MEETING MY FIANCE

After what happened to me on my eighteenth birthday, I struggled to trust anyone. The experience was so traumatic that I haven't been able to date or fall in love with anyone since. That day, I was raped by someone I trusted deeply. He appeared quiet and calm, which made the betrayal even harder to comprehend.

As a result of the assault, I became pregnant and had a child, but the father is nowhere to be found. I've had to navigate parenthood alone, filled with pain and the wish that my child had a father figure in their life.

The assault occurred on my birthday, when everyone was celebrating. He told me he had a special gift for me and asked me to go upstairs with him. After giving me the gift, his behavior changed, and he started acting strangely around me. Despite my attempts to resist, he persisted. I screamed, but no one heard me.

It's been years since then, and I'm trying to move forward..

My name is Eunice Splendor Alan, but my friends call me Eunice. I'm a private person who speaks few words, but I have a temper. Some people misinterpret my reserved nature as arrogance, but it's really just a result of my past experiences.

I've recently started receiving gifts from an unknown sender, which has been a surprise but I had no idea who sent them. I asked my father, and he dropped a bombshell: the gifts were from my fiancé. I was shocked and angry, as I had no recollection of ever meeting this person.

The argument with my father escalated, and we didn't speak for three days. When he called me back, he was with his visitor, my future father-in-law. I sat separately, still fuming.

My father urged me to sit closer to his guest, but I refused. I had never disobeyed my father before, but this time I felt strongly about it.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" my father asked.

I stood up, my anger boiling over.

"Dad, is this about the guy you call my fiancé?"

My father told me to sit down, and I reluctantly obeyed.

The visitor, Mr. Alison Bryan, apologized for the gifts his son had sent me. He explained that his son had fallen in love with me before leaving for Spain and had asked him to keep an eye on me.

I was taken aback.

"I don't want to get married," I said loudly. "I don't like him."

My father tried to intervene, calling me "honey," but I stood firm.

"I will not marry anybody," I declared. "I'm not ready. I only want to focus on myself and my child."

My father's expression turned angry.

"You will not stay under my roof with your daughter and get old," he shouted.

I stood my ground. "Then I will leave with my daughter and find somewhere else to stay."

I ran upstairs, tears streaming down my face.

My father apologized to Mr. Alison, saying,

"I'm sorry, my daughter is not usually like this. The best thing to do is to tell your son to come back to New York."

Mr. Alison smiled, "I will tell him that's the best way to win her over. Maybe she will fall in love with him, and I know he's her type."

My father smiled back, "Yes, maybe."

A few days later, Mr. Alison's son returned. He was not what I expected. I was babysitting at the time, taking care of a few kids, including my own daughter, Darna.

The doorbell rang, and I got up to answer it. I opened the door to find a stranger wearing dark glasses and sporting a high-and-tight hairstyle.

"Hello, I've missed you so much," he said, his eyes fixed on me. "How have you been, my love?"

I was confused. "Who are you, and what are you talking about?" I asked.

He walked in without invitation, admiring the house. "Wow, nice place."

I tried to push him out, but he grabbed my arms.

"Let me go!" I demanded.

Just then, little Alex, one of the kids I was babysitting, intervened, shoving my daughter Darna. I scolded him, and he let go of Darna.

The guy still held my arms, and I struggled to break free. Alex's father walked in, noticing the open door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even knock," he said.

The guy announced "She's my fiancée, and we're getting married soon."

Alex's father congratulated us, saying

"Make sure to invite me to your wedding, Splendor."

As they left, I demanded, "Let me go!" The guy finally released me.

But then my daughter Darna asked,

"Mommy, is he my daddy?" I shouted at her, correcting her.

The guy smiled, still standing in my doorway.

"Don't shout at her, she's your daughter," the guy said. "Where is the father, dead or alive?"

"I won't answer that question," I said, pushing him roughly. He took off his glasses.

"You're not like this when we first met," he said.

"First met? Did I know you?" I asked.

"No, I couldn't come to your birthday. I went to Spain that night. I bought a necklace and gave it to my father to give you because I can't give it to you myself," he said.

"So it was you who bought that necklace for me? it's so expensive"

"Yes, I'm the guy. I was kelvin then, but not now," he said. "I will leave now. I only came to meet my fiancée.

"He was kelvin, but he didn't tell me his real name name...I couldn't wear that necklace, I was upset, Oh my God the necklace is so beautiful, but I throw it away" I said sharply, sitting on the couch.

One of the kids, Cara, asked

"Miss Splendor, why are you sad?"

The other kids gathered around me.

"I'm not sad, I'm happy," I said with a forced smile.

But Darna, my daughter, saw through me.

"You're not smiling, Mommy," she said sweetly.

I tried to smile again.

"Hey, look at me, I'm smiling! Momma is smiling. Please, you guys shouldn't worry about me. I'm okay."

Just then, the door opened, and my brother walked in, looking angry.

"God, he's always angry whenever he comes home, Complaining about this one girl at school" I thought.

"she....thinks I'm a fool...fuck her...she's a psycho...she's beautiful but unlucky," he muttered to himself, clearly upset.

Maybe he didn't notice us.

Darna called out to get Jake's attention.

"Hey Jake!" she shouted.

He turned to her.

"Hey baby! I didn't see you guys."

He smiled and walked over to them. "Hello Joey, hey Cara. Where's Alex?"

"He went home with his daddy," Cara replied.

Jake smiled. "Okay, I see."

He picked Darna up.

"What's wrong, baby? You look sad."

Darna pointed at me. "Mommy looks sad.

Jake looked at me, noticing my attempted smile.

"What really happened here, sis? What's going on, Splendor?"

I explained, "Some guy came here claiming to be my fiancé. He's the one who gave me that necklace on my birthday."

Jake's expression changed. "Oh, it was kelvin, I know that guy. So, did you accept his proposal?"

I replied, "No."

Jake laughed.

"When will you change? Not every guy is like the one who hurt you in the past. You need to forget about him."

I didn't want to discuss my past.

"Forget about that, Jake. I don't want to talk about it."

I changed the subject.

"Who's the girl you were talking about? The one who thinks you're interested in her?"

Jake laughed. "You know exactly what I said."

I pressed for more information. "So, who is she?"

Jake smiled mischievously. "I don't know, I don't want to talk about her. Bye!"

He went upstairs, leaving us behind. The kids laughed.

"Mom, why is he angry?" Darna asked.

"Something happened at school," I replied.

"Did he fight with someone? That's why he's so mad," she guessed.

The kids started teasing me, saying

"We wanna play hide and seek with you" they said in unison

"Okay, okay, now you guys should go hide. I'll count from 1 to 10, then I'll come look for you. Are you ready?"

The kids cheered, "Yes, we are!"

I started counting, "1, 2, 3, 4..." As I continued counting, the kids ran and hid in their different hiding spots.