Grace’s Experience: Paul’s Ambition (Fiction) 👨‍👧🧍‍♂️🤰💑♥️

“Even as a child, I was smart enough to know what was going on.” As Grace made her statement, her husband readjusted his sitting position and crossed his arms like a student waiting to hear more from his lecturer, his attentiveness was second to none.

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Like a new scene suddenly emerging in a movie, Grace was surprised to see her husband in such a new dimension, she can’t remember the last time he took so much time to listen to her that much.

The moment she mentioned a big mistake her father made, Paul got interested in hearing the whole story. “Your blind ambition is similar to my dad’s and maybe you wanna tow his path!” Grace had angrily said. Since the moment Paul heard those words, they kept replaying in his head like a song track one can’t forget.

“Tow his path. What does that even mean?” Paul had asked himself before seeking some explanation. He had known Grace to be a very gentle and loving lady even right their courtship days, her sudden change sobered him.

Paul and Grace had been married for 4 years and Grace had just gotten pregnant with their first child. Although there had been no pressure on them, they were happy to have their child after a long while. Paul is a successful banker with several promotions and titles to his name while Grace was a lecturer in one of the recognized Universities in their country.

Like a sudden switch of character by a cast in a drama, Paul started craving to join the army! For some patriotic reasons, he felt he could be a better person as a soldier. “You must be joking, I know you can be sometimes funny,” were the words of Grace when Paul made his intentions known to her. But after seeing he meant what he had said, she couldn’t believe it.

“Hope you have not been going through a lot at work. You know you can always share whatever it is with me.” Like any caring wife, Grace decided to try a different approach to her husband’s case but was shocked when she realized he had made up his mind.

What made her angry to the extent of making the statement about her father was when she tried to hear out his plans for the family and she realized he had got none. “I’ll just become a soldier one way or the other, there are forms to pick and as for you and my kid, we’ll all be fine,” Paul had said.

Grace’s father, Richard, left when she was two years old when she could barely recognize him as her father. He got a call from his family members about a war ongoing in their community and the need for men to gather and fight as kinsmen to defend their territory and heritage. Grace’s father had never been to a battle.

“You need to fight for your family first.” Grace’s mother had said. According to the story Grace heard from her mother, Alice, her father had a farming business that was doing fine and fetching them more than they needed at the time.

Richard didn’t listen to Alice, because he holds his people in high esteem. “I’ll be back in a few days, don’t worry my dear, it’s just a little thing we’d settle in no time,” he had said to his wife without making any plans for his family as he believed he would be back soon. Alice could only watch her husband leave as she couldn’t stop him. Unfortunately the unexpected happened.

There was a great war that occurred immediately Richard left Alice and Grace and the war made the country where Grace and Alice were situated break ties with some other countries. The country Richard traveled to was inclusive. Therefore, they restricted movements between their borders.

The implication is that for a long time, no traveling was allowed in or out of the country where Alice and Grace resided. For a long time, this kept Richard away from his family, long enough till Grace turned eighteen!

The whole situation affected Grace’s relationship with her dad. Although the gap that was created over the years was breached to some extent but just like a healed wound can never be the same as an uninjured flesh, there are still a few lapses. All Alice kept repeating after her husband returned was “I told you. I told you.”

Paul couldn’t believe his ears after listening to Grace’s story, like an observant in-law that he is, he had always suspected a missing link between Grace and her dad, but now it all made sense. “Okay, I have heard you. I watched a movie about patriotism and I think I might have gotten carried away.” Paul said.

“Darling, I am not saying you shouldn’t follow your newfound passion but show me your plans for me and the coming baby and then we can talk,” Grace replied. Paul gave Grace a romantic wink and said “repeat the earlier part.” Grace smiled and again replied, “yes I said it and I’ll say it again you’re forever my darling.”

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