My friend Grace and I had arranged to meet at an eatery during her lunch break one Tuesday afternoon but she didn’t show up. After waiting for almost an hour, she finally called, apologising that she was at Victoria Island, Lagos for an important official assignment. She however pleaded that the meeting should be rescheduled for the next day. This made me feel so dejected. The purpose of the meeting was for Grace to introduce me to her Managing Director who she said was in urgent need of a Personal Assistant.
The truth is that I had been out of job for almost four months after I willingly resigned from my former employment because of the frequent sexual harassments from my immediate boss. I urgently needed a job because as the eldest of three children all the responsibilities rest on me. Our father is late and my mother is just a petty trader.
Immediately I hung up and was about to leave the eatery, I noticed this well-dressed elderly man around his 60s sitting at a corner and quietly having his lunch staring at me. Just as I was about to walk out through the door, he walked up to me and said, “Hello, pretty lady, you don’t look too happy. What is the problem?” “Nothing is the matter sir. I am fine,” I replied. “Something is wrong because you look bothered. Please, come over to my table, you can talk to me,” he suggested. I went with him and explained how my friend didn’t show up for our appointment and how I was in dire need of a job.
He shook his head and asked, “What is your name?” “Sir, my name is Phina,” I replied. “Phina my dear please, you don’t have to look so dejected. What did you study?” he asked. “Sir, I studied Accountancy,” I said. “Alright, take my complimentary card and make sure you see me in my office unfailingly tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.,” he emphasised. I took the card and thanked him. He wanted me to have lunch with him but I thanked him and left. On my way, I brought out the complimentary card to have a second look at it and discovered that his name is Mr. William and he is the Chairman of a well-known construction company.
The next morning, I got to his office at about 9:30 a.m. and at exactly 10:00 a.m., Mr. William sent for me. He went through my resume and interviewed me immediately. At the end, he employed me as the new Assistant Accountant of the company. According to him, the position had been vacant for about two months and I was lucky to be the one to fill the position. “Phina, I gave you this job because the few minutes I had spent with you, you appear to me like a very hard working and determined young lady. However, I want you to promise me that I will not regret this act,” he stressed. “Sir, I promise you that I will not let you down,” I promised.
Three months later, Mr. William commended me for my hard work and dedication to duty. After that day, he would want me to be present at every major staff meeting. Also, before taking any major financial decision, he must ask for my opinion or even criticism. To be honest, I saw Mr. William more like a father than a boss because he kept encouraging me a lot. A year later, I was made the Chief Accountant of the company and this made me really excited. However, two months after the promotion, Mr. William asked for my hand in marriage.
I was reliably informed that he lost his wife almost 17 years ago. However, he refused to remarry hence he got deeply involved in developing and running his construction company. Mr. William has a 28-year-old son, Morgan, an architect, who lives in Canada.
Seriously speaking, Mr. William is a multi billionaire with properties scattered all over the globe.
He proposed to me after he insisted I had dinner with him in his house. Candidly, his proposal actually came to me as surprise. “Phina, from the first day I saw you at that eatery, I liked you so much and wished you will be my wife. That is why I made sure you get involved in everything I do. Please marry me and make me a happy man again,” he pleaded. “Sir, please this is too sudden. Can you give me some time to think about it?” I pleaded. “Alright dear, take all the time you need. I know your problem is that you think I am too old for you. I am only 62 but age really does not matter to me because I have come to love you very much,” he revealed.
I am young, sexy, intelligent, beautiful and above all successful, how can I marry a man old enough to be my father? The truth is that I had never thought of falling in love with him much less of marrying him. In fact, there was a time most of the staff thought Mr. William and I were dating because he does not hide his affections for me. This spread like wildfire. I was however not bothered because I knew it was not true.
Nonetheless, after thinking about his proposal, I told myself that although I do not love him, I love his money and the respect he commands everywhere he goes. I therefore decided I was going to accept his proposal just to command respect for myself by bearing his name and also enriching myself and my family financially.
When I told my mother about my decision to marry Mr. William, she frowned at it, reminding me that he was old enough to be my father. She advised that I looked for a much younger man to marry. She revealed that at his age he may die any time soon and make me a widow at an early age. But when I insisted, she and my two younger siblings gave us their blessings, especially when he splashed so much money and gifts on them. We got married weeks later at the Registry and I was so excited to become his wife. When we returned from our honeymoon, he made me the Managing Director of the company.
To be continued.
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