Stitching Happiness

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Sera and I had planned for this night for months. First, I had to lose all the baby weight from my last pregnancy.

I remember gaining about forty five kilograms during and after that pregnancy. Sera lived an hour away from me, but nevertheless she made it a point to drive to my house every evening and force me to jog for two hours. I vividly remember making all kinds of excuses at the beginning, it was so hard and brutal. I was one hundred six kilograms at the time and my goal was to get to at least sixty kilograms.

I changed my diet, started eating healthily. It was a rough and difficult journey. There are times when I desperately wanted to give up, wondering if it was worth it.

Sera however was determined to see this project through.

She did not entertain my laziness, insecurities, complaints or any other excuses. She did not allow me to give up. Six months later, I had lost forty one kilograms, but this did not do much for my self-esteem. I still had lots of body insecurities; two children down the road, my body had been through lots of changes and so did my confidence.

We had anxiously waited and planned for that Friday; Sera took a day off work to help me prepare for the night. That morning, we went to a hair salon, I got a new hairdo; next was pedicure and manicure. Sera and I later had a full body scrub and massage. This girl was determined to leave no stone unturned. She was insistent on giving me the full experience. We later went lingerie shopping which came with so many memories. Towards my wedding, Sera gifted me very sexy lingerie with instructions that it was for my wedding night.

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STITCHING HAPPINESS

After the wedding ceremony, when my husband and I had retired to the honeymoon suite, I took a warm bath and brushed my teeth. I stepped out of the bathroom, Leo went to have his shower, giving me enough time to wear the snow-white lingerie and wait for him. We were dead tired from the wedding ceremony and had also been through so much too.

I therefore hoped the night would be unforgettable for both of us. I have never forgotten the look on his face when he first saw me. I drove him crazy. He wanted me, all of me.

I smiled and he murmured, “You’re beautiful.” He slowly walked to me, did not take his eyes off me as he held my waist. “I love you wifey,” he whispered and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. He devoured me once again like a hungry hyena.

After an hour of trying different shops with no luck, we finally landed on the one. It was a little too revealing and crazy for my comfort, however Sera insisted. Our next stop was a flower shop where we picked lots of red and white roses. After having our lunch and girl talk, we bought some scented candles and wine, fantasising about the night as Sera addressed all my fears and reassured me. “Nothing will go wrong,” she said countless times. I was however incredibly nervous and apprehensive about the whole arrangement.

Sera had offered to take my children and house help for the night to give my husband and I time alone. We got home later in the afternoon and started preparing for the night.

The theme of the evening was red, white and black. We cleaned and dusted every part of my bedroom, had bought

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new beddings for the night. This evening was meant to be a rebirth of my marriage.

After cleaning, Sera the romance expert set up the candles and flowers as I tried on my lingerie one last time for assurance. She made the most beautiful aisle of red and white rose petals with led candles on the sides. This aisle ran from the front door to my bedroom. My bedroom floor was covered with rose petals and scented candles. It was so beautiful that it made me extraordinarily nervous and anxious.

It reminded me of one time on Valentine’s Day, I had been busy with the children and always complaining to Leo about my exhaustion. It was a working day, so Leo woke up early, said his prayers and got ready for work. I did not have any expectations because Leo was not the kind that celebrated such days except for Mother’s Day. A few minutes after he had left the house, I returned to the bedroom and found a letter from him on the pillow.

It was addressed “To my love.” I opened the letter wondering why he was writing to me. He had not written to me in a while. My life revolved around the children to the extent that I had forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. Shocked and excited I opened the letter. I smiled and cried as I read it. I saved that letter for years and read it every time I felt like giving up on my marriage. It reminded me of the love and promises my husband had once made and gave me hope.

The letter read:

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STITCHING HAPPINESS

My love,

It has been a while since I last wrote to you. I held the pen to write to you and almost broke down. I don’t think there is enough words to describe how grateful I am to have you in my life, to have you as a wife, my life partner and my forever love. My darling Nita, you are everything I wanted for a wife and so much more. I am amazed at how God purposed to give me the best of the best for a wife. Each morning I thank God for you because you are the real deal my love.

We have come a long way, thank you for choosing me each day to be yours despite my imperfections. Your love for me is astonishing. You take my hopes and dreams and make them reality. Thank you for the late-night laughs and early morning kisses, for the most beautiful children and how you give your all to us. Every second spent with you reaffirms to me that God’s love is real. I see it through you.

Thank you for holding my hand through the storms of life and for loving me enough to make me a good man. Your love has healed me and made me a good father. It is because of you that I get to be the best version of myself. Thank you for being my best friend, my comforter, my partner, my confidant, my sugar, my world and my Nita. There is absolutely no one like you. I have had a lot of good times, but nothing compares to the joy you give me. You complete me babe.

On this beautiful day of celebrating love, I want you to know that you are my world, I celebrate you every day

DECEMBER KICONCO