Having been warmly welcomed into the Nzanzu family home. Bosco Masaba and Monica Namatovu the visitors were at the dining table with the other family members: Agnes Nzanzu, Robert Nzanzu the father of Agnes whom she fondly referred to as Dad, and her uncle Tomasi Nzanzu.
The dining room was bathed in the warm early afternoon sunlight streaming from the floor-to-ceiling French windows. They were engaging in a harmonious post-lunch conversation as they washed down the delicious meal with ice cold beverages ranging from bottled mineral water, to juices of several types and even beers. While the rest shied away from beers, Mr. Robert Nzanzu proudly sipped on his Tusker beer. Being the host, he did not worry about the perception this act would portray.
Bosco sat next to his girlfriend, Agnes Nzanzu who was seated next to her father, Robert Nzanzu, at the beautifully set dining table. Monica, Bosco's friend, occupied the seat opposite him, she was next to Tomasi Nzanzu; Agnes' uncle.
Occasionally, Bosco stole glances at his stunningly beautiful girlfriend. Her beauty and jolly nature made his heart swell with love for her. He felt so blessed to have her as his girlfriend, and now that he had met her family, he felt extra blessed. With her around, she eased his nerves about being in the company of her mighty father.
Truth be told, he had been dreading the moment he met her father, after all, they were in two different leagues of life, and the gap between them was like the one between heaven and earth. It was a well-known fact, that fathers who adored their daughters were tough on their suitors; he did not expect to have it easy. Surprisingly, with her next to him, he felt at ease and ready to face whatever the old man Nzanzu wanted to throw at him.
Still, he felt dwarfed in the company of this mighty businessman who had founded the flourishing and indomitable AZ Mining Group.
Robert Nzanzu was an imposing man in his fifties, he was of short stature with gleaming dark skin and intelligent amber colored eyes. He was dressed in an expensive black designer suit, accompanied by a shining pair of black designer shoes. His greying black hair lent him an image of unparalleled wisdom and experience. His body was in perfect shape for a man of his age.
According to his published biography. At the age of thirty-five, he ventured from the family business of farming and founded AZ Mining Group, which was now popular in East and Central Africa, they were also involved in many other businesses that were directly or indirectly related to mining. It was estimated that the Group was worth thirty-two billion WCs. They were mining several precious stones like gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt, lithium, and tin.
With the world's transition to green energy, cobalt, and lithium were selling like hotcakes, and their value on the world market had risen greatly. Lithium and Cobalt were key elements in electric battery production. In the push towards a greener, cleaner economy, the world had committed to moving from petrol- and diesel-powered cars to electric cars. This was a big benefit to the countries with these minerals and amplified the mining companies' profits. AZ Mining Group and others were steadily reaping these benefits.
Bosco found it much easier to communicate with Tomasi Nzanzu. He was well informed on many topics which the young people at the table found fascinating. Unlike his brother who was into mining and related business, Tomasi was the Chairman of Abacus Logistics, a company specializing in Medical Logistics in the East African Federation. It was not as wealthy as AZ Mining Group but was profitable enough to have branches in many cities across the Federation.
The two gentlemen had welcomed Bosco into their family home with gracious smiles, but beyond the pleasantries, Bosco yearned for a deeper connection, especially with Mr. Robert Nzanzu. He wanted to make a good first impression, but also know who Robert was, apart from being Agnes' father.
Bosco struggled with himself whether to speak up or not. He wanted to show that he was a reasonable man who was courting their daughter. After some time, he got the courage and cleared his throat, his gaze shifting toward Robert. "Mr. Nzanzu," he began, "I want to thank you for welcoming me into your home and allowing me to spend this time with your family. It's truly an honor."
Robert and Tomasi exchanged a knowing look. Robert leaned forward, his eyes locking onto Bosco's.
"Bosco and Monica, it's our pleasure to host you in our humble home," Robert told them.
'Which humble home? If this is a humble, then I don't know what we shall call ours.' Bosco mused to himself.
A smile cropped up on Tomasi's face, he looked at Agnes and Bosco before speaking up. "Agnes, I can see why you like him. He is better than those other men who have chased after your heart." He stood up and came close to Agnes, he patted her on the head as if she was a young child. Agnes did not resist, she just continued smiling at her uncle.
Robert Nzanzu did not look happy to see his brother readily accepting this young man without his approval. He felt slighted by this gesture, the daughter was his, and so the decision to accept the man should first come from him.
"Bosco, my daughter is precious to me," he said in his deep voice. "Follow me into my office, there are some things I need to discuss with you."
This statement took Bosco by surprise, he was expecting a small talk with the whole family. The fact that their interaction was being transferred to Robert's office did not bode well for him. Like it or not, he was obliged to obey the wishes of his future father-in-law.
Bosco nodded and stood up from the table to follow Robert into his office. Agnes looked at him as he walked away with worry in her eyes, it looked like she wanted to protest but decided to keep quiet. She knew of how stern and uncompromising her father was, she just hoped that whatever it was, he could be gentle to her man.
Bosco entered the office behind Agnes' Dad. He was offered a chair before the big sculpted wooden table in the center of the room. Robert Nzanzu walked around the table to sit in the sole chair behind the desk. It appeared that Robert Nzanzu wanted to assert his dominance over him by placing him in a small chair below him. On another occasion, this may have troubled him, but today was a happy day so he was not willing to entertain negative thoughts to spoil his good mood.
'Maybe this is personality, I should not run to assume things. Today's my first time meeting him.' He told himself.
Before the discussion started. He looked around at the grand office, it was well arranged with expensive furniture and several glass cabinets containing files and folders. The color scheme inside here was similar to the one in the private jet. The office walls were painted in a lighter shade of brown, the ceiling was in white and the floor was composed of black marble tiles.
What captured his attention were the several larger-than-life framed family pictures on the right wall. Amongst the pictures, was the striking picture of a youthful Robert and his beautiful bride on their wedding day in a church, and then there was a picture of the couple cradling a baby girl who with some resemblance to Agnes; this must have been some years after their wedding as the couple had lost their youthful appearance. The other family picture was of Agnes and her father on her graduation day, she was smart and joyful in her graduation gown. The other framed pictures bore witness to the business life of Robert Nzanzu, chronicling his journey through time, while signing important deals, and shaking hands with Heads of State and other important figures in the business world.
Bosco couldn't shake the feeling that something momentous was about to transpire as he sat across from his girlfriend's father.