Chapter 19

It was the fourth month of the new year and Emily, after returning from lectures on Friday, occupied herself with work at the Women's Xklusiv Beauty Salon.

Mr Adams had a house along the Main Street in the heart of the city which he had readily made available to Emily when he learnt about her plan to set up a beauty clinic. It was a very spacious place with several rooms and so she had an office and a small study where she could retire to study. There were also rooms for consultation, therapy, massaging and a snack bar.

Stephen had added barbering and coffee shops and later a gym when a majority of their clients suggested one for the community. He had actively thrown his weight behind Emily and his father had also aided her to put the place together.

“Emily is my daughter and I must do everything I can to make her succeed,” Mr Adams had pointed out when his son tried to restrain him from getting too involved in the project.

Emily found out later that fortunately for her, her clients usually called in during the evenings and on weekends when she was available to personally attend to them. Word of Emily's salon had spread quickly like bushfire in the harmattan season when she started operating at the beginning of the year. Clients who had been looking for her for months discovered the new place as satisfied clients continued to spread the word about the new place in town. Afia also actively campaigned for her friend, with the result that many of the bank workers who initially swarmed Women's Xklusiv Beauty Salon on weekends, first out of curiosity, later became Emily's regular clients.

Most evenings during weekends when he wanted to unwind, Mr Adams worked out at the gym and invariably ended up at the salon to chat with Emily and the workers as they prepared to close for the day. He had become very fond of Emily and he had insisted she continue to stay at his residence after the funeral. “She can remain at her side of the house. After all, she is not a nuisance and, besides, she helps in running the house,” Mr Adams had argued when his son wanted to encourage Emily to move out of the house.

Stephen had dropped the subject but hinted that as soon as their marriage went through he would take his bride away.

“Well, she can continue to live here if you say so,” the young man conceded, “but as soon as I marry her, I'll take her away with me.”

“Let's cross that bridge when we get there,” Mr Adams said. ‘Why did you leave this house? Was it not because of your mother? She's no longer around and, besides, the two of us have hit it off as father and son. Why can't my son and his wife live with me?”

“Exactly what I've been afraid of all this while,” Stephen joked. "You see, when I get to marry Emily, she will be more of a daughter to you than my wife!”

“Can you ever be more of a son than a husband to her?” the older man parried.

“That's because I will not allow it,” Stephen replied. “But Emily is not like me. She is so laid back that she'll give in to anything you say. You know how she is.”

“Now, that brings me to a very important issue I want to discuss with you,” Mr Adams began. “I've noticed that she cooks, washes for you and generally waits on you. Please stop that. You are merely exploiting the young lady.”

He raised his hand to stop his son when Stephen began to raise an objection. “The young lady still feels indebted to us. She is willing to serve us because she is used to serving others. But we must not take advantage of her in any way. Can't you send your clothes to the laundry? Or wash them yourself? Please, cook your own meals if you can't come over to eat with us.” “Dad, you got it all wrong!” Stephen objected. “When she visits me on weekends and finds me washing, she offers to do it with me. After that, we both go to the market, shop and then we do the cooking together; that's all. I'll not exploit her in any way and besides, we enjoy doing those things together."

"Well, that is okay as long as you are not taking advantage of her.” Mr Adams conceded. After a brief pause, Stephen frowned and looked his father in the eyes as he spoke. “Dad, how did you find out that she cooks and washes for me?” "I am the minister of this region and I happen to know what my key subjects are doing on a regular basis,” Mr Adams replied. Stephen did not believe his father but allowed the matter to drop. However, as soon as he got together with Emily, he raised the issue with her. “When I went to see the old man today, he mentioned that I should stop making you cook and wash for me,” he stated. “Have you been chatting with him?”

Emily reflected on his question for some time before answering. “Hmmm ... I'm not too sure exactly what I told him but he did ask me casually how you eat and that I should try and help you with your meals. I remember telling him that I help with the cooking and I'm not very sure about this, but I think on another occasion he mentioned that your shirts are well-washed and ironed. He wanted me to introduce him to the laundry where you send your clothes and I think I told him I help you to wash them. Look, he made it seem so casual that I didn't even think he was fishing for information about how we were getting on."

Stephen smiled. “So now you know that the man called Mr Adams is very shrewd. Next time he starts asking questions, just be on your guard. He's a very intelligent man and he can get you to say things you may not even be aware you are disclosing.”

“So what did he say to you?” she asked.

“He says we should get married before September and that if we delay he will not be around to support us,” Stephen chipped in with a glint in his eye which was not lost on Emily.

“Are you sure Mr Adams said that? Should I ask him about it?”

Stephen removed GH¢50 from his wallet and placed it on the center table. “If you are able to ask Dad about this, you keep the money; if not, you will give me GH¢50. Is it a deal?”

Emily laughed. “Keep your money. I'm a Christian and I don't engage in bets.”

It was Stephen's turn to laugh as he picked up the money. "The day you are able to chat with Dad and ask him this question, walk up straight to me and demand GH¢100. I'm ready to double it!”

Emily smiled but kept quiet.

Three days later, on a Saturday, Stephen, Afia, Kojo Ganyo and Emily went to the Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant for dinner. As they settled down in their chairs, Emily spoke up. “Folks, the drinks are on me."

All eyes turned on her. Stephen raised his brow questioningly.

“Mr Stephen Adams has promised to give me Gh¢100 anytime I'm able to broach a certain topic with his father. I'm glad to announce that last night I not only broached the matter with Mr Adams but I also told him about our dinner date tonight and he asked that he speak with his son when we were seated. So, ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to dial Mr Adams Senior's number and ask that he kindly speak with his dear son,” Emily announced cheerily. As everyone watched, Emily dialed Mr Adams's number and when the older man came on the line, she handed the handset over to Stephen who still felt he was dreaming.

“Stephen, kindly give the young lady the money you promised. Next time you decide to bet with my daughter, please do check with me first!” Mr Adams said on the phone.

Stephen still felt dazed as he handed the handset back to Emily. The friends burst into a spontaneous applause as Emily collected the money and, as they watched, she slowly put it in her purse with a beautiful smile at Stephen. After he had regained his composure, Stephen asked Emily how she did it.

“I have many sides you are not aware of,” she teased. “You amuse me when you begin to think that you have me all worked out and you know everything there is to know about me ”

"Rule number one: Never make your woman suspect that you know everything there is to know about her. The day you do so, everything will be changed just to confuse you. Whatever you discover keep it to yourself," Kojo Ganyo advised and gave the ladies a conspiratorial wink. After dinner, Kojo Ganyo and Afia drove off to his place, while Stephen drove Emily to his father's residence. “Please tell me how you did it, now that we are alone,” Stephen pleaded as he drove. “Let's forget about that for now,” she suggested. “If you say so,” he reluctantly agreed. “Have you collected the list from your father?” “Yes, I have,” she replied. “He sent one of my cousins with it this morning.”

“Good!” Stephen exclaimed with delight. “Did they agree on September fifth for the engagement? When I went to talk to him the other day, he said he had to talk to the family head and other members who needed to be present to find out if the date will be suitable.”

“He said there's one of my uncles he needed to talk to but all the others have agreed to be present on that day,” she replied.

“So when are you picking up the items?” he asked.

“As soon as you make the money available, I'll start,” she replied.

“Okay,” he said with a satisfied smile. “Tomorrow, I'll make money available. Get whatever you can with that and as we go along we'll pick up the others.”

“My aunt, Ama, told my parents that she will sponsor the wedding reception,” she announced and he turned briefly to look at her. “I think it's her way of trying to make amends," she said to him. “Another Uncle, I'm told, has also offered to provide a bag of rice and two rams for the engagement ceremony. You know Auntie Favor, the aunt who sponsored my education, is coming down for the ceremony and I suspect they all want to prove that they do care about me.”

“I don't know what Dad will say to that,” Stephen remarked. He's also making his plans and the relatives in our home town, those in the city and abroad, all those I lived with are coming and Dad wants an unforgettable ceremony. He says I'm the minister's son and besides, the heir to all that he has ever worked for and, last of all, I'm his first wife's son. You know what that means, don't you?" The two went on to discuss the upcoming wedding at length and when they arrived at home, Mr Adams was waiting for them.

“What date have you fixed for the marriage ceremony?” he asked as the two young people settled in his study where he had led them.

“We have fixed it for September sixth. The engagement is for the fifth but we are yet to hear the final word from Emily's father. We can assume the fifth and sixth because he told Emily that even if that uncle who is left to be consulted about the date can't make the time, he may send his representative. So we can assume safely that the dates will stand," Stephen explained.

"I'm getting quite anxious about you two and I want you to get over and done with," he advised the young people. “You stay for too long at her place every day and that's not very right.”

“But, Dad...” Stephen began to protest.

But his father held up his hand as he cut him short. “I know, I know! Emily is a serious Christian and you are a gentleman. I've heard it all before and I'm getting tired. Do the right thing and don't allow others the opportunity to gossip about what may be going on between the two of you.”

"That's what the world is like,” Stephen complained. “We have held back all these months simply because we feel that we have just buried my mother and, besides, because we have your supreme interest at heart; we have been patient. In any case, it’s fixed now and Emily and I will see our pastor and sort it out with him."

Mr Adams opened his notebook and then began to read out his plans for the upcoming wedding. As he went on, first Emily's, and then as he continued, Stephen's mouth dropped open in sheer amazement. The young people then exchanged shocked glances before turning to look at Mr Adams.