Chapter 10

A month after her mother was discharged from the hospital, Mrs Adams took Emily to Excellent Ladies Choice, a popular ladies' boutique in town, and picked beautiful clothes for the young lady. Excellent Ladies Choice was the country's number one designer clothes and accessories shop patronized mostly by the rich and powerful in society. At the shop, Mrs Adams encouraged Emily to pick very expensive evening gowns, dresses, shoes, heels, trousers, sneakers, and other accessories, much to the discomfiture of the young lady. When Emily saw their bill, she reeled with shock. Mrs Adams, watching her young companion's reaction, smiled with deep satisfaction.

As they traveled back home, Mrs Adams continued with her usual grooming lessons and encouraged Emily to live up to the role she was nurturing her to play.

"You must cultivate the taste of a modern society lady,” she coached her.

Donald, who was driving the ladies, listened to her employer in silence and he was very much displeased. Over the months, he had watched with growing apprehension as Mrs Adams tried to pair up Emily with Dr Newman and on several occasions he had tried to warn Emily to be wary of her employer.

"If you allow her to go on this way, you'll find it really difficult to cope with life if things, perchance, do not go as Madam has planned, he had once cautioned when Mrs Adams refused to allow Emily to provide urgent beauty care services for a former client who loved the way Emily styles her hair.

"You are not attending to any of them," Mrs Adams had pointedly stated. “That part of your life is history so don't travel along that road again. I hope you understand me clearly. If they need people to provide them with beauty services, there a thousands of beauticians who can handle that.”

She had also literally driven Lovelace away when the latter called one day at the Adams residence a few months after Emily had left Premier Beauty Salon to try to convince the young lady to return to the salon.

Lovelace had arrived at the Adams residence one Saturday morning to beg Emily to return to the salon to help her. Her business was virtually non-existent as all her rich clients had left her after Emily's departure. Most of her workers had also left her and her business was on the verge of collapsing. She could no longer pay workers salary as she used to do.

Unfortunately for Lovelace, when she arrived, Mrs Adams was at home and she saw her when she came. Mrs Adams, after learning about the reason for Lovelace's early morning visit, decided to handle it her own way. She invited Lovelace to the porch and asked Donald to join them, after she had sent him to call Emily over. After Lovelace had explained her reason for calling at the Adams residence that morning, Mrs Adams unclasped her hands which hitherto lay clasped on her laps and slightly edged forward in her seat.

“I'll ask you a simple question and I demand an honest answer. What makes you think that Emily would like to return to someone like you?” Mrs Adams asked Emily's former employer, who was startled and rendered speechless by the question. She was completely taken aback.

“Just take a very good look at Emily if perhaps you haven't yet done so, and then look at your own self,” Mrs Adams commanded. "Don't you see a great difference? Does Emily look like someone who will fit into your kind of environment? Don't you realize that she is no longer your salon material? Does the lady you see look like someone who will stoop so low to work for an ungrateful and very wicked person like you? You should be able to evaluate situations carefully and then arrive at a rational conclusion. I thought that as you walked through the massive gates of this plush residence, you'd at least assess yourself first and then quickly reconsider your offer."

Emily felt uneasy by her employer's superior demeanor and caustic remarks as she sat close by listening to Mrs Adams run down her former employer. Turning to Donald, Mrs Adams ordered, "Quick, take her out of my presence immediately! I don't want to see her here ever again, otherwise you risk losing your job!"

There was dead silence as Emily's former employer literally sleep-walked away from Mrs Adams's presence. Lovelace, who was obviously in a daze, walked in the opposite direction of the car and Donald had to gently take her by the hand and propel her back towards the car.

Mrs Adams laughed sarcastically as Lovelace shamefully walked away. “You see what happens when the tables are turned?” She asked Emily with glee."Remember the last time she accused you wrongly and literally walked you out of her salon in the presence of others? Let her have a taste of her own medicine! She is lucky there was no crowd here to witness her mortification. My dear, I did that purposely to teach her an important lesson. Next time she'll be more civil when dismissing any of the girls; that's if there are any left for her to dismiss.

Emily was deeply upset by Mrs Adams' rude behavior towards her former employer,although she did not have the desire of returning to Premier Beauty Salon to work for Lovelace.

Later, as she returned to her room, Emily allowed the tears to flow freely. Lovelace had gladly taken her in, when she urgently needed a job to keep her busy and save money to further her education. Despite Lovelace's rude attitude towards her, she was still grateful to her because she had learnt a lot from Lovelace. She didn't wish evil to happen to her former employer although Lovelace had wrongly accused her and sent her on a suspension.

Donald did his best to console the woman who sat by him in confusion as he drove her back to her salon. "Madam, do not pay attention to any of the harsh words used by Auntie Gloria. I believe your salon would come alive again. Just put in great effort and things would turn around for good." When he later returned to the house, he looked for Emily to express his opinion.

"Madam will make you a snob who cannot fit in anywhere if you listen to her and continue to follow her wherever she goes," he admonished her.

“You have heard that birds of a feather flock together and also that if you rub shoulders with pigs, a little bit of dirt is bound to rub off you. Please, work for her, yes, earn your money, yes, but try your very best not to copy her ways," he added.

Emily remained silent for a while and then asked to be let alone. She knew that Mrs Adams was determined to make her walk in ways she described as lady-like. She had said so in very plain language to Emily on several occasions.

“I'm grooming you to become like me," she had told her. “I want you to be sophisticated, glamorous and intelligent; very smart. I don't want you to be like all those ordinary and cheap ladies who know nothing about life, fame, money and power."

Mrs Adams had voluntarily retired as the Deputy Minister for Tourism and she told Emily that she had done so to enable her to play her role as the Minister for Roads and Highways's wife very effectively. Having resigned from her job, she, little by little, took Emily off her schedule as the housekeeper but continued to pay her the same fat salary.

"You need more time to study," she told the girl one evening after she had started her studies at the Nation's University. “Henceforth, you'll buy the weekly supplies for the house and train Akua Mansah to do the housekeeping job.”

The domestic workers were later on told about the change.

Why was Mrs Adams overreaching herself to help Emily? Donald asked himself over and over again when he heard the news. He hated it when Emily started attending lectures at the university. He had secretly entertained very high hopes of winning over the pretty lady when she was a beautician but as he watched in dismay, Mrs Adams, by her daily conduct, made his dream fade away, and with Emily about to earn a university degree, Donald knew the gap was widening to the point where the likes of him would have no chance whatsoever in winning her love. He had overheard Mrs Adams extolling Dr Newman's virtues to Emily a couple of times as he drove the two ladies and he was convinced he knew what Mrs Adams's grand designs were aimed at.

"Older men make the best husbands,” Mrs Adams once told Emily as they drove back home from a day spent shopping at the most expensive places in town.

"When I got married to Richard, he was fifteen years older than I was and I've not had a single day of regret,” she told her companion. "He respects me, treats me like a queen and never argues with me. He is very mature and knows just how to handle a lady, unlike the young rascals around these days.”

Donald flinched. He knew that when it came to classification, he was considered one of the young rascals around these days because of his age.

"Besides, an older man has everything you'll need to lead a good, satisfying life. He is an already-made man who has his car or a fleet of cars, his own house or houses, a title or titles, money to freely lavish on you and sometimes he's not even bothered if you can't have children. You don't have to bother with cooking, washing and ironing. If you marry one of those rascals, you'll be a slave for him day and night and he won't even have what it takes to make you comfortable in life. A single room in a compound house or, at best, a single-room self-contained house. My dear, consider your options and choose very carefully and wisely!”

Donald fumed silently. Young Stephen should hear this, he told himself as he listened to his employer going on and on about the benefits of having older men as lovers.

“Consider how young men these days behave,” Mrs Adams continued, oblivious of Donald's negative body language. "The most painful part of it all is that you would suffer with him when he is a nobody and has nothing, except the clothes on his back, no titles, no estates, no impressive name even. He eventually becomes rich through your joint effort and then he begins to think that you no longer matter. Meanwhile, they are the ones who bluff you the most. My dear, don't let that be your fate. There are nice mature single men I'd like you to meet. I have my sight set on one who has sterling character, and is handsome, famous and fabulously rich. Just think about it, the string of titles to his name!” Donald, who could no longer take it, began to cough and then continued to cough. After a while, he parked the vehicle and, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, coughed into it.

“Sorry, Madam," he said later. "What's the matter with you?" Mrs Adams asked with great suspicion. "I'm sorry Madam," he apologised again. "If you're not well, take the day off before you make us catch whatever you have!" she declared with great fury as she covered her nose with her handkerchief and rolled down the car window. "I'm sorry, Madam," Donald repeated. "I think something choked me. "Something choked you! What were you eating or drinking?” she asked angrily. "Madam, it won't happen again, I promise,” he apologized as he resumed driving.

"It won't happen again? Hold it right there. Are you saying that you are in total control of when you can choke and when you won't?" she demanded, "No Madam" Donald quickly answered.

"So, then, how can you promise it will never happen again?” "Once again I'm sorry, Madam," he repeated.

"Sometines I wonder how some people reason,” Mrs Adams said angrily as she turned to Emily.

She then went on to talk badly about workers who always wanted to reap more than they had sown. Although Mrs Adams castigated workers for the rest of the journey, Donald was so happy that at least he had succeeded in changing what he considered a distasteful topic.

As usual, Emily had said very little throughout the journey to and from the shopping mall. She smiled a lot and Donald had noticed how several men turned to stare at them as Emily walked past them.

Although he hated it, Donald decided to alert Stephen to the danger Dr Newman posed to his dream of winning Emily's love. Stephen's interest in the young lady was known to all the workers as the young man made no secret of his interest.

Donald hated Stephen for making it difficult for Emily to take an interest in him but he reasoned that it was better to lose Emily to Stephen, one of the young rascals (as Stephen’s mother referred to young men) than to the older man. If Emily would slip through his fingers, so be it, but then he preferred her ending up married to young Stephen and not to the self-assured rich old man, Donald thought angrily.

That evening, Donald sought out Stephen and briefed him on his mother's plans.

"I decided to tell you about Mrs Adams's plans because we all know that you are interested in Madam Emily," Donald ended.

Stephen digested the information he had received and then, after careful thought, he decided to make his father his ally in the fight to win Emily's heart. He approached his father one evening and laid his cards on the table.

"Dad, I really like Emily; in fact, I love her with so much passion and if it is possible, I would like to marry her. But I want your opinion first," he stated after the preliminary small talk had ended.

“She's a sweet girl and honestly I have nothing against her. If she also loves you and is ready to marry you, why not? Go ahead if you are interested in her. You have my blessings," Mr Adams heartily responded.

"Thanks, Dad!" Stephen said.

"But do well to check with your mother also because she appears to have other plans," the older man advised his son.

Now Stephen was unhappy. If his father had given him his blessings, why must he check first with his mother, he wondered. "I'll try and do so, but please do put in a word for me as well if it becomes necessary, "he pleaded. Mr Adams smiled. “No, son," he objected, "I don't want to get involved in this matter at all. As you can see, it can become quite messy especially where your mother is concerned. You may be aware that she brought the young lady to live with us purposely because she wants to prepare her for marriage to Dr Newman, but if the young lady has changed her mind, then no one should try to force her to marry someone against her will.”

"But, Dad, Emily has not given her consent to marry the old fox!” Stephen blurted out.

"Gently, son. Your mother appears to know what she is about ” Mr Adams admonished.

"Dad, if you are convinced that it will not work if I try, why do you encourage me to go ahead?" Stephen asked.

“Simple!” Mr Adams said, smiling at his son. "You have fallen in love and you cannot help yourself. That being the case it's totally up to you to win your mother over to your side. In this very serious matter, I do sincerely wish you well, but I'd like to stay out of it!”

"All right!" Stephen whispered, "But do tell me, Dad, if you are pushed to the wall and you are expected to take sides, will you at least root for me?”

"I'll do nothing!" Mr Adams repeated. "I'll just sit on the fence!”

"I see!" Stephen remarked. “It means I'm on my own. All right. Thanks, Dad.”

As Stephen got to the door, Mr Adams spoke up, “Son get Emily out of the house if you can. After that, put a big gap between you and your mother. If you are able to do that, you'll win. I'll give you all the money you need.”

Stephen turned and stared at his father. Slowly, the import of his father's words sank into his consciousness and a smile brightened up his face. "Thanks, Dad,” Stephen said excitedly and walked out of the room.

"If the playing field were level, you would win Emily over hands down, but the field is not level," Kwadwo Sakyi pointed out to him when Stephen later confided in his friend.

"In that case, we must shift the goalposts if we are to win the battle.”

Emily had made it very clear she was not moving out of the Adams residence, no matter what, and the young lady, as Stephen knew too well, could not be prevailed upon to change her mind.

“We are two young men and we don't have any titles or money, as your mother says, but this is a battle that I'll give everything I have to win. If Emily does not become your wife, I'll resign my job as the country's topmost investigative journalist. I'm going to dig deep into Newman's background and something must come up at all costs, although most people will be willing to vouch for his clean record," Kwadwo Sakyi declared.

Stephen was skeptical about anyone finding anything to incriminate Dr Newman. Besides, Kwadwo Sakyi did not know Mrs Adams as well as he did. She always got what she wanted and she did whatever it took to get what she wanted.