The Ugly Decision

“Mom, Dad, I see that you are always holding each other’s hands together and saying I love you to each other. I’d never see you, Dad, quarrel with Mom. I want to know”, a question asked by the five-year-old David.

“Your mom and I, right from our growing years, had known each other and we grew up loving each other. It has always been like this since we were young”, Sam, his twenty-eight-year-old father, replied.

“When I’m grown, I’d want to be like you. I don’t want to be like Michael whose parents were divorced. I don’t be like Mario who is living with his mother but doesn’t know her father. I do not want to be like Uncle Milner who is a single father. I do not want to be like Houston who is living only with his father but doesn’t know his mother! I want to be married to the one I love”, said fifteen-year-old David.

“You’ll see her when the time comes” replied his forty-three-year-old mom, Elsey.

“I truly love Candice. She loves me and I love her too. I have dated three other ladies, though. But it never worked out with any of them! I’ve known her since childhood. She knows no man except me. Very soon, I’d show my mom and dad my wife-to-be. Nobody can change it!” Remarks made by the twenty-five-year old David to his friends, Mario and Houston, during a discussion at a pub.

“Yes! Yes! I’ve been a failure in relationships all these years. But guys, I’m ready to make amends. I ain’t getting any younger! Men, I need a wife. Any woman will be okay for me! I’m game. Check this out; you guys are all happily married but here I am yet to have a stable relationship. Guys, help me out!” The thirty-five year-old David to Mario and Houston during lunch a break at the place of work.

David was born and bred in Canada. His parents, Sam and Elsey are of a Jewish-Irish-Danish and Afro-Arabian –European heritage. Being a dedicated in their duties as a full-time housewife and traveling minister, they dedicated all resource towards the steady growth of their only son, David.

David went to the best of schools. From his primary school years to his days in the university, Sam and Elsey ensured he had no problems in his education years. After his university education, they went ahead to sponsor his education to Master’s and Doctorate levels. They secured him a job in a construction company! Mentally, he was stable. Physically, he was handsome and good-looking. His preferences, values he had been brought with, however, made him a bachelor for a long time and ended him in a state of uncertainty!

At age fifteen, he had his first feel of relationship with Candy. Arabian-Canadian, by origin, she felt David was too archaic for her thinking. His values and principles she couldn’t comprehend. “David doesn’t party and do things his fellow guys do. I can’t continue with him”, Candy to her friend Mario, friends with David.

Afterall all said and done, they both parted ways. Within the space of six months, David had dated two other ladies; Michel and Eunice. They never worked out. David said to his mom, during usual their night-time heart-to-heart discussion, “When I’m grown, I’d want to be like you. I don’t want to be like Michael whose parents were divorced. I don’t be like Mario who is living with his mother but doesn’t know her father. I do not want to be like Uncle Milner who is a single father. I do not want to be like Houston who is living only with his father but doesn’t know his mother! I want to be married to the one I love”.

“You’ll see her when the time comes”, she replied David.
His first true love was Candice. At the time, David was twenty five, age-mates with her. Candice, Jamaican-American, by origin, though liked him, didn’t reciprocate the love gesture he had for her. Still, David loved her all the same. They left during school hours to a pub, some buildings away from their school, to have some fun together. During their discussion David said: “I truly love Candice. She loves me and I love her too. I have dated three other ladies, though. But it never worked out with any of them! I’ve known her since childhood. She knows no man except me. Very soon, I’d show my mom and dad my wife-to-be. Nobody can change it!”

“Okay”, replied Houston. “But rumour has it that she is a promiscuous girl”,

“That’s a lie”, David responded. “Let’s forget about this issue and discuss something else.

He ended the discussion on a very angry note.

He dated her for five years until he saw for himself the truth behind Candice’s rumoured promiscuity when he paid her a visit at her place. He was shocked when he saw Candice pants down with someone else. David hurriedly left the house and for the next three years, his preferences and values fell like a pack of cards. David began living a new lifestyle- Sleeping around with anything under the skirt.

Five years later, David was the best-man to Houston’s wedding. Surprisingly, Houston got married Candy, his first date. Although, at first, he wasn’t able to withstand the ‘pain’, he went over it and became good friends with Candy. A year later, he also became Mario’s best-man who surprising got married to the once promiscuous Candice. After a while, he got used to the reality of what had happened. He was left alone in the abode of bachelorhood. It was during this time David lost both his mom and dad in a plane crash!
Mario, Houston and David worked for a construction company. During lunch break, the trio were seated around a round-table when David opened the floor discussion; “Yes! Yes! I’ve been a failure in relationships all these years. But guys, I’m ready to make amends. I ain’t getting any younger! Men, I need a wife. Any woman will be okay for me! I’m game. Check this out; you guys are all happily married but here I am yet to have a stable relationship. Guys, help me out!” Mario and Houston made up their mind to look for any woman who would be willing to marry David.

After six months, an arrangement was made by Mario and Houston to contract David, 38 and his would-be bride, 37, at their rendezvous-The Right Pub. David went to the place as agreed to see the greatest shock of his life; Eunice. Somehow, they got along and without much ado, within a space of three weeks; a wedding ceremony was to be staged. After the wedding, David would never remain the same again!
Two years into the marriage, David’s promiscuity took a better of him that he wasn’t able to really put a difference between being married and being single. He’d been advised by Mario and Houston to stop the habit. Although Eunice was also found guilty in this area, David’s lifestyle was becoming too obvious. After a while, Eunice filed for a divorce and subsequently took forty percent of David’s hard earned assets as ruled by the court.

Now changed, working as a traveling minister in his middle age, no wife, no children, he would always say to his congregants: “Getting married to Eunice was The Ugly Decision I made”