If she got a penny for every time she had been told she was too ambitious, she would probably be on the board of directors in one of the big banks in Nairobi.

She grew up as an orphan, the first of four children. Their parents died in an airplane crash when she was 16. And for 20 years now, all she had ever known how to do was take the lead role, be in control of people, and manage situations effectively, and damn, she was so good at it.

She called it her superpower. She took care of her siblings, not just by nurturing them, but also by standing up for them in the face of oppression.

While her parents were alive, her mother raised her to be a leader, to look out for people, especially people who couldn’t fight for themselves. She taught her how to think out of the box to create solutions in the midst of chaos.

Every time she looked at her siblings and how well they had turned out, she felt super proud and knew without a doubt that her parents would be proud of them too.

All through her life, from the time she was a teenager, she had fought many battles. Life and people had waged war against her, but somehow (she believed it was the power of God and her parents being her guardian angels), she always came out victorious.

From her uncle, her dad’s only brother, who tried to take control of their lives for his selfish interests, to her lecturers and professors in the university, her bosses at work, and even friends along the way, her life was a headliner of betrayal, hate and prejudice.

Her colleague at work, a few years ago, once told her there was something intimidating about her. It was an air of confidence and self awareness that seemed to overwhelm people. She was quite perturbed to hear that. For all she knew, she was just a girl who wanted things to go well and be done the appropriate way.

From the time she was a little girl, she desired to own an organization that would help people solve their problems. It started out as a childhood fantasy, one that her mother had paid attention to and steered her into the direction that led her to that path.

They would have charity events, volunteer at their neighborhood church and visit orphanage homes. Little did she know she was being prepared for what life had for her future.

She was about to board a plane to Nigeria from Nairobi and reckoned she had about 5 hours to spend on the flight. That would give her enough time to go through her presentation. Her company had recently developed an app, one that would change the dynamics of logistics in the haulage business in Nigeria.

True to her childhood fantasies, she had built a company from scratch that provided solutions to the numerous problems faced in the corporate world – she worked with the Marine industry, Oil and Gas, Transportation, Telecommunication and in recent times, her team was working tirelessly to break into Entertainment and Arts.

She had worked for corporate bodies, state governments and had well over seven African countries to her credit. It was what made her feel whole, knowing that people needed her expertise to make their lives easier and run their businesses more effectively and that she could meet those needs.

She was settling into her seat on the plane, when she heard the familiar voice. She looked up, her heart skipped many beats. She struggled to maintain a cool demeanor.

“Hey, Emeka, what a surprise!” She held out her hand to him.

“Not such a surprise I’d say, for someone who’s always in the air, you’re bound to meet someone you know on every flight, it just happens to be me today” They both laughed, bantered for a few more minutes, before he moved on to settle into his seat.

Emeka was her boyfriend for 2 years, the best relationship she ever had. He was one of the kindest people she ever met, and with her previous messy relationships with Kenyan men, and the horrible stories she had heard about Nigerian men, he was a breath of fresh air for her.

She met him when she was 30 years old, at the time she had just branched out into Lagos, Nigeria with her company. He was a senior executive in one of the telecommunication companies she was pitching to at the time. The deal didn’t come through, but he came through.

She was in the lobby of the hotel where she had lodged, having a drink to celebrate her failure, as he had joked she was doing. They talked about everything and spent time getting to know themselves – their backgrounds, their dreams, their achievements, their beliefs and the things that kept them grounded.

She found him to be very interesting and it was easy to develop a friendship with him. He happened to be as invested in her as she was in him and in no time, their budding friendship grew into something deeper. He was caring and kind and made her happy. She was indeed very happy.

They shuttled between Nairobi, where she was based, and Lagos as often as they could and even went on vacations outside Africa together. Their relationship was just perfect and for the first time since she lost her parents, she was able to let her guard down. She was being taken care of, he wasn’t another challenge for her to overcome. She felt safe.

On the evening of their 2nd anniversary, he asked her to marry him, in the simplest, most romantic way. There were no spectators and no show off, just a band of 5 musicians, playing one of her favorite songs ever I care about you by Milestone, as he dropped on one knee in the middle of their dinner with the most precious ring, just like she dreamed.

All she could do was cry, even as she smiled through her tears and they danced and laughed. A memory she can’t let go of. They spent the night in each other’s arms and it was the best she had felt in her entire life until breakfast the following morning.

They were making plans to tell their family and friends of their engagement, what the wedding will be like and other things relating to their future. Then Emeka talked about her moving to Nigeria with him and closing down her company so they could start their family.

She had imagined he was joking and made light of it, but he said he meant it seriously. Her head did a spin. Shut down a company she had wanted and worked for her entire life because she was getting married?

She was confused, how had he not mentioned this all the while they were dating? She had assumed he was very okay with what she did, he even said on several occasions how proud he was of her and bragged to his friends how smart and driven his woman is.

She demanded an explanation, and in his defense, he said he wasn’t going to spend the rest of his life competing with a career for the attention of his wife. He wanted her fully to himself. He was doing very well and was at the peak of his career. He was capable of taking care of her and giving her the world.

 

She couldn’t believe her ears and his level of reasoning. She couldn’t believe this was the same person she had dated for 2 years. Her life came tumbling down, she loved Emeka with her entire heart, but to give up her career completely for him? She was in a dilemma.

 

She asked for sometime alone to think and for the 2 weeks they were apart, she spent nights crying and praying. She talked to his best friend, to speak to him. She talked to his sister, but it seemed she was putting fuel to the fire, as they appeared to be on his side.

 

She tried to negotiate with him, she promised to cut down her work hours, to hire more managers. She pleaded and argued her case and tried to make him see reason how the work she did and had grown to love meant a lot to her and was a part of who she was, the woman he claimed to be in love with.

 

All her negotiations didn’t make him change his mind. He said he had seen how career driven women could never hold a marriage together and he didn’t want them to suffer the same fate. It broke her heart into tiny pieces to hear him say that, to know that he wasn’t even willing to see how things could work out. She broke off the engagement.

 

They had finally arrived in Lagos. She watched as he alighted from the plane, his wife and their 2 kids behind him. Her heart tugged. Should she have given up her life to remain with him? Would this have been her travelling with him with their kids?

 

She wondered if she had made a mistake; many people told her she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Marriage was the ultimate achievement any woman could aspire to, they said. She would die lonely, they said. Her career wouldn’t give her warmth, they said.

 

But she was convinced she had made the right decision. She loved Emeka no doubt, and she looked forward to nurturing a family of her own someday. But giving up her career was like killing a major part of what made her who she was. She believed she would one day meet a man who would support her, support her career, and still want to build a home with her.

 

She picked up her handbag and her hand luggage and made her way to baggage claim to get the rest of her things.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

And this is an insight into the life of the 3rd character in this series. An ambitious and successful woman,  made to choose between her love life and her career.

It’s your favorite storyteller, and I’d be back with the continuing story .

Please share with anyone and everyone.

Kindly share your thoughts and opinions in the comments.

Peace, Love and light

Jay