Ignorance, Love & Betrayal

The Choice

Raymond and Evelyn differ and disagree in most cases but Evelyn thought it was never something to be worried about as Raymond most times allows her to have her way even if it doesn’t sit well with him. Evelyn never knew he was allowing her because of the courtship. This is typical of deceptive people, they present themselves as a chameleon to their unsuspecting victims, this was what Raymond did to Evelyn. Evelyn never had any reason to suspect him because she was genuine and had a heart of gold and so she thought Raymond was as genuine as she is.

It was three months into their relationship and Raymond was already talking about marriage, he had proposed to her during one of their outings. He wouldn’t take time before he moved to the next stage. However, Evelyn was always telling him to take things slow, she felt there was no point rushing into what was meant to be a forever affair.

Evelyn was quite skeptical about the marriage, although she loved Raymond, as she had always put her mind into whatever she did, relationships included, she believed her intuition was telling her something but she couldn’t place what it was. She simply thought she felt this way because as one grows older, you grow apart from some things and life sweeps you away from those things.

Evelyn’s parents were already telling her it was time to get married, they felt having been successful in her career and she was stable financially there was no reason why she should not settle down. This is exactly how typical African parents feel and because Evelyn is from this part of the world, she knew that she had been caught in the web of this menace and she had little or nothing she could do about it. Yes, menace because African parents will expect that a young adult that has reached a certain age should ordinarily be planning to get married even if the income can barely sustain them and this has also spread to these young adults. Although, this menace is gradually being eradicated the fact that it existed, if not still in existence can not be denied and Evelyn was caught in it.

On one of the evenings, after Evelyn had come back from her fashion house tired from the long day she had. She had to deal with a client’s request which was an order for a wedding dress and bridal train dresses. The last thing on her mind right now was seeing her mother come up with the issue of her marriage to Raymond, at least not when she had more on her plate to deal with. She had thought her mother would just be sensitive enough to know that what she needed was just a cool night's rest but she got it wrong. In no time her mother was right beside her on the bed to discuss marriage again.

A few months later, Evelyn agreed to settle down with Raymond and the wedding plans began.

Even though Raymond wanted an elaborate wedding, he had always wanted to show off at every given opportunity but Evelyn wanted a ceremony that would be attended by close friends and family members only.

Nine months into their relationship, they got married. The wedding ceremony was elegant. You could see from the venue of the event, the elegant decor and table settings gave the reception a touch of sophistication. The couple’s first dance was elegant and romantic, and the guests were ecstatic.

Harry and Mariah are in a relationship but scarcely get along.

Mariah was very arrogant and a spoilt brat and sometimes Harry wondered why his parents would want him to marry such a girl. Because of her arrogance, she was always causing trouble, one of her outings with Harry she had gotten into an argument with a lady at the mall. Harry tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen, she landed a slap on the lady's face and it resulted in a big fight. Before they knew what was happening, the press had already gathered and started taking shots at the scene. Harry was so embarrassed, he managed to pull Mariah out of the scene to a safe place before they drove home. It was the last straw that broke Carmel's back because Harry walked out of the relationship. It was a tough decision for him because he knew he would need to convince his father why he had to walk away from the relationship, he had always made excuses for Mariah's actions. Harry had determined in his mind and there was no going back, he knew he needed it for his peace of mind.

Although Harry had planned to propose to Mariah that day, he couldn't go ahead as planned. They both left the mall that night, Harry's face burning with anger. On getting home, he let it all out. He thought in his heart that he was responsible for his choice, not his parents. He told Mariah that he was walking out of the relationship and it was over.

Mariah was a spoilt brat who had the whole world at her fingertip, courtesy of her parents. She believed he could not just walk out of the relationship because they had been betrothed to be married to each other. Harry and Mariah's family had been family friends, and several years back when Chief Anderson's business was about to run down, Mariah's father, Chief Clement came to salvage it by buying a larger share in the company which helped to revive it. However, this came with a condition that Harry will have to marry Mariah to better strengthen their friendship. Harry's father had thought it would not be a bad idea if they became inlaws. Chief Anderson was not selfish but he was ignorant of the implications of his agreement, he didn't know that Mariah would grow up and be this reckless.

She had thought her parents would fix this, but little did she know that Harry's mind was already made up and even her parent's intervention would not salvage the situation.

Mariah still wasn't bothered, she knew that she could always find guys she could play around with, so she quickly moved on.

All the while, Harry had finished her master's program in law and was working abroad, his father had wanted him to come back to the country to manage his business but he wanted to practice his profession for a while, at least before going into business full time.