"You reap what you sow" was what my grandfather used to say to all his grandchildren. I never truly understood the meaning of this until I witnessed first-hand what my best friend Sally went through. It was sad but it made me think hard about my decisions in life. I must remember to work hard and make the right choices.
Sally came from a wealthy family and had a great inheritance coming her way. She was the apple of her father's eye. Her father loved her dearly and she adored him. She was a responsible and caring daughter and never went against her parents.
Then one day, she announced to a few close friends that she was getting married to someone she had only known for three months. We were shocked. Later, we met up with her to find out more about her fiancé. We were even more shocked and disturbed by what she told us.
The man she wanted to marry, Peter, was fifteen years older and a divorcee with grown-up children. He did not have a stable job. We could understand why her parents did not approve of her intention. We were of the same opinion as her parents but, as friends, we respected her decision.
For the first time, Sally disobeyed her parents and was adamant in wanting to marry Peter. Blinded by love, she was very confident that Peter was the perfect husband. Consequently, she was disowned by her father and her inheritance was withdrawn.
However, it did not take long for reality to strike. Peter did not earn enough to support the lifestyle she was used to. Sally then decided to get a job. Copy-writing was her forte but it was stressful with tight deadlines to meet.
Eventually, Peter stopped working altogether and began a life of laziness, but what was worse was he started indulging in alcohol and gambling with Sally's hard-earned money. Life became more and more miserable; she worked hard, only to return to a house with Peter and his friends, all drunk and rowdy, while she had to do all the household chores.
Finally, Sally called it quits with Peter but was too embarrassed to face her parents. She got a transfer to the city with the same company. She saved up enough to buy her own apartment. She continued to work hard and was rewarded when she was promoted to the position of manager of her department.
Friends asked her to visit her parents but it took her a lot of courage to do so. She felt very uncertain about how her father would respond to her. When she finally drew courage from her friends' encouragement and her own love for her parents, she was glad. Her father was overjoyed to see her and they made up.
As she told her story to her subordinates at a meeting, she ended with the familiar proverb "You reap what you sow". However, with hard work and perseverance, you would be able to overcome any difficult situation.
Vocabulary
1. You reap what you sow - everything that happens to you is a result of your own
actions
2. The apple of her father's eye - the person who is loved most
3. rowdy - rough and disorderly
4. subordinates - belong to a lower or inferior class or rank
5. perseverance - steady persistence in a course of actions in spite of difficulties,
obstacles and discouragement
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