From village mates to soul mates

There is nothing as refreshing as meeting a childhood friend years after you parted ways. The feeling is always heartwarming as it reminds one of the memories they shared. That’s exactly what happened to Boaz Marani and

Naomi Simiyu when they met in 2012 after many years apart.

The couple hails from the same village and even attended the same church when they were young. They lost touch when they proceeded to different towns to pursue their high school education. The rift between them widened further when they joined college with Boaz heading to Mombasa and Naomi being based in Nairobi.

“We rarely talked despite the fact that we had each other’s contacts,” says Boaz.

However, the silence would be broken when Naomi contacted Boaz in 2012 to help her raise funds for her church in Nairobi.

“It was tricky as I had just gotten a job in Nairobi. I was settling down and thus didn’t have any spare money. I nonetheless accepted the invitation,” says Boaz who is an architect.

The funds drive came and went. Now reconnected, they set up a date to catch up over a cup of coffee. A few months later, Boaz asked Naomi out for lunch.

The journey to matrimony begins

After the lunch date, they started calling each other frequently. “I was convinced that Boaz was pursuing me after our second meeting,” Naomi, 29, delightedly recalls.

Boaz, also 29, reminisces that planning for dates was quite tricky as Naomi was living along Thika Road while he was staying at Uthiru, which is along the Nairobi – Naivasha highway. Distance aside, money was also an issue. “There were times I was broke but I wanted us to spend time together so I had to give up some luxuries so as to be able to be with her,” he says.

Their love bloomed and when it was time to take it to the next step, they had an easy time. “We shared a church in the village and our parents and grandparents knew each other so it wasn’t hard when we went for traditional marital negotiations,” says Boaz.

Since their families were intimate, elders were tasked to investigate whether they could be related. “When nothing came up, we were allowed to continue with our wedding plans,” he says.

By April 2014, their wedding plans were in top gear. Naomi, who is a business lady, admits that they learnt the importance of communication during their wedding preparations. She reveals that some of the hitches they encountered were as a result of poor communication.

“I remember the person who had promised to give the bride’s car didn’t show up. It was a challenge looking for a car that morning but a friend came to our rescue,” recalls Boaz, also revealing that their wedding was held on August 2, 2014 at PEFA Church in Githurai 44.

Boaz encourages young people in relationships to always stand with each other as their level of commitment determines the strength of their relationship. He further advises young people who are planning to marry to invest in a good counsellor as their guidance plays a pivotal role in marriage.

Photos by: Black Tamu Production