Joel and Jessica

When i first introduced her to my Dad, the only question he asked her was if she loves me? Her answer was yes. We both love each other and wanted the best for each other. My Dad was a practical person, highly philosophical and more to life, he doesn't believe in fairy tales and one good side of him was his man to man approach towards life. You see, instead of donate money to foundations, my Dad would make sure that he get to the person or people who needs the money and one by one solve their problems so that part of him was the exact part that accepted Jessica.

I was the second of four siblings, the only boy so was treated just like the star in the family so when i gained admission into the university and my choice university was in the UK, my Dad did one thing for me, he asked me to select one of my friends that will travel to UK with me, he was going to sponsor the person’s education as well so there was no one in this world that fitted into a friend to grab the gesture if not Jessica. Although Mike was my best friend and i know that Dad might have asked me to select a friend and believed that i will choose Mike; a surprise i saw in him when i presented Jessica.

Jessica was my girl friend and she was closer to my heart so that was why i selected her besides Mike’s Dad was well to do and can sponsor him and even pay his way to get him to Harvard but Jessica was a poor girl, she wasn't my class, her Dad barely provided them three square meals on a given day, her mum sells in the road side but i fell in love with her because she was the most beautiful girl in this world and one thing i knew from the very day i saw her was that she was going to be my wife. I was 20 years old and she was 19 years.

My Mum didn't liked my choice of friend as she claimed that i will not concentrate with my studies if Jessica is there with me, she believed that i will get her pregnant instead of getting a degree, a theory my Dad rejected because if it’s about getting a girl pregnant then there are so many girls at the University, he talked my Mum into seeing it from his perspective and as of Jessica’s parents, they considered the opportunity the greatest thing for their family. Well, we both left for UK to study in the same school, thanks to the love and support of my wonderful Dad.

We did everything together although life in UK was different from what we had down home but we were always there for each other. Everyone that knew us believed that we were couple because we were always together, the only moment that separated us from each other was during classes, apart from that our shadows were always travelling together and i would say that the years we spent together helped us to actually understand each other, i understood everything about Jessica and can tell the meaning of her unspoken words, we were able to position our lives in the best way to suit us, all my dislikes became her dislikes and all her likes mine, we supported the same football team and liked the same kind of food.

We criticized the same thing the same way and share the same group of friends. I mean who says that i wasn't right about her from day one but the truth of everything about us came to life after our graduation and we were to return to our native land for our traditional marriage and wedding. You see, she wanted the marriage but wanted us to wait for few more years but as the only son and hire to a multi million dollar business; my Dad wanted me to get married because to him marriage enables a man to be more articulated and focused. I woke up that morning and realize that Jessica was not on the bed but as i got out from bed, i saw the piece of paper on the table and a ring placed on it.

Dear Joel,

I have to go straight to the point. All these years with you helped me to discover the man you are and honestly, you are not the kind of man i want to marry, you can’t take a decision if it wasn't taken by your parents and i don’t like your possessive nature, you made me want to like things i don’t like, you made me believe in things i don’t believe. I never liked football but you always dragged me to watch matches with you, i don’t like most of your friends but you forced me to serve them and i pretended all these years but i cannot pretend all my life. I know that you will hate me from now and your parents will never forgive me especially your mum who never liked me from day one but it doesn't matter how much you hate me, all that matters is that you will end up marrying the right woman. I am sorry for the pain this might cause you but please go on with your life because as you are reading this, i am far away from England and you will never see me again.

Jessica.

I didn't know exactly what happened after reading the letter but all i could remember was that the engagement ring i gave her which she dropped on the pepper fell from the table, i woke up on the hospital bed and was told that i have been in coma (triggered by shock/nervous breakdown) for two weeks, i could not hold my tears as it dawned on me that Jessica was gone. My mum and two siblings were sitting next to me while my bitter mum said terrible things about Jessica.

I left the hospital a different man, a man determined to be the best but one thing was clear, no one have ever told me the truth in my entire life but Jessica did. She was right, my decisions were taken by my parents, she never liked football but i dragged her to life matches, she never liked coffee but always drank with me. One thing i was determined to find was her whereabouts and the world is a small place so it took me nothing but time then i found her in Ireland. A friend tipped me, perhaps the greatest thing that ever happened to me.

She never wanted to see me again...

...but i gave up everything to be with her, i gave up my father’s riches and she saw my determination to change, to stand on my own, to be a man and not a mama’s boy. That letter she dropped for me became my strength because it made me see the right woman, a woman that loves me and cares about me, we lived in Ireland for one year before eventually returned to our native country for the much anticipated traditional marriage and wedding.