Let's Elope

Cold Feet, Warm Hearts

The weeks seemed to fly by.

Marriage counseling had begun, the invitations were being printed, the caterer had been booked, and after what felt like a hundred phone calls and countless family meetings, almost every major wedding decision had finally been made.

For the first time in weeks, Ada thought she could breathe.

She was wrong.

It started with a simple question during one of their marriage counseling sessions.

The pastor smiled at the engaged couples seated before him.

"I have one question for each of you."

The room grew quiet.

"What scares you most about marriage?"

One by one, the couples answered.

Some feared financial struggles.

Others worried about balancing work and family.

A few admitted they were afraid of failing as husbands or wives.

Then it was Ada's turn.

She hesitated.

"I..."

She glanced briefly at Tobi before looking back at the pastor.

"I'm afraid of not being enough."

The room fell silent.

The pastor nodded gently.

"Enough in what way?"

Ada took a slow breath.

"I want to be a good wife. I want to build a peaceful home. I want to support my husband and raise a happy family someday."

She smiled faintly.

"But sometimes I wonder..."

"What if I make mistakes?"

"What if I disappoint him?"

Across the room, Tobi watched her quietly.

The pastor smiled warmly.

"My daughter, every marriage has mistakes."

He looked around the room.

"The goal isn't to marry someone who never fails."

"It's to marry someone who chooses you even when you do."

Ada felt some of the weight on her heart begin to lift.

The pastor then turned to Tobi.

"And you?"

Tobi smiled sheepishly.

"I'm afraid of something too."

Ada looked at him, surprised.

"I've always wanted to be the kind of husband my wife can rely on."

He looked down at his hands.

"But what if I don't always have the answers?"

"What if I can't fix every problem?"

The pastor chuckled softly.

"My son..."

"No husband has all the answers."

"The strongest marriages aren't built by one person carrying everything."

"They're built by two people carrying life together."

Tobi nodded thoughtfully.

After the session ended, the couples slowly made their way outside.

Ada and Tobi walked side by side toward the church gate.

Neither spoke for a while.

Finally, Ada reached for his hand.

"You know..."

"Hmm?"

"I've never heard you admit you were scared."

He smiled.

"I've never heard you admit it either."

She laughed.

"I guess we're both human."

"I guess we are."

They stopped beneath a large mango tree just outside the church.

Tobi turned to face her.

"You asked me to wait until the wedding to see your dress."

She smiled.

"I did."

"I'm asking you to wait until marriage to see the husband I'm still becoming."

Ada felt tears prick her eyes.

She squeezed his hand.

"I don't need a perfect husband."

"And I don't need a perfect wife."

He smiled.

"I just need you."

The nervousness hadn't disappeared.

But somehow...

It no longer felt frightening.

Around them, other engaged couples chatted and made their way to the parking lot, some carrying notebooks filled with counseling notes.

Tobi broke the soft silence.

"So... how about we celebrate surviving our first counseling class?"

Ada laughed.

"I don't think 'surviving' is the right word. I actually enjoyed it."

"So did I. I wasn't expecting to learn so much."

"Me neither."

They began walking toward his car at an unhurried pace.

"You know what surprised me the most?" Ada asked.

"What?"

"When Pastor said marriage isn't about finding the perfect person."

Tobi nodded.

"It took a lot of pressure off."

"It did."

When they reached the car, Tobi opened the passenger door for her as he always did.

"My lady."

Ada gave a small curtsy.

"Why, thank you, kind sir."

He laughed.

"You've been spending too much time with Dara."

"And you've definitely been spending too much time with Femi."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't."

They both laughed before getting into the car.

Instead of driving away immediately, Tobi rested his hands on the steering wheel and looked out through the windshield.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

He smiled.

"You know what I mean."

He turned to face her.

"If you could skip one part of wedding planning, what would it be?"

Ada answered without hesitation.

"The guest list."

"That was quick."

"I've never been more certain about anything."

Tobi chuckled.

"I was going to say seating arrangements."

"Oh no... I forgot we still have to do that."

He groaned dramatically.

"Please don't remind me."

Ada laughed so hard she had to wipe a tear from her eye.

"I thought the hard part was over."

"So did I."

"Apparently, weddings come with endless surprises."

"They really do."

Tobi started the engine.

"Well... what now?"

"We keep going."

Ada reached across and took his hand for a brief moment.

"Together."

He smiled.

"Always."

As they drove away from the church, neither of them knew what challenge would come next.

But one thing had become clearer with every passing day.

Marriage wasn't just bringing two people together.

It was teaching two hearts to walk in the same direction, one step at a time.