Chapter 31

After three months of waiting, James finally sent for Pearl. He had been writing her letters whenever he had the opportunity to. He had missed her greatly and couldn't wait for her to move in with him. She had to send most of her things and his because they were relocating to stay in the United States permanently. The work was extremely demanding and he decided to take up the decision to make sure that they stayed permanently in the United States. Afia and Kojo Ganyo were happy and sad at the same time. They were happy because James had finally sent for their daughter. They were sad because they were going to miss their only daughter very much. How they wished James would rescind his decision about the relocation. Nevertheless, they decided it was best to support the two lovebirds in their decision.

"Pearl, please don't forget about us when you go." Afia stated as they were preparing to go to the airport.

"Don't worry Mum, I'll make sure to keep in touch with you and Daddy. I love you both very much and I'll make sure that I call you both from time to time." Pearl assured her mother and gave Afia a peg on the cheek.

"You also need to make time to visit us." Pearl added.

"Don't worry Dear, your father and I would surely make time to visit you both." Afia assured her daughter.

"Say hello to my son when you get there." Stephen stated and Pearl turned to see Stephen, surprised to see him. He had indicated that he had some business meetings to attend and may not be able to escort the family to the airport. She realized he had made an effort to see her at all costs before traveling. The thought of uniting with her husband excited her greatly.

"Oh Stephen, you're here. You're welcome." Afia welcomed him into the house. They had not realized when he had entered the house. Emily had come earlier with Otubea to assist with the preparation and Stephen had opted to come over later because of the numerous business meetings he had. People usually booked to have business meetings with him, so he could explain how he and his wife broke through and expanded their business. The story of how they started had been a source of encouragement and hope for the youth. Many youths who didn't have hope earlier began to have hope of a brighter future ahead.

"Start with the little you have. Don't say you don't have anything. Look around you. There are many opportunities that surround you. You just have to identify them and work towards achieving them." Stephen had said during one of their business seminars.

"I'll definitely relay your greetings to James when I get there." Pearl said excitedly and Stephen smiled. He knew how happy she was to finally go and meet with James. Waiting for three months was not easy for her. She always missed him and almost always kept to herself. The news about her relocation had come as a great relief to her. Finally, Pearl bid her family members farewell and took off. Two days later, she arrived in the United States. James was already waiting for her arrival at the airport.

She went to the arrival terminal and saw him waiting there patiently for her. Upon sighting her, he ran toward her and so did she. They both hugged each other so tightly that other people at the airport were looking at them with admiration.

"My beautiful Pearl!" James exclaimed excitedly.

"I missed your face, your voice, your smell, everything about you!" He said and hugged her again.

"I missed you more James. I was so shattered after you left. I'm so happy to reunite with you." She replied to him with joy. He kissed her and she smiled.

"I'm so happy to see you again James." She said to him.

"Come on let's go home." He told her and helped with her luggage. He had come with someone from his workplace. He was called Samuel Goldfield. He had his own car and had offered to help James pick up Pearl from the airport.

"This is Samuel Goldfield. He's my very good friend." James introduced Samuel to Pearl.

"Samuel, this is Pearl. My one and only beloved wife." James introduced Pearl.

"Waoo, you didn't tell me your wife was such a very beautiful woman." Samuel said after sighting Pearl. He was amazed at her beauty.

"Hello Pearl, it's nice meeting you finally. Your husband has said a lot about you. He missed you so much and wouldn't stop talking about you." Samuel told Pearl and she smiled shyly.

"It's nice meeting with you too Samuel..." She paused, trying to recollect his surname.

"Samuel Goldfield." James said and she suddenly remembered.

"Okay Mr. Samuel Goldfield." Pearl replied, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"Well, you can just call me Sam or Samuel." Samuel said to Pearl, so she would feel free around him.

"Okay people, it's time to go home." James said impatiently.

"Someone can't wait to get his wife home." Samuel teased and James gave him a look that made Samuel burst into laughter.

"Do you know how long three months is?" James asked him.

"Let's thank God that I finally have my Pearl with me." He added and Pearl smiled.

Samuel and James helped to put Pearl's luggage at the booth of the car and they set off. She admired the high buildings on their way. She had seen images of the United States on television and had longed to go there one day. Now she was seeing the reality of the United States itself. The town was very beautiful. They were in New York City. The flickering lights in the towering buildings made her gaze outside in wonder. James saw the expression on her face and he smiled. He squeezed her hands in his excitedly and her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"So, my Pearl, you are welcome to the city that never sleeps." James told her and she smiled sweetly.

"The city that never sleeps? Really?" She asked him, confused as to what he meant.

"Yes, Pearl. You are welcome to the city of chilling." Samuel added his voice.

"Okay, I get it. Everyone is moving about every time in this city, enjoying themselves." She said while looking into James' face,as though expecting a response.

"Yes, my darling. So as we are in this city, all we'll do is chill our hearts out." James said to her excitedly. She gave him a surprised look, wondering how fast he seemed to have changed. James was usually almost always at home and seldom went out. Even during their university days, he was almost always at the library. He rarely made friends and never joined his flatmates whenever they threw a party. He used to be the reserved type however he seemed to be interested in the so-called enjoyment New York City had. She saw ladies on the streets wearing all sorts of indecent dresses that exposed their breasts, buttocks and thighs. They seemed not to have any care in the world and lived wayward lives. There were places in her country where prostitutes gathered. However New York City seemed to be far worse than her country.

She was quiet and he sensed it.

"Pearl, are you okay?" He asked with concern. She seemed to be lost in thoughts and hadn't heard him. He had to move her hand before she finally came back to her senses.

"Owww, are we there yet?" She asked in a whisper.

"We'll soon get there." He responded, wondering why she was lost in thoughts. He wondered about what exactly she was thinking about.

Finally they got to Greenwich Village. They stepped out of the car and she stood as she watched Samuel and James carry her bags inside one beautiful apartment.

James motioned to her to follow them inside and she obliged. The apartment was a one bedroom apartment with a small kitchen. There was a small living room with a sofa. In the bedroom, there was a neatly laid bed and Pearl realized that James had put in effort to have it well laid. Back in Ghana, he used to scatter the bed and she always laid them.

"Okay lovebirds, I guess I'll have to see you both another time. For now, I'll have to leave." Samuel said to Pearl and James, trying as much as possible to avoid Pearl's eyes. She was very beautiful and seemed to have an effect on him. He tried hard to control himself not to fall in love with his friend's wife. He liked her already.

"Thank you so much, Samuel. We are very grateful." James expressed his gratitude.

"Don't mention. What are friends for?" Samuel asked rhetorically, not expecting any answers whatsoever. They both hugged and Samuel left them both. James helped Pearl to unpack her belongings and went to the kitchen afterward.

"Rest here for now and let me get you something to eat." He told her.

"Thank you, James." She said with gratitude and lay on the bed exhausted. It had been a long flight and she was very tired.

She woke up to find out it was already morning. She didn't realize she had slept for so long. James was not beside her however she could smell the aroma of fried eggs and grilled chicken. She then realized how hungry she was. The bubbling sound from her stomach further confirmed this. Just then James entered the room with breakfast on a tray. He was glad to see that she was awake.

"Hey sleeping beauty, you're already awake. That's very good. You didn't eat last night. You slept the whole night. I could see how tired and exhausted you were. Therefore I decided to just let you be and not disturb you in any way." He told her.

"She let out a yawn and he went to sit beside her on the bed with the tray.

"Come on, get something to eat." He said and tried to feed her however she didn't open her mouth. He put the food down and looked into her face.

"What's wrong Dear?" He asked her with concern.

"I'll have to brush my teeth first." She said, trying to cover her mouth so he wouldn't smell her mouth.

"Alright, I'll be waiting here patiently for you. Hurry and come back so that we'll eat and make babies." He teased her.

After she was done brushing her teeth, she returned from the bathroom and sat beside him on the bed. They both had breakfast and she complimented his cooking.

They had fried chicken breasts with omelets and sausages for breakfast. They added tea as an accompaniment.

"Your food is very delicious James. I love it very much. The chicken breasts especially are very tasty." She said with delight as she ate the food hungrily.

"Did you say chicken breasts?" He asked as though not knowing what she had said.

"Yes I did say..." She paused as she saw him looking at her breasts with delight in his eyes. She then understood what he actually meant.

"I miss those wonderful apples, Pearl." He said to her.

"Let's start making babies, now that we're finally together." He told her and she smiled sweetly.

"Alright, let's finish eating." She told him and how excited he was. After breakfast, they had their bath together and made love together in the bedroom. They slept off and woke up later in the day, and they made love again. That evening, James took her out to a restaurant so they could eat.

"I love you so much, James." She told him when they were seated at a table at the restaurant.

"I love you too, Pearl." He put his right hand on her and she felt at peace.

Three months later, Pearl discovered that she was pregnant. James was so excited and informed his family and Pearl's family about it. The two families were very joyful about the good news that had come to them. Six months later, Pearl gave birth to a beautiful bouncy baby girl. They named her Sonia. James was very happy. There was joy in their household.