Lilian Nuwabaine met Frederick Luyima during a casual Friday night out with her pals in March 2013. Frederick, who was there with his pals as well, was taken with Lilian’s smile and invited her to join him for a drink.
As their talk progressed, Frederick began to see a number of characteristics that he desired in a potential companion. Lilian was not only attractive, but also intellectual, and as the evening drew to a close, he requested her phone number so that he could stay in touch.
Lilian didn’t want any distractions in her final year of nursing school, so she didn’t pay attention to Frederick. He would call her frequently because they had swapped phone numbers, and it was during one of these calls that he indicated interest in being more than just her buddy.
He also invited Lilian on multiple outings where he would spoil her with lavish dinners and experiences.
Patience
She began to appreciate Frederick’s humility, kindness, patience, love, and sense of humour instinctively. He didn’t rush her, which gave her more faith in his willingness to wait for her to make up her mind. Frederick, an operations integrity officer, is patient because love is patient.
As they continued to meet, Lilian, a midwife and women’s health specialist at Aga Khan University, realized Frederick was a patient and loving man. The fact that Lilian was a go-getter who would not stop until she had what she wanted drew him in even more.
He understood that if she developed feelings for him over time, she would never abandon him.
Courting
The two focused their efforts on dating and getting to know one another better. They used to spend their evenings strolling through each other’s neighborhoods and eating at their favorite restaurant.
“He took me to a former Nandos in the city center for pizza one day.” It began to rain as I walked back to my Makerere University hall of residence. “As a genuine gentlemen, he took off his jacket and draped it over me,” she says.
She graduated three months after meeting him and was assigned to a two-month stint in northern Uganda’s Kotido District. He informed her he missed her companionship while he was there, so when he got off work, he requested a trip to Kotido.
“I never dreamed a man would want to travel more than 10 hours only to visit me.” He did, in fact, follow through on his commitment and pay me a visit.
“I pledged then that I would devote my life to such a selfless and kind man,” Lilian recalls.
Proposal
Frederick decided to take things a step further with a proposal now that she had warmed up to his approaches.
On Lilian’s birthday, February 19, 2015, he decided to propose. They settled on Levels Lounge in Kampala with his mates.
“She knew she was coming for her birthday party only to put out a cake with the words “would you marry me?” on it,” he recalls.
