Japheth's Fortress | Ink Well Prompt #72
For the umpteenth time, Japheth had tried marriage but it has never worked in his favour. The first woman he married, Alicia was from a well to do home but she was decayed than rotten pizzas.
After their wedding, she became a thorn in his flesh. She can't keep the home, not make good food neither can she do laundry. Japheth has resolved to get house help to solve the problem while Alicia learns from the help.
She would rather just sleep off and at midday go shopping for dresses and wigs.
Long before anyone could think, the marriage ended.
It took him like eight months to fall in love again. This time with Veronica, a church lady who leads the chorister. She is down to earth and knows her onions around the home.
Japheth was grateful to have married Vero. After a year of their wedding, she left the home and never came back. There was no fight between them, she just called it quits.
All efforts by Japheth failed.
At this point, Japheth swore never to fall in love again. He would rather focus on his career and live a good life. His parents pressured him into marriage but he had made up his mind.
As a material engineer, Japheth focused so much on his trade and sooner than expected, he became a household.name in the industry.
One evening, while returning from a building under his watch, he found a family of four on the street with their luggage thrown out. It was such a pitiable sight that he asked his chauffeur to pull over.
Hey madam, what happened, what is the problem?
Japheth inquired as tears began to gather in the eyelids of the woman.
Oga, nah our landlord threw us out because we owe him six months rent.
He asked them to give just a minute as he went back into his SUV for his chequebook.
How much is the rent of six months?
Japheth asked.
It is $150.
This time, the tears flowed down through her cheeks.
He wrote the cheque and asked the woman to pay the landlord but that he would send a truck to park their belongings and stay in his mansion.
It was just like a dream for the poor widow. She never envisaged that she would have any opportunity to live in a house in the next two years but see what God has done.
With her three children, Ejiro, Elohor and Ebitimi, they lived in the four bedroom quarters in Japheth compound for free.
Ejiro, being the eldest of all the girls, would from time to time prepare meals for Japheth and take care of the house. Japheth had initially paid her for the services but Ejiro refused the money.
She thought that Japheth had done enough for them already and no measure of service rendered is worth being paid for.
One Christmas Eve, the whole town was bubbling with activities, Japheth returned home with food items, clothes and money for the family as gifts. They were so glad that mama rolled on the ground to show her appreciation of the kind gesture of Japheth.
Late in the evening, Ejiro as usual went to serve him food. As she was dishing the food, Japheth caught a glimpse of her, the damsel she is, he had never taken a close look at her until now. She served the food so graciously and then intended to walk away, but Japheth called her back.
I'd like to take you out tomorrow being Christmas day.
It was like magic. Ejiro was so happy that she went to tell her mom who gave her consent immediately.
The two began to see each other more frequently than before and the lines began to fall for them in pleasant places.
Japheth fell in love with Ejiro. It was a blissful experience for the two love birds. Graciously, it appeared more like Japheth had been a fortress for the family when they needed help the most.
On their wedding night, Ejiro confessed to him that she had fallen in love long before he proposed and that she didn't fall in love with him because of what he had acquired.
Their marriage was the envy of many. It wasn't long, they both had their first birth, a set of twins, a boy and a girl. The gift from what he has defended.
The first sentence is a good 'hook', @mrenglish.
We are intrigued by the circumstance in which this individual finds himself. You continue the story well and explain how these unfortunate marriage adventures came to pass.
The prompt 'guide' is not evident, but perhaps you mean to indicate that Japheth became the guide for the family when he allowed them into his house.
Thank you for sharing this story with us and for engaging, always, with other authors in the community.
Good use of the hook @mrenglish . I never thought he would fall in love again Japheth after all the negatives in his previous marriages. But the surprise was greater when I read that he fell in love with just one of his guests at the mansion. I didn't imagine that ending.
The reward of doing good comes earlier than we expected some times. Japheth did good and got the family he had wished for as a result.
A very nice story of what love can do for people. A good soul. A guide who was able to change other people's lives and his own. Excellent message.
Greetings
@mrenglish your fiction is educative for many people to learn from. Please continue with a good job!
Excellent story. At first, I thought it would be a sad story since the main character never got a partner, what a surprise that making an act of good faith allowed him to get what he was always looking for.
Good use of the hook! 😄👍
Thanks a lot for your constructive comment. You know, writing especially a fiction comes with so much thoughtfulness that leaves the reader in a state of dilemma.