The traditional wedding day finally arrived after several months of planning. It was a small and private ceremony. Derin was her grandmother’s pride that day, she looked absolutely gorgeous.
Bisola had dreamt about the day her granddaughter would get married ever since her return back into the country.
“Your father would be so proud of you,” She whispered into Derin’s ear.
They all danced till they became sore. There was plenty to eat and more than enough to drink. The odds were totally in their favor on this very day. The weather was perfect and there were no issues at all. It was an all round beautiful event.
The couple drove off to spend the night at the hotel close to the hall before taking off for their honeymoon. They travelled to France; the city of love. It was a beautiful experience, one Derin would never have traded for anything in the world. They spent two weeks in France before returning home.
Sope totally agreed with the saying; he who finds a wife, finds a good thing. He was mesmerized with the kind of meals he became accustomed to courtesy of his wife; Derinsola Bello. He looked forward to coming home each day to see his lovely wife and devour the beautiful meals she usually made with love.
Bisola did not stop with her incessant calls; Derin definitely understood that she was lonely. After all, there was no other relative in the house, instead the building was packed with house hold staff. It is never advisable getting too friendly with house hold staff as some of them eventually become disrespectful.
Derin made it her duty to visit Bisola occasionally especially during her free time.
Dr Afolabi had placed her on a drug free holiday and assured her of her pathway to discontinuing her medications.
Derin set up an organization to create awareness for mental illness in the country. A combination of various health care providers especially the doctors helped with her quest. They held various seminars and workshops for the sole purpose of educating the public about mental illness. She was amazed with the level of support she received from important dignitaries in the society. They were all intrigued by her determination to end the stigma associated with mental illness, especially after she told her story.
Her grandfather remained in prison where he belonged. He realized this time that he was alone. There was no one willing to help him. He had gotten away with all grievous crimes in the past but nemesis had finally caught up with him. Contrary to what he had initially thrived on, no one was above the law. All the money he possessed could not get him out of his sentence which was ‘Life imprisonment.’
Derin found out exactly where her mother was buried and always made sure to visit her tomb occasionally. It had hurt initially to think her mother was responsible for the death of her father, she however realized that Bola had no control over her thoughts at the time. If she had gotten the support she required during that period, things might have turned out totally different.
There was abundant joy in the Bello family when Derin returned from Dr Funsho with news that she was pregnant. It felt like she had been given a second chance to right her wrongs.
Sope was elated when he was shown the test result. He was more than supportive during the pregnancy. He never missed her antenatal visits or scans.
He however kept a close monitoring eye on her this time. He was not going to make the same mistake twice. He knew how stubborn his wife could be. He told his boss as soon as Derin became pregnant that he would not be free to make trips outside Koje City. His boss had no choice but to indulge him considering the story he had heard about Derin’s initial pregnancy.
Sope went ballistic on one of the scan visits when the radiographer informed them about the twin gestation, it felt like compensation for the initial baby that was lost. The pregnancy period did not go without it’s challenges though, but it was totally worth it.
Her antenatal visits became more frequent owing to the twin gestation. She was admitted very close to delivery when Dr Funsho noticed her blood pressure was in hypertensive range. He tried to manage her conservatively but eventually opted for a caesarian session when her blood pressure failed to respond to medications.
She was delivered of a set of boy and girl twins. Sope could not help but thank the Lord for his beautiful bundles of joy. As usual, Bisola was not left out of the action, she was glad about the double addition to her small family. She rejoiced and blessed the Lord.
“For the Lord is great and he has done great and wonderful things.”
The naming ceremony was very exciting. Bisola already had her special names for the twins. She was very helpful with babysitting the children especially when both Sope and Derin were working late. They were glad there was someone ever available to take care of the children when they needed time out. Bisola was more than capable; she took great care of the children..
Sope’s parents were not left out in the bonding process as well. Although they travelled out of town a lot, they made themselves available during the wedding and the naming ceremonies. They made sure to visit every four months so they could create memories with their grand children.
The twins were a handful, the support Derin got from her grandmother helped her pull through the first few years after their birth. They were a delight to watch, sometimes they were full of love and at other times they fought like there was no tomorrow.
“I can’t wait to see what would happen when these two grow up and either of them gets into a relationship,” Derin always joked with Sope.
Sope and Derin decided to have one more child to complete their family size. They retained Dr Funsho as their obstetrician. Funsho was known as the school clown back in secondary school. It was surprising to everyone when he enrolled into medical school.
On one of Derin’s hospital visits, he pulled Sope aside to tease him.
“Bad sharp guy, you eventually got your way with this girl,” He laughed.
“Thank God you developed the Liver that was needed to land a hot chick like Derinsola Cole.”
Sope shook his head….. “You haven’t changed a bit Funsho!
The Bello family welcomed their third child who was a baby girl, Derin named her after her mother; Bola Opara. It was only fair to honor an innocent woman who brought her into the world but never got to enjoy the mother daughter relationship.
Mr Jolaosho was not left out in the happy tidings ever after, he became renowned globally especially after the time changer invention. He shared the profits made from its sale with the Cole family. Derin and Mr Jolaosho got better acquainted and he forgave her for the erroneous accusation she had made in her period of ignorance.
Their three children had the best of everything in life. They went to top schools in the country and were just as smart as their parents. Derin and Sope were two very proud parents. They had every reason to be grateful. They both teased each other occasionally about their initial communication problem and cowardice. They promised to give as much advice as possible to their children especially with the matters of the heart.
The story of two teenagers who were hopelessly in love but never had the courage to tell each other was known to each and every one of their children. They brought up their children in the way of the Lord because he alone knows the fate of every human.
Derin and Sope were confused about their relationship and had no idea what the future held, but the Lord saw ahead of them, perfected their union and blessed them beyond their wildest imagination.
THE END!
