“If this girl finally says yes to me. Ah! I will love her, cherish and pamper her for the rest of her life.” Stanley thought to himself.

He was already at the eatery that he and Nnenna agreed to meet. He prayed for the umpteen time that she would not disappoint him. He knew that Nnenna could be unpredictable.
He suddenly looked up and saw her coming. His joy was indescribable even as he rose to welcome her.

“Thanks my angel for coming. I appreciate this from the depth of my heart.”

“Thank you sir. The pleasure is mine,” Nnenna responded.

“What will you like to eat?” He asked pleading with his eyes.

“I will take meat pie and soft drink.”

“Just that? What of rice?” Stanley asked.

“No, I won’t eat rice,” She said firmly.

Stanley decided to respect her wish. He ordered just what she requested, for the two of them. Surprisingly as they were eating, Nnenna was chatting and laughing freely with Stanley.

As soon as they finished eating, Stanley brought out the engagement ring. He bent one of his knees and held Nnenna’s left hand.

“My dear, from the first day I set my eyes on you, I felt something very strong. I felt that we are meant for each other. I have dreamt and wished for the day I will look at you and call you my wife. Please marry me and make me the happiest man on earth.”

Nnenna wasn’t expecting that, but it has happened, she had to look for safe landing.

“Thanks so much. I appreciate this. Though, I am not expecting it at this time. Please can you give me some time to think and about it?”

“Sure. Why not? I will give you time. But let it not be too long.”

Stanley later dropped off Nnenna at her residence before going home.

Chinasa was peeping from the window when Nnenna alighted from the car. She started hailing Nnenna immediately she came inside the house.

“Her excellency. The queen of Stanley’s heart. You are welcomed.”

Nnenna was unusually quiet and it made Chinasa worried.

“What is the matter with you? You look so unhappy.”

“Stanley proposed marriage to me,” she said coldly.

“Thank God! But why are you acting so cold. We should be celebrating” she rushed towards Nnenna and lifted her hand.

“Where is the ring? Don’t tell me that you rejected Stanley’s proposal?”

“No I didn’t.”

“That’s my girl” Chinasa gave her thumbs up. “You told him to give you some time to think about it?”

Nnenna nodded in agreement.

“That’s fair. But you are not happy at all. What is the matter?”

“I wish to marry Stanley but I cannot marry him,” she broke down in tears.

“Why can’t you marry him? Stanley is a nice guy. He loves and adores you. So what is the matter? Talk to me,” Chinasa probed.

“It is not about Stanley, it’s about me.”

“It’s okay, talk to me.”

“I can’t talk. I am under an oath. My past is trying to overtake my present and future,” Nnenna cried out.

Chinasa became confused. She held Nnenna and was comforting her.

**********************

Stanley was restless. He felt that all was not well. Though Nnenna did not say no to his proposal, something kept whispering that Nnenna might not agree to marry him.

He tried to suppress the voice but it kept speaking louder. At a point, he decided to call Nnenna on phone, hoping that it would help to calm him down.
The phone rang severally but Nnenna didn’t take the call.

“I might go insane if I continue in this condition,” he thought to himself.

He quickly dialed Tega’s phone number to find out if he was as at home.

“I’m on my way coming home. I will see you when I get home,”Tega told him.

From the way that Stanley sounded, Tega needed no one to tell him that all was not well. Immediately he got home, he went to see Stanley.

“Guy, I was not comfortable with the way you sounded when you called on phone.” He tried to scan Stanley’s face,” It’s even showing on your face. You look like someone they served fresh breakfast,” Tega joked.

He however noticed that Stanley was not in the mood for jokes.

“O boy, what is going on?”

” It’s about Nnenna. I popped the question today?”

“Wow! Congratulations. No wonder you are behaving like someone that was caught committing sin,” he rose to have a handshake with Stanley.

“So what is making you so excited?” Stanley asked.

Tega busted out laughing.

“How can you ask such question? Whatever makes you happy should make me happy. Our new wife is our happiness.”

Stanley strained his ear as if he did not hear him well. “What did you just say?”

“I did not say anything,” Tega replied, raising his two hands in defense.

“Who is our new wife? If I see you around Nnenna, you are a dead man,” Stanley threatened.

“I am not going close to her. Just allow her to be giving me food. That’s all I want.”

“Of course I know that you and food are inseparable. But Nnenna is not your chef. Go and meet your Ogebaby.

“Meet who? Bros you don’t love me at all. The way that girl hate me now, she can poison me if she has the means.”

“Ha! What happened?” Stanley opened his mouth wide in shock.

“She met me yesterday, when I was talking on phone with Oma. She asked me who the person was, I told her that it’s my fiancée,” Tega explained

“Violent master, you told her what?” Stanley asked, laughing uncontrollably.

“Ehe! Naa. What would I have told her? Can you imagine that the senseless girl was asking me that what is she to me. I told her that she is my sister in the Lord. She started crying, telling me that her food that I ate would judge me. I told her that all the distraction she distracted me inside church would judge her too.”

Stanley was rolling on the ground with laughter.

“Tega where are you from?”he exclaimed.

“Ha! I will not allow anybody to blackmail me o. I was on my own when she started running after me. ‘T boy, I cooked fried rice’, ‘T boy, do you care for banga soup’ ‘T boy, I prepared coconut rice and beef’. Did I beg her for food?”

“But I warned you and you didn’t listen.” Stanley told him.

“My brother , at the time that you were warning me, it was already late. Though I tried making attempts to withdraw but she stuck to my finger like ogbono soup.”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“I have already reported myself to pastor. He blamed me seriously but he promised to talk to her.”

“Tega, you have already told Pastor? That’s nice. It’s just that I am beginning to realize that you not as strong as you claimed.”

“Strong ke, forget that thing. See, the way you have been handling these ladies is the best. I had to go and confess to pastor. It was only food that I ate, I didn’t kill human being. Nobody should swear for me o.”

“What you have done is the best. Try to follow the path of peace. But then, you are a handsome and rich boy, girls will keep flocking around you,” Stanley joked.

“That was what I thought until I met you. Meeting you was one of things I will always thank God for. You really humbled me and thought me how to handle these daughters of Eve. Let’s I forget, what exactly was bothering you when I came in?”

Stanley sighed before responding to the question.

“It is Nnenna. I don’t think that Nnenna loves me.”

“Did she tell you that?” Tega inquired.

“No. But even when I proposed marriage to her, there was no excitement at all . Though she didn’t say no, she told me that she will think about it.”

“So you don’t know that girls are bunch of pretenders. Go to her house now, she is already celebrating that she is off the market,” Tega assured him.

“Tega I know what I am saying. I don’t know how to explain it but it will take the special grace of God for that girl to agree to marry me.”

“Why?”

“I can’t really explain but she seems to be afraid of something.”

“Now, I get it. Don’t worry yourself she will be fine. Just try and show her more love. She might be considering your status. She is just a mere receptionist in your father’s company. She might also be worried about your parents. Just give her time.”

“If that is the case, she has nothing to worry about. My father has already approved our relationship.”

“Is she aware?”

“Not yet,”

“Let her know, it will help her.”

Stanley let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks bros. You have relieved my tension.”

“The pleasure is mine. At least with all these advice, my slot as your best man is secured.”

“Not yet bros, I still need to think about it,” Stanley joke.