C3 Starting a new life

3 years later

A lot has occurred during these 3 years, my aunt and her husband help me a lot during those times, now I am in 2nd years in college when I first get here, I get a job and save money, like almost 1 year after I got here, I get admitted into college, I study business management/Accounting. After 6 months I get admitted into College my Aunt and her family relocate because of work, they suggest that I should follow them that they will get a transfer letter from the College but I told them that they should not worry about me that I will manage myself. After a lot of discussions, I was able to convince them.

Here am I today, I am going to school and after that, I will go to work in the afternoon and on weekend I do 2 jobs a full day with shifting times, along the line I meet my boyfriend his name is Jack Thompson, he is from Arizona and he is 28 years, he works as a Marketing Manager in one good company, he is a very caring and lovely man. I met him when I am in the first year in college like 2 months after my Aunt left, I told my Aunt and my parent about him, and sometimes he calls them and they talk. I sometimes spent the weekend in his house or pass the night at his house.

2 years later, today is my graduation day, we celebrate and everything went well. In the night my boyfriend said he has a surprise for me. He told me to come and meet him at one restaurant. As soon as I get there I enter the restaurant the decoration of the restaurant is so amazing I am thinking maybe there is some occasion or the restaurant is always like that. A waiter come to me and show me to our table but I am surprised because I did not say anything to him or say my name or who I am looking for, I get to our table, I saw my boyfriend and he pulls out a chair for me to sit, he orders food as soon as we finish our dinner, the waiter bring cake I think the cake is to celebrate my graduation but as soon as the waiter opens the cake the word written on the cake "Please will marry me" make me happy before I could face him to say something I already find him on his knee with a nice ring and said he word again and I said yes. After the proposal, he said I should move in with him and I accept. I call my Aunt and my parent and told them about the proposal and they are so happy for us. One month after the proposal we went to visit my family and I am so happy to meet them.

2 months after, I get a good job as one of the staff in the accounting department in a good company. I am so happy right now that my life is to go the way I want not knowing that my struggle or lets my battle just begin.

I am working and everything is fine until one day Jack called me that he has something to discuss with me after dinner then I said ok.

"Bella I am thinking that we should plan our wedding and I want to tell you when we get married you will have to stop working so you can take care of the house and our kids," Jack said looking serious because he knows how I love working, am thinking that why will be getting married and having kids going to disturb my work because I don’t understand

"It is good we should start planning our wedding but how will that one disturb my work," I asked

"Bella this is what I want and you have to accept it as that" Jack said

"Excuse me, you can't just tell me that I should stop working because it is what you want, at least give me a good reason for me to stop working," I said

"The reason why I said that is because I don’t want the work to be disturbing you from your home responsibility," said Jack

"Please Jack since the time we are together almost four years now till we get engaged you never mention anything like this for me and you know how I love my work and it is the same work am using the salary to help my family back home, so you can just sleep and wake up one day and tell me I will have to resign from my work because is what you want or because it will disturb my responsibility as a wife," I said angrily

"Bella that is what I want and you have to stick to it," he said and head inside the bedroom

I don’t know what to do or say I should sit there like a fool because it is like all the air in my lung just went on vacation.

It's been 2 weeks that jack told me about leaving work and I don’t have anyone to talk to, I don’t have friends because he said he doesn't want that because they will be teaching me bad things, the time he said that is when I am in 3rd year in College, sometimes my school mate come to my house for homework or just to hang out. I should have suspect that he will demand more. The only best friend that I have in school and traveled out of the country after our graduation but we still get in contact with each other but is only when I am at work that I talk to her. He has not given me any reason apart from what he said the last time but I have feelings that there is more to it. I can't sit at home without doing anything.

I am still at work and I am feeling tired right now, I don’t know why maybe because I have not eaten lunch but I don’t have any appetite for eating. I am cut off my thought with the ringing of my phone checked the caller and it is my best friend Annie.

"Hello babe, how are you doing? I miss you so much," she said happily

I replied to her and I explain everything to her about what Jack said and she said what am I going to do now

"Honestly I don’t know because if I sit at home what will I be doing all day? How will I be able to send money to my parent, it is not that they ask but at least I know how my family is but I am just doing it to help them with my brother's school fees and sometimes they use it for grocery. I replied to her

"Talk to him and explain all this to him and tell him that how will you be sending money to your parent and all other things, hey babe don’t let this bother your mind because I can see that in your voice, sit him down and talk to him, I will just advise you to sort everything out before you proceed for the wedding preparation," she said

"Thanks, I will do that" I reply and we said our goodbyes and hang up

I am preparing dinner and I hear the front door and I know that it is Jack, I went out of the kitchen and greet him, he made his way to the bedroom to freshen up after that we had our dinner. We are sitting down in the living room because I already told him that I want to talk to him.

"Bella, what is it that you want to tell me?

"Please don't interrupt me until I finish, what I want to say is that, when I resign from my work, how will you manage the bill, you know sometimes I pay for some bill and groceries, now that you said I should resign from work, first how will you manage the bill alone with your salary? Second, how will I send money to my parent? Third, when we have kids, some bills will increase and we will need to buy baby stuff like diapers, baby cloth, baby food, toys, and so on. So how will you manage it with your salary?

He is just looking at me, he did not say anything, he heaves a sigh and said "I will manage everything don't worry about that and you can tell your parent that you want to resign from your work and you won't be able to send them money to them every month that once in a while, so whenever I get my salary, after deducting all our bill and other stuff if there is some money left you can send it to them. Even before you start working, is there not anything they depend on before you start sending money to them, they should go back to that thing or the business and your dad is working so they should manage on that" He said

"Excuse me, Jack, my parents are not beggars that you will send some leftover money to them, so please have some respect because I never abuse or say anything bad about your parent. Even if they are working it is my responsibility to take care of them either by sending money to them or anything to them. Because I get married does not mean I should forget my parents or I should forget my background" I said angrily

"It is man responsibility to take of their parents, so you are a woman and your responsibility is to take care of your home, husband, and kids," he said

"Who told you that a woman can't work and take care of their parents & their home? I think there is more to this that you are not telling me, because Jack your sisters are working and they are married, have you ever hear that their husbands are complaining that their work is disturbing their home? One of your sisters is working in a very big company as an assistant manager and the other one has her own clothing business. So are telling me that your sister never gives your parent anything, even when we went there for family dinner, I saw them not one or two times that I saw them bringing foodstuff to them, so what are you now telling me?" I said

But his face changed I don’t know maybe he is angry or sad, I think there is something else that he is not telling me. I think someone has swap Jack I know before to another person with the same face. Because this not the Jack I know before.

"Yes, it is true, that is what their husband want but for me, this is what I want and that is final, so tell your parent that you won't be able to send money to them anymore, they should find another way of getting money or your brother can go …… don’t worry never mind," he said

"Excuse me, Jack, this is the second time of you insulting my parent, please I won't take that anymore, never in your life insult my family again because ……." before I finish my statement he gave a hot slap.

"Never said those statement to me again," he said and left

I sit down there and cry because I don't know what to do, I think there something he is not telling me because since I moved in with him, he never get home before me, I make sure that the dinner is ready before he gets home, if I have a lot of paperwork to do at work, I make sure that I work very fast or I bring the work home to finish and I am thankful to God my boss understand, so I don't know why this is happening now. I just have to leave him for now not to provoke him more because I am feeling tired and sometimes I feel like throwing up.