Blind ambition

Rita twirled the 4-carat diamond ring around her finger, turning her head alongside others to stare at the stunning young lady walking down the aisle.

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She imagined herself in a glittering ball gown, holding a bouquet of lilies or lilacs, walking down an aisle with her arm in her brother's and a veil over her face. She didn't think that day was coming soon anyway despite having been engaged for three years.

Penelope who was now walking down the altar was betrothed only six months ago and here she was.

Rita looked longingly at the other side of the pew where Mr and Mrs Jackson, the parents of her fiancé, were seated. Did they not want a day like this for their son? She knew they adored her with the way they relaxed into a big smile whenever she went to their home or the way Mrs Jackson called her “child” so tenderly. So why couldn't they ask their child to do the needful?

And he never had time to attend weddings, or so he constantly said. Maybe they would have placed a longing in his heart, encouraging him to remove her as the foremost subject of taunt and gossip every year.

“It would have been better if that Jackson boy didn't place a ring on your finger in the first place. No one would have castigated you for being single, after all, there are a ton of single ladies in the church. I knew that boy was no good from the first time I saw him……”

Her mother never spared her the lecture especially when they had a wedding or social function to attend together and she on the other hand never listened past the first two sentences.

She turned her mind back to the couple exchanging nuptial vows. When they slid their rings onto each other's fingers, Rita felt like her heart would break out of her chest. She wanted to control the tempers raging within her until the wedding was over and everyone was spilling outside. Then she would have the perfect opportunity to sneak out and head over to Leonard Jackson's company.

Then the bishop announced that the groom could kiss the bride.

The moment Penelope's veil was lifted, the whole church exploded with sighs and gasps. Rita would have screamed then if they were not in the presence of God. Instead, she decided she had had enough and rose to excuse herself from the ceremony, not turning around to see if people were staring or jeering at her.

Leonard Jackson was an impressive man.

That was the first reason she had said “Yes” to him in the first place. He had not only proven to be dashing but also kind and responsible. He was not the overly spiritual type either but he never missed church. He was there two times a week.

Rita sighed wistfully. Despite ticking all the boxes on her ‘what I want in a man’ list, he had left out the most important of all. He was not caring, not even in the least.

“Rita! How good to see you, honey, please take a seat”

She smiled at his receptionist who came personally to tell Leonard that she was there to see him, then walked into his spacious office.

There were papers strewn on every single corner of the mahogany table, leaving space for only his laptop and a cup of coffee.

“Leonard. How have you been?”

He shrugged. There were bags under his darkened eyes, his chestnut hair looked like something that had not been brushed in days and his white shirt looked stained, as if it was the one he wore the day before.

“I've been alive” was his response. He picked up the cup of coffee, took a sip, then rubbed his forehead. “What are you doing here by the way? I wasn't expecting to see you today”

Rita nodded, “I came to see you. You missed Penelope's wedding”

“Oh dang. That was today? I haven't been home since yesterday trying to wrap my head around this Forbes 30 under 30 eligibility requirements and I am so close Rita, I can feel it….”

Rita bobbed her head up and down, stifling the urge to scream again. Leonard stopped, suddenly surprised that she was sobbing.

“Rita, have I said something wrong?”

“No, but everything with you is wrong”

“What do you mean?”

“You turn 30 in barely a month now, and you're been trying to get on that list since you were 26. Can't you see? It's not working. Everything in your life is not working because you want to get on some stupid list that absolutely no one cares about!”

Now she was in fact yelling. Leonard blinked severally in confusion as she rose, holding the tail of her dress so she wouldn't step on it.

“You're pursuing a blind ambition, Leonard. You cannot even see anything” Then with some effort, she struggled to wrest the ring off her finger and dropped it before him. “I hope you get on the list of Forbes 30 under 30, I am going to work my way to becoming off the list of engaged but unmarried women”

Then she walked out, leaving Leonard to stare in horror at what he had done to his seemingly perfect life.