Mr. Maxwell Adams and his wife, Mrs Gloria Adams, together with a very regular visitor to their house, Dr Newman, were having a drink under the summer hut when Emily returned home from lectures on Friday. She had gained admission to the Nation's University to pursue a course in Hospitality Management and Mrs Adams had given her the exclusive use of the blue Toyota Corolla saloon car, in fulfilment of her earlier promise.
When Emily sighted her employers under the summer hut, she alighted from the car and made her way towards them. She was sporting a blue pair of jeans and a red blouse. She had let her hair loose and the curls bounced around her shoulders as she walked. Dr Newman, their guest, feasted his eyes on the beautiful young lady who looked as sprightly as she always appeared.
Mrs Adams noticed Dr Newman's unfeigned admiration and she smiled with deep satisfaction. Emily had met him on the first Sunday she had called at the Adams' household and she had felt that the face of the elderly man was familiar but at that time she could not recall where she had seen him. However when she listened to the evening news later, it had all come back to her. Dr Newman was the renowned medical doctor cum traditional medical practitioner who was at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS and criminal abortions in the country. He had won several national awards for his selfless dedication to duty, including helping to rehabilitate hundreds of traumatised young girls who had engaged in criminal abortions. Emily recalled that the renowned doctor was reported by the media to have served in some of the remotest parts of the country, providing, in most cases, free medical care for impoverished communities.
"Good evening," Emily greeted her employers when she got closer to them. "Good evening, my dear," Mrs Adams responded. "And how were your lectures today?"
"It was fine by God's grace Madam," Emily answered as politely as she could.
"You don't look like someone who has had a hectic day," Mr Adams observed with a benign smile.
Emily smiled back at him.
"My dear, | hope you remember you are going to North Kaneshie tomorrow with our guest,Dr Newman?" Mrs Adams asked, feasting her eyes on the young lady.
"Yes I do remember very well Madam," Emily replied in the affirmative.
"Good to know you remember. You have a good memory. And now that we are more or less a family, can we begin to drop the formalities?" Mrs Adams asked. "Call me Auntie Gloria. I prefer you address me that way. After all Maxwell my Dear, is that not how Pearl,Owusuaa, Adwoa and the
rest all address me?" 'Oh yes!" Mr Adams nodded his agreement "All your nephews and nieces address you by calling you Auntie Gloria or Auntie Glory!"
"Find something to eat and then you can retire early" Mrs Adams suggested to Emily who had began to feel uncomfortable with Dr. Newman's stares."You'll have an early day tomorrow."
"Yes, Ma ... sorry, Auntie Glory, Gloria," Emily answered with a smile.
"Of course, it will take some practice to get used to me as Auntie Glory or Auntie Gloria. I would advise you to put your phone on silence,so as to avoid calls receiving calls which would interrupt your sleep. Good night, my dear, do have a restful night." Mrs Adams said.
"Good night, I'll take my leave now please" Emily replied politely.
As she turned to leave, she could feel three pairs of eyes burning through the back of her red blouse, as it were. She could picture how Dr. Newman's gaze and wished she was already at the door leading to her room. She quickened her steps to escape their stares.
Donald had parked the blue Toyota Corolla saloon car a few metres away and was waiting for her when she left the Adams's and their regular guest.
"Stephen is lounging around your door," he whispered. "Do you want me to hang around?"
"No, thank you," she replied. "I'll be okay."
"Are you sure?" he asked with scepticism. "Yes, please!" she replied. "Oh, you're here at last!" Stephen welcomed her with cheer when he saw her. Emily could tell that he was excited to see her. "Good evening," she greeted him and then fumbled in her handbag for her key. "I'd like to have a word with you when you're ready," he said softly and then added, "Let me help you with your files."
Emily was struggling to juggle both her files and her handbag as she rummaged through the latter.
"Thanks," she said and handed him the files.
Donald stood there angrily watching them and he was upset because Emily had allowed Stephen to help her. He had offered to carry the files earlier but Emily had declined his offer of assistance. So why was she allowing Stephen to help her when he had been telling Emily to be wary of him? he thought with anger. He had observed with growing displeasure how Emily's face seemed to light up each time she saw Stephen. He had done his best to paint Stephen in the darkest of colours to Emily and with the few hints dropped by the Chief Chef and the other workers, he expected her to actively discourage the young man by giving him a cold shoulder, at best, or snubbing him altogether, at worst. But, instead, he had seen them share jokes and laugh happily when the two thought they were alone.
Donald was very displeased and he decided to make Emily aware of Mrs Adams' plan to match her son with the new Speaker of Parliament's daughter. That should make Emily see reason, he told himself.
As he watched from the distance, he saw Stephen follow Emily into her room when she finally pushed it open. He watched as she didn't make any attempt to prevent Stephen from entering the room with her. As the two disappeared from sight, peels of their laughter drifted to where he stood.
"| got tickets for the theatre," Stephen announced as he placed the files on the table. "That is, if you're not too tired."
"Oh did you?" Emily answered as she made herself comfortable in the sofa. "I hate to be the bearer of displeasing news. Unfortunately for both of us your mother, Auntie Gloria ,has other plans.
Oh has she?" Stephen asked, wondering what new assignment his mother had given Emily. Friday evenings were usually free for the young lady as Saturdays tended to be quite hectic. He had bought two tickets for himself and Emily, hoping to force the latter's hand to go out with him.
"Yes she has," Emily replied. "She told me a few minutes ago that I am supposed to accompany Dr Newman to North Kaneshie tomorrow moming. She mentioned it casually a week ago when Dr Newman came around. I had not given it much thought at the time but she just reminded me that we would be leaving very early for North Kaneshie tomorrow morning."
Stephen noticed that for the first time since he met Emily, she had referred to his mother as Auntie Gloria. He knew it was with the express permission and blessing of his mother, else Emily wouid have continued to keep the relationship at the formal level.
"Dr Newman?" he asked, with a frown creasing his forehead as he spoke "What are you going to do at North Kaneshie with him?" Stephen asked upset.
"His personal assistant has resigned and he has not got a replacement but he must make the presentation which had been booked months ago. I'm supposed to operate the projector as he does the presentaton. "Oh...I see." Stephen said solemnly. "When are you expected to leave?" He asked further. "Well, by six o'clock and Aunte Gloria says I must retire to bed early so I will be fresh the next day, both physically and mentally. She had also told me earlier that Dr.Newman would pay me for my services."
"Does the money mean a lot to you Emily?" Stephen abruptly asked.
"Well, no," she answered, "I don't think it means a lot to me. No; I can do with some more money, just like anyone else, and to be honest, I have enough money to meet all my needs and also put some aside in savings."
Stephen was delighted that he could get the young lady to chat. Emily would usually not say much but rather listen attentively to him. He had pushed her and literally drawn her out of her shell for the six months that she had lived in their house. It had been an uphill task but Stephen had not been daunted. He liked Emily and was convinced that she was the woman for him. He was prepared to go to any lengths to get her to open up to him.
"I'll go to the end of the ocean to fetch her a glass of sea water if she asks me to," he had once confided in John, one of his close friends.
"I'll have to retire early," Emily hinted, breaking into his thoughts.
"And to think that I've bought two tickets for tomorrow's premiere of Kwadwo Ampofo's 'I will marry you today'? I really wanted us to go to Sneaking Tom tomorrow evening and I wanted it to be a surprise for you."
"Oh, what a shame," Emily remarked as she tied her hair into a bun and kicked off her shoes. "Why don't you check up with your mother before making any plans that include me? You are aware she makes all the plans. Last month for instance, several of my former clients called to ask me to attend to them but she vehemently refused and said 'no' to all my requests to spare just a few hours to help the stranded ladies. You are aware I've not worked outside this place since I moved in and so all my time really is paid for generously by Auntie Gloria."
"Mom knows very well how I feel about you. She knows you're the reason I'm still in the country, but she deliberately puts a spoke in the wheels of my life as she sets out consciously to spoil things for me as often as she can!" Stephen lamented.
"Could it be that she wants what's best for me?" Emily teased.
"You have no idea who Gloria Adams is," he cried out. "She gets what she wants and will go to any lengths to get it. I just don't understand this at all. Mother knows very well that none of the girls she's subtly tried to match me up with has been right for me, yet when I told her about you, the lady whose virtues she extols to the skies, she objected vehemently, I don't understand it at all. She loves you and one would have thought she would jump at the prospect of having you as her daughter-in-law. In any case, that's what I thought, until I spoke with her!"
Emily smiled.
"She knows her darling son will only break my heart!" she remarked. "Auntie Glory, God bless you!"
"This is not a joke, Emily," he reprimanded her. "Mom has a secret agenda and I just don't understand what's going on. She told me to look elsewhere when I mentioned you to her. What have you told her?" "She asked me the other day if you and I were going out and I said no," she replied.
"I see ... So that's why she's doing this ...," he spoke more to himself than to Emily.
After a brief silence, he spoke again. "Emily, I'd like you to be very honest with me. We've known each other for about six months. Do you care about me?"
"I've told you this several times and I don't know what will make you believe me," she stated. "I can never go out with someone who does not share my faith. You drink, you smoke and you are not a Christian. You are not an eligible candidate as far as I'm concerned!" Emily smiled kindly at him as she spoke. Her eyes did not smile and she wore a sad look, in spite of the smile.
"All right!" Stephen said, "I'll go to church with you on Sunday and accept your God as mine; I'll quit drinking and smoking and do whatever you want me to."
"Fine," she replied. "You may re-apply when you have the requisite qualification."
"Until that time, what happens to us?" he asked
"We remain what we have always been, friends!" she said. "Please, I'd like to undress," she said curtly.
"I'm so sorry," Stephen apologised and then got up. "Emily, I'd like to be closer to you; I'll be a good husband to you, this is a promise."
"Good night, sir!" Emily said as Stephen stepped out of her room.
Kojo Ganyo, alias Bobson, Boboo or Bobby, as his friends affectionately called him, had been to see Emily a couple of times to put in a word for Stephen. He had told her a lot about his bosom friend and had highly extolled Stephen Adams' virtues in order to convince Emily to give his friend a chance.
"He is such a good person at heart and he's even planning to move out of his parents' residence because of you. He says you'll eventually take him seriously if he lives elsewhere and not with his parents. By the grace of God, we've found a place at New Ashongman Estate and by the end of next month he'll move out. He's furnishing the place and, Emily, he's doing all this because of you!" Bobby had once stated.
"I'm sorry, Bobby, but I just cannot go out with Stephen. To be frank with you, I like him a lot, he's a nice person, but I'm afraid we cannot be lovers," Emily explained to him.
"I know what's wrong," Bobby declared. "I've learnt that my friend has been painted black by the drivers, cooks, garden boys, cleaners, laundry men and all other workers but, listen, Emily, there's not an iota of truth in whatever you've heard. He went out with Diana but they failed to hit it off. That lady was a thorn in Stephen's flesh. He's been out with Daniella, Rhoda and Felicia but I can
assure you they were all platonic relationships foisted on him by his mother. The ladies were too sophisticated for the poor boy. He needs a woman who will be willing to listen to him, honour and humour him,and be a friend to him. He needs someone he can play with, pray with, and whom he can share his life experiences with. Emily, you are just the right person for him. You show him respect, you understand him and above all you treat him as an equal. Emily, if you dump him I can assure you he'll die. I know my friend and I'm almost always with him. I am very serious about this Emily. I know what I'm talking about." Bobby said with passion.
"Then start praying for him," she replied. "I'm certain he'll surely need divine intervention because he's about to die!"
"Why?" Bobby pressed further. "He has bought a new pair of trousers and a shirt which he says he's going to wear to church on Sunday! You have no idea what that means to him. Stephen Adams, to be seen in church? That will be the ultimate sacrifice! He says he's aiming at quitting smoking and drinking altogether because he suspects you hate those things."
Emily smiled.
"Please, be frank with me," Bobby appealed to her, "is there someone else?"
There was silence as the two young people faced each other.
"Yes," she finally answered.
"No! That's not true!" he exclaimed. "I've done a thorough investigation and I know there is no one in your life as of now. I'm very sure of that."
"Even if I were interested, which I'm not, his mother warns that I should not entertain any such thoughts about her son because she will never give her blessing," she disclosed.
"Oh, I see ..." Bobby said, looking very surprised. "So Auntie Gloria is the reason behind all this!"
Emily saw the gleam in his eyes and she panicked. "Please don't tell Stephen about this!" she pleaded. "She made me promise never to make Stephen aware of her stance. I'll be in very serious trouble if she finds out that I told her son about her position on this matter!"
Bobby laughed. "Gird your loins for some action", he said and Emily suddenly began to panic. She had everything to lose if things went wrong.
"Look I'll give Stephen's proposal a second thought on one condition. Only promise me you won't tell him what his mother has said," she pleaded
Bobby laughed again. "If you accept his proposal, we have a deal. If not.."
"Is that a blackmail?" she asked.
"Not at all Emily, not at all!" he replied. "You are both in love but, somehow, we notice that something seems to be holding you back. I've been trying to figure it out but it has beaten me for months now. I've investigated thoroughly but I've not found the missing link and, then voila!, there it is, right under my nose."
"Why did I tell you this?" Emily asked with regret.
"Simple! You hate living in denial of your feelings. When Stephen moves out of this place, I know everything will work out fine."
"Bobby, to be honest with you, I like Stephen tremendously but I'm not in love with him. If you get that right, it will help all of us."
"Okay he said, "but I know what you have just said is not true. With time everything will work out fine for everyone. Dr Newman is the guy to be worried about and not Gloria Adams."
Emily kept quiet and pondered over what Bobby had just said.