Forever in Love

By Kelechi Emmanuel

Debbie Amakwes life was about to be everything she had dreamt it would be as she set to wed Williams Rotimi on a sunny Saturday morning. Shortly before she said I do, she received the shock of her life. The sign on her HIV status was the only positivity her life would know for a long time.

Denzel Amah, a handsome young medical doctor felt the heavens had sent him a lottery ticket when he reconnected with his long-lost love in a hospital room. Determined not to let her go a second time, he did all he could to draw her into the emblems of his love until he discovered his love for a woman might cost him his life.

Would his love stand the test of lifes harsh realities?

Kelechi has wrapped together in FOREVER IN LOVE the stigmatization and victimization frequently visited on HIV/AIDS sufferers in romantic and pleasant doses of suspense and intrigue that encapsulates the urban reality of sub-Saharan Africa A truly inspiring read!

Robinson Amazino (BBC AFRICAN PERFORMANCE playwright)

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 21, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449773601

Kelechi Emmanuel

Kelechi Emmanuel has a special passion for writing. She writes short stories for Window’s Africa – a collection of short African stories; which is published in Nigeria. Forever in Love is her first novel. She lives in Port-Harcourt Nigeria where she is currently working on her next novel.

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Copyright © 2012 Kelechi (Kaycee) Emmanuel

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-7359-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7360-1 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-7361-8 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012920602

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/13/2012

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

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Chapter 1

It was going to be a beautiful day. The sun rose early and spread its rays as the white limousine glided slowly out of the Amakwes’ compound and headed west to Festac Town in Lagos. Two ladies sat cross-legged opposite each other in the limo, making sure that their gold sandals with the six-inch heels did not get stuck in the ankle-length bridesmaid gowns; their feet danced to no rhythm. Three other ladies were also in the executive ride; starring out the window. In a good-natured attempt to get the conversation ball rolling, Juliet broke into a song.

"Here comes the bride,

all dressed in white.

Deb is her name,

and she’s my dear friend …

Lovely …"

"That’s some voice you’ve got." Lillian mocked Juliet’s croaking pipes, which were already strained from the glasses of champagne she had been pouring down her throat during the limo ride from Debbie’s house to the church.

Thanks, my dear, Juliet said. When I retire from banking, I’ll make some records. She reached for a book. Oh, I love being a bridesmaid for rich girls like Deborah. Getting married in style is every young woman’s dream. She turned to Kate and added. I hope you’re taking notes.

Kate nodded.

"How to Find Mr. Right. Lillian read aloud the title of the red-covered book she held in her hands. Twenty-One Tips to Getting Married in Twenty-One Days."

"Let me have that." Obviously annoyed, Juliet looked like a celibate caught watching an X-rated movie.

I saw it in your handbag, Lillian protested, half-amused, as if finding the book in the bag were enough excuse to show it to everyone.

Don’t ever search my bag again. Snatching the book from Lillian, Juliet folded it in two and stuffed it back into the small clutch she was carrying.

And what else might I find? Lillian wondered. Condoms?

"I was looking for lip liner. Anyway, I’m sorry." Lillian was genuinely contrite for embarrassing Juliet. Lillian was married, but she could understand how over-thirty spinsters didn’t want to admit they were in search of a husband until they finally found one. After landing one, they could spend all their money on throwing a lavish wedding for themselves to show off for their friends—just as Debbie was doing.

Do you want to know the easiest way to get hitched? Debbie asked Juliet, fixing her gaze on the boiling bridesmaid. Without waiting for the answer she knew she wouldn’t get, Debbie said, You should stop nosing around in the lives of celebrities. Laughing, Debbie waved a gossip magazine with a bold headline that read, The Nightlife of Hollywood Stars.

I support that motion, Lillian said, raising her hands. She was sitting opposite Juliet, whose reprimanding kick landed on Susan’s gown.

I want to propose a toast, Susan announced, drawing attention from Juliet to herself. She was Debbie’s maid of honor, a role she had refused to play initially She waited until every bridesmaid had a glass filled with wine in her hand, then said, To Williams! She smiled and gulped down the contents of her globe-shaped glass before noticing that glasses of the other women were frozen in midair, their shocked faces glued on hers. For giving Debbie the gift of love, she explained, looking obviously puzzled that they were not getting her joke.

Lillian, Kate and Juliet clicked their glasses together and then touched Debbie’s.

You’re right, Sus. Debbie seemed to have felt a sudden mental jolt; she reached to the back of her neck with her gloved hands and produced a thin, white necklace with a heart locket attached to it. And now this is for you. She leaned forward and fastened it to her maid of honor’s neck.

It’s beautiful, Deb, Lillian gasped.

It’s my last tie to an old love. Susan’s eyes met and held Debbie’s. Then she lowered her eyelashes and thanked her.

The other girls exchanged glances, unwilling to pry into a secret that the two age-old friends were guarding with their eyes.

Juliet cleared her throat, and the girls looked up at her. We are at the church, she announced unnecessarily. The limo made a grand entrance onto the church premises and pulled to a stop at the side to make way for the arriving wedding guests.

There was a knock on the car window close to Debbie, and she wound it down; she had already spotted her father walking toward her wedding ride after he got out of his red Mercedes Benz SUV. Her stepmother and her stepsiblings were still inside the SUV, probably applying fresh makeup or criticizing what they could about the wedding.

You have to stay in the car until we’re ready to walk, her dad told her.

I know, she said, smiling.

He returned her smile and touched her veiled hair lightly. I’m proud of you, and your mother would have been, too.

Debbie saw a shadow cross his dark features, and for the first time in a long while, she actually believed that her father had once loved her late mother.

Thank you, Dad. She didn’t think there was a more appropriate answer for him. As much as she would have loved for her mother to be there on this day, Debbie had refused to think about her sudden passing just before Debbie’s graduation from the university six years ago.

That year her mother had discovered on their silver-jubilee wedding anniversary that her husband had another family. A second wife, a twelve-year-old son, and nine-year-old twin girls came to live with them on that day. Debbie’s new siblings got a better education and expensive vacations, and they never lifted a finger to help with the household chores; what’s more, their mother spoiled them from birth and gave them fancy names like Cassandra and Lindy—fancier than Deborah. Debbie’s mother had been more concerned about having a daughter who was strong and fearless like the biblical judge of the Israelites.

Daniel Amakwe left them, walking toward the church entrance. Debbie rolled up the window and busied herself watching her bridesmaids apply fresh make-up on their already made-up faces. There was another knock on the window. Debbie hoped it was not Williams. For the second time, she rolled down the car window, and a young man greeted her heartily, handed her an envelope, and left.

What is that? A prenup? Kate quipped absentmindedly, peering into the pocket dressing mirror in her right hand and smacking her lips to smooth her lipstick. The girls laughed loudly and cheerfully. Debbie, who didn’t find the joke particularly funny, did not join in the laughter. Her bridesmaids, who were her close friends, knew that Williams had recently been hired at a small microfinance bank; the pay wouldn’t be worth getting a divorce for.

They’re my test results, Debbie offered, attempting to silence the girls’ continued roar. It worked like magic, and Lillian turned toward her with full concern.

Is anything wrong? Are you okay? What kind of test? Questions from her bridesmaids rained down on her from inside the limo.

Hey, calm down, y’all; it’s just a regular test.

They didn’t look satisfied by the show of confidence, delivered in a fake accent; their worried faces made that clear.

Okay, the church requires me to prove that I’m not pregnant before they can wed me; you know … She gave a you-know-how-they-are shrug. Just some measure to ensure chastity among the young ones, Debbie explained.

Oh.

I see.

Whatever. The girls voiced their opinions and returned to their makeup.

That is so sixteenth century, Juliet said, resuming conversation on the topic. Her disapproval of the church policy was understandable; she had wed her husband two months before her son was born.

Juliet, now that you mention it, I have to add my comment on that. I wouldn’t run that test if I were in Debbie’s shoes. Kate announced in a very displeased voice.

Why the hell not? Debbie demanded.

"Because I plan to be pregnant before marriage. I can’t stand these mothers-in-law and their wahala." Replied Kate in very serious note.

So you doubt your fertility, Susan said from her corner.

"Hmm, I be small pickin?" Raising an eyebrow and utililizing her pidgin language again, Kate asked Debbie if she was a kid.

Well, my father will have my head if I refuse. He was the secretary of the deacon’s board long before I was born.

And yet he’s polygamous, Lillian injected.

Enough now, both of you. I had to do what I had to do. I’m not going to bother with the whys. In fact, I reran the entire test they asked me to run three months ago, Debbie proudly concluded.

Don’t listen to them; you are doing the right thing, Susan offered. It was the first time she had spoken since all five girls had entered the church premises. Susan was the only nonbanker friend Debbie had, and whenever they all gathered, she felt like a third wheel on a couple’s date.

Anyway, I am not knocked up. The test results show that, Debbie announced firmly, her chin lifted with a dignity that complemented the pride in her eyes. At least she hadn’t been before last night her groom-to-be Williams had made love to her at their new home.

For a split second, I thought you were knocked up. Why would you rush to marry a man you’ve known for only six months? Juliet asked.

Because I love him, and he’s the one for me. And, for the record, I’ve known him for two years; we were engaged for six months.

They all laughed until Debbie covered her face with a veil in preparation for leaving the car.

When you’re done with your cackling, meet me inside. She wouldn’t let anyone put her down on her big day.

Hey, you can’t go out now. It’s bad luck for the groom to see you before you arrive by his side at the altar.

Debbie shut the limo door with a bang.

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How can you say it’s bad luck for me to see her before the wedding? Williams asked Michael, his best man. He had wanted to walk over to Debbie’s limousine and sneak a peek before he went inside.

That myth is as old as the tradition of weddings themselves, Michael informed him. Besides, I think it’s time we went up there and got you hitched for life, he said, motioning with his head toward the altar.

Williams did not return his amused smile. He was hell-bent on seeing his bride, but he had no choice other than to walk into the building in the company of his groomsmen.

As Debbie watched Williams enter the church, she smiled the self-satisfied smile that all brides have on their wedding day. To avoid counting the seconds before her father would come for her, she opened the envelope to confirm the predicted test results. She closed it with shaky fingers.

The color had drained out of Debbie’s face. The results were far from what she had expected.

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Chapter 2

The choir sang a beautiful rendition of the hymn Love So Divine, Love So Pure as the couple made their way to the altar. Right behind the bride was her maid of honor, who dutifully kept the tail of her enormous gown in order. The groom’s best man simply walked behind him. The bride handed her bouquet to the maid of honor, who had been stopped by the altar attendant as he ushered the couple closer to the reverend.

Repeat these vows after me, the Most Reverend Olatunji intoned solemnly as he advanced to the last segment of his assignment. He was the presiding reverend of God’s Assemblage in Festac Town, and joining couples in holy matrimony was one of his favorite clerical duties. He did not believe in lengthy sermons and always smiled to himself at the surprise registered on the faces of the couples he would join. This groom had the same reaction when he had called them up to formalize their union.

Before the reverend started reading the typed vows from the booklet in his left hand, he cleared his throat and adjusted the black hood on his flowing white robe; then he turned to the woman.

I … , he started.

Deborah Nneka Amakwe, take thee, Williams Wale Rotimi, to be my lawfully wedded husband … Her voice was low and pliable. A perfect lady she was.

"For better