How we met:
MIKE MUGALA, Lusaka
WHAT started as a mere gesture eventually evolved into a union years later for Sharon Mwale and Humphrey Kapapula.

When Humphrey requested for a pen from Sharon, she had an idea that he was interested in her and wanted more.
Sharon and Humphrey met on a queue at a Finance Bank in-store banking agency at Chilenje Shoprite in September 2010.
“We were on a queue in a banking hall, he kept staring at me and I knew he was after something, so when he requested for a pen, I gave it to him out of good will” she said.
Humphrey agrees “I was attracted to her just when I set my eyes on her, something in me clicked,” he said.
When Sharon walked out of the store, Humphrey followed to give her back the pen.
Later, as he was driving, he saw her walking and he stopped to park on the other side of the road.
“I gave her back the pen and put my card in the pocket of the small boy she was with. She called me the following day saying I put her in trouble after the elder sister found my card but I was excited when she called,” Humphrey said.
As though this was not enough, he called her in the afternoon of the same day pretending to offer apologies.
A week later, Sharon invited Humphrey for her graduation at Mulungushi International Conference Centre after which the pair went out for lunch.
“I had done psycho-social counselling at Young Men Christian Association (YMCA). I think for me, I started developing feelings for him after we went out for lunch. From here we became close and we talked frequently,” Sharon said.
She vividly remembers how she smiled and felt good every morning Humphrey called to check on her.
With time, the pair frequently went out for lunch and dinner in the company of friends.
In February 2011, Humphrey proposed love to Sharon and later informed her older cousin to escort him to meet Sharon’s parents.
But to his surprise, Sharon’s father was angry at him and it took the intervention of the two family representatives to calm him down.
Sharon shares the same thought, “I think my father was upset because Humphrey used to take me out and dropped me home late. I thought he was going to reject Humphrey’s proposal but he later cooled down,” she said.
In March 2012, the couple got married. Humphrey believes his five years of marriage to Sharon is the best thing that has happened in his life.
“I am enjoying my marriage, I thought it was going to be difficult to heal after going through a divorce with my first wife. But I picked up the broken pieces together, I took a lot of time to propose to Sharon and now life is good with her,” he said.
Humphrey said marriage is a union that must bring happiness between people if they are willing to make it work.
He said love, communication and understanding are vital for a marriage to work.
“Every marriage goes through challenges, what matters is how people resolve their issues. People in marriage must be submissive to each other, marriage brings respect and honour in one’s life,” Humphrey said.
And Sharon is of the view that marriage is not a ‘Shipikisha’ club as purported by some sections of society.
She said communication, respect and working together are very important in any marriage.
“When people have problems, they must not go outside and publicise to their friends. It is also important to involve other people when a couple is going through a misunderstanding,” Sharon said.
She said it is necessary for people in marriage to understand each other’s weaknesses.
Sharon said people must not pretend when they are upset but sit down with their partner to talk about the problem.
“Most women are desperate for marriage no wonder there is an increase in cases of early pregnancy. Women must first take time to know and understand their partner before they get into marriage,” she said.
Humphrey has also advised young men to prepare for marriage to avoid making mistakes.
He said marriage is a serious union and requires people who are serious and prepared to venture into it.
“Marriage is a long-life commitment and requires a lot of commitment and sacrifice, I always advise that people who want to get married must know what they are going into,” Humphrey said.
Sharon also said it is important for a couple to pray together whenever they are going through problems. The couple lives in Chalala and has five children together.