(Continued from Ordinary Man II)
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Before getting married, Sarah’s friend Agnes had held off buying a car or pursuing a Masters degree, convinced that such actions would intimidate potential husbands. Sarah refuses to allow herself to be bullied into such behavior. When she graduated, she was hired by an old man called Christopher. Christopher was a well-known and respected architect in Shava and beyond. He had designed almost all the houses in Shava by the time Sarah went to work for him, including Municipal House. He had also worked on many buildings in other towns, including two towers in Nairobi.
Christopher paid Sarah well, and the first thing she did was to move out of her parent’s house and rent an apartment in Shava town. Several months later, she bought her first car, a Mazda Axela. A year later, she enrolled for a Masters degree in Architecture at the University of Shava.
Unfortunately, Christopher died two years ago. His son, also an architect, took over the firm, but Sarah soon discovered that she couldn’t work well with him. Sarah has a strong work ethic, something that Christopher’s son Ryan lacks. After several disagreements with him over how to complete the projects the old man had left hanging, Sarah resigned.
Ryan, who is 51 years old, rarely showed up at the office when his father was alive. Rumor has it that his father had actually pulled strings for him to graduate. All the clients knew two architects: Christopher and his young protégé Sarah. When they learnt that the old man had died and that Sarah had resigned to found her own firm, they all followed her. She managed to complete all the projects that she and Christopher had started, cementing her place in the construction industry. Her firm is now the most sought after in Shava and the entire region.
Sarah finished top of her Masters class last year, and the University offered her a scholarship to pursue a doctorate in the same field. Immediately she accepted the offer and enrolled for the degree, the University hired her as an adjunct lecturer. With her increased income, Sarah bought a piece of land and built a one-story, five bedroom mansion. She also bought a bigger car, a Toyota Harrier, and donated the Axela to her parents.
Her friends, and even her parents, believe that no man would marry such an empowered woman. They have tried over and over again to go slow on her personal progress, or at least the public display of it; but Sarah has always been of the view that the right man for her will not be intimidated by her success. Only one person agrees with her: her friend Justus. Now it turns out that she and Justus were right: she has found a passionate man of God who is not in any way intimidated by her success. That man is David.
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Justus is the only person that Sarah has so far told that she is David’s girlfriend. Justus does not like David, and Sarah suspects that it is because he (Justus) is hopelessly in love with Judy. It is easy to see why Justus would be jealous: David is over six feet tall with a well-built masculine body; he is a sharp dresser; he sings with a gloriously melodious voice and is a revered spiritual giant. He has all the girls in their church drooling, and can literally pick any of them to be his wife, including Judy. Judy’s apparent infatuation with David is most likely the reason Justus resents him.
Justus is short, about five foot four; he is not very particular about the way he dresses; or perhaps his body shape just doesn’t allow him to look sophisticated in anything he wears. To add to his short frame, he has grown a small but visible potbelly since he got a job. He cannot sing to save his life. Although he says he is saved, there is nothing about him that suggests that he is a spiritual warrior. He is the same Sunday Christian he was in campus. He is also quite shy, which would explain why he has never gathered courage to ask Judy out. In other words, there is nothing about him that stands out. He is nothing compared to David, the ultimate measure of masculinity.
Of course Justus has his own good traits. He is a very kind and perceptive man; he is very intelligent and he has a subtle but brainy sense of humor. But you need to know him well before you notice these traits, and it is unlikely that a girl like Judy would be that patient. Besides, would Judy overlook Justus’ lack of a macho look in favor of his strong points? Only God knows.
Since Sarah told Justus that David is now her boyfriend, she has been encouraging him to give Judy a shot. It might work for both of them. When Judy realizes that David is taken, she might give Justus a chance. And if she starts dating Justus, then she will hopefully forget about David. That way, everybody will be happy.
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David’s mind is in turmoil as he prepares to leave the office and head home. At 35, he feels ready to settle down in marriage. Many people believe that he can pick any woman and settle down with her, but that is not true in actual sense. He finds that his options are very limited, and whatever path he chooses is fraught with danger.
The woman he loves is Angelica. He loves her large curvaceous body. Plus she is simple and uncomplicated. He hadn’t noticed her until she asked him out. Since then, she has constantly been on his mind. He has visited her apartment twice, and eaten her food. She is a very good cook. Although she is not very educated, she is quietly intelligent and he enjoys holding conversations with her. He has slept with her once and has been looking for an opportunity to do so again without being discovered by Judy.
Angelica is the woman he would like to marry. But to do that, he would risk the wrath of Judy. Since he works for Judy’s father, and since Judy is actually the one who convinced the old man to hire him, it is logical to conclude that he would be fired if he dared marry anyone other than Judy. So if he marries Angelica and gets fired, what would they be eating? He tarmacked for three years before getting this job, so he knows how hard it is to get employed in this country. Angelica is a hairdresser and doesn’t earn much. Actually, her business is propped up by Judy. It is Judy who gave her the capital to start the salon, and it is Judy who encourages her well off friends to go and have their hair done there. So no, marrying Angelica would be the beginning of his financial ruin.
But he can’t marry Judy either, even though he has been sleeping with her for years. He finds Judy to be clingy and domineering. Besides, he works for her father. If he marries her, she and her family will control every aspect of his life, and he doesn’t want that. He wants some independence. In any case, he finds her to be very shallow intellectually. She tires him, but he cannot afford to snub her because again, jobs are hard to find in this country.
Sarah is a more practical option. She is beautiful, although in his opinion she is not as beautiful as Angelica. But she is more intelligent and more spiritually grounded than both Angelica and Judy. It is ironical but even though he cannot resist having premarital sex, he still wants a deeply spiritual wife who will bring up his children in the ways of the Lord. He enjoys leading worship in church, and prides in the title M.O.G. He wants a wife who can complement him in that respect. He has not slept with Sarah yet but he knows he will. He kissed her last night to test how receptive she would be to him, and he was delighted to learn that he can easily break her defenses.
Since she is financially independent, he can marry her without having to worry about Judy and her father. He can actually resign then ask Sarah to hire him. There has to be something he can do in her office. Besides, and most importantly, she is a devout Christian. That means that she will submit to him in obedience to scripture. He will be the head of their house. He will own both her business and her money. The only reason he is holding back is because first, he doesn’t love her. The woman he loves is Angelica. Second, what if he resigns from his job then their relationship fails before they get married?
He is thinking about all these issues as he walks towards his car. As he gets behind the steering wheel, his phone rings. It is Angelica inviting him for dinner. He has no plans for the evening; today is one of those rare days when Judy has not planned anything for him. He quickly accepts. This is his opportunity to “sample” this gorgeous woman a second time.
He has no way of knowing that Judy is waiting impatiently at his house.
(Continued Here)
Image by Juraj Varga from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/photos/guitar-musician-music-instrument-2428921/
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–Edward.
