An English Wedding in an African Village

We had a chronic bachelor in our school. His name was Longridge. He taught English and Geography and stayed alone in the first house in the second row of staff houses.

Delkins Construction Company built all staff houses in the campus alike except the first and the second houses in the first row. These were meant for the headmaster and the deputy head. As the post of the deputy head was still vacant, the house for the deputy remained unoccupied. Campbell was the person who acted as the deputy but he stayed in a house similar to that of Longridge in the same row. When we moved in, the next house in that row was allocated to us. We stayed in that house for three years until we moved to the Copperbelt.

Longridge was what you would call a typical English gentleman. He mingled with the other members of staff, but sparingly. He would go to school punctually just before the first bell and stay there until the school was over. During his free periods he would stay in the staff room and do some reading or catch up with the school work. He was never found indulging in any idle talk. During the weekends he was found tending the flowering plants in his garden or working on his Volkswagen, while the other bachelor teachers frequented the bars in Luwingu. Mwenso bar in the shopping centre was a well-favoured place for teachers as well as for some senior pupils. Longridge was not in the habit of visiting the bars, but used to enjoy an occasional beer in the privacy of his home.

When schools closed at the end of every term all the expatriate teachers used to leave for the Copperbelt or Lusaka. They would spend the month-long school holidays there and come back a day or two before the reopening day, in time for the staff meeting. Longridge was no exception. However he was not in the habit of bragging about his holiday adventures as the other bachelors used to do.

It was at the end of one of the school holidays that Longridge returned from the Copperbelt with his girl friend. Until that time no one knew that he had a girl friend. The impression we had about him was that he did not want anything to do with the members of the opposite sex. However, on one morning soon after the reopening of the school, as we went past his house to the school, we had the glimpse of a lady in a house-coat standing in Longridge's yard. Later we came to know that she was Longridge's girl friend Liz who had flown into Ndola a few days before the reopening of schools. Longridge met her on arrival and they both had been visiting Kafue game park and Victoria Falls at Livingstone before heading to Luwingu. It was rumoured that as she had come all the way from the U.K., she would be staying for a month or so before retuning.

After the arrival of Liz, we could notice some changes in Longridge. During his free periods he no longer stayed in the staff room but would rush home. Even though his house was within walking distance from the school, he started using his car even for such short trips. At times when he remained in the staff room he was found taking part in the general conversation and sometimes even laughing. On the whole, his demeanour had undergone a very remarkable change. In the meanwhile Liz made a number of visits to the school, got acquainted with the headmaster and the staff members and was accepted as a member of the community. She was found to be an attractive person with a pleasant disposition and the fastest typist we had ever seen.

The school term had almost come to the end and Liz was still in Luwingu. Two days before the closing of the school Longridge made an announcement that he and Liz decided to get married and that the wedding would take place in Luwingu during the third week of the school holidays. As he wanted all the members of staff to take part in the wedding, it was his earnest request that those who go out of Luwingu during the holidays should return a week earlier than usual to participate in the wedding. His announcement was accepted by a thunderous clapping of hands and someone shouting at the top of his voice "I knew it, I knew it". Longridge just smiled at everyone.

Liz took the other ladies in the campus into her confidence and they did all the planning for the wedding. They decided to conduct the wedding on a grand scale even though the resources were limited. A church ceremony was ruled out as there was no Anglican priest in Luwingu. Both Longridge and Liz preferred a civil ceremony. The district secretary agreed to conduct the registration of marriage in his office at the Boma. The reception was arranged to take place at the school hall immediately after registration. The daughters of some of the teachers in the campus would dress up as flower girls. My daughter Lisa was among them. Food arrangement were done by the Pipers who were the oldest members of staff in Luwingu.

The wedding dress for the bride was a problem. No suitable fabric could be obtained in the shops in Luwingu or Kasama. We did not know of anyone going to the Copperbelt within the next two or three days. The ladies in the campus came to the rescue. My wife said she would give her white sari for making the wedding dress out of it. The pattern was obtained from a fashion book and the dress was stitched on a hand-machine. On the whole it looked presentable.

The wedding reception was a grand affair. The school hall was decorated with balloons and multi-coloured paper flags. All the dignitaries of Luwingu were present. The bride and the groom appeared splendid in their wedding garments. The presence of the flower girls was an added attraction. Reid, one of our colleagues acted as the master of ceremonies. Headmaster Simposya in his new three-piece suit made a speech in his flowery language, on behalf of the school community and Longridge gave a suitable reply. There were refreshments for all and thereafter a ballroom dance for those who wanted to join. In short, Longridge's wedding remains as one of the most memorable events during our stay in Luwingu.