MISTAKES OF MY PARENTS 4

If you miss any episode click here

Back in Asaba Joe’s parents insisted on him getting another wife. “It has been three years my son, you cannot wait for a woman who abandoned you and her son. it’s time you move on and find a woman. You need her to help you raise Nathan.” his father explained.

“I don’t know dad. I have tried to look around but I cannot find the right person. I will marry again when time comes” he had told his parents.

One day he decided to go back to Jessy, he tried getting serious in the hope of taking their relationship to another level but unfortunately she was not as interested as he thought she would. She was still making demands of money and other things but when he proposed marriage to her, Jessy declined..

“Am sorry Joe ” she told him. “I can’t marry you.” Joe who had planned a romantic dinner at a hotel with a live band playing music, looked at her shocked. His knees still on the floor as he extended a gold ring to her. He was shocked she declined. “But I thought you loved me” Joe complained, lifting himself from the floor and trying so hard to compose himself and conceal the shame from those watching. He heard some murmuring. Joe couldn’t discern whether the murmuring was for pity or disappointment.

“I can’t” Jessy told him. “You cheated on your wife with me and now what guarantee do I have that you will not do the same to me? ” She paused as she finished her sentence, giving Joe a chance to speak. When she noticed his face bowed, she continued. “Besides I’m engaged to another man, at least I love him and I know he loves me. I’m sorry Joe” She added, “you are handsome and so generous and I appreciate it. But I cannot be your wife.”

Joe looked at her and saw she was serious.

“But Jessy I thought you loved me, you even made me neglect my marriage and contributed to my wife leaving me. Now you’re telling me you don’t want to marry me?”

Jessy shook her head.. ” I’m sorry” she said again. “Just look for another woman” she said before standing up and grabbing her hand bag. Joe Watched her as she walked away pulling down her mini skirt which was up slightly, her high heels making noise as she walked past the reception unit and out the glass door..

That night Joe didn’t bother going home early, instead he went to the nearest bar to cool his head off. He shed tears as he remembered his beautiful wife Rachael. The hurt he felt in his heart made him to drink even harder, fortunate enough, his friend who had gone to the same place that night grabbed him to the car park and drove him home.

“I have lost it all.” He cried. “I had a woman who loved me genuinely but now am even being rejected by a woman I had spent so much money and the valuable time I would have used in my marriage.” “Joe my friend, what can I tell you?” his friend told him as he led him to his bed. ” Just sleep and tomorrow is another day. Sit down and find a way of raising your son properly.”

“Oh my son” Joe murmered, his eyes closed. “He’s the only blessing I reaped from my marriage with Rachael. I wasted the rest of the blessings God had given me.” He cried.

His friend patted his back and walked out leaving him murmuring and crying.

Two years later, Joe managed to to marry again. Unfortunately, he married a woman he didn’t love. He was just hooked to her by his mother, after she saw how her son had started moving about, drinking lots of alcohol and sleeping with different women. She assured him Nancy was a good woman and a Christian too. Joe agreed just to please his parents and ease off the pressure. However, deep down he was still lost and couldn’t find exactly what he was looking for.

Being a Christian and prayerful woman, Nancy , over the years successfully brought Joe back to sanity and he started committing himself to work in his father’s company as he did before. He was still drinking alcohol though not as bad as before.

All this time Nathan his son had grown and was doing so great at school. His step mother was so good to him and raised him as her own. Joe never told Nathan that Nancy wasn’t his biological mother, all Nathan knew was that he was the only child of Joe and Nancy since Nancy could not have children of her own which somehow made Joe dislike her even more. Though he never said it and at the same time he never developed any special feelings for Nancy.

Ten years later, Nathan had turned 17 and was admitted in the University to study Medicine. Efforts by his father Joe to make him do some business courses so that he could run the business after him failed.

Since the demise of his father, the whole responsibility now rests on his shoulder and he had expanded it over the years .

Unfortunately Nancy didnt live to see Nathan who she had encouraged and motivated to follow his heart, become a doctor. She would always tell him. “My son, the passion you have to save people’s lives is the way to go. God has blessed you with a heart to help others” She would say. “So use it and let God work through you”

When Nathan graduated from the school of medicine he dedicated his success to his late mother Nancy. He had mourned his beloved mom for years. He loved his father of course, but Nathan felt so much connected to Nancy. She was always there for him and inspired him in a good and Christian way. Nathan grew up respecting women and living a honest and decent life. Even though he never had the guts to confront his father on his irresponsible way of alcohol consumption, and flirting with other women. Nathan hated the fact that his father was betraying his mother Nancy and when Nancy died, Nathan had blamed his father.

“You didn’t love her enough and you were always running here and there with other women” He accused him. “No wonder my mother had developed BP and died ”

Joe felt ashamed but couldn’t bring himself to tell Nathan Nancy wasn’t his mother and that his biological mother was the only woman he had loved sincerly.

The gap between them grew over the years, such that Nathan decided to move out of his father’s house immediately he completed his course, leaving Joe all alone and back to his heavy drinking way of life.

Despite the fact that his business was progressing, Joe’s life remained stagnant. He had lost all connections to his personal life and each day that passed. He felt his inner sadness growing, while resorting to drinking alcohol.

To be continued…