Agatha Ogechukwu A. As Jennifer sat down that evening at the balcony and recalled all that happened , tears continued to roll down her eyes as she remembered her mother’s advice. “Do not trust men. They may seem so harmless to you but never trust them” She remembered how she brushed off all those her mother’s words on men and now the reality of those words echoed more in her ears as she sobbed uncontrollably. She also remembered the questions and anwers she and Frank had constantly discusseed about their relationship.
Frank’s friends advice and rebukes to him for leaving their friendship in platonic level for these long time also came to her. Frank’s friends have all been unhappy with him for still leaving her a virgin which he always defends that he will marry her. In his words, he always tells them an Igbo adage that says “ngwugwu aga ato ato adighi mma itu mbo” which means she will still be fully mine and there is no need to rush into having sex with her earlier. This always calms Jennifer down because she was well brought up by her mother and always adviced to be careful of men deception.
Jennifer is a young girl from a family of 4 and the only girl in the family. She came from a Christian family where morals are properly kept or you will be punished. All through her primary school days, she was always attending kids prayer groups in the neighborhood called block Rosary Crusade.
She is an obedient girl who respects her elders and everyone in the neighborhood loves her so much and are looking out for her. Her father was a business man who always travel but whenever he sends letters to her and her siblings, he always advice them to be girl alone or boy alone. She too is a calm, intelligent, respectful and industrious girl. She helpes her mum out in her foodstuff petty business. She also does most of the house chores at home especially on some days that her mum comes late from the market.
Things started getting bad for her and her family during her Secondary School days but she held on to her virtue of not seeking out an easy way to help make life easier for herself like some other kids who join prostitution at a tender age due to hardship. For the fact that she doesn’t live ostentatious life made things more better. She is always contented with whatever her mother can provide for them. Everyone loves her for that.
After her Secondary School Exams, she started working in other to earn money and help out at home. Part of her routine is visiting the motherless babies home every Sunday. This is part of a duty she has to perform from one of the prayer groups she belongs in the church. Their work is to visit motherless babies homes. help them do some laundry, help take care of the babies and sometimes take time to feed them too. She does that with her younger brother Michael who is the closest person with her in their family. Sometimes, her mum will help them with small money to buy things for the kids if she has. Her mum is also happy because it keeps her busy and removes her mind from most of the teenage age activities. Jennifer’s younger brother Michael is a Secondary School Student, calm and obedient. He is like a confidant, a brother, a friend infact her first boyfriend if I may call it that. Anyone that doesn’t know him at first thinks he is her boyfriend because they are always going together and he is so protective of her sister too.
At the Arts office where she is working, she is loved by everyone. Her boss is always protective of her whenever his playboy friends comes around the office. He always tells them that his office girl is not their type. Some will show their displeasure over it while some will laugh over it. Jennifer is a girl you will love to have around you which makes men to flock around the office whenever she is around. She always know how to dismiss her admirers without making them feel insulted or rejected. This makes most men to love her but from a distance. She also knows her background and doesn’t want to fail her mother by messing herself up. Most families uses her as an example to talk to their own kids. They all wants their kids to be friends with her so that they will copy her behaviour. She knows all that and does not let it to make her proud. She is so accommodating of everyone that comes her way.
Her boss younger brother who was a student then at the University came for holiday and vowed to make her his but she politely declined stating that she still have a long way to go. She explained to him that she needs to work and save money for school. She also explained how her mother is suffering to take care of her and her siblings and she ia not going to make things worse by messing her life up. The guy left him after that but they became friends and she continued working for his brother.
One day, her boss sent her to go and get a client’s finished job from Fegge area in onitsha. It was that day that she met Frank who caused these tears.
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