So, Kim Kardashian is divorcing her husband of 72 whole days. What’s shocking is that we’re actually shocked. I mean, what did we expect of the fame whore as she was christened by the media? Is there anything this woman won’t do for money?

I feel bad for the soon-to-be ex-husband. But he’s also naïve. Did he honestly believe she loved him? And who in their right mind buys 2 million dollar engagement rings? I don’t care if it’s for a celebrity or not. Sometimes people just need to use their brains. Of course if I were in Kim’s shoes, I would keep the ring but since I’m not, I say Kris Humphreys should get his diamonds back.

Years ago, one of my closest friends got married. We were so young back then and I remember raising my eyebrows at why she was rushing to settle down. Is she pregnant? I wondered. Why now? And who’s the guy anyway?

The questions wouldn’t stop. She probably thought I was jealous but I had the best of intentions. My biggest concern was that she was marrying someone she had just met. Her response was that when it’s the right person, how long you’ve known them is not the most important thing.

How you feel about each other is what matters. And with that proclamation, I did my best to support my friend through the wedding and beyond.

Just when it had started to feel like I’d fussed over nothing, I learnt that the marriage had failed! To date, my friend has never told me what problems they had and I don’t want to poke my nose in her business. But I have a strong feeling they broke up because they didn’t get to know each other well enough before they got married.

Marriage is not something you just wake up and do and I know there’re exceptions but for the most part, it helps if you take time to know that person you intend to spend the rest of your life with. Blinded by "love”, many throw common sense out the window only to "wake up” weeks or months later and realise that the person they married is still married to someone else, has three children with X, Y and Z or is wanted for fraud. We read about these couples many times and yet we don’t seem to learn from their experiences.

So, taking time to get to know my partner is something I’ll remember to do when my time comes. Still on this marriage subject, I’m always amused when people I hardly know invite me to their wedding meetings.

Like one guy I work with. We’re not exactly friends and in fact work in different departments but you should have seen the warm smile on his face as he invited me to his wedding meetings. I smiled back out of courtesy but deep down, I was wondering whether I should really contribute or even attend the wedding because that means I’ll also have to buy a new dress, perhaps a pair of shoes and even get the guy a present..

It makes sense to support a friend or relative because that’s an investment of sorts. I know that when my turn comes, if it comes, these people will return the favour. Not so sure about these acquaintances we meet along the way. Who even knows where we will be two, three years down the road? These days, I don’t just dish money to every Joe, Jane and Peter who’s getting married. I first weigh what’s in it for me and if it’s worth something, then I make my pledge.

To be continued…

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