Bosco did not bother to ask why Agnes' father had called him over to his office. He knew it was not to have him admire the lovely décor, or admire the family portraits. So, he sat back and waited for the host to break the ice on why he was there.
He did not have to wait for long.
Robert Nzanzu, broke the silence in his voice deep and measured. "Bosco, my daughter's happiness and well-being are of paramount importance to me. That's the reason I have called you over. She had mentioned you to me, but because we had not met, I saw no need for this discussion."
"I also thought that what she felt for you, may be a fleeting romance which won't stand the test of time. Half a year down the road, the two of you are still together and deeply in love as seen from the expression on her face." Bosco listened patiently, his heart racing as he waited for Richard to mention the main points.
"Most fathers don't concern themselves with their daughters' relationship until it reaches the stage of giving them away in marriage. But what you have to know is that I am not like most fathers. Agnes is my precious jewel, my only child with my late wife Ruth, she means the world to me. When Agnes was young, my wife suddenly passed away from Sickle Cell Disease complications. Leaving her motherless, and making me a widower. From then, it has been the two of us against the world." Bosco nodded his head in understanding, this passionate speech had moved his heart.
Robert Nzanzu stopped speaking and turned his head to look at the wedding picture of his late wife on the wall.
"I have tried my level best to ensure that what happened to her mother, does not happen to her. As a student of medicine, you are very aware, she also has Sickle Cells Disease. I am told you met in the hospital when she was experiencing some complications, so you understand how delicate her health is." Bosco nodded his head in agreement.
"I do." He told him.
The health of Sickle cell disease (SCD) patients was brittle and delicate. Any slight infection puts their life at risk and if not handled properly, they stand a high chance of dying. Even with advances in medicine in the 2030s, a good percentage of children with SCD did not manage to live into adulthood.
"Bosco, I like you." A smile crossed his face when he heard this compliment. "You are the first man my daughter has introduced to me; this tells me that she values you and I hope you also value her. You being a medical student is an added advantage as you can take care of her." By now, Bosco's heart was leaping in his chest. These words from Mr. Robert Nzanzu caused his happiness to swell.
Bosco felt that this was a good time to talk about his affection for Agnes. "I give you my word, Mr. Nzanzu. I love Agnes with all my heart, and I will always strive to make her happy. When she feels unwell, I will take care of her."
Robert Nzanzu looked at him with his wizened amber-colored eyes, it looked like he was scrutinizing him for any trace of falsehood.
"Young man, that is good to know. But it is not enough, when it comes to my precious daughter, I have high expectations." Bosco felt that something was not right, initially, Mr. Robert addressed him by his first name.
Bosco opened his mouth to say something, but Robert raised his hand and made a gesture telling him to keep quiet. Not wanting to antagonize him, he kept quiet and waited to hear what was to be said.
"Listen to me carefully. As I have earlier said, when it comes to my precious daughter, I have high expectations of her boyfriend or future husband. Well, …you fall short of all these expectations." These words flowing from the lips of Mr. Robert Nzanzu broke Bosco's heart. All the previous happiness he had, evaporated into ether.
As if these words were not enough, the old man continued speaking to Bosco.
"I have several reasons as to why I feel you are not fit for my daughter. And I want you to know, that I have not come to this decision lightly since I know the pain it will cause my daughter." He spoke as if he did not care about the pain Bosco was experiencing.
Bosco's hands started trembling in a fit of anger, he had to grip tightly the chair's armrest to avoid showing the distress he was under. Knowing that Agnes' father had concluded that he was not fit for her, affected him badly.
"Firstly," Richard began elaborating on his reasons. "I must address the issue of your background. You come from a generation of peasants, young man. While I don't hold that against you, I worry about how you can fit into our world. There's a saying that it is easy to get someone out of the village, but it is hard to get the village mentality out of someone. I am afraid you may drag my daughter into your poor background, and I will not stand it." As he said these words, Mr. Nzanzu's eyes never left him.
Bosco clenched his fists but remained silent, absorbing the unfair critique.
"Agnes is the heiress of AZ Mining Group, a conglomerate that I have built with much sacrifice for my family and later generations. I have always envisioned a businessman to marry my daughter, someone who can help her manage the empire when I pass it on to her. You have no business background, if God forbid you marry her; you won't be able to support her in running the businesses. You may even begin selling her birthright or mismanage it. Hope you now understand."
Bosco felt a pang of insecurity as he listened. He had always told himself that their two different social statuses or professions were not a problem as long as they loved each other. Now he felt that he was very gullible to think so. Mr. Robert Nzanzu reminded him of this bitter truth.
He had dedicated his university life to medicine, not business. Now he was beginning to doubt his decision. When the East African Federation awarded him a scholarship in Medicine, he had little choice in the matter. His High School final score was deemed good enough to undertake the Medical course.
Before the outbreak of World War III, most African states had experienced a significant percentage of brain drain, more so in the medical profession. Mostly it was due to the developed countries having a better doctor's wage. Thus, they easily poached talent and experienced doctors from developing nations without any moral shame.
It so happened that most States on the African continent had an average Doctor to patient ratio of 1:250,000 (one doctor for every twenty-five thousand patients) which was below the World Health Organization recommendation of 1:1000 (one doctor for every one thousand patients). In the aftermath of the global war (WWIII), this deficit was deeply felt and a decision was passed to increase the number of students studying medicine while putting in place mechanisms to retain these young talents. This included providing competitive salaries, better working conditions, and a host of other factors. Students like Bosco Masaba who passed well sciences were automatically enlisted to study medicine on a federal/government scholarship.
Had he not wanted to study Medicine, he then had to sponsor himself as a private student pursuing the course of his choice, unfortunately, his parents could not have afforded this. University courses had become so expensive in the era of World Credits, and there was no guarantee of gaining employment since Artificial Intelligence and robots had rendered most professions irrelevant or outright obsolete.
In all this turmoil, the Federation was actively recruiting doctors before they even finished their mandated five-year course. So, it felt like studying Medicine was a good bet. Besides this, studying to be a doctor was a noble and prestigious profession so he never had any misgivings until now. But he acknowledged the bitter reality that could not allow him to be something else. Maybe in another life, he may have had a chance to pursue another course apart from Medicine.
Mr. Richard Nzanzu had not finished bombarding him with his reasoning as to why he believed he was a bad fit for his precious daughter.
"Furthermore, you've chosen a profession with limited financial prospects. The real winners in the medical field are the drug companies, not doctors. With your salary, I fear it won't be enough to sustain Agnes or, God forbid, my grandchildren. You may think that doctors are a respected profession and a part of the middle class. The reality is that most doctors earn only enough to enable them to get by, they can't invest much or start something truly profitable. A doctor's family is one disaster away from being broke. Unlike a business which can be inherited by one's children, doctorship is not passed down."
Bosco's jaw clenched further, his frustration mounting. Even if this old man Robert Nzanzu hated his very presence this much. Can't he have used just a few words to say he should not court his daughter?
Bosco felt like walking out on him. This was too much for him, but he restrained himself to stay seated and hear him spew all his venomous words because he was Agnes' father. He may hate the man, but he needed to afford him some respect more so here in his home.
Finally, Mr. Richard Nzanzu addressed the core of his concerns. "Lastly, Bosco, I conducted a thorough investigation into your academic history. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that you aren't at the top of your class, and you had retakes. All this just serves to show me that you are unseriousness and your intelligence is wanting. I don't know how you qualified to enter university on a federal scholarship – I guess they may have relaxed their standards. Such a thing could never happen in my time.
Anyway, I simply can't entrust my daughter's future to someone who doesn't meet my standards." With this many words, he concluded his rant.
** * **