Victoria believed that she could get anything she wanted if she worked hard enough for it. At least, that is what her parents told her. She wanted it all – the career and the family and like her name suggested, she believed she could have it. In her twenties, she realized having a career and a family was more challenging than she had anticipated.
The relationships she had as she started her career quickly yelled at her that women were lucky to have both. Victoria was brilliant academically and excelled from primary school to university. She took up a course in finance and graduated top of her class. Her scores paved the way for her to join a top auditing firm in the country. Besides her smarts, she also had a good work ethic, leading her to rise quickly.
Victoria was also a hopeless romantic. She could envision a happily ever after with every guy she dated. She was never one to play around. Her intentions were evident in each relationship; she wanted something long-term. However, those relationships had a recurring theme; the men felt emasculated. Her position at work and salary intimidated her suitors.
It happened twice, and she decided to dumb down her achievements with the next person. She tried to downplay her accomplishments but couldn’t hide it for long. Victoria was very good at what she did, so her boss gave her more responsibilities, and she began to travel a lot. The then-boyfriend joined the category of the previous two.
The dream of having a successful relationship began to seem unrealistic when she met Ken. Ken worked for a different firm in the same industry. They had similar positions. At first, the relationship was easy because they understood the job’s demands. Ken was also making good money, so for the first time in a relationship, she wasn’t earning significantly more than the man.
The relationship got more serious over the months, and talks of settling down together came up in their conversations. Victoria began meeting Ken’s family. They started with his siblings, and then she was invited to attend Ken’s cousin’s graduation. Ken’s family had been nagging him to take someone home for a while, and he was excited to be taking someone.
Unfortunately, Victoria’s immediate boss fell ill and requested her to fill in for her in an important meeting out of town. It was a bitter-sweet moment for her. She was thrilled to get the opportunity but hated missing Ken’s family event.
Ken’s feelings towards the situation were slightly different. He felt humiliated to tell everyone that his girlfriend had ‘chosen’ work over attending a family gathering. He clarified to Victoria that he didn’t picture his future wife missing out on family events. While Victoria felt sorry for missing out, she repeatedly explained that it was beyond her control.
One of the projects that she was working on required her to travel outside the country for a few weeks. They had to endure the distance between them. So, they decided to spend more time together when she came back, even if it involved just sharing a meal due to their busy schedules. Absence had made the heart grow fonder, and there was a renewed flame in their relationship. They agreed that Victoria would spend the week at Ken’s. She took a few items for the week to his place so that she wouldn’t need to go back to her place for anything that week. That was on Sunday afternoon. On Monday, she went to work from Ken’s place.
Ken informed her that he was looking forward to having dinner made by her that evening. He was beginning to feel like he had a woman in his life. Victoria had no objections to the plan since she enjoyed cooking for him. In the evening, she left work after him and found him in the house. It was about eight o’clock when she got there. She went straight to the kitchen, ready to prepare dinner. That was when he mentioned that he wanted to have chapatis for dinner.
“Oh, is there somewhere I can get them for you?” Victoria asked Ken.
“What do you mean get them for me? There’s wheat flour in the pantry,” Ken responded.
“It’s eight o’clock, it’s not possible to make chapatis at this hour and furthermore, I’m tired. I wish you had told me to make them yesterday,” Victoria responded.
“But I didn’t want them yesterday.”
“Let me get you some then,” Victoria replied, ready to buy some.
“I cannot eat chapatis from the supermarket when I have a woman who can make them for me,” Ken responded.
“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind making them for you but I have had a long at work and it’s very late,” Victoria explained.
“In my culture, a woman’s first duty is to please her man,” Ken told her.
“Is there something else I can make for you?” Victoria asked him.
“No, I was really looking forward to homemade chapatis,” Ken insisted.
“I’m sorry I can’t give you that at the moment but I will make ugali and beef,” Victoria responded.
That incident elicited further discussions where Ken told her that he expected them to get children as soon as they were married, and he didn’t intend to have his children raised by nannies. Victoria tried to talk about timing factoring in career trajectories, but Ken was adamant about his expectations per his beliefs.
Soon the fights over what was expected of a woman became too much because Victoria’s job was demanding. She eventually had to choose between her career and her relationship with Ken. She walked away from Ken, still hoping to find someone with whom she could build a family but still keep her career.
Also check out
When He Makes It His Mission To Save You From Feminism
The Toxic Love Cycle That Made Me Realize I Needed Therapy
He Constantly Humiliated Her And Then Offered Her Luxury Items As An Apology
The Singlehood Series: He Belittled Her Job
When You Find Out Your Man Is A Gigolo
She Found Out That The Other Woman Was Funding Their Relationship