ANASTASIA-Breaking free!

PART 3

Two days after she got back to school, he called….He was as charming as can be and tried to make up for the almost disastrous date. She had played calm that day and managed to go along with his friends political charades, but she made up her mind that she was not going to be involved in this sham called an arranged relationship. She had ignored his calls until she left the country, and promptly deleted his number before she changed her sim card.

Her friends; Tonia and Rachel had inundated her with information about their amazing holidays in the Caribbean’s. She drank in their excitement, but knew that was not the life for her. She had never been about casual dates and fast parties, she knew she had the looks and could easily fit into the cycle, but she wanted something deeper, which at this moment she didn’t think was coming any time soon, she sighed and carried on with her activities before the call came….

How are you doing sweetie his voice came alive with a drawl, she was taken aback by his self confidence. She quickly composed herself when she realized he was the one; how did you get my number? I have my sources he said with a laugh. She knew it must have been her mum or maybe her unrelentless matchmaker of a Dad. She cut the call short with the pretext of running late for classes, but he was resilient! The next day he called again and then the day after that, by the end of the second week, he had worn her resistance out with his persistence.

At the end of the month when he flew in to see her, she knew her Father had won. She felt good that he had chased her persistently although her concern about his brashness didn't stop, but what did it matter; she was having the best of both worlds….. She was in Dad’s good books, and she had a man that seemed to hang on her every word, howbeit a bit pretentious she thought, but quickly swept it away.

Henry’s world was totally different from what she bargained for; she found herself shuttling back and forth between school and different parts of the world to attend business and political events with him. She couldn't remember the last time she read a book or picked up a pen to write a sentence. His life was on a different pedestal. The only compensation she had was that her law knowledge seemed to help her stay at par with the discussions. Sometimes she wished she could disappear into a corner and not be part of what she considered not so relevant… but Henry was always the perfect companion, he knew how to make her feel at ease and his sense of humor helped make boring situations interesting.

He seemed to have only one weak spot; or weak reaction to a human being; He always seemed uncomfortable around the Eastern Senator’s wife. He seemed to stutter around her or so she noticed the few times they had met her at events. Mrs. Kwesi on the other hand was extra nice to her, always complimenting her about her looks and figure. She could swear that her comments had sexual undertones………… She casually mentioned it to Henry once, but he quickly dismissed it as a mere joke.

THREE YEARS LATER

The graduation party was over the top. Her mother out did herself this time she thought with a smile. She would have been totally annoyed by the opulence if she didn't know that she knew her intentions were good. She noticed Tonia and Rachel whispering with excitement in a corner and walked up to them but was surprised that they quickly straightened their expression. What’s up girls? Nothing much, we were just admiring that handsome guy over there. She shook her head in disbelieve. She never envisaged they would still be her friends after all these years. They had remained fun seeking, happy go lucky ladies. She could have sworn that their admission into Harvard was influenced by their parent’s wealth….. The good part of the friendship was that they seemed to get along well with Henry IV and his crew.

She looked around for him and wondered where he had disappeared to, their relationship had had a lot of tension in recent times; she was getting bored of their high octane lifestyle and was beginning to desire a different path.  She knew that marriage should be in the cards now, as her Dad had been hinting unashamedly in the last 6 month, but she was not sure she wanted to, or maybe not him…. Hello my sweet angel, she felt him grab her from behind. She turned and faced him in annoyance, but once again, his smile melted her defenses. He always had that effect on her.

He quickly pulled her towards the band stand and took the microphone from the singer, she turned to look at her friends, and from the vivid excitement on their faces, she knew what was about to happen. Her heart sank a bit, they had not spoken deeply about their future, but she knew she could not afford to embarrass her parents in such a public event, so she put on her best face and played along……….

He made a long speech praising her many virtues, it was quite nice, but in her dreams she had imagined the proposal from her beloved would come in a private special place, not in front of 300 guests. She smiled when he went on one knee and brought out the ring; as expected it was nothing short of perfection-a perfect combination of 5 carat diamond with a massive emerald stone. No wonder her mum had insisted she wore the green dress, she would rather have preferred the lilac one as the shade was softer and she thought it suited her more, but her mum had been overtly persuasive, she now knew the reason as she starred appreciatively at the ring that had just been placed on her finger, which complimented her dress perfectly.

Her father promptly took the microphone and congratulated them with a perfect speech she was sure he had rehearsed several times the day before. She was quickly swept into the embrace of her mum and her friends and every one began to dance.

The day could not have been more perfect she thought as she walked to the rest room to ease herself. She heard a faint cry, and almost ignored it, but it got a bit louder and then the voice was muffled by another. She changed direction and walked towards the room. Something seemed to urge her on, so she walked faster, but kept her footsteps quiet. She lifted the curtain and saw them…. Now she finally understood all the years of discomfort and why he always behaved funny around her.

N.B: In life we find ourselves fighting with decisions about whether to compromise or not. Sometimes these decisions are made subtly, in our subconscious; when we choose the path of least resistance or when we decide to go with the flow, we begin to settle and sometimes compromise on things or values that are important to us. Have you taken the path of least resistance lately?

PART 4

She watched them kissing for several seconds before she reacted; she was shocked, not by catching Henry IV and Mrs. Kwesi together, but by how passionate the embrace was and the anguish she saw in Mrs. Kwesi’s closed eyes. Now she knew why Henry was always uncomfortable around her, she berated herself for not figuring it out! She had been too caught up with her studies and trying to balance the intricacies of Henry’s lifestyle, that she had missed the fact that he had never been passionate towards her. He had been sweet and charming in an almost sisterly manner, she had thought he didn’t want to behave inappropriately towards her because of her Father, she could have listened to her instincts……..

She cleared her throat and made sure they saw her and walked out immediately. She was devastated, but she felt strangely satisfied by the fact the she had seen Henry IV speechless for the first time since they met. He was not going to charm his way out of this one. She ran to her car, switched off her phone and drove for a long time. It was the longest drive she had taken by herself. But it was a very liberating experience.

She drove to the next state and checked into a hotel with another name. She wept herself to sleep that night and the next night. Then decided that weeping would not do her good any more. By the third day, she switched on her phone and quickly sent her mum a text. She knew the woman would have almost died of worry. She had seen her immediately spring into action even before her graduation party was over, with plans for the wedding. The woman was amazing; she could have been a great event planner if she had not decided to stay in the shadow of her husband. Several messages came in immediately but she decided not to read any of them. She told her mum she was fine, but needed time to herself and if she wanted more details, she could speak to Henry.

She switched her phone back off and stayed in the room for one week. It was a time to for reflection………. She remembered how it all started over four years ago. She had been young and naive. Her novels had been her favorite companion. She has filled herself with so much romantic notions that even when she saw the signs with Henry, she did not pay attention. She wanted it to be real, just like in her books. But deep down, she knew she was not so gullible, but the perception of being in her father’s good books had overshadowed her sensitivity. What had started as a charade had become her reality.

Just last week after her graduation, she had proudly ridden with her Father to his law firm, he had introduced her as the newest junior partner, and she was finally living ‘the’ dream. Now lying on the bed in this room, she wondered whose dream it was now. She took solace in writing in the notebook the hotel had so kindly provided in the room. She had not written anything that was not school work in years and it felt really good….

At the end of the week, she knew it was time to go back, but she had decided to find her own path in life and stop living with the fear of displeasing her father. If he really loved her, he would want what’s best for her she thought vehemently.

EPILOGUE

It had been a tug of war when she arrived home. Her mother had been sympathetic to her. Apparently Henry IV had told them he had a causal affair with Mrs. Kwesi, but it was ‘nothing serious’. Her mum told her that was how men were, but they would always come back home to their wives in the end. She could not believe her mum, but was more shocked by her Father’s insistence that the engagement and wedding had to go on.

She had never realized how much his political ambition and desire for power had blinded his heart, so much so that he was ready to pawn his daughter for favor with the Chief of staff.  She tried to play along with them, but the sight of Henry was repulsive to her. She gave him back the ring to the dismay of her Dad. He applied all forms of emotional black mail, but she stood her ground until he told her that she would not have a place in his firm, if she did not marry Henry.

It had been devastating for her to leave the firm, but this time, she knew she was making a decision for the greater good. She also decided to move back abroad, as it would be difficult to live with her parents after all that transpired. For the first time in her life, she was going to be her own woman; maybe she would even write and publish a book like she always dreamed……

THE END

What’s the point of this story: By writing this story, I hope to challenge the reader to ask themselves the following questions:

1.      Who influences your life’s decisions?

2.      Whose dream are you living?

3.      What are you compromising to by taking the path of least resistance?

4.      Do you love yourself and believe in yourself enough to find your own path?

     Stay Empowered,

     Tale