Chapter 22

Stephen was pacing back and forth right beside the labor ward, his face looking restless. How he longed to see Emily, however the nurses had asked him to exercise patience. Emily's mother tried to calm him down, assuring him that Emily would be fine.

"My Dear Son, do not worry about anything. Akua is a very strong and determined young lady. She'll be out in no time."

She tried to encourage the already devastated Stephen.

"Maame, why are they not done yet? I'm getting confused already".

"I suggest we pray, my son, and everything will be okay." Emily's mother said. She had come over to live with Emily and Stephen after Emily's pregnancy entered the seventh month. She was beside herself with joy. She was particularly excited that Emily wasn't affected by the so-called curse that had tormented her hometown. She couldn't wait to be called a grandmother. Just then Auntie Okaibea and Afia rushed into the ward.

"Stephen, we came over as soon as we heard the news." Afia said excitedly, oblivious to Stephen's anxiety. Just then the doctor on duty came out of the labor ward smiling.

"Congratulations Mr Adams, your wife just gave birth to a bouncy baby girl".

Stephen couldn't hold back his joy as he let out a loud "Praiiiise the Looorrd!"

Emily's mother, Auntie Okaibea and Afia responded with a thunderous "Hallelujah!"

Later they were allowed to go in to see Emily and the baby. She had Stephen's dark hair and Emily's cute oval eyes. She looked very beautiful and Emily was beside herself with joy.

The naming ceremony took place a month later at their residence. Mr Maxwell Adams came with so many gifts for the baby who was named Otubea Nhyira Adams. She was very beautiful and lovely. Emily adored her. She made sure she was always available for her baby. She was selfless and had trained the people who worked for her in her salon to become experts like her. Therefore her apprentices were able to attend to clients and provide them with the services they needed even in Emily's absence. Nevertheless, her clients still preferred Emily to her apprentices.

"Emily, there's no doubt that your apprentices have been well trained by you. They are able to style my hair neatly just how I like it." Ma Fati, one of Emily's regular clients told her one day.

"However I still prefer that you style my hair. I think there is something unique about your hands".

Emily laughed at her statement.

"O Ma Fati, don't worry at all. Anytime I'm available and you show up at the salon, I'll definitely try my best to attend to you." Emily assured the older woman.

"That's my girl."

Ma Fati had responded excitedly.

"I'm going to pick up two of my children. I'll pick them both from school."

Ma Fati had told Emily, as she tried getting into her saloon car. The driver opened the door wider to enable easy access for his boss. Ma Fati was a very wealthy, yet humble woman. It was difficult to tell that she was the wife of the British Ambassador to Ghana. Through her, Emily's salon had gradually gained lots of international recognition. Emily had waved at her with smiles on her face, while waiting for the car to be out of sight before going back home. She reached for her phone scrolling through for Stephen's contact, as her mother came for the baby. She wanted to tell Stephen about Ma Fati's surprise visit and the many things the older woman had bought for her and the baby; however his number was not reachable. She later followed her mother into the house, tired and very much exhausted. Right now, all she wanted to do was to take a cool shower and lay down for a quick nap. She was grateful that her mother was around to help her take care of the baby.

Before Emily could make an attempt to close her eyes, there was a loud knock at the door. She had to quickly get to the door because her mother was attending to Otubea. She opened the door to see her cousin Maame looking so dejected and worn out. Surprised, she allowed her in. It was fifteen minutes past two in the afternoon, and she wondered why her cousin had come to her house. Maame would usually call if she wanted to come over.

"Emily, please help me." Maame said amidst tears.

"My daughter, what is the problem? I hope my sister and her husband are fine." Emily's mother asked with a lot of concern. "I just couldn't believe it, two of the most important people in my life, my best friend who I trusted and my fiancé had been having some twisted affair. I only just heard about it. Emily, please tell me this has to be some kind of joke. This can't be happening to me, Emily. It is probably some bad dream I will soon wake up from. I only hear of things like this in movies and gossip articles I read online. Seriously this can't be happening, Emily."

"Maame, please take it easy..." Emily consoled but rather than soothe her, it only agitated her further.

“How long would I go on like this Emily? How long!" She cried, making a futile attempt to wipe away the tears streaming down her face.

"I knew you would be hurt Maame, and I warned you." Emily tried to explain.

"And the last thing I want is for you to be hurt like this. Now that you have found out, you would know the kind of man Ekow is and end the relationship. Maame I warned you about these friends. I told you they would lead you astray."

"And Sasha! Of all people? My best friend! Sasha who I trusted with everything! I wasn't afraid to share my feelings and everything I had with her. O Sasha! See, Emily, Sasha was like a sister and she heartlessly did this to me?"

"Maame please… just calm down. Let me get you a glass of water while you sit here and relax. You'll be fine. I'm really sorry you had to find out at this time."

"My daughter, wipe your tears ok? It is well with you. It is good you didn't marry him before finding out about his unfaithfulness." Emily's mother tried to console the already devastated Maame.

"See, Mother, I saw them. She was sitting there, on his lap when I caught them.” She went on, infuriated. “In his office too! Ekow didn't even look like someone getting married to me in a few months’ time. He even had the guts to lie to my face, as if I’m blind. Errrm do you know something? I can't even think clearly right now. How am I going to survive the next few days? What are my parents going to do about the invitation cards and the wedding plans?”

She seethed.

"How could Ekow do this to me? With everything I did for him…"

Ekow had womanised in the past and Emily knew about this. During their teenage years, he had been going out with Maame with the support of her parents. Emily was however not permitted to have any friends, talk more of having a boyfriend. Auntie Okaibea had even warned her against having boyfriends, and had helped the young girl go through adolescence easily with her sound teachings. She had taught Emily all she could about adolescence, the emotional and physical changes. Something her aunt had never tried doing for her. Emily was very beautiful and what her aunt had done was to only warn her against teenage pregnancy.

"If you dare get pregnant for any boy here, you would go to your parents in the village."

She remembered her aunt's warnings at that time.

Ekow could come into their home anytime he liked, to Emily's surprise. He had once come to their house and met Emily alone. He had tried making advances at her and Emily had warned him never to come near her, otherwise she would report him to her Auntie, her uncle and Maame. He had given up then however he began to grow hatred for Emily since then and never ceased to say bad things about her to Maame. Nevertheless, Maame still loved Emily.

He was a chartered accountant working in one of the top banks in the country. His father was late but his mother was a prominent fashion designer and had chosen to design Maame's wedding gown.

"I need a glass of water." Maame said and walked to the kitchen as Emily followed closely behind her. "I think my head is aching. Emily, can you please help me with some painkillers?" Maame asked Emily who had started getting uncomfortable with Maame's actions. She was behaving as though she were going crazy.

"I think you should just drink the water and you'll be fine." Emily said in order not to leave Maame alone in the kitchen. She was scared she might do something to harm herself.

"Okay, Emily, I think I'm feeling hungry. Could you help me get some roasted plantain with groundnuts just at the junction?"

Maame asked Emily whose suspicions were confirmed. She felt Maame wanted her to be out of the way so that she could do what she wanted to do without any hindrances whatsoever.

"Don't worry, Maame, you'll definitely get the roasted plantain. Just come with me to the living room." Emily said to Maame, holding her hands firmly and literally dragging her to the living room. Emily sent her there because her phone was on the dining table and she wanted to use it to call some of the restaurants which sold roasted plantain with groundnuts.

As she did all this, she kept a close eye on Maame and felt very sorry for her. Maame was devastated and looked pitiful. Emily's heart went out to her and she sat beside her in one of the sofas.

"Listen, Maame, you should be thankful to God that you know the kind of man Ekow is. You should thank God that you didn't find out about his misdeeds after the wedding." Emily tried to encourage her.

"What about the times we shared together Emily? We've been together for a very long time. Since childhood Emily. Why must this happen to me? Why, Emily? Why?"

"God has a better option for you, Maame. Don't give up now. You can still get a better man."

"Which better man, Emily? Does that mean that I have wasted my time with him? If I can't have Ekow,then I guess I'll have to end it all." She said and quickly went to the kitchen as Emily run after her.

"What are you going to do in the kitchen Maame? What do you mean by ending it all?"

Before Emily could finish with her words, Maame had slit her wrist. Blood started oozing out profusely and Emily panicked.

"Nooo, Maame!" Emily screamed and Maame blacked out.

"Don't worry, your daughter will be fine." The doctor on duty tried to comfort Auntie Ama and her husband.

"I can't lose my only daughter." Auntie Ama sobbed while her husband tried to comfort her.

"I don't know what is wrong with this girl. I've warned her severally about this guy called Ekow but she wouldn't listen. Hmm children of today." Auntie Ama said and Emily turned immediately to look at Auntie Ama who quickly looked away. She knew that her Aunt was lying.

"What does she even hope to achieve with the lies?" Emily asked herself. She remembered vividly how Ekow used to come into their home on several occasions.

She also remembered how her Aunt had encouraged the young man to always come over to their house.

"I understand your frustratio,n Madam." The doctor said, trying to calm Auntie Ama down. "What Maame needs right now is love, care, encouragement and support", the young doctor added.

"We'll do as you say, doctor." Maame's father assured him. The doctor requested to see Maame's father in his office and he followed the doctor, leaving Emily and her Auntie with Maame. Auntie Ama still tried to avoid eye contact with Emily, and tried to look for an excuse to leave her daughter's ward shortly however to her greatest shock and surprise, Emily wouldn't let her.

"Let me just look for the washroom, and I'll be right back." Auntie Ama said casually.

"No you're going nowhere, Auntie Ama." Emily said boldly, blocking her way. Auntie Ama looked at her with shock because Emily had never confronted her in that manner.

"Eeer Emiiii..." She stammered.

"Sit down quietly, Auntie, I think we need to talk". Emily said with such boldness that her Aunt was suddenly afraid of her. After she sat on one of the sofas, Emily went to sit beside her, while her Aunt still tried to avoid eye contact. "Auntie Ama, I thought you had changed. I mean after you said you were going to take care of the food at my wedding reception, I thought you had truly changed for the better. What are you trying to achieve with those lies you said about Maame? If I can remember clearly, you used to encourage Ekow to come into our home. You didn't mind her going into Maame's room. However I didn't dare have a friend or you would beat me so mercilessly. Why the lies , Auntie?"

Before she could finish speaking, Auntie Ama burst into uncontrollable tears to Emily's dismay. After a minute, Emily went closer to her Auntie and tried to comfort her, patting her on the back.

Later, Auntie Ama spoke up. "This is not what I wanted, Emily. I have lived a life of regrets and pain. If only I could turn back the hands of time." her Aunt said bitterly to Emily who was still surprised at her Auntie Ama's reaction. She had never seen a tear from her Aunt's eyes, let alone burst into uncontrollable tears. Aunt Ama had always looked strong and fierce. She had never shown a hint of remorse. "I have messed up my life and my daughter's life, Emily."

"Hmmm, I thought I was doing what was right for her and maltreated you in the process. Little did I know that I was rather messing her life and beautifying yours, Emily." She added. "I always wanted Maame to be better than you. However, the more I tried, the better you became. You were very intelligent and smart in school. I didn't even make any effort to help you further your education. Not knowing,it was a blessing in disguise for you."

Tears welled up in Emily's eyes as she recalled the horrible moments she passed through in her Aunt's house. She remembered how there were times that she didn't know whether to sit, or stand,or go to the kitchen or to the washroom. This is because her Aunt's reaction was unpredictable.

She remembered when her parents had come to plead on her behalf and how her Aunt had her mind already made up about Emily leaving with her parents to the village. She quickly wiped her tears so her Aunt wouldn't see them.

"Now see what has become of Maame." Her Aunt went on.

"I am responsible for what Maame has turned into today. Emily, please help her. Help your sister. See your beautiful life. You are married to a good husband who is also very rich and full of love. I see how he adores you and cares for you. This is what I had wanted for my daughter; yet I was disappointed. I thought I was making life miserable for you. Not knowing I was rather helping you to build your own success story. I'm sorry Emily. I'm sorry for all that I made you go through. I'm sorry." She apologized in whispers to Emily who could no longer hold back her tears as they poured freely down her cheeks.

Just then, Maame's father entered the ward. As he watched what was going on, he decided to leave the two women alone, as they both continued to sob.

"I agree that what you did to me during my childhood was very painful and hurtful." Emily told her Aunt painfully. "I went through a lot, Auntie Ama. There were times that I just wanted you to prove to me that you loved me. If not for my Sunday school teacher Auntie Okaibea, only God knows what would have become of me." She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes and continued. "God turned around for my good, what you meant for evil "I don't hold anything against you, Auntie. If God has forgiven me, who am I to refuse to forgive? I have already forgiven you Auntie; a long time ago."

Emily said while wiping tears from her eyes. Her Aunt expressed her gratitude amidst tears.

"Thank you, Emily. Thank you for for for forgiving me," she stuttered.

"I know it's not easy so I just want to appreciate you for forgiving me. I also have a request, Emily. I want you to help me take care of Maame. I don't deserve to be her mother and I know you'll take care of her." Her Aunt said to her causing panic to Emily.

"Aunt Ama, you'll always be there for Maame. Don't ever say that you don't deserve to be her mother. As you have realized your wrongdoings, you are now qualified to teach her the right thing."

"I know, Emily. However I think you know better than I do now. So I would like you to help me to take care of her."

Her Aunt said and Emily nodded her head in agreement, now relieved. When her Aunt spoke earlier, she had thought Auntie Ama was also contemplating suicidal thoughts. She was relieved after her Aunt's explanation of what she had said earlier.

"Don't worry, Auntie. Maame is my blood, and I'll do what I can to help her. You don't need to worry about anything", Emily reassured the relieved Auntie Ama.