At the airport, Toto was anxiously waiting. When Nia first saw him, his physique surprised her. Instead of being tall and muscular, he was short and stocky, but his size was no longer an issue. All she cared about was meeting her prospective husband. The fact that he owned land and had money made him look first-rate in her eyes.
They embraced as though they had not seen each other in years.
He asked her how the flight went, and she responded, "It was a pleasant and long awaited journey."
Toto replied, "I am delighted to meet you."
Nia was beautiful, tall, and voluptuous and always wore her hair in tiny braids. She was a natural beauty, and her fashion style was always classic chic. She could have been a high fashion or a cover-girl model.
As far as Toto was concerned, she was just what the doctor ordered.
The two left the airport in a taxi and arrived at Toto's residence in less than ten minutes. He lived in a small room, which hardly had any furnishings. The place had a bed, table, two chairs, a refrigerator, and a stove.
The village, in which he resided, was such a contrast to where Nia had lived in New York. She started to wonder why an affluent person would live such a penny-pinching existence but rationalized that many wealthy people do live below their means; this is why they have money.
As Nia looked around the room, she asked Toto why he lived in a space with just the bare necessities. He told her that his business had failed, and he had to sell all of his assets to pay off bad debts, which had accumulated over the past two years. Currently, he could only afford a one-room dwelling.
At that moment, she asked about the land his parents owned. "You could have used it as collateral or sold some of the land to pay down your debts," she stressed with a stunned look.
He said his uncle owned the land and not his parents. The family had been feuding for years regarding the true ownership of the acreage.
His uncle's father was the original owner, but when the father passed away, there were no provisions made as to which family member would take over the estate.
Therefore, the uncle made a claim as the true owner.
She then asked him about her money.
He said, "My beloved Nia, I took the liberty of using the money you sent to pay off all of my debts. I am sorry to say that I am broke with no means of paying you back right now."