Chapter 9

Now standing before her husband to be at the Altar, Althea tried all she could not stare at him but the more she fought it, the more she failed. In the end, she gave up completely. It was a hard thing to do because Xavier was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on.

His face looked like one that had been moulded to perfection. His chiselled jaw stood out and even though he had an expressionless look on his face, he was still as handsome as ever.

‘’Let’s begin.’’ the bishop said.

The congregation took their seats. Althea glanced at Aunt Tina who was sitting at a corner in the large hall. She gave her an encouraging smile and at that moment, Althea was grateful to have someone like her in her corner.

‘’We bless this day in the name of the father, son and the holy spirit. We have come together to witness the holy solemnization of Xavier and Althea.’’ the bishop said.

He gave a short speech, extolling the virtues of marriage and in the midst of all these, Althea smiled. She had to prove that she was happy or else people would begin to talk. Xavier on the other hand made no move to show any emotions whatsoever.

Althea had a feeling that he just wanted to be done with everything. There was no atom of joy or being happy within him which just made Althea feel sad and dejected. If she had her way, she could have called off the wedding but it wasn’t in her place to do that.

‘’Marriage is a sacred act before God and it is to be cherished. So many divorce cases we see today are a result of the parties not understanding each other. But as we can see, Xavier and Althea are so in love with each other, even a blind man could see it.’’ the bishop said.

Althea scoffed, rolling her eyes which didn’t go unnoticed by Xavier. His expression remained the same and Althea was convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that he was devoid of feeling any emotion. He was as rigid and static as a tree, she couldn’t quite understand why he was this way but she had a feeling that it had to do with his father and also his upbringing.

‘’Now, let’s get down to the vows.’’ the bishop said.

An altar boy stepped forward, holding a golden plate where the rings sat. It was the most beautiful ring Althea had ever seen. The gold platings shone under the brilliant rays of the powerful chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

‘’We’ll start with you Xavier, son of Costello.’’ the bishop smiled.

Xavier picked up a ring, holding it in between his thumb and forefinger. He knew he was going to say a bunch of vows that he had read times without number but this time around, he was doing it and he would be saying it from a book the altar boy held.

‘’Please read the sacred words from the book.’’ the bishop said.

Xavier nodded, staring at Althea. He couldn’t deny it. She was goddamn beautiful. From the very first moment she had stepped in with her father holding her arm, he couldn’t quite take his eyes off her. She was a beautiful woman but at that moment, she was a goddess.

‘’Okay,’’ he said, finally.

‘’I, Xavier son of Costello, take you Althea to be my lawfully wedded wife.’’ he began.

As he spoke, Althea felt a strange thrill run down her body. He was saying it and at that moment, she didn’t know what to feel. This was happening, it was real.

‘’To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in riches and in poverty till death do us part.’’ he said finally before slipping on the ring on her ring finger.

Althea was thrilled, staring at the ring that rested on her fingers. It was all real, Xavier had finally slipped the ring on her finger.

Now, it was her turn to do the same to him and she felt nervous. She knew how she could get when she was nervous. She tended to mix up her words but she couldn’t allow that to happen because hundreds of people were watching them.

‘’Althea.’’ the Bishop said.

‘’Oh yes, sorry.’’ she smiled.

‘’I take Xavier, son of Costello, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, in riches and in poverty till death do us part.’’ she said.

She took the rings from the golden plate and as she slipped them on his finger, she was excited. She didn’t know where this came from but she couldn’t deny the feeling. It was there and it was blossoming within her.

Throughout, Xavier maintained his stoic expression, never laughing nor smiling. It was odd for him to do that because this was a thing of joy but apparently, he didn’t feel the same way. Althea knew she had to cover for it by smiling and pretending that everything was fine when in reality, it wasn’t.

This was all a ruse, a plan. None of it was real and this just deaden her spirit all the more. She couldn’t quite understand why she wasn’t capable of feeling happiness, feeling loved like some of her friends who had married their heartthrob.

Ever since the agreement, she had been the one carrying the relationship but at this moment, she was beyond tired. She just wanted to find a semblance of peace within this storm she was passing through but she had a feeling that that might not happen in a long time.

The way she looked at it, she was stuck to the man called Xavier. Althea sighed, still keeping up the pretence but it was proving difficult now as her lips ached from having to put up a fake smile.

‘’You may kiss the bride.’’ the bishop said.

Althea didn’t know how this would work because everything they had done leading up to this very moment had been awkward. She wasn’t sure if Xavier would even come any closer to her and talk more of kissing her but to her greatest surprise, he smiled.

That took Althea by surprise. Xavier was smiling at her and at that moment, she didn’t know what to think. It seemed odd, staring at him with a smile on his face. Unknown to her, she didn’t know his father had warned him to play the part of a happy husband.

Xavier thought about it and he realized that his father was right. If he continued to maintain his stoic expression, people would begin to wonder what was happening.

He smiled some more before walking closer to her and then taking her lips in his. Althea was over the moon when she felt his warm lips on hers. She closed her eyes, willing this to be a dream but it was as real as the ground she stood on.

Xavier was kissing her and what’s more, he was doing it with a lot of emotions. She knew this couldn’t be fake because she had felt it deep within her.

Now, the marriage is sealed. That was the last thing that joined them together and now, it was time for Althea to begin this scary yet exciting journey. Still maintaining the smile, Xavier took her hands before he turned both of them around to face the congregation.

A loud shout of joy rose to the air followed by a series of claps and hoots. Everyone had a smile on their faces which surprised Althea no no end. They were all standing, clapping with much gusto and joy on their faces.

Althea couldn’t help but stare at Xavier. The intensity with which he had kissed her surprised her to no end. He had never shown much emotion as he did a few minutes ago. He waved at the crowd, his eyes crinkled in laughter.

At that moment, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He felt so free and relaxed, a far cry from how he was an hour ago. Althea didn’t know where this new energy came from because as far as she was concerned, Xavier never liked her.

He had shown that times without numbers so why the sudden change of behaviour? It was odd and she wasn’t feeling happy about it but she decided to put that issue at the back of her mind and just live in the moment.

Whatever would come could come because she was ready for it. Xavier took her hands, leading her out of the cathedral and towards the exit. Confetti, flowers and shouts of joy filled the air around them and at that moment, Althea felt blessed.