Chapter One

The Transfer

Who would not have thought I will find myself in this stage of life where struggling will no longer be my lot, considering all I have gone through in life, my husband, though the son of a wealthy man who has almost lost everything his family worked for due to some hidden enemies that we both never in our lives thought exists.

I sat in the garden watching as my grandchildren runs around playing, shouting with joy, happy for the freedom they were given to come for a run around the garden and I heave a sigh of relief thinking of everything and could not help but thank nature for helping me through all of the battles we both fought. I never expected to be a mother or have grandchildren, what a turn of events.

The Journey started some thirty-something years ago. A journey that has a lot of ups and down, what I went through in life, I never realise one can have an enemy without being aware of it. How can someone be mean and also be caring? The journey I never knew I can overcome or even come out from in my wildest dream. I never thought I can be among the achievers of this world and get where I am today

You see am from a large family made up of my father a very caring man who loves his children, and my mother who likes making money and barely have time for her children. There are my two brothers, my sister and me. The others are relatives from both sides of my parents.

My name is Christy, I was born in New York City, my parents are from New Orleans, and I happen to be the third in the family. Presently I am fifty years old.

My story started when I was seventeen years old, I was in Senior high, in my teen. I am 5th "4 in height, long sandy hair, blonde hair, it has a natural breach wave to it, I am slender build, not any definition of muscles, I guess you can say I'm " Ladylike" in appearance, I have curves in all the right places, you can't call me a pretty woman. I'm just okay in the beauty department. I'm what you can call a timid person, not a pushover. My eyes are not too large and it's grey that is rare everyone complimented me on them, they are my dad's eyes.

You see before I turn sixteen my father has a job relocation to another city and we have to move to another city. He had a new job to do, a pay raise and a new title. We all have to go with him except my brothers who were in college and old enough to care for themselves as they were of legal age, so my younger sister who was just ten years old, and my mother and I moved with him. My mother is a businesswoman and she can easily do her business anywhere she finds herself in the world. We moved to a cute four-bedroom house in an environment where most of them are wealthy people. I loved it back then, it was like my castle and it made me feel like a princess. I was enrolled in high school a week after we settle in and made new friends, there was Antonia who then became my sister from another mother, she always defends me when the school bullies come around and tries to intimidate me. She is a very beautiful lady with Blue eyes and a slender body and with the right curves in the right places.

We became inseparable, then there's Kingsley from a wealthy family but does not allow the abundance to decide his relationship with whomever he makes his friend, he was a very handsome guy who most ladies tend to admire and wish to be in a relationship with, he also was a good friend who was also protective of me, I guess these two were very close friends back then in my high school days.

I make good grades and I'm pretty much an AB Honour roll student. I have to be because I need a scholarship in other to help ease the finance for my dad. Being the brilliant student that I am, my education was on the fast track and I would be graduating from senior high when I turned seventeen years old next year which is eight months away from now. I have been in school now for four months and it has been fun except for some unpleasant people you can't avoid in life. These are the bullies in the school.

A few months to our prom night a guy name Eric approached me, and this guy is someone I had a crush on whom I mostly daydream about, he was my heart's desire back then.

Eric: Hey! What are you thinking about?

A smooth voice I'd recognise from anywhere breaks my thoughts. My stomach explodes with butterflies, and my breath catches. The feeling gets more intense every day. I wonder what it will feel like having him in my hand

Christy: It's nothing just zoned out, that it.

I laughed a little. He smiles while sitting down in one of the sit closer by and I can see that he seems to be on the edge like he was worried about something.

Eric: Look I need to talk to you about something serious, ok?

His jaw clenched. He seems to be nervous and reluctant to say what he had in his mind but I was dying to hear him because it was very rare for him to come to me. I nod for him to continue because I was out of breath seeing him sitting close to me and I don't trust my voice. It might betray me.

Eric: Well I imagine the best way to say it, is to just burst it out.

Now I have become nervous thinking of what it could be that got him all worked up. But what he said took me completely by surprise, I would never have in a million years guessed he will say it to me.

Eric: Christy. " He takes a deep breath in" will you go to prom with me.

My heart stopped, am I dreaming? Am I perhaps dead and this is heaven? I couldn't speak. I just stare at him like an idiot. My mouth hung wide open. you see Eric is just a distant friend that we occasional hang out with when we are having lunch to chat or just wave at me in class.

Eric: I don't know if this is good or bad.

He said talking about the look I was giving him and this snapped me out of my thoughts, I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. So with the biggest toothy smile, I have ever had on my face, I almost screened

Christy: YES!!

He laughed out loud and said " Thanks"

My first thought after my excitement wore off was to ask him this.

Christy: Why me? Given the number of girls that flocks around you every day.

His reply and confession brought a bright pink blush to my cheek as I listened to him.

Eric: Why not? Girls keep asking me to go out with them, plus, I only want to share this with you.

He puts his hand on my shoulders and that itself was another thing to die for because I felt a sweet feeling flow through my body.

Christy: Are you saying am worth someone you can ask out, most girls who clench to you all day are the sophisticated type and are just flashy type of girls.

I said in shame because to me I don't meet his standard. You see Eric was like a Greek god with the right structure put in place. There was this time I was privileged to see his body from the waistline upward, wow, he got a perfectly flat tummy with six-PACS. He is perfectly made and that is why most girls would die to be with him. He has blues oceans eyes that seem to make you flow in the air when you looked into them.

Eric: Why do you think low of yourself do you even look at the mirror to see how perfectly you are made, no girl can hold a candle to you. You are so beautiful and with the right curves, any guy will die for.

I couldn't believe he can say such sweet words to me, I turned red with blushing hearing him say such sweet things to me

Christy: You must be pulling my legs with that words of yours, me, beautiful I don't even come near them.

I further stress wanting to hear more of those words of his because it makes me happy to hear him say it

Eric: See, my dear you are not like those girls who doll themselves with make-up to look beautiful, you are a natural beauty and that is what I want in my girl

Those words of his took me to cloud nine and for some second I zoned out on him, I just hope I can wake up from this dream of mine, did I hear him right or is he just doing that to impress me, I secretly use my nails to dig into my arm and when I felt pain it came to me that it was not a dream, he was standing right in front of me and it was not a dream. This is a big day for me to get an invitation from my crush and the words he was saying to me are the most unexpected ones. Could he too be in love with me as I am with him, I just wonder within me?

Eric: Hello are you okay or did I offend you with my words, am sorry if I did.

I heard him say and I realised I have gone to my thinking zone again

Christy: Oh, no your words just came to me as a surprise and I was just trying to digest it. I never thought of myself as being beautiful and I appreciate you complimenting me. It feels so great coming from you.

I made him understand that his words have not hurt but rather brought butterflies that are flying in my stomach now and I couldn't help but giggle.

Eric: You gave me a flight when you zoom out. so where are the others today? seeing that you are the only one sitting alone.

I heard Eric ask me.

Christy: Tonia will soon come and join me in a bit but as for Kingsley he has something to do and won't be coming to join us for lunch. What about you, what are you up to now.

You see the pet name we gave Antonia was Tonia and she likes it.

I explained to him while waiting for him to respond to the question I asked him. I just hope he leaves before Tonia gets here because I don't think am ready to explain to her why I am looking all red today. I know I still have to tell her but I don't think I am up to the task today probably when I am calm from the shock of his words I will explain to her.

Eric: I just came to ask you to be my Prom but still have something important I need to do before the close of school today, so if you don't mind I will take my leave now.

I was a bit sad but as well happy he was leaving because I don't have to explain to Tonia the reason why he was here with me.

Christy: Okay see you in our next class then.

I said to him and immediately he left Tonia came running to me, apologising for being late.

Tonia: Sorry girlie for being late you know how it is with the class ref when we have to submit an assignment.

Christy: I am hungry, can we just start eating, I know the stress that comes along with it considering the person given the duties of collecting the assignment.

I said after listening to her, I know Sara is someone who feels she is superior to others because she has been given that duty as a class ref, she looks down on everyone except for those in her group of friends who think they owned everyone because they are from wealthy families. When I first came to this school she was among the first to confront me because Kingsley chose me to be among his group of friends, ever since then we have both been like water and oil that can never mix because I have my two armies who are ever ready to defend me from people like her.

Antonia: So what have you been doing while I was away? Hope her dogs didn't come to disturb you?

She asked me as we continue to eat our lunch

Christy: Nothing in particular but I have a gist for you and you just have to wait for me to process all the details again before I tell you.

I responded to her because like I said I still need to digest it before I spit out

Antonia: Do you want to kill me with suspense as it does when I watch those horror movies that are seasonal. Girlie do not keep me in suspense?

I know she won't give up until I spit everything out to her but am not going to.

Christy: It will be worth the wait I promise you, you just have to wait.

I say to her and I can see she will not give up until I spit out to her but as she was about to protest the bell goes off to indicate the end of our lunch break, I guess I was saved for the meantime by the bell. We hurriedly finished our lunch and went straight to the class not without her making her displeasure known.

Antonia: Guess you were saved by the bell but don't think am letting you off so easily?

She say to me as we started heading into the class, I looked at her and I roll my eyes and just walked ahead of her to the class for the next lesson hoping I can get out of this today because I didn't to plan tell her the news today. As if mother nature was on my side, she received a call from her mother to come home because she need her for something urgent, that was what saved me in the meantime.