Chapter Four
The Age Difference
In the village of Hugglesworth….
“My dearest daughter, I know you are fast becoming of age. As you approach the age of 18, I want you to please, when you want to settle down, marry a man who is at least ten years older than you. You can see how happy your father and I are living for the past twenty-one years.” the thoughts of Monica passed to her seventeen-plus, daughter Sandra, during a one-on-one counselling session at Nike’s place, friends with Monica, Sandra’s mother.
“Dad, I have found a man whom I would like to settle down with. Now, I’m hitting twenty and would like to settle down with him”, said excited Sandra who couldn’t wait to introduce her intended ADAM.
“Who is this man, if I may ask?” Roberts asked, feeling eager to know who had brought his daughter that kind of joy.
“He is Edward. Educated, skilled at his construction works, loving, dedicated and mature…these are the qualities that had made me fall in love with him. He was raised in an orphanage home. But dad, he is well-groomed man…maturity-personified!”
“Can do you me the favour of asking him to see me? I can’t wait to see this man who perfectly fit into this description”, Roberts noted, in excitement.
Exactly three days, Edward came visiting at the family of Mr. and Mrs. R.M Green at their Kimberly residence. With Sandra sitting next to her future husband and after being offered some snacks to munch, Roberts opened the floor of discussion by asking him: ‘Who is this August visitor who intends taking away my precious jewel away from me?”
“My name is Edward Jade, raised in an orphanage home. Your daughter is well aware of it”, he replied staring affectionately at Sandra’s face. Having being satisfied with the answer given by Edward, Roberts, pitying him, held his silence.
Monica continued from where her husband stopped: “How old are you, Edward Jade?”
“I’m 30-years old.”
She went further by saying, “all these while, I have been taken a critical look at you and I can intuitively tell that you’ll make a good husband. Considering the ten-year age difference between you and my daughter, I know, your marriage, just like ours, will not only last but be very successful. My dear husband, I think we should engage them right away. This rare gift is a must-keep for us; we mustn’t let him slip our hands to be caught in another woman’s arms. Pardon our manners…My name are Monica and his is Roberts. However, we are together addressed as Mr. and Mrs. R.M Green.”
“My dear,” Roberts reasoned, agreeing with what she said while Sandra happily looked on, “I think you’re right! At this point, Edward, I want to ask if you have any thing that could act as a symbol of engagement between you and Sandra.”
“I think I do have, sir”, replied Edward, who surprisingly brought out from his pouch an encased gold-coated engagement ring. Sandra couldn’t believe her eyes that she could help but to cover her mouth with her two hands. She had no control over the tears of joy that rolled over her cheeks to the state-of-the-art German marble.
“Edward”, remarked Roberts, “I want you, in the presence of my wife and I, to formally engage Sandra, sitting right to you”
Edward stood on his knees, removed the gold-coated engagement ring from the casing, with all his fingers of his right hand glued to it and somehow, supported by his left hand, asked: “Sandra, I present to you this engagement ring. On my knees, I ask…will you marry me?”
Sandra was lost for words for a while. But with tears rolling out of cheeks and in the presence of Roberts and Monica who was shedding tears as well, Sandra voiced: “Yes! Yes! Yes! I want to spend the rest of my entire days with you” Edward inserted on the ring finger of Sandra’s left hand.
“Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!” remarked Roberts who saluted the courage displayed by the intending duo of Sandra and Edward. “As you all can witness, my lovely wife is not in the best frame of mind to speak…she is full of tears of unexplained joy. I’ll have to speak on her behalf. Whatever you hear from me, just accept that it’s coming from the mouth and Monica and i. From now on, treat each other as man and wife” Roberts addressing the newly engaged Edward and Sandra.
Two years and five months later, Edward informed Sandra that he would be going for a six-month training programme in Japan. “As part of our company’s developmental policy plans, five of us, including me, were selected for training’’. Edward informed Sandra who, at first, was reluctant to accept the development but would give in since it was, according to her, “our marital progress”. Edward left for Japan and Sandra informed her parents about Edward’s movement.
Discussing with our friends, Anastasia, Marilyn and Magdalene, Sandra affirmed to them: “I specially invite you all to my wedding which is coming up in the next six months. Please, Marilyn, Anastasia and Magdalene, come to my wedding. Although my Edward was raised in an orphanage home, his maturity is far better than most of us who had been nurtured by our parents”.
“Indeed, you are in love with Edward”, reacted Marilyn. “Though we ladies would love to be present on your wedding day, it’s quite unfortunate that we won’t be around because of our final year project defence in school. You know, you finished before us. Though we are age-mates, your level seems to be higher than us. But we’ll send you presents…” Anastasia and Magdalene nodded their heads in agreement with her.
“Okay”, Sandra said, feeling a bit down. “It’s all good. I wish you all the best with your individual projects!”
Edward, after returning from a six-month training programme in Japan, got married at age 32 to his 22-year-old sweet-heart, Sandra. A ten-year difference ought to be an obvious mark of maturity and Edward’s keenness to embrace responsibility in the day-to-day sustenance of his marriage. However, the reverse was the case.
Until quite recently, Edward, before he met Sandra, was a hardened chain smoker, junkie and chronic womanizer. During his courting years with Sandra, he withdrew these habits from Sandra’s notice only to showcase them after having two issues with her.
His negligence of responsibility as the man of the house and husband and immaturity in handling sensitive issues of his family have somewhat created a total disorder in his household ranging from dysfunctional psyche of his now-grown children to the incessant insult on his wife. Sometimes, Sandra regrets marrying him; sees him as irresponsible and not matured enough for marriage.