Renowned
Gospel musician, Panam Percy Paul and his wife of 36 years, Teena, share some
of their marital experiences.
Can you recall how you met your spouse?
Panam: Our
relationship is unique in the sense that we had always known each other but I
never thought that she would end up as my wife. I used to see her as a little
sister. At a time during the Nigerian civil war, she and her elder brother, who
was my classmate, even lived with us. With the passage of time, we all went our
separate ways to school and to pursue other endeavours so we didn’t see each
other for a while. But on one fateful day in 1979, I went to visit my parents
and she was just leaving the house at that time too. Immediately I set eyes on
her, it was just like I had never seen her before. Till now, I find it
difficult to explain how my emotions towards her just changed so dramatically
because we had lived together for a while and I never had any romantic feeling
towards her.
Teena: I
have known my husband for practically all of my life because our parents were
friends and we grew up together.
What was the reaction of your parents considering your
close family history?
Panam: My
mother was initially skeptical about the relationship but we were able to
convince her that we loved each other dearly and were ready to become husband
and wife. At the time we got married, we were about to graduate from the
university and we were mature enough to know what we wanted. Her brother also
supported us and till date, we don’t see each other as brothers-in-law but just
brothers. It was like marriage made in heaven because we got unconditional
support from our families.
What qualities did you see in him that convinced you to
spend the rest of your life with him?
