RJN “My Journey Home” Adina – Chapter 1

As I am sitting here writing, I am a divorced woman and a mother of two beautiful children. I am at peace and full of joy. After so many years of seeking, I finally came home. I am finally where I needed to be all along, in the loving arms of my Husband, my Heavenly Husband. My journey to this place that feels like home started more than three years ago, actually nine years ago when I first found out about Kevin’s adultery, but my Heavenly Husband only got my full attention more than three years ago. At this point in time I do not know what the future holds, but I know that I am called to lay down my will for His, and to follow Him wherever He might lead.

But let me go to the beginning, to where I met Kevin...

It was the first day of July, a cold, sunny winters day here in South Africa. It was my first day at my new job, my second job since I graduated. I studied Electronic Engineering, specialising in Automation and Instrumentation. My dad believed that I must go and study after I matriculated (when you finish school here in SA). I had no idea what to study and the day he took me to enrol, I basically flipped a coin. Unbelievable, I know, but that is how it happened, I fell into engineering, but I quite liked it and did quite well, I studied hard and after I did my three years theoretical training, I had to do one-year practical training at a company before I could graduate. I got offered two training positions very quickly and accepted the one in the town where my parents lived.

After I graduated the company offered me a permanent position and I worked there for almost two years. I was young, single and ambitious, bought my first townhouse and was on top of the world. A woman breaking into a man’s world, leading the way for other women to follow.

Then I decided it’s time to expand my horizons and applied for another position at a prominent international company, and they made me an offer I immediately accepted, this was a new and exciting opportunity for me. The company was in another town, but not too far away that I couldn’t drive in and out every day. My plan was to eventually sell my townhouse and move to this town and buy a new property.

Everything was planned and organized and that cold day in July finally arrived…

The first two days were just inductions, safety procedures, company history, things like that. To my surprise somebody else started with me that day, he introduced himself as Kevin. We had to go through the inductions together. We were both appointed as Electronic Technicians, but in different departments. We studied at the same tertiary institution but didn’t see each other because he started a year later. I didn’t pay much attention to him, nothing about him really caught my attention. We were going to sit in the same office, but work in different departments.

I was now firmly planted in a man’s world. The only female in an office full of men, working with the different Plant Engineers, Operators and Tradesmen. But for me it was no problem, yes, I was young and single, but I was there to work and proof myself, not to get a husband, that was not one of my ambitions in life, or let me rather say, at that stage it was not one of my ambitions.

Kevin and three other guys were single. I found out a bit later that Kevin was in a serious relationship, but because I had no interest in him, it didn’t bother me. I befriended another guy, John. John and I became very good friends and we started to go out together, but always in groups, never on dates, I later found out he was not interested in women. It broke my heart because he was such a great guy and I actually fell for him. But we remained friends, we partied together, always drinking. I worked hard during the weeks and over weekends we partied just as hard. Although we partied and drank a lot, I didn’t have a boyfriend, I was happily single, having a lot of friends, independent and successful.

Kevin and John were also friends, but he never partied with us because he would go home every weekend, to his parent’s house, and to visit his girlfriend. He stayed in a small flat during the week because his parents stayed in another town. Sundays they went to church twice, and Kevin helped with the sound in the church.

Although we worked together, and we all got along very well, me and Kevin were worlds apart, we became friends in a way, but nothing more than that.