Sandra, a tall and slender girl with large eyes and long lashes. Her hair always fell in tangled plaits across her shoulders. She had a delicate, mysterious beauty that would make you think of a freshly blossoming flower.
She was a true beauty, a girl that every man would want to have as a wife. Her life was seemingly perfect, except for the fact that she came from a poor family, who were struggling for the daily bread. But she believed that one day their situation would change and kept a strong faith in God, waiting for his intervention.
Although her family was poor, her parents would always waste no time telling her how beautiful she was and how her beauty would give her the perfect husband who would take good care of her and lift them out of their poverty life. And she would only reply with a smile. But truly she wanted no part in their delirious scheme to use her as a saving grace. She believed in God and promised herself never to get married until God approved of it.
A few years later, she began to get suitors, which wasn't that much of a surprise, since the mere sight of her beauty can put an ordinary man in trans.
This was the moment she had been afraid of revealing itself, leaving her with not so many options for defense.
Her parents were seriously pressuring her to get married. Suitors came and suitors left as she rejected every one of them, telling them that it's not the will of God that she should get married now.
Her father would flare up every time she made this statement.
"What's the meaning of this Sandra!..What have I done to you to deserve this? Why do you want me to die of poverty?".
But still, she would say nothing and stay strong in her faith.
Days continued to pass as more suitors came and left, her mother would always remain calm in this situation, calming her husband down and telling him that the choice is up to Sandra and not them.
Things kept on going like this for a while until one night, as Sandra was about to go to bed, she heard voices outside, she went to check and found her mother sitting alone in front of the oil lamp crying. The mere sight of this caused her heart to break.
She confronted her mother
"Mom, what's the problem?"
Her mother was shocked to see her out that night...
"Everything is alright my child", she said, " go to bed,...hope you know tomorrow is Sunday?" Her mother said trying to act happy, wiping the tears away from her face.
"Mother, do you think I'm taking the wrong path by waiting on God," she asked abruptly.
"My dear, I do not know, but what I know is, that the life you are living is yours. I will not force you to make the same mistakes I made. If only I had a heart of steel like you do, I would not be in this situation today... But I regret nothing because all those mistakes I made led me to you. And you're the best decision I've ever made. So whatever makes you happy, I will support". She said looking into Sandra's eye and giving her a big smile.
That night as Sandra lay on her bed she couldn't help but play the conversation she had with her mother over and over, her heart was every as she was now confused. She loved her mother and did not want to see her suffer, but she also loved serving God and wanted to continue her life with him and just him alone. She slept that night with a broken will and a heavy heart.
Few days after her conversation with her mother, she was approached by another suitor, and this time she didn't reject the offer.
Her father was the happiest of them all, he rejoiced as news spread that the most elusive Sandra has finally been pinned down by a man.
Her mother, though happy was shocked at the outcome, she looked into her daughter's eye and could see, the tears hiding within, she knew her daughter's will had been broken.
A date for the traditional wedding was set, and Sandra's father felt like a king on the moon. He didn't even bother about his daughter's feelings, he just kept on planning.
The night before her traditional wedding, Sandra's mother approach her in her bedroom where she cried and prayed for God's intervention.
"My dear, what you're doing is not right," she said as Sandra finished her prayers.."I know you want to make myself and your father happy but the way you going about it isn't right. You're sad, always crying ...my dear your will is broken, and therefore I will not allow this marriage", she said suddenly with a tone of authority, "tomorrow morning, I'll be taking you to the church where you will stay until this whole matter dies down..I will not sit and fold my arms while your will is taken from you.. ...my beautiful girl," she said, now caressing her face and wiping her tears away.
Early the Next morning Sandra's mother took her to the Church, placing her in the hands of the nuns, she returned to the .wedding.
When it was time for the bride to make her appearance, she was nowhere to be found, they searched and searched but she was nowhere to be found. Sandra's father grew impatient approaching his wife like a hungry lion.
"Woman where is your daughter ?!" He said in the tone of a beast.
"I don't know," she said as the two of them were now the focus of the occasion.
"You had better tell me where she is now before I descend on you with fire".
Sandra's mother, now weak and in tears fell knees to the ground, and with tears in her eyes she said
"She's far away from the reaches of your hand, do whatever you want to me but I will never let you wipe the smile away from my daughter's face!!, She is my daughter and I carried her for nine months, I fed her the milk from my breast, I did everything to make her happy...you, what did you do?". She countered in a tone that declared fearlessness.
Sandra's father, now boiling with anger, raised his hand high against the wind and was now ready to slap some sense into his wife when he heard a voice yell...
"No!!... don't you dare touch my mother!!"
He turned around to see his daughter standing in front of him, with a Reverend father standing beside her.
"I knew you would come to your senses," he said, now suddenly filled with joy, "my inlaw, your wife is here," he said in a triumphant voice.
"Mr man, or whatever you call yourself, whatever you are planning here is never going to work, I said yes to you under pressure and now I'm saying NO! to you again under pressure..." She said looking in the direction of the man she was supposed to marry, "..and you, you're supposed to be my father, but ever since I've known you, you've never provided anything, not even a drop of water...all you do is gallivant around with those your drunkard friends, wasting the little amount of money mother manages to bring in from her vegetable business. .. are you not even ashamed of yourself ?..you call yourself a man yet you can't fend for you family and now you want to use me as your ticket out of poverty, selling me off to the highest bidder....well sorry, I will never be a part of that plan".she said as she released all the pain from her heart.
"Mr.man I'm sorry again for the inconvenience, but you can either go home or you stay here and get married to my father, the choice is yours"...
With that said, she moved to her mother who was still on the ground,
"Mum, are you okay?"
"My dear, I'm fine...why did you come back"
"Father Kettle here told me that, the only way I can win, is if I face my fears...I knew father was going to take his frustration out on you, and I couldn't allow that to happen...I love you mum" she said now hugging her mother tightly.
"I love you too my dear" she replied with tears in her eyes. The guests and everyone present for the wedding began to leave one after the other.
That very day Sandra and her mother packed their things and moved out of the house leaving her father to his fate. They moved into a building offered to them by the church, from where she began her journey to become a Reverend sister.
In the end, she did get married and had four children, two boys, and two girls, with her mother by her side. She also reconciled with her father much later.
But all this was after she served God till her heart was satisfied.