While in secondary school, Marley was the best student in his class. For the three years in senior secondary school, he was top of his class. Marley came from a humble background. His father, their only source of income was a motor boy. He would embark on a long journey to deliver goods with his master, the driver. Upon his return, whatever his master gives him was what he brings home and his family depended on it for sustainability. Marley and his younger sister Titi were disciplined kids.
Despite their predicament, they still maintained their courtesy and would not bulge to pressure to join a bad gang or eat whatever their parents did not provide for them.
Marley, because he is a brilliant chap, won many prizes per subject, so his father doesn't have to buy textbooks when resuming a new class. When Marley got to the final class and prepared for his school certificate examination, his father traveled as usual and didn't come back home. When his master, the driver was asked, he said they came back from the journey together and wouldn't know his whereabouts.
The case was reported to the police who arrested Jonny, the master driver. He stayed in police custody for three months and was later released since there was no evidence that Jonny knew what had happened to Peter, Marley's father.
Six years down the line, Jonny didn't come back home. He was too tired, frustrated not to be able to provide for his family, the necessities of life.
After secondary school, Marley joined a block industry where he worked in labor. He used the proceeds from the block industry to cater to his mother and younger sister.
Since they always put up a smoking face, no one knew what they were passing through. Marley continued working in the block industry and when the result of the school certificate examination was released, he came out in flying colors. On the day he checked his result, he went straight to show his mother and didn't return to work. His mother jumped for joy when he saw the result. While the celebration was ongoing, mother started to say:
How do I sponsor your university education without your father?
It became a season of mixed feelings for mother and child. Marley reassured his mother that all will be well.
Titi was in her final year at the Junior secondary school when Marley passed out of school. Since their father was not available to take care of some of the exigencies, Marley worked for five years and saved up enough money to see him through the university.
At the university, he studied so hard. He would always stay out of trouble remembering that the home where he came from is in destitution.
Peter, far away in the north started a new family.
After he graduated from the university, Marley got a well-paying job and moved his mother and Titi away from the chanties to a very classic part of the city to enjoy life from another angle.
Being a productive young man, Marley was transferred to another state as the manager of the company. He took his mother along with his younger sister.
Titi learned a trade. She became a seamstress with a fashion institute. Marley had promised to send her to the best fashion school in Italy and France where she became highly sorted after.
When it was time to marry, Marley brought home Isabela as his fiancee. She was warmly welcomed and the marriage proceedings continued promptly. Titi made the wedding dresses.
Since the lockdown restrictions did not allow for a large gathering, Marley made only fifty guests at his wedding with only guests to attend. Special cards were to be presented at the entrance, anyone without the pass shouldn't be allowed to enter the wedding party.
On the day of the wedding, the traditional rites were first settled. As the procession danced to be blessed by the eldest man in the bride's family, an argument ensued at the entrance of the event place. Peter had come to play the fatherly role in his son's wedding but had been deprived. The dancing stopped and Marley went out to see who it was that was causing the commotion. To his surprise, it was his runaway father. There and then, Marley told the bouncers:
Throw that man out. I do not know him. The man I know as a father is long dead.
The wedding continued but Peter wasn't allowed in, not into the wedding, not in to their lives.