The love story of Tevita and Vinita Qica reached a major chapter in their lives when they exchanged vows on August 20 in front of a modest Flagstaff church community.

This had tight knit community had pitched in to make the day a memorable one.

They first met earlier this year.

Vinita, who was at the time fending for herself on the streets of Suva, said she had finally found someone she knew would care for her deeply.

On most nights, Vinita slept on cold pavement of the streets and ate only on the days passers-by had a few coins to spare for her.

Not only was she anxious about her own safety, Vinita also had to care for her mentally ill mother, who at times would not be able to recognise her.

Surprisingly fluent in English for someone who has not received any formal education, she often giggled when she told Fiji Sun Leisure about how her husband Tevita never becomes angry with her.

“He is a nice and kind person and that’s why I love him. He took care of me when I was lonely and struggling in town everyday begging for food,” she said.

However, she was reduced to tears when Tevita spoke of a reunion with her mother, who one day disappeared without trace.

“I was quite nervous when he asked me to marry him because my mum wasn’t there to help me with the decision,” she said.

Tevita comes from a very traditional iTaukei family and revealed that his family had rejected him when they learned he was marrying a former street dweller.

But he said seeing Vinita struggling alone on the streets was a deeply moving experience for him.

“I thought to myself: how can such a pretty girl be struggling on the streets alone and it just really moved me,” he said with a defiant tone.

He had lived a well-off life in Australia before he returned to Fiji with his father to work in a farmhouse.

Despite already a holding job, he fell for Vinita the moment he laid eyes on her. At the time, she did not have a home let alone a job.

Since the two met, Tevita has spent many cold nights with her on the streets trying to keep her company.

“And when I proposed to her I looked her directly in the eye and asked her to marry me,” Tevita said.

“I already had a job, but I always saw her as an equal. Whatever we planned, like this wedding, we always planned it together.”

When Vinita arrived at the middling wooden worship house in Flagstaff a few years ago, Pauna Funa, the senior community leader, accepted her, albeit somewhat reluctantly at first, into the community with open arms.

‘Qase’ as he is fondly known said: “Today I am over the moon. Despite her different race and culture, Vinita is my daughter and my dreams for her have finally come true.”

The couple had advice for people looking to get married. They said: “Don’t go for prominence or money.

“The two of us are from very different backgrounds but we just connected and today we are so happy.”

Feedback: sheldon.chanel@fijisun.com.fj