentieth century, and not in these times.

Yet, no matter how true this was, she could not push away the thought that he will accept, and ruin both their lives.

'He would not accept. I'm not a girl of his class. I'm sure he has better options, so he'll definitely not choose me.' She thought aloud.

'He could.' Her inner self stated.

'Geez. Stay off my thoughts, will you?' She scowled at herself.

'I am your thoughts.' Her innersole retorted.

Frustrated, she shook her head and closed her inner controversy.

But, the day before the church wedding, Daniel's mom, Karen, called Derin aside to speak to her.

"I know that you don't want to be married to my son but you have to," The woman spoke earnestly. "All I'm asking of you is that you'll be the best wife you can be to him. I need you to care for and understand him. Be like a mother to him, please." She stated with conviction, but one could tell that her expression had that of a plea.

Derin nodded slightly to this, but the woman went on, "I know it will be tough, but don't give up on him because I believe that a woman's care can make him a better person. So promise me you'll never abandon him." The woman articulated her feelings to Derin, as she stared at her with bated eyes.

"I promise, ma," Derin replied, although she knew, that she may not be able to keep such a promise.

How can anyone not abandon someone like Daniel?

However, her reply was enough for Daniel's mother as she smiled and blessed her.

The wedding day arrived, and Derin was attired in a gorgeous lace white designer gown. On her face was slight make-up applied by Dan's mother and her aunt Bunmi.

Other people like Daniel's sister, Katherine, whom Derin had not at once met and his other step-sister wasn't attending. The reason wasn't told to her.

To be sincere, she couldn't care less if no one attended the wedding; this wasn't her typical dream wedding.

Bunmi and Karen didn't fail to enjoy the moment, as they made sure that she looked the prettiest. As all these went on, Derin drafted to her thoughts of her parents, wishing they were still alive, but if only wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

When they got to the chapel, Daniel was nowhere to be found and everyone began to doubt that he'll show up. Fortunately, he arrived, though at the eleventh hour and the marriage ceremony began.

The priest walked in, followed by Daniel through the main door, and they both waited at the altar. Then the chosen bridesmaids and groomsmen walked in, the majority of whom are Daniel's friends and family members as Derin barely knew any. She then walked in majestically and everyone was on their feet as she walked into the church, all looking at her.

After the whole procreation and the handoff, the assistant officiant gave the opening note.

"To all present I say: we are gathered here, not to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already is. We do not create this marriage, because marriage is created in the hearts of two loving people...," The officiant continued yakking on but, Derin withdrew herself from him and everyone as, she stared at her husband to be, Daniel. He looked at her but she couldn't tell if he saw what they were getting themselves into.

They were getting married to each other, it's a real marriage. Being tied together in a bond, in the presence of God isn't something to just do vaguely but, Daniel here seems to be doing so, and well, she got to admit that she also was walking into the marriage without thinking, or objecting.

Truly, she could not object to the marriage, but she should have tried harder.

"Aderinsola and Daniel, seek from within yourself," The officiant's voice surged in, bringing her out of her daydream. "The serenity to accept the things you cannot change. The courage to change the things you must and the wisdom to know the difference".

Derin's eyes wandered away from Daniel and, unto the tens of people watching them. She barely knew any of them but, here they are watching her walk into a union with someone she also didn't know.

Her aunt didn't even have the decency to tell Derin's sister that she was getting Derin married to someone. Yet, Derin hoped that her sister would be fine even though she doesn't know what's going on with her.

"Do you Daniel Lanre Craig Hartley, take Omojola Aderinsola Ajayi to be your lawfully wedded wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" The officiant asked, facing Daniel.

He looked at her as if deciding or taking a good look at the woman before him before he slightly nodded with a smile.

"I, Daniel Lanre Craig Hartley, accept you Omojola Aderinsola Ajayi as my constant companion and my loving wife. I promise to care for you, honor you, and cherish you, for as long as we both shall live." Daniel manifested, accepting the vows and Derin gasped.

"He just said yes to all those vows, as if they meant nothing to him." Derin speculated in her mind as she looked at him in consternation.

Like seriously, who says yes to such a thing that he can never fulfill?

"Do you Omojola Aderinsola Ajayi, take Daniel Lanre Craig Hartley to be your lawfully wedded husband, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?" The officiant asked, this time around facing her.

She swallowed hard before saying, "I do take you as my wedded husband, to share my life with you, and pledge that I will love, honor, and care for you in tenderness and affection, in all the many circumstances of our lives."

She paused as she stared at Daniel, not sure if she would be able to keep any of the vows she just made and not even sure that Daniel valued a marriage.

But, she blinked back as she gathered up her courage, "Till death do us part!" she continued, almost to herself as, her mind wandered off; panicking of what she just said.

Then, a warm hand picked up her hand and, she looked up at the person, it was Daniel and, he was holding a silver stone ring. "I give you this ring, a symbol of my love, as I give to you, all that I am, and accept from you, all that you are." and, he slipped the ring onto her finger.

She looked at the jewelry on her finger before looking up at him, tears lingering in her eyes as she knew that he did not mean a single word that he had said.

To him, this was all ceremony and the vows are just normal words, memorized and spoken without any meaning or value.

The officiant gave her a signal to do the same, and so she picked up the other ring on the pillow, in the hands of the ring bearer before also picking Daniel's hand, which felt warm.

"With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, my heart, and my hands," She said and slipped the ring down his finger.

The officiant now said, "And now, by the power vested in me by the church of the lord, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife." He pronounced before speaking what she had dreaded but wished and imagined ever since she was a kid. "You may now kiss." but, she already guessed that wasn't happening.

However, Daniel's towering figure was what she saw and, he angled down to her face. She felt his cold lips on hers and, her heart felt like it stopped all at once. Daniel pulled out and, she still stared at him shocked upon his kiss.

He wasn't supposed to kiss her now, was he? That's not a must. He could've just ignored that part. Why did he kiss her?

She stared at him speechless and absentmindedly. "He doesn't think, does he?"

"Seems so," her inner self replied, "but darn, that kiss was-".

Oh no! She did not like his kiss and, that's final. She meditated into her thoughts, thereby shutting that up.

After the declaration and the unforeseen kiss from Daniel, they proceeded to sign the certificates and the rest of the ceremony followed.

That evening after the ceremony, Derin left in Daniel's car as his new bride and was waved by everyone until they were all out of sight. All through the car ride to Daniel's house, there was a dead silence; as she didn't bother speaking to him and, he didn't seem to even notice her presence in his car or his life. But the silence was broken by Daniel himself when he drove into the large yard of his duplex home.

"We're here," was all he said; as he parked the crème decorated jeep wrangler under the blue covering that made the garage.

He got down and Derin followed suit before he locked the jeep. Derin's eyes danced around her, she knew that Daniel's parents were aristocrats, but their son just seemed to have been the silver itself, as the house before her was so magnificent, huge and no doubt beautiful. She couldn't help but praise the designers of the house.

She heard a door click open, bringing her out of her thoughts, and she saw that her husband had walked on and gone inside, while she rushed in after him.

"This is my house and you ought to know what to do." he slurred as he dropped the keys on the center table and, made to leave through the same door, they'd come in through.

"Where are you off to?" She questioned, wondering where he could be headed to at that time of the night, but her words trailed off after him, as he didn't reply to her and, was already out the door.

She looked on, as he got into the other car parked beside the jeep - a silver GMC Sierra - and drove out of the gate.

A hiss escaped her lips, what an asshole!