Chapter 13: IT DOESN'T ALWAYS END IN TEARS
On one beautiful Saturday morning as Phyllis was doing her laundry she had a call from April her childhood friend. After catching up since it had been a while they talked, April told her she was getting married to her boyfriend of two years. She was so happy for April that she couldn't control her joy. She was so thankful that finally there's a love story that didn't end in tears though it had it's challenges. Phyllis was to be the chief bridesmaid and also to help her in the planning so she had to make time for her duties. They hanged up after she's congratulated her.
She then started reflecting on how April's relationship with Max started and some of the challenges they went through. No one even thought they would end up married but here she is standing in awe and asking herself how it happened and what they did right. She also contemplated if a good relationship is by luck or fate. She was happy for April but sad that none of her relationships even worked. She couldn't control her tears. She cried for some time and had to stop doing the laundry.
April met Max last two years in a supermarket. He was the shop attendant at the time they met and April was also an Accountant in an oil and gas firm. April went to buy groceries and when it was time for her to pay, she realized she left her purse home. She was so embarrassed and frustrated at the same time because she needed the groceries to cook for her elder sisters in laws who were visiting from a different city and she was behind time. As she stood there in confusion, Max approached her. He wanted to know what was wrong with her and she told him. He took her to his manager and told him that April was her friend who had left her purse home so she should allow her to take the groceries home because she had an emergency to take care of and that he would go with her to take the money for the payment. The manager agreed to it because he trusted Max. April went home with Max and gave him the money as well as a tip for his kindness but he refused to take the tip and they exchanged phone numbers before he left.
April called him after two days to and asked him out on a date to show her appreciation to him and he obliged. They became friends after the date and later moved to being in a relationship. April's parents especially her mother didn't agree to their relationship because Max was just a shop attendant while she was an Accountant. They felt she wasn't his class and were embarrassed about it. They also thought he was an opportunist who was after her money so they really gave him a tough time just to dissuade him from being with her but April always came to his defense.
What April and her family didn't know about Max was that he was a business man who owned lots of business which included filling stations and supermarkets, even the supermarket they met was for him. He worked as a shop attendant so that he could build a relationship with both his employees and customers to enable him maintain it and also to know what the customers want since he intended to invest more in supermarkets.
One day April's parents threw a big party to celebrate their marriage anniversary so lots of people including Max attended. When her mother saw that she was glued to Max, she wasn't happy because she thought she would miss out on a good man for her since there was a lot of reputable people present. As she approached them with the intention of harassing him so that he would leave, one of her friends walked to their direction and as soon as her friend saw Max, she shook his hands with a broad smile and looked towards April's mother asking her where she knew Max. Just as she was about to talk, another person approached them and also shook his hands as they exchanged pleasantries. April and her Mother thought they knew him from the supermarket because they were surprised these respectable business tycoon knew him.
Max wanted to leave where they were so that he would avoid the people he knew because he realised a lot of the people present were either his customers or suppliers but just as he was about to go, a woman approached him with her daughter and asked her to exchange pleasantries with him since he was one of their biggest supplier. April interrupted the woman and told her she's got Max confused with someone else but the woman smiled and said, " Oh sweetie, is this not Mr. Maxwell Rockson?" and April responded in the affirmative. The woman smiled and said he is the owner of Glory oil and Supermarkets Ltd. He is also a business consultant and works with lots of business tycoons in this country. Max was quiet because that wasn't how he wanted April to find out who he really was. April looked at him confused and asked him if all that the woman was saying was true and he nodded his head. April's mother was so ashamed that she had to quietly leave them alone so that they could talk. She took her guests away from there and gave them a place to sit.
April was hurt before she thought he kept his identity from her because he didn't trust her. She spoke with tears in her eyes and Max really felt bad about it but he managed to control himself and apologised to her. He made her understand that he didn't do that on purpose but he did that to supervise his businesses but when they fell in love, he enjoyed how she treated him and how she also stood up to everyone who opposed them and didn't want to miss out on that. He told her that for the first time in a long while he was treated well for the person he was and not according to his status in society and he felt good about it. He hugged and kissed her as she burst into tears. When they were done talking, he introduced her to everyone he did business with as his girlfriend and she beamed with smiles. Her mother was happy for her though she felt ashamed of herself for not treating him well.
Her family invited him over to their house few days after the party so that they would apologise to him for how they treated him and also get to know him well. He surprised them because when he came, he apologised to them first for not being honest with them and asked to be forgiven. He also told them he understood them for not accepting him initially because he knew they did that out of love and concern for their daughter's future. He also thanked them for raising a beautiful, smart and generous woman and officially sort their blessing for dating her. Her family was amazed at his humility and they also apologised to him for how they treated him and also agreed to their relationship but warned him not to disappoint their daughter.
Few weeks after this meeting, Max took April to meet his family and they received her warmly and told her to visit them frequently since Max was almost always busy and hardly spends time with them. They talked extensively as they got to know each other and they liked her very much. Their relationship became stable after she got to know who he really was and her family stopped harassing them. Though they had challenges, they always had a way of dealing with them and now finally they had agreed to marry and it looked so miraculous to Phyllis.
Phyllis took a leave of one week to help April organise her wedding. They went for rehearsals and family meetings till the wedding day. It was a beautiful wedding and she saw that April was so happy like she's never seen her and that made her happy as well. As she held her veil and helped her walked down the aisle, she smiled and said to herself that she should believe that, it doesn't always end in tears. She had so much fun as her faith in true love was restored. She decided to give herself the chance to love again till she also finds her man. She believed there's no happily ever after without struggles and challenges and she was ready for it. She came back from the wedding refreshed and with a new perception about relationship. And her new perception was that it wasn't easy to build and maintain relationships but it takes work and sacrifices and she was ready for that so she let her guard down so that men could approach her.
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