Chapter 30

James was supposed to go for an interview before getting qualified to work with Best Service Enterprise. It was a company that was mainly into the provision of services for people. The company had many branches and departments all over the country and in the world. It wasn't easy for one to get employed at Best Services Enterprise because they treated their staff well and paid staff very well. Their motto was "Treat workers well and your clients would be treated well." They believed that if your workers were happy, your clients would also be happy. They therefore did everything possible to make their staff comfortable because clients related directly with staff. No wonder many clients trooped in every day to request their services.

They were into real estate and car rentals; they had a mall, a hotel, an eatery, a delivery service. They helped clients with flights and much more. They made sure to have anything called services. They even had a boutique where clothes were sold. They also had a hospital and a school. They were determined to provide services in all forms in order to maintain clients and it helped to boost their businesses. James was ready for the interview and he went to their office which was located at the heart of the city. He and Pearl lived in Circle by then. The interview he went for was a short and straightforward one. He was able to answer all the questions very well and the interview panel was greatly satisfied with his speech. They wanted an actor for their branch in the United States. They had a film agency there and wanted to include a male actor from Africa in their casts.

After the interview, he went home and Pearl was glad to see him.

"Oh my Dear, you are welcome back." She said happily after seeing him.

"How did it go?" She asked him and looked straight into his eyes.

His joyous mood gave him away and she knew he had passed the interview.

The only thing she wasn't happy about was the fact that he was going away from her for some time.

"I'm very happy for you James." She said to him.

"No, dear, be happy for us, not for me alone." He said, correcting her.

"I have always told you that what belongs to you also belongs to me. I would love it so much if you continue to see things in that manner." He added and she smiled.

One thing she was happy about was the fact that he always included her in his affairs. He made her feel important and wanted whenever he did that.

"Noted, my Dear, I'm happy for us." She replied to him and he was happy.

"Yes! That's great." He said in response to what she said.

"Now, give me the full gist of everything." She said curiously, desiring to know what had transpired during the interview.

"It went well by God's grace. It's just that I'll have to leave for some time." He added, looking deeply into her eyes. He knew that she would miss him greatly, and so would he. He didn't like to see her unhappy and wished the company would give him some more time before allowing him to leave for the United States.

"Well, for how long?" She asked, trying her best to hold back the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

"I'll be back as soon as I can Dear." He stated vehemently, not knowing when the company would allow him to come back. The company had said they wanted him to be there for as long as possible, and he had hidden that fact from her. He had thought of an alternative which was to send for her as soon as he could. He however didn't want to rely on his parents' money. He wanted to be responsible.

"I want to go with youuuu." Pearl told him, hoping he would agree to her terms. However he wanted her to hold on.

"I'll send for you as soon as possible. When I'm able to make some money. I promise you that." He said to reassure her.

"I'm going to miss you very much." She said tearily and he cried too. He couldn't imagine leaving her there for a long time. He hoped to send for her as soon as possible. He wanted her beside him.

They informed their relations about the recent development and they were happy for them both. They were however worried that he wouldn't be going with her.

"You can come and stay with us for the time being so you won't be lonely." Emily encouraged her.

"Thank you, Mommy." Pearl responded.

"I'll however like to stay at my place. Whenever I feel lonely, I'll come over to your place and stay for a while." She assured Emily.

"My Angel." Kojo Ganyo had said after she broke the news of James going outside the country without her.

"I know you are going to miss him very much. However don't worry about anything. We are here for you and we can assure you that all will be okay soon." Kojo encouraged his daughter.

"That's exactly what I've been telling her, Daddy," James replied.

"As soon as possible, I'll send for her. I want to ensure that everything is ok there before I allow her to come over." James tried to explain.

"There's no cause for alarm my son." Kojo Ganyo assured him.

"We'll do all we can to support the both of you. When the children start coming in, I hope you'll bring them to see me." Kojo added and the whole family laughed heartily.

"Just ensure that you send for her early as promised. It is not advisable for couples to be apart from each other for too long. Especially for newlyweds like you. You both need to bond very well with each other." Kojo advised and James nodded his head in agreement.

"That's very true Daddy. I'll make sure I send for her as early as possible." James assured Kojo who felt relieved with James' response.

The day finally came for James to travel outside the country to America. He was excited because it was going to be a whole new experience for him. He was however concerned about Pearl and how she was feeling.

"Don't worry Dear, I'll send for you very soon." He tried to assure her when she started crying at the airport. Emily, Stephen, Otubea, Kojo and Afia had also gone with them to the airport, to bid James farewell. Emily tried to comfort Pearl and Otubea tried to make a joke out of the whole situation.

"Don't worry Mrs Adams, everything would be fine. Surely Mr Adams would send for you very soon and you won't have to look into our faces." She said sarcastically and Emily made a face at her.

"Otubea!" She called out her name angrily and Pearl cried copiously.

"But Mom, have I said anything wrong?" Otubea asked as though she were not aware of any wrongdoing.

"Emily, just relax. We'll soon get to the house and I'll give her a new job to do." Stephen said and James was happy with his Dad's idea. Finding Otubea a new job would give her less time to think of troubling Pearl in any way.

James hugged Pearl for the umpteenth time and she tried to control herself not to cry. James had studied Pearl for a long time to know that she wanted to cry. He had to go in to check in. He bid his family farewell and left as they waited for the airplane to take off. After an hour, the plane took off and they waved at it as it flew high in the sky.

"I love you, James!" Pearl shouted as she watched the plane take off. Her family looked at her with pain in their eyes. They wished they could help her out however the only thing they could do at that moment was to pray for James to send for her as soon as possible. They were very much aware of how things run in the United States. You couldn't just get up and take your family with you without any form of approval. They had laws that they lived by. Besides, they didn't want any liability in the states. They wanted to be sure you could take care of yourself first before bringing in another dependant. The family went home afterward.

"I'd want Pearl to stay with us for some time." Afia told Emily when they finished with their meeting in the Adams household. They had all gone there to have some little get-together and to also pray for James and Pearl.

"That's ok Afia. I would have loved Pearl to be with me however you can have her stay with you for now." Emily responded to Afia and they both hugged each other. They had been friends for more than twenty years and although they were growing, they still looked young. They made time for each other although they both had families to take care of. However they didn't have time like it was in the past where they had more than enough time for themselves before the babies started coming in.

"Oh how I miss those times when we used to gist and chat with each other like we had no care in the world." Afia stated and Emily nodded her head in agreement. They were both seated in the kitchen after the get-together.

"We would talk about everything and we could go anywhere we wanted to without any form of hindrance whatsoever." Emily added and they both laughed.

"See how we were so much in haste to get married and settle down. Not knowing that marriage is hard work." Afia stated and Emily smiled.

"Yes, I agree with you. Marriage is hard work and a great blessing too. We have to embrace the blessings that come with it. The level at which we are now is someone's prayer topic. They cry to God day and night to enjoy these many blessings. God has been so good to us." Emily said and Afia beamed with smiles.

"Pastor Emily, I salute you." Afia responded and they both burst into laughter.

"Hmmm, when I remember my ordeals in Auntie Ama's house and I compare it with this present day, I can only marvel." Emily added, remembering what she had been through in the past.

"Sometimes, I can wash my things and dry them on the line. Auntie Ama would ask me to remove them because she is going to dry hers." Emily added and Afia stared at her in shock.

"Emily, you went through all these? You never told me about this particular one." Afia stated and Emily merely smiled.

"It was too hurtful to let anyone know. Only Auntie Okaibea knew about all these things and she used to encourage me very much." Emily added and Afia continued to stare at her in amazement.

"Poor Emily, you really went through a lot. That experience alone is enough to discourage someone in life. Haa! I'm so sorry you had to go through all this, my friend." Afia consoled her.

'This is why I always thank God for Auntie Okaibea. That woman really stood by my side and encouraged me. There were many times I wanted to run back to my village however she wouldn't allow me. Today, I'm so glad she didn't allow me to go to the village at that time." Emily added and Afia nodded her head in despair.

"Well, we have to thank God for all these. Imagine if Auntie Ama had sponsored your schooling, maybe you wouldn't have an international salon by now." Afia encouraged Emily who smiled.

"That's very true Afia. I have to be very grateful to God that I went through all of these. If Joseph had not been sold as a slave, perhaps he wouldn't have become the Prime Minister of Egypt." Emily added and Afia nodded in agreement.

"My renowned Pastor, that's so true." Afia stated and pouted, causing them both to laugh heartily.

Pearl, Otubea, Stephen and Kojo were seated in the living room. Stephen had asked Otubea to feed Pearl and Otubea would have none of that.

"Is she a baby Dad? You expect me to feed her? Seriously?"Otubea asked Stephen angrily after he asked her to feed Pearl with biscuits.

"That's actually the new job I have found for you Otubea. You would babysit and attend to Pearl. You would give her anything she requests." Stephen stated seriously and Kojo Ganyo laughed. Otubea knew her father was serious about his statement and it upset her.

"But Dad!" She exclaimed angrily.

"Would you shut up? One more word from you and you'll be very sorry!" Stephen stated angrily and Otubea was moved to tears. She ran fast to the kitchen for her mother. She hoped Emily would support her this time.

"My friend, please leave Otubea alone. Your punishment for her shouldn't necessarily be attending to Pearl. Please let her be." Kojo stated with concern however it looked as though Stephen already had his mind made up.

"No, no, no, no Kojo. I'll have to discipline Otubea and this would be the best way to do that. She is too stubborn and has refused to listen to advice. Several times, her mother has warned her to desist from teasing Pearl. However my daughter is bent on doing what she wants to do no matter the advice given her." Stephen lamented and Pearl decided to speak up.

"It's ok Daddy. Just like Pearl, I wouldn't be happy if it was the other way around. I don't feel comfortable either with the idea that she would be attending to me. Please, Dad." Pearl told Stephen.

"I would think about it." He replied and they all laughed. Kojo knew it would be difficult to convince his friend to change his mind.