The Mark of Interest.
I'm sure our marriage will come to past soon. A man who needed a wife is expecting to say farewell to loneliness. I always heard the names of your parents, ringing in my ears. I am expecting your parents to be in my memory. But the worst pains is, there are absent in the mirror of my memory.
Will it be possible for me to relieve my pains?
Jackson Rowe was forcing his daughter to become a Priestess to Diana Lorborough, while he was preparing to announce her in other to accept the offer, but Jessica didn't agreed to accept the unworthy offer and he spoke to her in a polite manner. "My dear Jessica, you can't say so. It means you are trying to worst the whole thing. Let us dedicate you to Diana Lorborough, so that our lives would get better," said Jackson.
"Dad, not this time; I am getting to know myself very well. . . . I can't serve a woman who is invisible to me. If she appears to me, I will serve her as a Priestess, better than she thought," Jessica sighed.
Three months later, Jessica's father took her to one of the biggest Fashion Design Company to enable her start the hobby of her choice. After a while, Mary called on Jessica to give her a motherly advice, concerning her choice of work. "Jessica, I heard all your conversation with your dad. Thank you so much for making such decision as a wise daughter. That is how you should have behaved, ever since.
You are the only child we have; you have to be submissive to us, likewise, outsiders. That is what the Bible says.
By so doing, your master and others would open up their mind and share their knowledge with you. Keep it up; your dad is always ready to support you in every area of your life as long as you continue to behave well as a child.
Always remember that the hope of this family is in your hands.
As you would be submissive to your master, remember that one day, you too would become a mistress to others and your servants will be submissive to you too," Mary encouraged Jessica.
The first three weeks of apprenticeship, James Parker decided to delicate his own time for her. Four months later, Jessica was able to pick up with some techniques in the fashion industry. He encouraged her to put more effort in learning the trade.
When other apprentice saw how Jessica, quickly captured the techniques, jealousy began to flow in the workshop. Katrin, Mercy, Helen and three others were not happy, on how the owner of the company, James Parker, due concentrate on her alone and left others untrained.
Immediately, jealousy started, sky rocking the mind of others; especially, Katrin Oliver. And they gathered to make gaze on Jessica's ugly face, during their discussion.
Indirectly, they called her an ugly, crazy witch for a while, but it was not getting to Jessica's notice by then. Though she grows up in a semi urban area, she knew nothing about witchcraft, neither her parents. She was not the one who put a barrier in her educational foundation at the earlier stage. Haven't known this, her father, Jackson Rowe, refuses to set up her educational foundation for her future. He thought, the whole benefits would gets back to the eventually husband.
In a nonprofessional sense, he thought, a woman couldn't have the capacity of leading a family to a greater height; though Diana Lorborough, the invisible woman of Janport Island had contributed a lot of failure to Jessica's life, since inception.
Her fast growing knowledge has made her understood the ideas, needed in fashion designing industry. She knew everything that has made the envy and jealousy comes up in the mind of her fellow apprentice within a few weeks of resumption, but she did not know how to escape from it.
The indelible mark on her face, had made people to suspect her as a witch, but she was not a witch. But people just used the mirror of their brain to classify her as a witch. They narrated how the parents are wicked by giving her such mark on her face, but they knew not, what happened to her.
Anyway she went, she became an ugly mirror to others. They thought it is because of her witchcraft that drove her out of school at the early age. Jessica always felled ashamed, whenever the fellow apprentice started mocking at her. She took it as a side talk, but later on, she was ashamed. She started asking them the reason for such name. "What have I done to you people for calling me a village witch? Have I made any mistake for coming here to learn a trade? You all are utterly indiscipline; is as if you people are lacking home training.
When I was at school, did any of you know what was going in the school? Let me tell all of you, it is too early for any of you to tempt on me in this place. Let no one provoke me, because I will not take it kindly with any of you."
A week later, when Jessica was about to closed at work, and the nature hits the clocks at 4:30 p.m., local time, James Parker informed her to wait behind for a private discussion. Who knows what he wanted to discuss with her.
After James Parker had informed her to wait behind, she imagined what he wanted to discuss with her. "I don't even know what he wanted to discuss with me, which he knew it is time to go home," She breathe in as if, life had gone out of her. "Well, let me wait, behind and here from him."
When the hour approaches, James Parker called her to walk inside his office. Jessica moves, sluggishly and walked down to the masters office and sat down in the next chair closed to him. And he began the discussion.
As the discussion started, he told her; he doesn't want others to hear their conversation because of their jealousy in the workshop. And he begged her not to take it as an insult; and he speaks to her in a friendly manner.
Actually, he appreciates her for the courage and effort she has, during the first one month as the best apprentice. "As I want to speak to you, don't take it as an insult.
As a matter of facts, I want to appreciate your effort for being one of the best apprentice so far, who is serious in learning the trade." He boosted on her. "I want to tell you, before your dad brought you here; he knew that here is one of the best Fashion Designing Company in town. Whatever you see in this company, you cannot see it elsewhere.
Also, I want to inform you that I am interested in you as my fiancée. I can no longer be hiding my feelings on you as a beautiful girl who thrilled in my memory." Both of them gave a warming smile, "Forget about what they did to you since your resumption. I want to assure you, I would support you throughout your training - no matter any circumstances. I will always be your caregiver," he smiles.
Jessica huffed for a while and spoke gently with him. "Are you sure of what you are saying?"
"I'm sure of our marriage . . ., I am expecting your parents to be in my memory. But the worse pains is that there are absent in the mirror of my memory; while I am worried, worried to take you home as my fiancée.
Can there make it possible for me to relieve my pains?
Jessica replied to him with a frowned faces.
"Can I hear you say marriage? . . . Just like that!–"
"What I'm saying is true."
Jessica took her mind home and remembered what happened in the past. "Is it Katrin, Mercy or Helen that sent you to come and make gaze on me. There were here before me . . ., why don't you asked any of them for marriage?"
James gave her a warm smile, while some gray smoke, flows out of his mouth. "How can someone send me to deceive you for a marriage? No, no, no, I haven't sent by someone." James whispered, "I love you so much; I can't let you go, until you take over my whole heart. And then, you will become part of me and I will become part of you, too. That is why I needed you to be my fiancée."
And Jessica replies to him. "Are you telling me, you didn't see other ladies to ask for marriage, except myself, who just reported here for some weeks ago?"
James place his hands on her shoulder. "Calm down! Don't take it as an embarrassment. I haven't express my feelings to others, the where I did to you."
Jessica did not satisfy with the reply. "Sir, why are you making gaze on me? You mean you want to marry an ugly witch like me?"
"No, you are not an ugly witch. You are the most beautiful girl that I needed to go out with. There are trying to condemn you before me. I swear – I can't let you go; even though the sun stops shining on my path. I can't let you go, even though the moons above the heavens, glooms on us. But still, I will haunt on your path and fetch you out, as if, you are a fish who dwells in the sea.
Forget about what they say to you. I don't have a single interest on them, except you," James priests Jessica.
It was a surprising moment to Jessica, when she heard from James that he had much interest on her for a marriage. "Sir, look at me – very well." She turned around several times, "You mean, a girl like me who is not even tall or looks nice – can she be your fiancée? What do you want me to tell my parents when I gets home? I don't come here for marriage; I came here to learn a trade."
"Yes, am so much ready to take you home as my fiancée.
So, what is your response to my request?" He responded in a polite manner.
"I heard all what you said, but one thing is that I cannot just give you the reply for now. I have to think first before I give you the feedback," she.
"I will be glad to hear from you soon," he replied modestly.
"It is time to go home, when I get home, I will tell my parents all what you have said. May be, by Monday or Tuesday, I will give you feedback," Jessica replied.
"Very good; as you go home, think of it very well and give me a reply as soon as possible." James walked closer to her. "As from today, you are my only J. J. for live – no one else, but you. No one can takes you from me."
She kept quiet for a while and smile, "How do you know I have agreed for the marriage?
James whispered. "I am happy you are smiling on me and there is hope . . . ."
"Tell me, what is the meaning of J. J?"
And James began to explain the meaning to her. "J- J- means Jessica James. It means you are my fiancée," he replied.
She looked at him and smile, smiling until she hit her head on the wall. "Is okay, I heard you. . . ."
In a very little beat of his heart, he moved closer to her and hanged on her shoulder, and gave her a sounding kisses, "My regards to you and your parents.
Good night, my love," he concluded.
Jessica whispered on him. "Night, sir . . . . See you tomorrow." Jessica looks at him as if she saw an Angel. While she cross to the other side of the road.
James stood behind the doorpost for a while; and he hang as if he should've followed her home. And he began to imagine and he looks crazy. "Would Jessica marry me? Would it be possible for me to go out with her in daytime, when people are still hanging around?
Jessica also stood by the roadside, and looks at him as if she wanted to go back and met him in his office.
When James saw how she watches over him, he across his legs and hold the doorpost, while he nodded his head, up and down, as if he was a lizard. He spoke to himself; it was only his lips that indicate the joyful moment in him.