“No, the woman chose her for her beloved son.”
“Oh! The woman must be a caring, and loving mother for choosing such a rare gem for her son.”
“I think so.”
“In that case, I will propose that you let her be. As you can, she is a disciplined, and an honest person, every man’s dream. You will meet your dream woman one day. I pray she will be like her.”
“Thank you for your encouragement. I pray so, too.”
A Few Days Later.
However, with the absence of Rose in George's life, and the pestering from his mother to accept a blind date, he resolved to fill the vacuum that Rose had created in his life. To ensure that his mother would not impose any girl on him, he picked a girl for himself at once. To Sarah, and Benson's surprise, he got back from work that day very excited. Then, he announced with glee, “Ya eh! I have good news for you all.”
Now, Mrs. Owens and Benson looked at him instantly, and requested one after the other, “Wow! Share it.” “Yes. Let's hear it.”
Now, George looked at Benson, and demanded, “Guess what.”
Likewise, Benson asked, “What will you give me if I guessed right?”
“A brand-new watch,” George promised, and Sarah looked on happily. Then, Benson announced, “Ok, she has agreed to marry you.”
Nevertheless, Mrs. Owens' cheerful face turned to a frowning one, and she asked immediately, “Who is 'she'?
Presently, the exhilarated George paid no heed to his mother's question, rather, he turned to his cousin, and announced, “Benson, you are right, but she is not the person you have in mind. She is right in the car. Let me bring her in.” Thereafter, he ran off to get his guest, while his mother turned to Benson, and requested, “What’s going on Benson? Is there anything you are not telling me?”
Now, Benson scratched his head, before he declared, “I'm not the right person who has something to tell you. Kindly search for your son.”
Before she could process what Benson just said, George walked in with his guest, and requested, “Kindly have your seat,” and signalled her to a couch. Likewise, he turned to his mother, and said, “Mommy, meet Rose em Sophia ….”
At that moment, Benson looked at Sophia, and demanded, “Ain't you supposed to curtsy and greet?”
Now, the bewildered Sophia tried to kneel, but Mrs. Owens got up, ignored her greeting, and left for her room.”
Nevertheless, she gave George a puzzled look because she could not explain why his mother ignored her greeting. Meanwhile, George did not have an answer to her question. Then, he calmed her down.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he encouraged, and attempted to conceal his confusion. Likewise, Benson, with his knowledge of the chemistry and physics of love, he could not help the situation. After a few minutes of silence, Sophia announced, “I wish to take my leave.”
Her request was the best thing that happened to George because he was at sea on the next step to take.
“It is all right,” he accepted, and walked her to the door. Thereafter, he took her back to her house, and returned to the house, after dinner. Then, he walked straight to his room. Likewise, he prepared himself for his mother's out burst.
George's Room
As soon as Sarah noticed that he was back, she barged into his room, and demanded, “George, can you explain the meaning of the foolishness you exhibited this evening?”
“Mommy, I don’t understand what you mean by foolishness. I brought in the lady that I wish to spend the rest of my life with to introduce to the members of my family and you …..”
Now, Mrs. Owens cut in, and asked, “What do know about marriage and how much do you know about her?”
“I may not know much about her, all I know is that I love her and wished to marry her.”
“There you are. You don’t know her too well, but you wish to marry her. Do you even have enough knowledge of yourself, let alone of another person? Listen to me, you won’t marry her.”
“Says who?” George, who had goofed up enough that evening, asked disrespectfully. Now, Benson, who must be on the side of his big cousin's side, empathized, “Oh! My God. She is his choice.”
Now, the embittered Mrs. Owens turned to Benson, and thundered, “Will you shut your mouth? Now leave. I say go to your room.”
Now, Benson had no choice, but to obey. He got up reluctantly, greeted, “Goodnight mom.”
“Goodnight love,” she responded, and turned to George, “I think it’s my fault. Maybe I should have been more specific about my intentions before now.” Nevertheless, she looked at him keenly and continued, “When, I said that I would like you to meet someone, it's because I know what will be good for you, so I have taken time to pick a wife for you.”
Now, George frowned, and inquired, “How can you pick a wife for me, mommy, without seeking my opinion? You are aware that it won’t happen. I am old enough to choose who is good for me. The one you selected is your wife. Thank God, we are in the era of same-sex marriage.”
Now, Mrs. Owens was infuriated, and she slapped him very hard on the face, before she asked, “How dare you talk to me like that? Is because your dad is away?”
Now, George was touched, he put his hand on his cheek. Then, he looked into his mother's eyes, and apologized, “I apologize, mom, but I won’t marry the lady of your choice,” he said with finality, and got up. He attempted to walk out of his room when his mother declared, “Prepare to meet her. I will bring her to come and see you in a couple of days.”
Afterward, she walked out of the room before him, while George pondered on the events of the day.
At the Industrial Complex.
Now, Evans was out of the country, and George had much work on his desk. Meanwhile, his staff members could observe that he was troubled, and they behaved themselves.
“Good morning, boss,” his secretary greeted when he walked into the office.
“Good morning,” he responded and walked into his office. Then, he looked into his itinerary and recalled that he would hold a management meeting. He took a deep breath, and murmured, “I wish I can shelve this meeting for now, or wait for dad to return.”
He said to himself.
Suddenly, his phone rang. He looked at the caller, and hissed, “Why is she disturbing me when she does not love me?” He murmured, and ignored the call, and continued with his work. Thereafter, the call timed out. It was over two months, since he separated from Rose, and had refused to pick her call. Nevertheless, he was aware that he never loved Sophia as much as he loved Rose, but he had to move on with his life. Moreover, it was clear to him, that Rose had a genuine, love for him. As for Sophia, she was in love with the successor of the Blue Sea Oil and Gas Group, while Rose was in love with the poor George who earns his leaving through transportation with a clunker. At that point, he was already shedding tears. He allowed the tears to flow, and hoped to get some relief. Suddenly, his phone rang again, and he ignored it. After it rang severally, he decided to turn on the silence mode. To his surprise, it was his aunt. If there was anyone he needed to speak with at that moment, it was her.
“Good morning, Aunty Uju,” he greeted with a husky voice.
“Good morning, George. You sound low. Is it because of your mom?”
“You are right, Aunty Uju. It is unclear to me why mommy is bent on ruining my relationship with Sophia. How can she impose a lady on me just like that?”
“I’ve heard everything, and that is why I called. Your mommy cannot impose the girl you don’t love on you. It’s only the girl you love that your mom should accept as her daughter-in-law. Is that ok?”
“Yes. I got you, aunty.”
“Good. Cheer up. Keep me updated about things.”.