A would-be wedding involving a 14-year-old and her 24-year-old groom who happens to be the father of her two-month-old baby, was brought to an abrupt halt in the Mbang’ombe chiefdom of Eastern Province.
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The scene was set for a unique union on a sunny Saturday morning, but a twist in the tale intervened – a royal twist, to be exact.
Unlike most weddings where the bride is clad in white, with heels as similar to the Kilimanjaro, the young bride-to-be, adorned in a chitenge, a vibrant yellow T-shirt, and flip-flops, was all set for her big day.
Meanwhile, the groom showed up in his finest attire – not a tuxedo or a charming shining suit like James Bond but plastic slippers and distressed jeans that were “torn” between being fashionable and casual.
Before the couple could utter their “I dos,” a saviour emerged – Betty Phiri, the brave daughter of Chief Mbang’ombe.
Acting on her father’s directive, she dashed in like a wedding superhero to halt the ceremony.
It turns out, the whistle-blower was none other than the girl’s own aunt, who had accompanied her through school until the fourth grade, only to discover that she had become a living biology lesson.
It is reported that the girl in question had charted a different course – she fell pregnant while still in school. Yet, her parents decided that tying the knot was a more suitable solution than algebra and history.
The Aunt then reported the unusual event.
And Phiri showed no intentions of letting the spectacular fiasco go down in the history of their chiefdom.
According to the Zambia Daily Mail, In the realm of matrimonial negotiations, the groom’s family had, interestingly, paid a cow and a meager sum of K1,000 to the girl’s family.
Quite the bargain for a bride who was, until recently, navigating the perils of Grade 4 academia.
CAPTION: Picture for illustration
By Moses Makwaya
Kalemba August 13, 2023
