The Untold Fate -Short Story

 GUEST WRITER: Demetria Herman Banda (Writer & Constable) 

Qualification-Degree in Journalism.

“Why me?! Why!” A scream echoed in all directions of the neighbourhood. People wondered, babies cried, birds ran. 

“Who could that be?” asked Mrs Bulea. Nobody dared to recognise my voice. It was a voice of a heart broken woman. A voice of sadness. It expressed hatred. In no time the voice came through the walls again. It was me, the respected single lady. I couldn’t help it but rent in sadness’ peace less house. Mrs Bulea, the neighbourhood’s all time gossiper, made a good guess of my voice. Thanks to her eardrums.

“That must be Delia,” she guessed to fellow women who were having a women gathering. No answer came past any woman’s mouth.

“Am sure of it,” Mrs Bulea backed her guess.

“Why are you suggesting that it’s my neighbour?” Mrs Mwawa wanted to know.

“You know she is the only one in this neighbourhood whom life got hard on the day of every boy’s dream,” said Mrs Bulea.

“Don’t pretend as if you know nothing about Delia’s fate,” she continued.

I was over the moon on that fated day. It was my day, the centre of attention. I was to wed. Every passing second got me frightened and excited. I was happily nervous on the thought of my trusted bride. We were tired of promises, wanted to exchange vows in presence of our families, friends, and well-wishers.

“I promise to be there for you, to comfort during hard times. I swear in my Grandma’s name, I won’t let you go…” I remembered Henry’s words got me excited.

“You are my king and for that, I promise to care, love and cherish you for the rest of my days…”I promised back.

“You know what Delie, you are the reason why am still existing today. You have shown me love, taught me what love is. You are my everything, my true love. You are what every man wants in a woman,” said Henry looking straight into my eyes. I got carried away his charming words and expressed my feelings.

“I knew from the day I saw you that your love would be the source of my happiness. You’ve proven it over and over. You are the demonic angel of my mischievous love life. Whenever you are close to me, my body showers with satisfactory feelings of jealous. But when you are away from me, my hands cries for your love, my eyes weeps to see your beauty, my ears longs for your sweet voice, my body wishes for new memories, my mind to sense your presence,” said  my lover who used to call me Delie. “You’ll always have a place in my heart that I promise in Holy Mother Mary’s name”.

“I am honoured to lease a special place in your heart. I hope to cling on to it. Whatever I do, I promise to ever let you shade a heart-broken tear because of me. Wherever you may be, I promise to send my love to you, to love you forever and always,” Henry declared.

I overwhelmed by Henry’s promises, couldn’t wait to be accompanied to the aisle. The day came at last. I was to be made the happiest woman on the lithosphere. But all ended at the aisle. All the promises poisoned in a letter of untold fate. 

“To my godly lover Delie, I am sorry things have to turn out this way. I know it’ll be hard on you but you must find it in your heart to forgive me. I took your feelings for granted and betrayed them. It’s not that I feel nothing for you, no, I very much do. It’s my desire to take vows beside you, but my hands are tied. Don’t try to obtain any explanation about my choice. Forget about me Delie, fall in love again, be happy and raise a family. If I was able to make you happy, any man would do the same. The world is such a small place; wish to meet wearing happy faces on our different paths taken. Sorry that it has to be this way, all the promises though from deep down my heart, I have to break them. It’s like truth made a lie. May the good Lord be with you and help you overcome this. I am deeply sorry, Henry.” The letter read.

I realized that dating, cause a lot of hurt and suffering become disillusioned in the  dating process, and I felt like I do not know how to make it work. I experience heartbreak, I repeatedly pick the “wrong type,” maybe I can’t find the “Mr. right Type,” or maybe I find the “right type” and I don’t like him  as much as I like  the wrong type. I have trouble integrating my spiritual life into dating. And I question what to do with physical Attraction and moral limits, as well as wonder when to move from casual dating to a more significant relationship. The pain and suffering of dating becomes too much on me,  

    It was all over in my mind. Trauma caught with me at the aisle. I couldn’t believe it to have happen to me. All the faces stared at me with sympathetic expressions. I was love’s fool, stood on the day of my wedding. I was motionless, no blinking; only a widely opened mouth without trespassing words. The desire to wed, trusting men, all parted ways with me to Henry’s path. There on the aisle vowed never to fall in love again.