| She won my heart through
my stomach
From MATTHIAS NWOGU, Umuahia
Tuesday,
March 4, 2008
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HRH Onyeomereneche and Ugoeze cutting the cake.
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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A former Prisons Officer and the Traditional Ruler of Okwuta
in Isieke Ibeku in Umuahia, His Royal Highness Eze (Sir) Dominic
Onyeomereneche and wife Lady Edna, have relived their marriage
of half a century and talked with Daily Sun
on several reasons why they succeeded where others failed.
This marriage, which is blessed with seven children, has been
described as blissful by outsiders and endorsed by the children
who were brought up together by the couple.
Feelings
My joy is exceedingly great. You can see it in my dancing
steps. If it is calculated in percentage, I can rate 100%
plus. If I look around me, the circumstances of my life, my
children, my wife, I feel afloat with the with joy.
How did you meet your wife?
It was my mother who fished her out and said she was the girl
I should marry. She found her and told me that she has found
a girl I would marry and asked me to come home to meet her.
I went, I saw her and was satisfied with her choice for me
and I gave my consent. In early January 1957, we went for
the traditional rites and concluded in March 1957.
In our time, marriage was by recommendation either by your
mother, father, brother, sister or a close relation all anchored
on the character not only of the girl but the family. But
things have changed. Young people of these days feel they
know what they want in marriage. They have their tastes. It
is left for the society to know which one is better. Even
where you recommend a wife or husband, they will reject him
or her.
Secret of your success in marriage
I am telling you the truth. My wife soon after we got married
studied and understood me. My mother did not joke with my
stomach. She gave me my food as at when due and once she did
that I would do whatever assignment she gave me. So when my
wife came, my mother told her the way to my heart was through
my stomach. She imbibed it.
When I was with the Prisons, my wife knew when I would want
my meal and she will prepare it and serve it as at when due.
In addition, she knew my favorites dishes. You know in Igbo
land, we have this saying that a hungry man does not sing
"Ndawe-re-re nda" (a hungry man does not sing chorus).
And since my wife always took care of my stomach, we always
sang "Nda we-re-re nda". My mother In-law was also
a virtuous woman, as well as my own mother. Her mother's name
was Oyidia, the same name with my mother. I would also say
that my wife was created for me because shortly after our
marriage we discovered our compatibility.
Did you choose wives for your sons?
No; nobody wants you to find a wife for him or a husband.
They are convinced that whoever they marry is their business
and whatever comes out of it is their business also.
Advice for successful marriage to youths
Youth of these days do not know what they want in marriage.
Their attitude to marriage is, "I don't care; your time
don pass" that is why you have many crashed marriages.
That is why you see husbands and wives living as strangers.
So what to do is to advice and leave God to do the rest.
The wife speaks …
What type of man is your husband?
He is a loving and caring husband, a gentleman and a good
Christian. People around testify to his good character.
Secret of your marriage
I call my husband 'Mine' and he calls me Darling. Since these
50 years, he has remained mine and I have remained his darling.
Forgiveness has been our watchworld. I tell him where he has
wronged me and he has always been ready to say' I am sorry'.
The same applies to me.
We settle our disagreements within us and we never had a third
party coming to settle us. We passed these virtues to our
children and by God’s grace they are applying them in
their own marriages.
I thank God for His immeasurable favour these 50 years. You
can't know exactly how I feel seeing all these guests gather
here to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, moreover with
all my children and grand children around me. It is a thing
of great joy.
Advice to young housewives
They should be tolerant and patient. They should not expect
that all good things in marriage would come immediately and
when they do not see them, they would call it quits or begin
to make trouble. No, they should wait, because better days
may still come. |
