Mr Adams first turned to look at Stephen before fixing his gaze on Emily. Emily was wearing a hot pink satin blouse over a black below-the-knee skirt. She had tied her hair into a ponytail and her clear bright eyes returned and held his gaze briefly. Tears welled up in the older man's eyes as he looked at Emily, the replica of the daughter his first wife who was late would have had, had she not passed way. Emily had a striking resemblance to his late wife; a situation which sometimes unsettled him whenever the young lady got closer to him. He forced himself to look away and then grinned.
"What is so strange about my plan to compel you and Stephen to gape at me?" Mr Adams asked them.
Eventually, the young couple recovered from their initial shock and Stephen, finding his voice, spoke up. "But, Dad," he objected, "you cannot do that! At least you should have first discussed with us the kind of wedding we want before going ahead to do anything!"
Mr Adams chuckled. "That's where you are wrong. It's unfortunate you were born to me, son," he pointed out with a gleam in his eyes. "If you were not an Adams or the son of Maxwell Adams, you could merely walk to the Registry any day and sign your marriage certificate. That may even have been expected of you. But, young man, you happen to belong to a prominent house with a distinguished lineage. Your late grandfather was the Omanhen of our traditional area. He was a great scholar and an astute businessman. When he passed away, he left behind several plots of land he had acquired before he was enstooled, houses he built in the nation's capital and elsewhere, several farms, among other properties, to me and your aunt, Adwoa Baffoe, who is currently Ghana's High Commissioner to the UK. So, as you can see, my daughter, I was born, if you like, with a silver spoon in my mouth and so was my son, Stephen. He happens to be my only child and soon you'll be my legal daughter. Now, as you can see, being the minister of the region has added nothing to my wealth or status as a royal. If anything at all, it rather takes a lot of money from me, but I love to serve my people and country so I'm not complaining. Do you have any idea about the kind of people who will be attending your wedding because you are the son of Maxwell Adams?" He paused to lend more weight to his next statement.
"The President of the Republic will be there. The Vice-president, Council of State members, parliamentarians, traditional rulers, the creme de la crème of society, among many others, are expected at the ceremony. We cannot afford to let all those people down, can we?" Stephen and Emily were dumbfounded as they pondered over the older man's grandiose plans.
"Emily, you are expected to have a minimum of fifteen bridesmaids, one maid of honour and five flower girls," he said as he read from his diary. "You are free to add to that number if you like. Stephen will have a minimum of fifteen groomsmen, a best man and five page boys. There will be a little bride and a little groom. You will use a white limousine and the bridal team will follow in a fleet of white Chrysler cars. Kojo Baah Wiredu, my cousin, is arranging a private motorcade from his motorbike agency. It's going to be the first in the country. The young bike riders will be clad in your colours. The motorcade will lead the procession and we expect at least three thousand guests so we'll use the City Community Centre which seats over three thousand people. After the ceremony, we will move down to the Paradise Gardens where the reception will take place. Three live bands will provide music and both the Tema and the Osu breweries will be present. Choice Caterers will provide catering services; they are currently the best in the country," Maxwell Adams cleared his throat and then continued.
"Before the wedding, there will be a bridal shower for my daughter, while you and the guys will have your bachelor's night at any venue you choose. Adwoa Baffoe has offered to go shopping with Emily in London and your uncle Roland says he's found an ideal place for your honeymoon. The Oxford Time Hotel nestling in the hills of Kenya.
"On your return, you may move into the East Legon building, which is your wedding gift. If you, however, want to up the ante, Rexella is standing by to remodel the rooms to meet your taste. Here are the documents on that property which I have duly transferred to you and my daughter."
"The red Jaguar have you seen it?" he turned to Emily, who nodded. "It's in the garage. That is my special wedding present for you, my daughter. You may have the Jeep if you like," he told Stephen.
The two young people were overwhelmed and rendered speechless by Mr Adams's extravagant plans and lavish gifts and Stephen later tried to say so. The East Legon residence was a mansion in a gated community. It was absolutely graceful and lavish and the Adams's used to live there before moving into the minister's official residence in the heart of the city.
It was an eight-bedroom mansion with a four-room outhouse for the domestic workers. The landscaping was done by professionals, while its interior was contracted to interior decorators who had given all the rooms a stylish decor. It had all been put together by Mrs Adams who believed strongly that the Adams's deserved the utmost experience any time they entered their home and had spared no cost towards the realisation of her dream.
Stephen had not spent much time at the place because he was studying abroad at the time but he remembered that it was spotlessly clean, up-to-date in its furnishings and very relaxing. He had lived there for only about three months before they moved into his father's official residence.
"Everything I have belongs to you," Mr Adams continued, undeterred by their subdued silence. "But understand that you'll only enter your vast inheritance when I'm gone to rest with my ancestors. While I'm still alive, the East Legon house is yours and any vehicle you like is at your disposal. I'll suggest you open a joint account. Here is a cheque for fifty thousand Ghana cedis which I made in your names because it's for both of you. Emily is still in school and you will both need a lot of money. As you can see, I've put together everything and you'll not have to spend a pesewa on the upcoming marriage ceremony. I'll leave the choice of the bridesmaids, groomsmen and all the other details to you but I'll see to the ceremony myself. All you need to do is present yourselves. Buy your own wedding rings but be sure they befit the occasion. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, you've heard of that, haven't you, Stephen?"
Stephen took Emily's hand in his, apparently for moral support.
"When she becomes Mrs Stephen Adams she will be expected to live up to the name. Gloria did her best to groom my daughter and I'm very happy about that because Emily can hold her own in any group, high or low. That much I'm confident about," Mr Adams told his son with contentment. Later, when the two young people were alone, Emily expressed her misgivings to Stephen. "To be honest with you, I'm not just overwhelmed but scared!" she confided.
"Do you want me to convince dad to change his mind?" he asked as he scanned her face with concern.
"I don't know," she confessed.
'Let's give ourselves some time to reflect over his proposal. If by tomorrow we are still very apprehensive about it, I'll go to him," he offered.
Emily clasped her hands as she reflected over the elaborate wedding arrangements. "We don't want to offend him, So I think we should pray for God to change his heart. I can adjust and accept your dad's offer if I'm pushed to do so, but I pray it doesn't come to that," she stated. "The more I think about it, the more I realise how much the upcoming wedding means to him, both socially and personally. It's obvious that he's looking forward to it very anxiously and I believe it will make him very happy. We don't want to upset him by offering any objections, but if we ask the Lord to do it, your father will be ready to listen to us. You noticed how he took his time to explain why he was going to all that trouble. Obviously, that was to make us co-operate with him. What do we have to lose if we agree to his plans? Nothing. All he's asking us to do is present ourselves, so we can psyche up ourselves for the occasion. But deep inside me, in my heart of hearts, something tells me we should have a very simple wedding ceremony. There is beauty in simplicity and it pleases God when His children lead simple lives. Look at what God did when He sent His only son to the earth. He could have placed Him in the best of palaces but He chose to place Him in a manger of all cribs! I'm scared to death by your father's opulent plans."
"All right!" Stephen agreed. "It's supposed to be your day so whatever you say goes. Auntie Okaibea tells me that the steps of the righteous are ordered by God. Since I became a Christian, thanks to my love for you, I've found this to be very true. Who would have thought that in a few months' time I'd be married to the most beautiful woman in the country? Bobby thinks that with your height, great figure and looks, I should encourage you to enter the beauty pageant this year! Do you know that you not only have a beautiful face, a great figure and impeccable manners but you are also very hardworking, do not nag and you make me feel like a king, while you are literally at my beck and call? See how you worship the very ground on which I walk. Oh God, you are so good!"
Emily laughed.
"You just wait and see," she parried. "When we marry, you'll see the real me! Right now, it's promotional period so my best foot is forward and I'm just waiting for the rings and the certificate to empower me. Once I have the rings and the legal document to which you will append your signature and make me a joint heir to the Adams's vast estate, I'll make you wait on me hand and foot! Mr Stephen Adams, don't start counting your chickens before they are hatched."
"I'll love to see you change," he countered. "What you are now is quite wearisome, to be honest with you. You are always smiling, no matter what I say or do. You don't get angry and it's always 'Stephen, have you eaten? Please have some rest. Please don't forget to take your multivitamins and don't forget the cod liver oil capsules. Afia says it relieves stress.' Let me see you order me about for a change!"
Emily threw a punch at him and he lifted her off the ground as she pummelled his chest.
"Let me go," she cried as she struggled in his arms.
He eventually released her, but it was only after a spirited struggle by her.
"That was just to teach you who the real boss is!" he stated with a satisfied smile.
"Can you find fifteen groomsmen?" she teased as they settled in their chairs.
He laughed. "I won't have a problem," he replied. "I'll get fifty groomsmen if the need arises. Why, all the guys at the club house will jump at the offer. Would you have difficulties if we were to go along with dad's plan?"
"I doubt if I can find fifteen bridesmaids," Emily stated.
"I would have asked the guys to bring their girlfriends, in that case," Stephen declared.
"It is interesting. I would have talked to the girls at the salon. We have ten workers in all if we add Beauty at the snack bar and Clara at the reception. I believe my cousin Maame would have jumped at the offer and Afia could also be counted on. There's Eliana, my course mate at the university who is quite close to me. I'd have had to find two others."
"Poor Emily," Stephen remarked.
"Don't 'poor Emily' me!" she retorted. "I could have got two of the girls in the choir - Edith and Olivia. They're very sweet, those two. There! I would have got fifteen. Yes! There's Araba, Auntie Okaibea's daughter who just graduated from senior high school. Of course, there are her elder sister, Love, and their cousin Regina." "Should I tell Mr Adams to increase the number to twenty?"
Stephen teased and they both laughed.
"Let's pray. I believe God can touch your dad and we'll have a simple wedding which will take nothing away from him as an Adams." Emily and Stephen joined hands and prayed asking God to touch Maxwell Adams's heart to accept a simpler wedding ceremony.
When Kojo Ganyo and Afia later heard about the wedding plans Mr Adams had made, they screamed with amazement, but the young couple explained that they had opted for a much simpler version.
"Whatever form it takes, I'm the best man and Afia is the maid of honour, aren't we?" Kojo Ganyo demanded.
"It goes without contradiction," Stephen replied. "But for your active support, the old doctor would have had Emily by now. Man, you are the true best man in every sense of the word."
"So we are having a simple ceremony for simple Emily and Stephen," Kojo Ganyo observed. "Simple Emily, yes, but not simple Stephen," Emily replied. "Mr Adams Senior said Stephen has blue blood running through his veins! And, besides, he said Stephen is a billionaire, although that young man led me to believe I was marrying a simple man with nothing. He deceived me that we'd struggle together, be poor together and, in fact, sweat it out together and I jumped for that option. But his father has dispelled all such notions. He says I must begin to act like an Adams!" All the young people laughed. "Some are born rich, others acquire wealth, while a blessed few have wealth imposed on them," Kojo Ganyo observed. "Interesting, isn't it? Dr Newman's ill-gotten wealth can never match Stephen's honestly acquired wealth as things now stand."
"Trust Bobby to spoil the party every time!" Stephen lamented. "Well, I'm just being realistic; that's all," Kojo Ganyo objected. "The man was a criminal. The report that I've just had confirmed my suspicion that he deliberately removed the wombs of all his female patients!" "He did what?" Afia exclaimed with horror. "Yes, Dr Newman made sure that every woman who entered his clinic and sought his help left without her womb." "No way,that is not possible," Afia objected.
All the three young people turned to Kojo Ganyo for an explanation.