Brenda grew up in a family of four and was the last born, meaning she was the favourite child. Now you would think it was because she was the baby of the family, but on the contrary, it was actually because she followed everything her parents told her to the latter. Her siblings would mock her, stating that it was just a phase she would grow out of. However, Brenda maintained the same behaviour from childhood until early adulthood.
Her parents always insisted that each of their children should abstain from dating until they reached 25; for Brenda, that didn’t seem like an issue because she spent most of her time building her career. On the other hand, her siblings found it absurd and argued that the best way to gain experience was to start dating early.
By the time she clocked 25, she had managed to secure the job of her dreams and was lucky enough to meet a man who treated her right. Jared possessed admirable qualities. He was attractive, kind, and had a well-paying job. To top it off, he was a staunch Christian. Their relationship blossomed, and on their fourth anniversary, Brenda decided to introduce him to her family.
At first glance, her parents loved Jared and were happy that their favourite child was making the best life choices. Everything was going well, and Brenda was happier than ever. The rest of the year went by smoothly, and at the beginning of their fifth year together, Jared proposed, and she accepted.
Every day after the engagement was terrific as Brenda stared at her ring and imagined how beautiful life would be once she became a wife. Her dreams ended up being short-lived when she one day went to work and bumped into a new employee.
“Can’t you watch where you are going?” She snapped before looking up and locking eyes with the most attractive man she had ever seen.
“Sorry about that,” He responded with a smile.
Still gazing at him, Brenda did not respond and was snapped back to reality when her boss called out to her and the stranger. She turned quickly to her boss’s office as the stranger followed her from behind.
“Good morning, Brenda,” Her boss said.
“Good morning,” She replied.
“This is Anthony; he will be joining your department, so I need you to help him settle in,”
“Pleasure to meet you, Brenda; again, sorry for bumping into you earlier,” Anthony said.
Brenda extended her hand to greet him before turning to face her boss.
“I also want the both of you to work on an important project. I will send the details later. For that reason, kindly find a desk space for Anthony,”
As they walked out of the office and towards the department, Brenda couldn’t help but notice how the women who passed them admired Anthony. Each time they passed a desk, she would try her best not to sneer at her colleagues. Although she knew it was wrong to feel jealous, it was hard to resist the emotion, given how attractive he was and how good he smelt.
When they got to her desk, her boss had already sent over the project they needed to do and a timeline. Not only did she have to spend more time working, but she would also have to spend time with Anthony.
Although a part of her was excited, she knew this attraction she felt could never be acted upon and was just a temptation. She helped Anthony settle in without wasting time and went through the project details with him. The next few days, they spent time after hours trying to ensure the project was close to perfect. In the process, they ended up bonding, but Brenda made it very clear they could only be friends. Which worked for a while until the pressures of work pushed the both of them to have a few drinks.
Anthony knowing this was her first time drinking, made sure that she only went up to two glasses of wine. She was a little tipsy when they left the office, so he offered to help her and share a cab with her so she could get home safely. When they got to her apartment, he turned to leave, but Brenda held on to him and asked him to stay. He offered to sleep on the couch but seeing that it was cold, she convinced him to join her in bed, and one thing led to another.
The following morning, they both agreed it was a mistake and decided to move on. However, their constant nights at work didn’t make it easy to do so, and they repeatedly ended up in the same situation. So, they agreed it would be easier if they added the “with benefits” to their friendship agreement.
Their no strings attached relationship went on for weeks, and the more time she spent with Anthony, the less time she spent with Jared. This concerned him, and instead of approaching her directly, he opted to discuss it with her parents, who advised him to set the date during their upcoming family gathering. Jared agreed to wait even though he knew the gathering was a month away.
Brenda continued to spend time with Anthony, and along the way, she developed romantic feelings for him, leaving her conflicted. She knew her parents would never accept Anthony, mainly because he wasn’t a staunch Christian, and they didn’t believe in breaking engagements. On the other hand, she knew that it would be a lifetime of regret if she married Jared.
Things became more intense when Anthony planned for her a surprise date at his apartment and confessed his feelings for her. At that moment, she realized that if she accepted, it would mean disappointing her parents, which she was not ready to do. She stood up and reminded Anthony that she was engaged and wasn’t ready to break it off.
Anthony, who was beyond disappointed, asked her to leave and, from then on, only spoke to her when it was work-related. Although it pained her to see him heartbroken, she knew he deserved better. For the rest of the month, she spent more time with Jared, hoping they would get back in sync.
Jared was happy at first but, with time, noticed that she was not cheerful as before, which worried him, but he convinced himself that it was work-related. The month ended, and it was finally time for the family gathering. Brenda put on a happy face for the day since she knew how important it was for her parents. After eating and catching up with both families, Jared stood up and signalled everyone to give him their attention.
“Brenda has made me the happiest man on earth, and I can’t wait for her to become my wife,” He said.
As the crowd cheered, Brenda tried to hold back her tears. Jared then went on his knees, which shocked everyone, given that he had already proposed.
“Baby, will you do me the favour of accepting to marry me on March 23rd, 2023,” He asked with a smile.
“Wow, there’s nothing more beautiful than getting married on your fiancé’s birthday,” Anthony said as he walked toward them.
“Excuse me, but who are you, and why are you here?” Jared asked.
“I’ll let Brenda answer that,” He said.
Brenda, who was in shock about the wedding date and was wondering how Anthony got to her address, decided to remain silent.
“Brenda? who is this man, and why is he here?” Her father asked.
“He’s my colleague,” She replied quickly.
“You invited a colleague to our family gathering?” Her mother asked.
“So, all those nights we spent together, I was just a colleague to you?” Anthony asked as he faced her.
Brenda covered her face in despair as she heard her family gasp.
“You’ve been sleeping with this man?” Jared asked.
Brenda looked up at Jared and remained silent.
“Not only has she been sleeping with me, but I’m also the man she loves,” Anthony said.
“How could you do this, Brenda? You were about to become someone’s wife?” Her father asked disappointedly.
“Jared has been worried about you being busy at work; all this time, you were busy sinning behind his back,” Her mother added.
“How is loving someone a sin?” Brenda asked as the tears she tried to fight back started streaming down her face.
Jared stood up and walked away. His parents followed him as they shook their heads in disappointment.
“Today, for the first time, we are disappointed to call you our daughter,” Her father said as he followed Jared’s parents alongside her mother.
Brenda burst out crying. Anthony realizing what he had done, approached her and tried to comfort her.
“Leave me alone!” She snapped.
“If you had remained true to your feelings, we wouldn’t have gotten here, Brenda,” He said.
“So, it’s my fault that you gate-crashed my family gathering and told my family that we have been having sex?” She asked.
“The delivery was wrong, but you were going to make a huge mistake,” He said.
“Meeting you was my biggest mistake. Please leave!” She snapped.
Anthony turned and left without uttering a single word. Brenda knew that what she had said was harsh but didn’t care. Her bond with her family was tarnished, and she embarrassed Jared, who did nothing but try to love and treat her right. She stood up to leave and noticed that her siblings were still at the table.
“Great, apart from humiliation, now I have to deal with their gloating,” she thought but was surprised when they approached her silently and hugged her before leaving.
The following day her parents called and informed her that Jared wanted his ring back. No hello, no checkup, just straight to the point. It hurt her, but she knew everyone needed time to cool off. She returned the ring to Jared as a package since he never wanted to see her. Anthony avoided talking to her at work, and she did the same. Two weeks later, he resigned without a solid reason, but she knew it was to give her space.
The healing process took time; her parents started talking to her as usual after a few months. However, things didn’t seem the same, but she was glad they had put the whole incident behind them. The only good thing that came out of the whole drama with Anthony was that they had finally accepted that she was not perfect. Something she also realized she didn’t have to be. So, in the long run, the experience was the best teacher.
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