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At First Sight

"I really can't imagine my life without her."

By Kc NevillePublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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The brothers and sisters in Togo were wonderfully nice and very warm. The only challenge was I couldn't speak their language. My talk was scheduled for the coming 1952 assembly and I had no translator. I had traveled all the way from Lagos, Nigeria to give this talk. I could not let them down. I had interviewed a few brothers in the neighboring congregation, but none of them could speak English fluently.

The day finally came, it was quite hot and it made it worse for me. I was very nervous and sweaty and the fans in the auditorium did not make things better. So I went around the auditorium asking who could translate for me.

Before I could give up, a voice said, "I can speak French, English, and Ewe fluently."

I asked who said that and the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on and I'm not even exaggerating, walked to me. I took a good look at her, her warm smile and bright eyes blew me away. She shook my hand and introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Francesca."

"Albert," I replied, completely lost for words.

"And now, let us welcome brother Olih to the platform," the chairman said.

I held onto my folder that had the highlights of my talk and walked up the steps to the platform. I looked to my right and there stood Francesca, in all her glory. I nodded and she nodded back, letting me know she was ready. And so we began; she was so good with the translating. She was quick and smooth, she made no mistakes, and still had her smile on. I made sure to prolong the little talk I had, just so I could listen to her voice more. I kept looking at her all the while as she translated.

After the assembly that day, I made my way to Francesca, who was at her volunteering booth. I cleared my throat and smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Ah, hello Albert, that was a very interesting talk," she said to me.

I blushed. "Oh, thank you. And also thank you for translating last minute."

"That was not a problem at all, I'm glad I could help."

"I'm glad you could help too," she giggled. "I was hoping to get your address, so we could write to each other. I'm going back to Nigeria soon."

"Of course, I would love that." She took a note and a pencil out of her bag and wrote on it. She tore out a piece of paper and gave it to me. That was the most important piece of paper to me at that moment.

As the assembly went on we were split into three different languages, English, Yoruba, and French. So I would go visit her at her booth during break time and she would come to visit me too. Leaving her to go back home was hard, but I was hopeful. I had her address and I made sure to write to her as much as I possibly could.

When I got back home, I told my father about Francesca and he was thrilled. He asked if I was wanted to marry her and I said yes. So, he wrote to her and told her he wanted her to come to visit and get to know the family. I, however, did not want to scare her by rushing things, so we kept writing. We got to know each other better, and she told me everything about herself. She said she had never dated anyone before, she had men that were interested in her but she wasn't. I didn't care much for her secrets and past life. I knew she was mature, kindhearted, and had spiritual goals and that was all that mattered to me. We kept writing to each other for three years and our love grew.

In 1955 I made plans to go visit her in Togo. I bragged to the brothers in my congregation that I was going to get married. When I got my allowance for that month I saved every penny, because I promised myself that I would give it to my wife. So, I traveled to Togo. Unfortunately, the brothers did not approve because I was a young man in Bethel so I went back home and waited for her to come instead. On her journey to Nigeria, she and her three sisters were stopped at the border and sent back for not having her complete documents. Fortunately, there was a brother there that knew the both of us and took them by canoe to the Bethel.

Her father wanted me to meet every single person in their extended family. She came from a very big family in Togo. So, I went back to Togo and it took two weeks to meet and greet everyone. Her uncle had asked me why I hadn't learned French, so I told him to give me French wine and every word that comes out from my mouth after having a glass would be French. I got his approval after that conversation. That was 1955. I was sent back home, for they had to prepare her for her wedding. We had the traditional wedding planned for Saturday. So many brothers and sisters from my congregation followed me. I was so excited, I put my traditional garment on backward at first. My heart was beating so fast I had not noticed that my garment was backward. I was later told and changed and rushed to go get married. The day was December 31, 1956. The ceremony was short and sweet and small. Her family made it over the next month to visit, so we had another wedding ceremony with family there on January 1, 1957.

It's been 63 years with my love and nothing has changed. I really can't imagine my life without her. She had never dated anyone but me; it makes me feel like she was waiting for me. And to think that I was going to marry someone else seems strange. Thinking of her now, I realize it was love out of sympathy. We met at her father's funeral and I was ready to marry. We wrote to each other for a while, but then she ran away from home. I searched for her for so long and didn't find her. Eventually, I saw her but she got pregnant by someone else. I was still ready to marry her when I found that out. Things didn't work out, and during that time I met Francesca. A few years later after I got married, she showed up and asked to do my wife's hair as a kind gesture and contribution. Now she's very good friends with my darling Francesca today.

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About the Creator

Kc Neville

I found my love for literature and art when I was seven years old. My skills grew because my experience in life grew. I love to share what goes on in my mind and heart in my art and writing. I hope you all love it!

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