I was a bit shy. But I managed to regard him: He is tall and handsome, above all, he is kind hearted, caring and has a good job. These are the qualities desirable in a man by a woman. “Will you mind if I think about it?” “No problem, Jessica. But do not forget that I am wholly in love with you.” We talked for a while, then parted ways.
For well over five days, we did not see each other but he often called me on phone, though he never reminded me of the marriage issue whenever he called. One pretty hot Sunday; Richard visited me in my dreary looking house and he brought up the marriage proposal again. I eventually accepted his proposal and he engaged me afterwards. I packed into his well furnished apartment, and we lived together as a prospective husband and wife. At first, things started quite well between us. We seemed like a perfect match, like a union made in heaven. We were enjoying each other’s company and I was particularly looking forward to our wedding day. But then, after a whole year, the relationship had not even progressed beyond a mere engagement.
But that was not bothering me that much because we had at least started making plans for our marriage ceremony. There was one thing that I thought was wrong in the relationship, and that was the fact that Richard had no time for me. It was always work for him. He goes to work very early and comes home late in the night, sometimes I had to spend the nights alone when he must have travelled out of town for one office assignment or the other. In fact, the relationship was characterized with lack of seriousness and total dedication. I did everything I could to make Richard see things my way and change for the better, but all of my efforts yielded no results. It soon became a matter of time that I would lose interest in the relationship. I easily got irritated by most of Richard’s attitude.
We were often piking quarrels at each other. In the heat of my frictions with Richard, I ran into Emeka. He lived in the next street and owned a big supermarket somewhere around Oshodi. We agreed that I would be the one to visit him occasionally in his house and that would be when my husband must have gone for work .”You are such a beautiful lady. I wish you were not engaged, I would have married you.” He told me during one of my visits to his house. “Are you sure?” I had asked. “If I am sure? If anything is far better than sure, then that is what I am.” I felt a sudden tingle of excitement in me.
