Chapter 1: the Wedding
It was a sunny Saturday morning in the Dutch Square or the Stadthuys. There were many tourists, local and foreign, hanging out, sitting by the fountain. Trishaws of many colours were parked at the Stadthuys, built by the Dutch, who conquered Malacca, in 1650. The Stadthuys was once the Municipal Town Hall of the Dutch colonialists. Its buildings were painted red. Tourists were snapping pictures on their iPads, smart phones, cameras and hi-tech gadgets. Trishaw riders lingered around, ready to give the tourists a leisure ride.
The church bells were ringing, there was wedding music and there were cheers from the witnesses. Valerie and Kent exchanged their wedding vows[3] and slipped on their wedding rings on each other’s ring fingers. The witnesses were their family, their friends, and church members; and Valerie and Kent kissed each other in their presence.It was Valerie and Kent’s wedding in Christ Church beside the Stadthuys in Malacca town. The church was built in 1753. There was the Tan Beng Swee Clock Tower there too, which was erected by a local philanthropist[1] by the name of Tan Kim Seng, in 1929. There was also the Queen Victoria Fountain, just outside Christ Church. It was a lovely sight, giving people a warm, cheerful, lively, and buoyant [2] feeling, and keeping people’s spirits aglow. It seemed that the presence of God was there.
Out in the compound outside the church, Valerie and Kent took numerous photos with their friends and family. Valerie was elated[4], she was riding high, and she was in a merry mood, and looking her best. She looked beautiful. It is said that a woman is most beautiful during her wedding. And that was certainly true of Valerie. Valerie was proud of her new bridegroom. She held his arm everywhere she went on that day, and flaunted[5] him to her friends ostentatiously[6]. She was so happy.
Valerie and Kent had their wedding dinner in Hatten Hotel that night. It was a night filled with joy, excitement, and congratulations from friends, and it was a night of great reunion.
By the time Valerie and Kent got home, it was already 1am. They were both drained after an extremely busy and long day.
When they hit their bed, before going to sleep, Kent told Valerie, “Val, you are now my wife.” Valerie replied him, “And you are now my husband.”
Kent said, “I love you Val.’
Valerie yawned. “I love you too, Kent.”
And they both closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 2: about Valerie and Kent
Valerie and Kent were happy. They had just moved into The Shore, a serviced residence near the Malacca River. The Shore is a mixed development project that consists of four towers; one is a Swiss Garden International Hotel, another one is reserved for investors, and another two are for residents. The latter stood up boldly 42 stories into the Malaccan sky. There were five-star facilities like swimming pools, function rooms, gyms, and more. The floors below were a lifestyle mall with retail and shopping lots, and there were supermarkets below where they lived. Valerie and Kent lived on the 10th floor in tower 3A.
Kent was a capable young accountant who was a partner in a big private accounting firm in Melaka. He was a handsome man with regular features, fair skin, and dark black hair which is how most Asians look like. He had a very refined appearance and wore frameless spectacles. He made a fine husband.
Valerie was a beautiful girl too. She was also fair-skinned, and had brownish-black hair. She looked like a pure Asian girl. She had very sweet colours, for instance, her cheeks were rosy, and her lips were cherry-red most of the time when she was healthy. She was sweet-looking, and gentle and humble.
Valerie had well-to-do parents. She had another brother, currently working in Singapore. She came from an affluent[7], loving family, and grew up learning good Christian values from her parents. Her parents loved her very much, and they gave her everything she needed and supported her in every way and in every decision she made.
She was a housewife and she kept the house in order. In her house, every corner was meticulously[8] swept and mopped clean. The glass windows were spotless, the dishes shone in the kitchen, free of evaporated oil, and the bathrooms were squeaky clean. The leather sofas were carefully wiped clean, and the curtains were clean and washed and sprayed with Febreeze. There wasn’t a speck of dust on the counters and their whole living space was dust-free.
Valerie had gone to university when she was younger. She was already doing her degree. However, she did not manage to complete it because she was struck with clinical depression. She had to go for treatment. Recovery was a long process, but gradually, she became better.
Although Valerie had clinical depression[9], she still got married. Several young Christian men had dated her during her university days, because she was beautiful, inside out. She was petite[10] and pretty, and had a gentle soul. After several dates with men who were not serious with her, they were eventually forgotten. It was only Kent, who had been serious with her, and finally, Kent won her heart, and they got married. Although Valerie had no high qualifications, no status, no stable job, had won herself no accolades[11], and had never achieved anything nor made a name for herself, Kent still married her, because what was so attractive about Valerie was her godly character which made her so beautiful and appealing[12].
[1] A rich person who helps the poor and those in need, especially by giving money.
[2] Cheerful and feeling sure that things will be successful.
[3] A formal and serious promise, especially a religious one, to do something.
[4] Very happy and excited because of something good that has happened, or will happen.
[5] To show something you are proud of, to other people, in order to impress them.
[6] Noticeable in a way that is intended to impress other people.
[7] Having a lot of money and a good standard of living.
[8] Paying attention to every detail.
[9] A medical condition in which a person feels very sad and anxious and often has physical symptoms such as being unable to sleep, etc.
[10] (Of a girl, woman, or her figure), small and thin.
[11] Praise or an award for achievement that people admire.
[12] Attractive or interesting.
