It's the morning after our anniversary and I just got back to my place after going to a pharmacy to get her a plan b. I hope it will work because last night was definitely wild. I walk into the bedroom and she's still sleeping so I decide to make breakfast for her.

I quickly whip up some french toast with bacon and I slice some mangos. As am I making her plate she walks out of the bedroom dressed in my white shirt which reaches her mid thigh. She comes to the other side of the counter and gets on her tippy toes before giving me a kiss.

"Good morning baby."

"Good morning beautiful. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm great, I feel slightly sore but I'm great none the less."

"I'm sorry baby. I kinda went overboard yesterday."

"It's okay baby, I'll be okay."

"I got you a plan b so don't forget to take it."

"Alright."

"So what are you getting up to today?"

"I need to get my hair and nails done plus I have to pack. What are your plans for the day?"

"I'm going out for lunch with your cousin." I half lie. It's not a complete lie, I just omitted the part where we are going to collect her engagement ring. She doesn't need to know that.

"If only I could join you guys."

"You'll have plenty time with your cousin now that she has moved close by."

"I guess." she shrugs.

"Are you seriously sad about that?" I chuckle.

"Yeah, I would rather spend time with the two of you but I guess I'll have to miss out on this one since I have a hair appointment."

After breakfast I load the dishes in the dishwasher before taking a shower with Thembisa. She has a few of her things here so she finds herself something to wear instead of wearing what she had on last night. I drop her off at her place before I head to my jewelers shop.

When I pull into the car park, I find Chi already waiting for me and we enter the shop through the back door. We stand by the jewelry display and he places two rings on top. One ring is a simple princess cut with a simple band while the other is a white gold princess cut with a smaller diamond but it has smaller diamonds on the band. Both are beautiful but the problem is I don't know which one to choose and that's where Chi comes in handy.

"You asked for a white gold princess cut ring with small diamonds on the band and a princess cut with a simple band but a bigger diamond. What do you think." the jeweler says.

"I think they are both beautiful and I honestly don't know which one to pick but luckily I have her cousin with me. Chi which one do you think she will like more?"

"I think she'll like the one with the diamonds around the band. Thembisa is extra with everything she does so that would suit her perfectly."

"You're right. So we're taking the white gold one." I say.

"Alright, let me get you a ring box." the jeweler says.

He puts the ring in a velvet box and I pay the balance remaining after I had paid the deposit. Chi and I head to my car and I drive us to a nearby restaurant. We walk into the brunch place and we find a table by the window which is perfect because this restaurant is cold and I need warmth from the sunshine. I had breakfast not too long ago so I get myself one of their breakfast sandwiches.

"So how are you feeling about popping the question." Chi asks.

"I'm excited but I'm slightly nervous because I just want it to go perfectly."

"I mean it's a big deal so it's normal to feel nervous but I just want to make sure you are ready for this and there is nothing else driving you to doing it when you aren't really ready."

"Thembisa and I have had an extensive talk about marriage and we both expressed how ready we are for it. I know you're probably thinking it's too soon to be wanting to enter into this type of commitment because we've known each other for a year but we both want it. I know marriage takes a lot of commitment but I know I'll have a good woman beside me through the sunshine as well as the storms."

"I understand that but I want to make sure that you are ready and that you aren't getting pressure from seeing people around you getting married or you feeling like you now have to settle down because you are in your thirties."

"It's not even about that. I just feel I'm ready to make this commitment to Thembisa."

"What made you believe she's the one?"

"I believe she is the one because when I think of my future with her, I see a life filled with unconditional love, happiness, growth and stability. She brings light into my life that I searched for and now that I have found it, I would be an idiot to let go"

"I've known you for over a year now and I believe you're the right guy for her but I want you to know that if you mistreat her, you have another thing coming for you"

"I hear you and I get why you're saying that because if I had a sibling, I would do the same. You have nothing to worry about because I promise to love her with everything inside me. My parents weren't the best example of what a healthy relationship should be like which is why I am committed to doing better than they did"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that"

"It's all in the past now"

After brunch with Chi, I head to Thembisa's place. I pull up to Thembisa's place so I get her because our flight is quite early tomorrow and it makes sense for her to sleepover at my place. I get into her apartment using the key she gave me and I walk to her room where there are a bunch of clothes covering the floor. She is packing some things into this huge suitcase which makes me wonder if she is planning on moving there.

"Hey beautiful."

"Hey baby. I didn't hear you coming in."

"Your music is kinda loud. I love your hair."

"Thank you handsome."

"Are you sure you aren't planning on moving there?"

"Why do you say so?" she asks and I give her that 'really' look.

"I mean you have a huge suitcase and there are a lot of clothes that you're packing into that suitcase."

"It's a girl thing which you probably won't get but to put simply, we like to pack a lot of just in case clothes."

"I won't comment. Are you ready to go?"

""Please give me about fifteen minutes and I'll be ready."

After more than thirty minutes she walks out of her room with her suitcase. She checks everything in her apartment and makes sure it's good before we leave. On our way to my place I can't help but feel compelled to tell her about the things I did and experienced in the past. I know I have prolonged telling her the truth about my childhood but she deserves to know so she understands why I act in certain ways. For example, smoking weed for my anxiety.

"Baby there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" her attention goes from her phone to me.

"It's about my past and I have been a bit reluctant to tell you incase it changes how you look at me."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me." she says before holding my hand.

"My father ran from my mother and I after she caught him in bed with her best friend which made life even more difficult than it already was. We sometimes slept on empty stomachs because my mother's paycheck wasn't enough to support us and the bills she had to pay. She turned to prostitution and she had a pimp that would beat her if she didn't want to sleep with some of the men he'd find for her. Her pimps aggression would sometimes be directed to me and I'd let him beat me because it meant he would hit her. I have scars from the beatings but I have covered up most of them with tattoos. I fell into depression because I had no one to talk to, no one to protect me so I turned to drugs. I was a teenager when I became addicted to all kinds of drugs. Most kids my age were out there enjoying their lives while I couldn't because I had to step up and be the man of the house. It started off as a once in a while thing, then it became a weekly thing and eventually a daily thing. Drugs helped me cope with the issues I had with myself and at home. I thought the drugs were helping but it they were deteriorating my physical and mental health. I was so close to dropping out of high school and if it wasn't for my math teacher, I don't know where I'd be right now. She pushed me and made me realize that my good grades could get me a scholarship. I realized that it was a ticket to leave poverty and work hard so I could live a different life from the one I was living. I ended up getting an academic scholarship and I left my old life behind. During those four years of varsity, I tried to communicate with my mother but she seemed nonchalant and very uninterested in me. The last thing I heard about her was that she was married to some drug dealer. I graduated alone and it hurt to see others celebrating with their loved ones while I was all alone. After graduating, I spent some years struggling financially because no company was interested in investing in my idea until I met the man that believed in my dream and changed my life. If it wasn't for Obi Okonkwo, I would have probably given up on my dream of starting a business and I would probably have gone down a bad road. Whenever I tell you that meeting you changed my life, I mean it because you filled that emptiness that I once had. You make me feel loved every single day and I will be forever grateful for you. I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you but I thank the most high for bestowing me with such a privilege." I say and I feel like a weight has just been lifted off me.

"I'm sorry you had to go through those things Kofi, no child deserves to ever feel unloved by their parents."

"Well I accepted it a long time ago."

"But did you heal from it?"

"I tried therapy but I didn't like being vulnerable to a stranger so I just kinda buried it deep inside."

"What you're doing is like sweeping stuff under a rug which may seem like a good idea at the time but you'll eventually trip over that stuff."

"I hear you but it's not that easy to just tell someone I don't know about my childhood trauma. Those are a years I don't want to relive and talking about it would only open those wounds."

"I hear you Kofi but they are paid professionals that will help you deal with that trauma and help you find some closure because no one deserves to live with that pain inside them forever."

"Can we just stop talking about this."

"I don't know why you're being so defensive when I'm trying to help you see how talking to someone would help you in the long run. I'm not forcing you to do anything but as your girlfriend I'm giving you some advice on what I think would help you. We would like to start a family together at some point and we have to make sure we have healed from our past so our kids don't suffer because of it."

I remain quiet because she's right but I think the way I deal with my past works for me. If need be I will talk to someone but I am good right now. We get to my place and I order pizza and some wings. Thembisa helps me pack my things and I make sure I hide the ring box in my hand luggage. We retire to bed before 9pm because we have an early flight so we need to sleep early so we're on time for check in.