DREAMS ARE ONLY AS BIG AS THE SPACE WE GIVE THEM
DREAMS ARE ONLY AS BIG AS THE SPACE WE GIVE THEM
Suppose you are strikingly beautiful—but unassuming; highly intellectual—yet compassionate; poised, but still up for a good ole’ time with your girlfriend. Heck, you could use a little respite from the pressures of academia and community activism.
Now imagine you two decide on a nightclub. Oh, I don’t know. Let's go with Pearl in Washington, D.C. It was most likely the floral-garnished fare that excited your palettes. Maybe their images of frost-covered Martini glasses got your juices flowing. Whatever the reason, y’all high-tail it there and soon find yourselves amongst other well-dressed revelers in the upscale venue.
Content after a sumptuous meal, you and girlfriend bob to the dance floor while snapping your fingers to Snoopy Dogg’s, Drop It Like It’s Hot. In the midst of a two-step, a caramel-skinned brother in a sleek two-piece approaches you.
“Hey, you two look like models for a Bombay Sapphire ad.”
Girlfriend slaps a palm to her mouth stifling a giggle. Although you probably think it's a corny pick-up line, you discreetly elbow her in the side because you are kind of digging who's in front of you. The two of you engage in a polite exchange, and then he invites you over to the bar to sit and talk. You learn that this debonair darling was born in Rome and raised in Switzerland. He impresses you with worldly knowledge and his philosophical stance on the revolution. You love how he waxes poetic about helping those less fortunate. You realize the two of you have similar interests. Sill there is much, much more you do not know about this gentle stranger. The two of you agree to keep in touch despite demanding schedules.
A few dates lead to a relationship. You both trot different parts of the globe in pursuit of higher education, but manage to keep romantic ties. The years have taken your beau—who you now know is Prince Joel MaKonnen, the great-grandson of Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia—to France and back to Ethiopia. There he starts Alchemy World, an organization aimed at providing business and educational opportunities to young Ethiopians. That's right hon; your boo is a prince. I mean that's all well and good, but you have a few surprises of your own. You are Ariana Austin, part African American and part Guyanese. Your grandfather was Lord Mayor of Georgetown, the Capital of Guyana. Hmph! Take that, Prince!
Stories about the late Emperor Haile intrigue you. You enjoy hearing about how he acquired foreign aid for the advancement of his country, was a strong advocate for education, and how he enticed the British to aid him in securing Ethiopia's independence against the Italian invasion. As if all this isn't enough, you learn your Prince's lineage dates thousands of years back to biblical King Solomon and Queen Sheba. You refer to your relationship as combining, "sheer Black power and Christian tradition."
Life's demands find you a bit weary when you leave Paris. After being there for a year, you move on to Harvard where you will earn a masters in arts education. Although you and your prince are still very much enamored with one another, a break from the relationship is necessary to refuel and regroup. But—and this is a good but—St. Valentine's Day of 2014, finds you lovers back in each other's arms! Prince Joel is now pursuing a law degree at Howard University, but he's determined not to let a little ole thing like law school keep him from the love of his life. Nope! Not again. He purchases a princess-cut diamond ring and finds himself on Bobby and Joy Austin's doorstep with the gleaming accouterment in one hand and a bouquet of balloons in the other. He knocks on the door…hard…no really, really hard. Perhaps a severe case of the jitters has him a little wired; after all, he is there to profess his undying love and ask for your hand in marriage. The pounding on the door frightens you, prompting you to call your parents who happen to be on their way home. After a calmer round of knocking, you answer, shocked to find the love of your life standing there, beckoning you with open arms.
“Let’s take this journey together!” he murmurs, extending his ring-bearing hand.
“It’s about time,” you so eloquently respond.
You marry in an Ethiopian Orthodox church, dressed in a sprawling Lazaro gown and cascading veil. You and your prince-to-be wear ornate, white robes with matching white crowns trimmed in gold. Thirteen priests officiate the ceremony that takes place in two different states. In attendance are dignitaries from various parts of the world, Princess Adey Imru Makonnen, your mother-in-law and a retired United Nations International Officer, and over three hundred guests—some of them clenching the crooks of tasseled parasols fashioned from colorful fabrics.
Mrs. Austin refers to your union as a "happy melding." You and your groom dance the night away to Bruno Mars, Bob Marley, and Al Green. Prince Joel finds himself working in the legal department of a
Pharmaceutical company. You land an executive position in philanthropy. The both of you are ready for happily-ever-after when you remember one other task on your endless to-do-lists…that pesky moving-in-together routine. Not to worry, with wedding jitters behind you, I'm sure you'll get around to it.
This slightly-embellished story is about Princess Ariana and Prince Joel MaKonnen, a real-life royal couple who tied the knot this past ninth of September which marks the end of the rainy season in Ethiopia. I had fun repurposing this enchanting tale of the intermeshing of two powerhouse lovers. It reminded me that we need not ever be afraid to dream, for dreams are only as big as the space we give them. I made that up on the fly! Not bad, huh? Happy Enkutatash!
