Tonye hated the weird sound of traffic whenever he drove his car. Lagos was so overpopulated that driving on the road was such a herculean task.
He and other drivers moved at a snail pace and he wondered what was the difference between them and other people who walked instead.
Oh yeah, one had more prestige than the other. You have to be a big man to have a car and drive it in this economy.
He hissed loudly at the useless ideology. Heck, it was this useless ideology that was causing him to drive in this grueling traffic to Perfect Jewelz, the number one jeweler in the country.
His terrible mood suddenly pummeled as he thought of the hole this purchase was going to leave in his pocket. He had gone through their catalog a day before alongside his fiancee, Anita, and they had some magnificent but very expensive rings.
Despite all his attempts to persuade Anita not to buy an expensive ring from these people, his fiancee refused to listen to him, insisting she couldn’t get married to a ‘big boy’ without having him buy her a befitting ring.
His head was already pounding, but the harsh sound of a car horn brought him back to reality with a mightier headache.
“God, I just wish I had never been born than to come to this country.” He said in frustration.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he stepped on the gas pedal and inched a step forward.
It was this same grueling process he repeated until he got into the luxurious Kingsman Estate.
Here, he didn’t have to worry about traffic as the place was calm and cool. Hell, he didn’t expect anything less.
This was where the one percent of the one percent lived and this was where his fiancee had insisted her wedding ring must come from.
He still wishes he could say no to Anita’s request and convince her to use a cheaper but more valuable ring, but the young woman had threatened to leave him if he suggested anything below her class and Perfect Jewelz was her class.
He was filled with fresh anger as he wondered how Perfect Jewelz could be her class when she had never made enough money to buy the cheapest ring from the establishment.
However, his anger was dispelled as he watched a young couple come out of the automatic door with all smiles. The lady was looking at the ring in her hand and smiling while at it and the young man by her side looked like a king as he watched the lady admire what his money has gotten for her.
“Maybe Anita and I would look like this when I buy her this ring,” Tonye said with a shrug as he strolled past the doors of the establishment.
He didn’t believe his words but continued to walk on.
This wasn’t just what Anita wanted. It was also what his mother wanted and as a good child, it was his duty to obey his parents.
He was greeted by the receptionist and after telling her what brought him here, she smiled brightly at him and said, “One of our sales managers would be out in a minute to help you make the perfect choice.”
Tonye had a sinking feeling in his stomach about anything being perfect but returned the smile.
While the receptionist made the call, Tonye looked at the pieces of diamonds on display. The pieces of jewelry on display ranged from necklaces to earrings to watches and down to the most perfectly and neatly cut diamond rings. The rings held him spellbound, but a glance at their prices brought him back to reality.
“You look scared.” A feminine voice came from behind him.
A quick turn brought him face to face with a tall, slender, dark, and, very beautiful lady. She was dressed in a Zara two-piece and he could swear that she was a child to Queen Elizabeth. The classiness and composure she displayed were on another level. She didn’t look too rich, but somehow, he felt that she was worth more than the rings his fiancee was heckling him about.
Before he could open his lips to speak, she smiled brightly at him and said, “Don’t let the prices scare you too much. These rings each tell a story unique to them, but a lot of people usually look at them from the lens of their market value.”
Tonye nodded spellbound by her beauty. He has never seen a lady as beautiful as her. Not one that has made him feel as weak-kneed as he felt now.
“My name is Stella and I will be helping you make the perfect choice for your wedding ring. If I may ask, where is the lucky lady?”
That question seemed to be the needed tap to get Tonye out of the spell he was in.
He shook his head as a hiss escaped his lips. “She isn’t here. She said she would be busy with work and won’t be able to make it.”
He said, wondering what work she was doing. Despite whatever work she said she did, she never seemed to make enough to support half of her lifestyle.
“Well, whether she is here or not, I would help you make the right decision. Let’s go through these rings and see if there are any that fit your girlfriend. Tell me what you like about her.” Stella asked, her eyes roving through the pieces on display and trying to make a choice.
Tonye shrugged. Anita wasn’t a terrible person and she had some features that made her desirable. That was why he had agreed to date her when his mother had her to him.
“Well, she is six foot one, slender, light-skinned, and beautiful. She works…”
“Hey, hey, hey hey. That isn’t what I am asking about. Maybe I didn’t phrase my question well. Tell me what attracted your girl to you. Tell me why you love her. Tell me how she makes you feel and why you decided she is the woman you are meant to spend the rest of your life with.” Stella rephrased, amused with the way he had rolled out his girlfriend’s physical attributes.
Tonye heard her question and scratched his head.
What does he tell this lady now?
“Come on, don’t be selfish at sharing info about your girlfriend. I promise I won’t do anything to her. I am just trying to help you make the right choice.” She said.
“I know,” Tonye answered truthfully. “It’s just that I don’t know what to tell you.”
“That means she makes you speechless?” Stella asked with a grin on her face.
Tonye stared at that grin longer than he should and he couldn’t ignore the longing in him. He didn’t know why, but he felt so happy that he had made her smile.
“No. Not at all.” He replied when the silence was getting awkward. “Just show me what you have and I will make a choice.”
“Okay, well, I would just show you what we have and get you to buy one.” She said and pointed at a ring on display.
“This is our prized jewel. She is made of sapphire diamond, perfectly cut by one of the best jewelers we have. Taking a look at it, you can see the perfect symmetry and that shows the perfect…”
“I don’t love her.” He said, cutting her short.
Stella was confused at his words. He didn’t love her? But why was he buying a ring for her? Oops. She realized she must have done that thing again where she must have touched her clients in the heart and they were opening up to her.
“My mother forced this girl on me and well, I listened to my mother because… well, this is my mother. But every day, I am convinced my girlfriend is nothing but a gold digger.” He complained bitterly.
Stella was at a loss about what to say. She was always at a loss for what to say. If Shedrack had been here, he would have known the perfect words to say to this man.
But staring at him, she knew she couldn’t leave him like this, so she decided to tell him the same words Shedrack had said to her the first time they had met.
“Love may be a very complex topic but who you end up with makes or breaks you. While you might want to please someone with your choice of spouse, just make sure it is someone your heart feels something for.”
Tonye was amazed by her level of wisdom and the truth in her words. “That was a wise one.”
“Well, my fiancee said that to me when I was in a very low place.” She admitted.
Tonye couldn’t explain it, but he felt very sad at hearing her say she had a fiancee. Jeez, was he falling for her already?
“So, you are set to get married soon eh?” He said with a scoff that was slightly noticeable.
“Oh. No. He died about a year ago.” Stella confessed, the pain springing up to her eyes.
Tonye couldn’t help but see the pain in her eyes. It wasn’t his intention to make this beaut woman feel pain. He tore his gaze away from her and suddenly, the ring had more meaning in his eyes.
“I want that ring.” He said to take his mind off her.
With a delightful smile, Stella led him to the sales office where the payment was made. However, there was tension between the two of them. One that lingered with Stella up to moments after Tonye left her office with the ring. The only man that had made her feel like this was Shedrack.
As Tonye strolled back to his car with the ring in his palm, his mind was racing. He was torn between risking his happiness or going for his heart.
However, by the time he got to his car, his decision was made.
He has to marry for love. Heck, this was his life he was talking about, and without any speck of doubt, he spun around and went back to the building.
When Stella saw him walk into her office for the second time that day, she knew her life was going to change. And when he popped the question, she knew he was serious.
With a nod, Stella made Tonye the happiest man that day.
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