Dinah’s plane landed, she couldn’t find her way out of the airport quickly enough. Nora had sent her a message saying that Regina and Phil were preparing to get married in the next hour and that she had to get to Saint James Church in the DBC before that happened. She knew if she was late, there would be no point in stopping the proceedings or letting all of her loved ones know that she was alive. She just had to get there on time. Regina hurriedly climbed into a cab and told the driver where she was going before adding that he would get a bigger tip if he stepped on it.

Johannesburg traffic has always been chaotic but that day it seemed that all motorists on the road were making way for her to get to her destination. It felt as if they knew what she was facing. The taxi pulled up to the gardens at Saint James Church just as the wedding procession started. Dinah flew out of the taxi telling the driver to hang around before setting off in a sprint through the garden towards the church.

***

Regina looked beyond beautiful in her wedding dress as her father led her down the aisle. The gasps and deep breaths that she heard coming from her guests told her that she was a sight to behold. Looking straight down the aisle she saw Phil standing there neat and handsome in a tuxedo and his two best men standing next to him. He had tears in his eyes, which was befitting a husband when he saw how beautiful his wife to be was. But whether that was for her or Dinah, Regina could care less. She and Phil were going to be husband and wife to her, that’s all that mattered.

At the end of the aisle her father handed her off to Phil before they both turned to face the priest.
“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses,” the priest said as he gestured to the wedding guests, “to join Phil and Regina in matrimony commended to be honorable among all; and therefore is not entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly. And if anyone is against this union and can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”
The priest, Regina and Phil all looked at their wedding guests and when no one said anything, the priest continued the by doing the opening prayer.

Afterwards Regina said her vows. “I, Regina, take you Phil to be my husband and my one true love. I will cherish our union and love you more each day than I did the day before. I will be your shoulder to lean on, your best friend, laugh with you, cry with you and love you faithfully, regardless of the challenges we may face together. I give you my heart, body and soul from this day forward for as long as we both shall live.”

Phil looked her in the eye and opened his mouth to speak, “I, Phil…”

“Stop!” Dinah screamed as she came in running through the church doors. Everyone turned their heads towards her and gasped in shock and surprise. Regina turned as white as a sheet feeling Dinah’s eyes burning into her. Phil looked at her in disbelief, he knew in his heart of hearts that she couldn’t be dead and here she was as proof. Dinah’s mother fainted in her father’s arms as she walked passed them heading for the altar. The priest himself was dumbstruck and speechless; he didn’t say a word when Regina nudged him to continue.

“Dinah, please don’t do this,” Regina said looking down in shame.
“Regina, what are you saying? Did you know that Dinah was alive this entire time?” Phil asked doubtfully.
“Yes Phil, she knew I was alive because she’s the one who sent me away in the first place.”
“Dinah, what are you talking about?” He asked ignoring the throng of gossiping guests.
“Tell them Regina, go ahead, the spotlight is all yours?” she said looking at her sister. “Or should I tell them what you did?”

Regina stood there silently getting paler by the second. “Regina asked her friend Sinkie to drug Benny and I on that journalism conference our office was sent on. When things didn’t go as they had planned Sinkie must’ve somehow staged it to make it look like Bobby and I had slept together when we in fact didn’t. She took pictures, which she gave to Regina. Regina made sure that you, Phil, saw these pictures and that’s why you angry at me. When I returned home from the trip, Regina told me that you said that you’d kill me and sent me to Cape Town while she ‘sorted’ things out for me this side,” Dinah said bitterly. “Imagine my surprise when I read in the papers that I had died in a car accident. I know who did though, it was Alex. He’s always been hot for Regina and did everything that she asked of him.”

“I can’t believe that you did all of these things, my child,” their father said disapprovingly and ashamed. “You lead us to believe that your own sister was dead and watched us bury and grieve her, yet you still kept quiet.”

Regina started crying but kept her eyes to the ground too ashamed to face everyone that was now looking at her.

“And you Phil,” Dinah continued, “bought all the lies she sold you. I loved you, I still love you and I was going to marry you. Yet, you chose to mistrust me based on someone else’s words. Did our love not mean anything to you?”

“I’m so sorry Dinah,” he said still coming to grips with the fact that she was still alive.
Phil then looked at Regina, “So, this entire time you knew, you knew she wasn’t dead yet, you continued planning this charade and duped us all into believing that Dinah was no more. Why? For what? So that you could marry me? Am I the reason why you did all of the things you did?”

“Yes! That is why I did what I did. I did it all for you, Phil. You may want to believe that it was all my fault, but you were willing to marry me now weren’t you? I gave myself to you and then you pretended like that meant nothing all so that you could make things right with Dinah. What about me, huh? I would have been back where I was; pining after you and jealous of Dinah. If she had just stayed where she was we would have been husband and wife by now.”

“In what universe does any of that make sense to you, Regina? I am your sister, I will always love you but now you have gone too far,” Dinah said sympathetically.

Before Regina could reply, two police officers came walking through the church doors.

“What are they doing here?” she demanded.

“I called them on my way here, someone died in that accident and it wasn’t me. I figured since you planned all of this, you would know who that was and they’re here for that,” Dinah replied.

“I’m sorry for interrupting this proceeding, but we’re here for Regina Nkosi,” the female officer said.
Dinah, Phil and the priest all turned to look at Regina, who had panic written all over her face. The police officer didn’t need anyone to point out who Regina was, the face expressions of those standing in front of her told her who she was.

“Ms Nkosi, you are under arrest for the alleged murder of Alex Khoza and fraudulent act of misleading state institutions to believe that Dinah Nkosi was deceased when she was indeed not,” the officer said as she handcuffed Regina’s wrists behind her back. “You are under arrest – you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney and should you not afford one, one will be provided to you by the state,” the officer finished off as she led Regina to the police van waiting outside of the church. Regina looked at her parents and Dinah for help but they were all ashamed and embarrassed to look at her.“So, priest, are we having a wedding ceremony or not. I’m here aren’t I?” Dinah said as the church doors closed behind them.

Too shocked to say anything the priest and looked at Phil who nodded in agreement then cleared his throat to proceed. Dinah and Phil were husband and wife and celebrated that fact to its fullest regardless of the uncomfortable looks and gossip of their guests. That night, Regina swore to make Dinah pay for what she had done once she was out of jail. Regina had her walk up the aisle just like she always dreamed but being led down the aisle handcuffed and in her wedding dress by two police officers is not how her dream ended. She and Phil were supposed to live happily ever after. She would become Mrs Kompane one way or the other.

The End

***

Tell us what you think: Do you think Regina deserved what she got?