“Jennifer! you are running late”, Aaron’s voice rang from the bathroom startling Jennifer to her feet. She quickly ran into the bathroom almost knocking Aaron, who was brushing his teeth by the mirror.
“Get out! Get out!!”, Jennifer almost screams at Aaron while pushing him out of the bathroom. She slams the door shut. “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I’m so late”. She was so late that she contemplated just putting on makeup and running to the office. Missing that meeting would mean no bonus. She really needed the bonus.
“How do I look?” Jennifer asked standing in front of the mirror, backing Aaron. Her kinky hair unable to stay positioned properly.
“You look exquisite, my love”, Aaron replied slowly walking towards her with a smile.
“Not now babe, I'm late”, Jennifer said with a kiss on his cheek, as she ran out the small apartment. The room had gotten smaller and smaller with everyday that passed.
Jennifer and Aaron had been living together for almost 8 months out of their 3 year relationship. Aaron was almost the guy of her dreams...almost. There were kinks in him that only she saw. It was his second-guessing, his inability to grab opportunities, his shyness, his naivety...he calls it humility. “The meek shall inherit the earth”, he’d always say. The Earth huh? Maybe she was being too tough on him. Or was she?
Aaron had it easy. Everything handed to him on a silver platter. He hadn’t worked a day in his life. Premier schools, vacations abroad, a 5 figure pocket money...the life she had always wished she had.
Jennifer admired Aaron’s decision to abandon the wealth of his family. The Uschenkos were oligarchs, pilfering the wealth of their nation. He had been a part of it right until he came to the National Art College in Monaco. There was a perception he had about his family back home but that had changed. He felt sorry...he said so.
It was difficult for Jennifer. She was born on a farm in Cote d’Ivoire. Cocoa was all she had known but she had given it all up for a perilous journey for something greener...something better. She had travelled all the way through the desserts of Africa and had crossed Libya into Europe. It had been a tough journey but she had to make it for the family she left behind.
Sometimes Jennifer wished that Aaron had been different. That he had not cut off from his family. The money would have helped her a lot. Artists earned nothing and his was far from what she'd call art. Maybe she was just too practical to believe that it would work. He had a good soul but her journey had made her see good souls that had been crushed. She could tell...she was one of such.