Before 40

•SHORT STORY.

BEFORE 40...........................
“Will you marry me? Whoopppssssss! Those words hit me so hard like the smooth stone from David’s sling, almost knocking me off my feet. “Bernard can’t possibly be serious. Is he out of his mind?”
It was barely 3months since we met at a job interview. Luckily I landed the job. He, on the other hand, was still job hunting. Save his name, the one room apartment where he lived and some other superficial things I knew about him, I was as ignorant of him as a child. By the way, the only reason why I had him as the only male friend in my life was to avoid being a loner. I never thought he was serious with the ‘I love you’ line he had been singing into my ears. Love? isshhh! That sounds more of a ‘cliché’. I doubt it truly exist with men. If it does, probably just with 10% of the world’s male population. Unfortunately, I’m yet to come across any of this species since my existence on earth. Men, like I know, are so full of lies and deceit, coated with lust which they often portray as love. But for procreation sake, our world would be better-off without them. 
Too bad for Bernard, he was coming at a time too late. I already had gotten too many stitches around my heart than  hand over the fragile thing to another man who would end up breaking it again. It was almost a year since I decided I was done with lovey-dovey relationships. I was in my mid-thirties and wasn’t looking for anything serious. All I wanted was a man with whom I could have an offspring; not more than one. Whether he takes responsibility or not, I was less concerned. You know that baby-mama, single mother, kind of thing ? Henhen, exactly that, nothing more. Come to think of it, assuming I said ‘Yes’ to him, were we going to live on my meagre ₦30,000 monthly salary or feed on leaves, stones and water? I was still wondering if I would help him out with the bills like the last date we had, when he spun those words at me, “Will you marry me?”
As I stood stupefied over him while he took a kneeling position before me proposing at the stares of everyone at the eatery, the whole place stood still for a moment; patrons held their cutleries in mid-air, the attendants suspended what they were doing, all were longing and waiting for my response. When I snapped out of the shock, all I could say was plead with him to get up and stop embarrassing me. By then, his knee must have been aching. So he wouldn't look like a naughty pupil being punished by his teacher, I stretched my hands, helped him to his feet and we took our sit as before; so did everyone to their businesses with an obvious feeling of disappointment saturating the air, so sorry I burst their bubbles.
He then told me he had gotten a job as a sales representative of a cosmetic company. He broke the news with so much enthusiasm. Sales rep? With the high cost of living? I told him to give me more time to think, to let us keep on with the relationship for now and see how things go.
About a month after, on a bright and warm Friday afternoon, there was a buzz at my doorbell. I wasn’t expecting a visitor, who could that be? I opened and saw it was Mr. Sales rep. paying a surprise visit. Is he here to talk me into buying his company’s products? I thought mockingly. After a while of welcoming and entertaining him, he tucked his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and out came a small, red coloured box which revealed a silvery engagement ring upon opening, “Monica, will you marry me?” he popped this unwelcomed question again like the other day. Only that this time, he didn’t go on his knee. Guess he had learned from experience not to take that position if he wasn’t sure of a ‘Yes’.
“Bernard, why the hurry?”
At his response, I offered him my ring finger with no hesitation and he slipped the round, shinning object on it. If you had heard what he told me, I doubt you would have advised otherwise. I grinned from ear to ear staring at my adorned finger.  It sure looked beautiful on me. Then I knew why Bernard needed us to walk down the aisle fast. I couldn’t wait much longer myself.
Could you believe my boyfriend/sales rep. is super-duper rich? He was willed two magnificent houses at choice places in the country and a whooping sum of 180million Naira in a fixed deposit account. You are surprised right? So was I, with widened eyes as he narrated his story.
According to Bernard, being the only child of his parents, he was pampered by his mother till he took on slothfulness as a way of life. But for the gifts that were showered in abundance to cajole him through different levels of his schooling, he would have turned out a truant and eventually a dropout. Even with all the incentives, the best he could bag at the university was a third class degree. As he journeyed into adulthood, his father began nagging him endlessly to get something productive doing. His mother on the other hand often expressed cravings for her unborn grandchildren. Bernard could put up with their pestering no more, he packed his belongings and left to a one room rented apartment so he could get some breathing space. Bernard lived chasing fantasies. He didn’t see life for what it really was so long his parents were there. No worries as far as these two pillars that held his world in place stood firmly rooted. Too bad they didn’t live to a ripe old age. First, it was his father who went the way of the world. His demise shook his foundation to cracks but wasn’t as devastating as when his mother followed suit. Then, his castle came crashing down around him like so many humpty-dumpties. His parents had gotten him to do things based on the conditions he had set for them: I would run errand, if you buy me ice-cream; if you don’t increase my pocket-money, I won’t go to school and so on. Now in death, to teach him responsibility, his father in turn played him the condition game. Bernard would be able to assess his inheritance as long as he got a job, got married and gave birth to at least a child. If he didn't  meet these conditions before he clocked 40, the inheritance would go to orphanage homes as stated in the will. Bernard had 13months 5days before clocking 40. Do you now see why we needed to get married?
I liked Bernard, he sure was crazy in lust or love (I don’t know) with me, we both loved God. What more was left? But, did he really love God? I  thought in doubt. That he didn’t have a particular church he attended before we met, that I often had to persuade him with words like I was preaching sermon on the mount to get him to attend service with me, didn’t mean he had no love God, does it? Not to worry, with time he would fit perfectly into the mould God had shaped for him. Time was of the essence, let’s handle that which was of utmost importance for now, so I concluded.
As the slang says, ‘no time to check time’; right there and then in my room on that memorable day, we started making plans for our wedding; a prologue to a marriage I would live to regret.
TO BE CONTINUED.........................