Calabash | 28 May 2007 15:32 CET

WEDDING CANCELLED BECAUSE OF HIV/AIDS TEST

Source: WWW.NIGERIAFILMS.COM

A high society wedding, which was supposed to take place this weekend, has been cancelled because the bride-to-be tested positive to HIV/AIDS in the five different hospitals the test was carried out.

The guy and this lady in question have been going out for close to a year now. They met in a mutual friend's birthday party in Abuja, got introduced by the celebrant and then they became inseparable.

Everyone was happy for them because they looked like a perfect couple. The guy is tall, handsome and a promising high flier executive officer. While the girl is also a senior officer in a manufacturing company.

Trouble started when they registered in the Marriage Committee of their church as intending couples to be screened for approval. They went through the marriage classes and counselling sessions. Finally, they had to do the blood test for the "big
one", which will determine their fate and also determine the Marriage Committee's decisions.

They did the HIV/AIDS test twice in two different hospitals. The groom-to-be was negative, while the bride-to-be was positive. They went to another state completely different from their place of residence and did the test twice again. Still the same story and result.

All this while, they have also been making preparations for the wedding, with the belief that the test results will be favourable. They had given out invitation cards, booked and paid for reception venue, even the Committee of Friends have been frenzy and wonderful in putting finishing touches to the wedding plans.

Exactly 10 days to the wedding, on their way back from the Marriage Committee meeting, they had a near-fatal accident that left the groom-to-be with bruises and body pains, while the bride-to-be had deep cuts (wounds) on her legs and other parts of her body. Luckily for them, the hospital where they were rushed to for treatment was also where the aunt of the groom-to-be works, so prompt medical attention was given to them. As a routine, the Aunt (a Matron in the hospital) asked for their blood samples to be tested (the fifth time now). The test still came out with the girl being positive and the guy negative.

The Aunt of the guy called him aside and told him that from the very first day she saw the girl, she as a health worker noticed some symptoms(like spots all
over her body, etc). All her subtle maneuver to dissuade him from marrying the girl was thrown away, because he kept telling everyone that he loves her. The aunt said taking their blood samples after that near-fatal accident and conducting/supervising the test herself was to completely confirm and also clear her conscience that her nephew was not entering a "lion's den".

After staying in the hospital for two days, they were discharged. The groom's family held a meeting and reached an agreement that their son WILL NOT marry
the girl.

On the other hand, the girl's family in a spate of anger have also held meetings and have sworn that the wedding MUST hold. A week to the wedding, they brought a lab test result from another hospital, claiming that the girl was negative.

The Church Marriage Committee called the intending couple and families of both parties and asked the guy and lady if they had had any sexual intercourse and they both said NO! The Committee then told the families to go back, sort things out and let the church know both families' decision.

The guy's family have gone ahead to phone/send text messages to all their invited guests, informing them that the wedding has been cancelled because of the "near-fatal accident" that happened ten days to the wedding. While the girl's family have been shouting blue murder, telling everyone who cares to listen that come this Saturday, their daughter MUST be married to the guy whether he likes it or not.

The man in the centre of this whole controversy, speaking with me (four days to the wedding), said he has made up his mind to cancel the wedding and move on
with his life.

In his parting words to me, he said: "I will go and give testimony in church, to thank God for saving me from eternal doom".

What do you think of this whole scenario? Do let me know.
Shalom.

Emmanuel Gabari
Reporting from Kano Nigeria
for www.nollywoodgists.com

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