Seeing the bridal car approaching the church, I pointed at the
incoming car. They seemed to understand that the bride was in the
car! Both children and adults rushed to meet the bridal car giving me
a chance to slip around the car I came in and try to be inconspicuous.
The Pathfinders marched around the bridal car and the crowd
pressed close. But since the bride wisely stayed inside the closed
vehicle, the crowd pressed towards me again. I was trapped.
Suddenly, a hand held my arm and gently led me away to a shade
under a tree. I was grateful to see that there was a chair waiting for
me in the shade for I had been standing for quite a while under the
heat of the sun. I smiled and approached the little group gathered. I
was introduced to the pastor and then was directed to the empty
chair. When I looked closely, I noticed that the only other person was
the groom.
"Why am I here?" I asked with knitted eyebrows.
"We need to give you counsel first before the wedding." was the Pastor's reply. An amused smile was
playing at the corner of my lips but I tried to suppress it. I told them that it is best if the groom and
the pastors will have the counselling inside the car where the bride is sitting. Without any argument,
they stood up and entered the bridal car.
The fancy drills continued for over an hour. The women made shrill noises of celebration as they
danced around. The children gaped at me and when I smiled at them, they giggled, looked at each
other, and giggled again. After two hours, the ceremony started. It was past 2PM. My stomach was
already making noises but the processional was taking forever. Each participant was announced as
they marched in, one by one. It was like a beauty contest where each one is introduced.
I approached the bridesmaids who were waiting for their turn to march in and be introduced. I asked
them to pose for me; they gladly obliged. After that, each of them asked if they can have a photo with
me...and so, we posed and posed! Soon, the groomsmen joined and each one wanted to stand beside
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