Martin Kennedy was a successful electrician from Atlanta and ran a chain of successful repair services. His first wife divorced him and gained control over all his business and ran it into the ground, took most of his fortune in alimony, and kept harassing him every chance she got. He was tired of it and decided to leave town and find someplace where no one would find him. On a trip to a seminar in Chicago, he heard some people talk about a decent bed and breakfast in a small town called Kensington Falls. He decided to look it up.
Upon arriving in the town, he registered in this nice historic building that was just to the west of Main Street. There he met Tonya Johnson who was running the business in the same home that was once lived in by Ada's family which was bought out of slavery by her secret lover, Evander Gannette. Tonya was feeling overwhelmed by the task of running the family business because her parents were getting older and needed care and her sister was off making a name for herself. Martin decided to make himself useful and give her a hand with running things around the building by fixing the home, doing small repairs, work on the yard, and helping guests with their luggage, and trying to be a friend to a woman he was starting to love.
Martin thought he was safe from his ex-wife and thought he would be safe to start his life over again because he tried to do business without leaving a paper trail that could tell his ex where he was located. He decided it was time to move on and proposed to Tonya. They got married and had two children, Monroe and Julius. The bed and breakfast was a successful venture and it seemed like a good time as any for Tonya to do something grand - run for mayor of the town.
Unfortunately, her timing was bad because as soon as she put her name in the hat, Martin's ex-wife, Keisha discovered him and showed up at a speech Tonya was making to the town. During the question and answer session, Keisha asked if she was proud to be married to a polygamist. As it turned out, there were some technical errors in the divorce process and it was never finalized. Martin left town and no one was able to find him in order to notify him that he was still married, therefore his marriage to Tonya was annulled.
As Martin never mentioned anything about his former wife, Tonya did not want to remarry him. This scandal cost her the election. However, they still remained good friends for the sake of the children. He was the biggest supporter of her during the death of her parents and when the bed and breakfast burned down, he offered to rebuild it for her. He even bought a home across the street from where she lived so he could be a constant part of the life of his children.
Martin saw an opportunity to make his way when the old gas station came up for sale and bought it. He hoped to make it a great business venture to pass on to his sons, or at least to help them get through school.
|
