Chapter 1 : A good person.

I always believe that hard work and being a good person pays off and it has worked for me, for so long that I never doubted it for once.

 I was listening to an audiobook playing on my phone which was resting on the kitchen counter, as I was setting breakfast down on the dining table of six seats that was in the middle of the kitchen.

I made toasted bread,scrambled eggs and tea.

"Good morning Pops." I heard from behind me and I turned to see Ash ,who walked in, pulled a chair out and sat at the dining table.

I smiled, as I took my phone and turned off the audio book.

"Good morning,did you sleep well last night?" I asked him ,as he had told me he had a nightmare the previous night, so I was worried he had another nightmare.

"Yes Pops, I slept like a baby." Ash replied with a grin as he used his hand to eat the scrambled egg on his brother's plate.

"Ash , manners, don't just off someone else's plate ." I said and he chuckled.

"Sorry." He chuckled and I shook my head.

My future in-laws and my girlfriend Linda and Chris, her oldest son , came to eat breakfast at the dining table. They all sat down.

I call them future in-laws, because it was only a matter of time before I got married to their daughter.

I just need to get her to say yes to my proposal.

I don't know why she keeps on refusing my marriage proposal,when we have been together for so long.

I shook my head to get rid of the intrusive thoughts.

I shouldn't be thinking about that right now.

"Jay, must we eat toast bread and scrambled eggs each morning for breakfast , can't you find something better to put on the dining table?" Mrs Dash,my future mother in law said in anger ,as she was turning her tea with her teaspoon.

"When I get my pay this month , I will buy something else to eat for breakfast." I informed her, as I sat down to eat breakfast.

I watched my future Father-in-Law, Mr Dash, take a sip of his tea and he frowned.

"Didn't I tell you not to add sugar in my tea, this is too sugary?" He complained with a deep frown on his face.

I looked over to him in surprise , I was sure I didn't add any sugar to his tea , and he always sits at the head of the table, so there was no way I would mix up his tea with someone else's.

"I made sure not to add sugar to your tea." I informed him, but he wasn't convinced. He glared at me and dropped the tea cup back on its saucer.

"Are you saying I am lying then?" He asked me in what I call an angry voice and I sighed.

I just wonder ,why can't he eat his breakfast in peace and leave me alone?

I just need to smile and ignore his words, I don't want to give Linda the impression that will treat her parents badly once we get married.

"I am not calling you a liar, I am just saying I make sure not to put any sugar in your tea." I corrected his words, he was about to say something else when Linda, my girlfriend chipped into the conversation.

"Dad, please just leave the tea and stop complaining." Linda, my girlfriend , said as she got annoyed at her Father's complaints.

Mr Dash scoffed.

He always complains about every little thing, the food is not to my taste, I always eat the same thing and so on, his complaints never end, when he doesn't bring any money for groceries.

If you even ask him to go and work and get money to feed himself, he will get defensive and say we are trying to financially abuse him. 

"If you didn't marry such a useless and cowardly husband that can't stand up to his family and defend you,we won't be in this position and I won't have to bother about what to eat." Mr Dash hissed at Linda, as he slammed his hand on the table, he stood up and wanted to leave the dining table.

"Don't forget that no one is going to keep anything for you to eat this morning if you leave, Jay and I are going to work." Linda reminded her father who turned and glared daggers at her.

I don't know why Mr Dash keeps mentioning my wife's ex-husband even though that's disrespectful to me.

"I wonder if I raised you to be this disrespectful to me, your ex husband couldn't even provide for the family and abandoned you, instead of you finding a responsible and reasonable man to date, you ended up with this." Mr Dash hissed as he pointed at me and glared daggers at me, while his wife was silently and my girlfriend's sons were silently eating their breakfast.

It was actually hard to ignore these insults each day, because I don't know why he doesn't see me as a good man for his daughter, when I do my very best to make him comfortable and take care of his grandchildren.

This is one of the many reasons why Linda, my girlfriend, has refused to marry me. Her Father doesn't like me ,even though I do my best to prove, I will take care of her.

"Jay is doing the best he can, if you want more ,you should go and work, Dad, you are a man after all." Linda retorted and her father's face got red with embarrassment that she spoke to him in such a way ,in front of his grandsons.

Chris and Ash just sighed and looked away not wanting to be a part of the family drama and Mrs Dash ,his wife was stuffing sliced bread into her mouth, so she won't get pulled into this conversation.

Linda doesn't speak to her father this way, but I could tell she was getting annoyed by the way he constantly insults me, when I was doing my best.

I just kept quiet, because I know that's the best thing to do in this situation.

Mr Dash sat down to eat his breakfast, seeing that he can't win.

"I want to have two cubes of sugar in my tea, didn't you remember it ?" Mrs Dash, my mother in law asked.

I reassured her that I put two cubes of sugar in her tea, she told me she wanted more, I stood up from my chair and put one more cube of sugar in her tea.

After eating breakfast we all went to our various destinations.

I work as a receptionist in a law firm. I have other part time jobs where I work a night shift and sometimes during the weekend , but this one pays me better and it's a day job.

After getting off work in the evening, I returned back home.

I was heading to the room I share with Linda, when I heard her and her parents talking in the kitchen and I paused in my steps.

"Why can't you listen to me, your father for once, you know I always want the best for you?" I heard Mr Dash asked Linda who loudly sighed.

I saw Ash walking into the living room and before he could ask what I was doing , he heard his grandmother's words and he stopped talking.

"Linda, darling, you are still beautiful and can capture the attention of any man, you know you are our only child, we have raised you well, you can do better than him,why are you still with him, you should leave now when we are not married to him , don't make a mistake you regret." I heard Mrs Dash say and I scoffed.

I heard it and Ash heard it. He had this sad look on his face. I think I saw pity in his eyes ,as he stared at me, but I didn't want him thinking ,I was upset,so I just forced a smile and walked away.

I guess that my future in- laws still haven't accepted me ,as part of their family.

I have done everything I can to get the approval ,but they just don't want to accept me.

I got into the room and sighed.

I don't want to be the bad guy by asking Linda, my girlfriend, to send her parents away ,because I know they have nowhere else to go.

But how can they continue to stay here, when they constantly talk down on me and ask her to leave me, when I am the one feeding them and housing them.

I don't mind living with just Linda and her sons, I take her sons as my own , but her parents, I can't continue to deal with them.

I was still thinking about what to do, when Linda walked into the room and hugged me from behind wrapping her hand around my waist.

"Welcome back home." She whispered into my ears and I smiled and I turned around and kissed her, holding her waist firmly.

I tried unzipping her dress ,but she told me she was tired and pulled away ,as she headed to the bathroom and I just stared at her retreating figure and sighed.

Why can't her parents just let me be happy with her?

Throughout the ten years we 've been together, I asked her to marry me four times and she refused and didn't give me a good reason, but I know it's because of her parents not accepting me.

My in-laws were once rich, but life and bad investments happened and they lost their money, so I guess that they don't accept me as their daughter's boyfriend because they think she can do better than me, but Linda loves me.

These days ,I just wonder how much she loves me and if her parents will be a constant thorn in our relationship.

I just want her as my wife, is that too much to ask for?

***

Work was stressful and I was yelled at by my boss today.

I returned back home and just wanted to eat and rest.

I bought pizza on the way home, because I wanted to eat it with Linda.

I walked into the apartment and the first thing I noticed was my girlfriend Linda sitting down on the couch waiting for me to return back.

She looked at me with an expressionless face ,when I walked into the house.

"Jay, I want to talk to you." She said as she stood up.

I thought she was coming to take the pizza I was holding, but she just stood and did nothing else.

I knew this was important.

I dropped the box of pizza on the center table. If Ash knows I am home he will rush to check what I got. That's why I got pizza.

"Yes, what's it?" I asked in concern, as I stared at my girlfriend in admiration.

She is truly a beauty and I am blessed to have her in my life ,as my girlfriend.

"Jay, did you hear me?" She asked and my eyes widened as I snapped out of my thoughts.

"No, I couldn't hear you ,because I was staring at your pretty face and I wondered how I got to know such a gorgeous lady like you." I replied as I moved closer to her trying to touch her cheek ,but she slapped my hand away and took two steps backwards, I furrowed my brows in confusion.

Linda never does this, now that I think about it looking at her face, she was frowning, she's always smiling , and she acted warm towards me.

I knew she wanted to discuss something important.

I cleared my throat.

"What is it that you want to talk to me about?" I asked her and I saw her bite her lower lips,as she looked away for a moment and sighed and then she looked back at me with full eyes.

"I don't think this is working out between us," she replied and my eyes widened, as my heart quickened.

All the years we have been together, she never complains about anything, so this is new to me.

"D...did I do something wrong?" I asked in concern, as I inhaled sharply and she sighed, but didn't reply.