After managing to get just a little sleep, Beesiwa woke up early, and without saying anything to her mother, headed for Yaw Awotwe’s house, not to see Yaw, but in the hope that his driver would be kind enough to say some­thing meaningful to take her out of her confusion. Fortunately they met at the entrance to the Estate, and she greeted him.

He nodded. ‘Uncle Paa Willie, may I respectfully ask you some­thing? I’m in a tight situation. Please help me.’‘Go ahead’.‘You see, Uncle, Yaw has been more than extremely good to me. How­ever, I have been in love with him for some time, and privately hop­ing that something would happen between us. But my mom warned me emphatically that Yaw was way above my class, and there were better girls waiting to catch him.

I kept up the hope for some time, then I gave up, took the advice he had been giving me, and started my own business. As you know he has been very helpful always. Unfortu­nately the frustration of losing him always weighed on me, and then Jeff showed interest, and made a big proposal, and even promised to buy me an estate house.

I discussed it with my mother, and she said I should accept Jeff’s proposal, and I did. I thought every­thing was going to go well, but at yesterday’s dinner, Jeff made the announcement of our impending marriage, and the response was shockingly negative. A few people applauded, and Yaw and Ebo Men­sah rose to congratulate us, but the general reaction was bad.

So I want to find out whether there’s something I don’t know, so that I back out before I get badly hurt’.‘Beesiwa, if I didn’t know you I would have given you a diplomatic answer. But since I know you to be a graduate with a lot of good sense, let me tell you, straight up, that you and your mother have shown the worst form of judgement any­one can make.

Jeff comes to propose to you, and promises to buy you a house, and you drop all your senses and fol­low him? What work does Jeff do? Where is his office? Who does he employ? Have you met his parents or relatives? Beesiwa, you should be really ashamed of yourself. And please tell your mother that I have lost all respect for her. Let me not waste your time.

You and your mother, go and ask Jeff to show you his office, and tell you what he does for a living. Yaw was prepared to do anything for you. Anything. I said anything. And you turn your back on him, and fol­low this thief with the big mouth?’ Beesiwa opened her mouth wide.

‘Uncle Paa Willie, he told me that Yaw was in serious debt, and he had tried to help him in many ways. He said he would support me to be­come one of the biggest caterers in town, because he had very power­ful contacts. Uncle Paa Willie, how come Yaw did not show any sign of affection for me? I would have never taken such a foolish decision if I had the slightest idea he wanted me’.

‘He takes his time with every­thing. He encouraged you to devel­op your talents, gave you money to start business, and brought in a girl to help at the house so that you would be free to make money. Why do you think he was doing that? He heard about you and Jeff a couple of weeks ago, and he said he felt very sorry for you, but hoped you at least knew what you were going into’.

So I’ve given you more answers that the questions you raised. I need to be going’.Devastated and weeping uncontrollably, Beesiwa started walking to the roadside to pick up a taxi. Then on an impulse she stopped, turned and followed Paa Willie to Yaw Awotwe’s house. Yaw saw her just before he opened the front door.

‘Beesiwa, I thought I have an­swered all your questions. What is the problem now?’‘I, I, I just want to say one word to Yaw. I won’t take more than one minute of his time’.‘ButBeesiwa, I have told you what you need to do. Why don’t you allow Yaw to go to work?’

You have already made your deci­sion. I don’t see how he comes in at all’. ‘You are here, Paa Willie’, Yaw said from the hall. ‘Is there anyone with you?’‘Beesiwa is here. She says she wants to have a word with you?’‘Really?’ he said as he walked to the front door, and saw Beesiwa weeping. ‘Is anything wrong?’

‘Yaw, I want to beg you. Forgive me for everything I’ve done against you. I have always had deep feel­ings for you, and kept hoping that you would show some interest in me. But I realized that it was not going to happen, so I gave up.

Then Jeff started showing inter­est, and saying all kinds of things about you, and offering to marry me. I now realize I made a fool­ish decision. I was reacting to the disappointment of losing you, and I thought that because he was close to you he was also a decent man.

He said some really bad things about you, and because we knew him as a close friend of yours we believed him, and my mother and I decided that I should accept his proposal’.‘Beesiwa, I have a dif­ficulty. Yesternight, in fact, only a few hours ago, Jeff was proudly introducing you as his wife, and announcing that you two would be getting married in two weeks time.

Now here you are, telling me that you have changed your mind. What do you want me to do?’‘I’m apologizing for the things I believed about you. After spending so much time with you I should have not accepted any of the things he said. I am really sorry.

The reaction of the people to his announcement clearly showed that there was something wrong, and when I went home I realized I had acted very hastily. And I came to see Uncle Paa Willie, and he told me a few things. I feel really terri­ble’. ‘Well, Beesiwa. You avoided a big bullet, so let’s thank God for that. If you had taken just a little time to get to know Jeff, you would have known the kind of person he is.

But now you know, so you can get on with your life. You have a business to run. I don’t blame you, but I certainly blame your mother. I don’t think I have the words to describe her’.‘Yaw, I want to ask a very big favour?’‘I’m listening’.‘I want to stop running the business, and come back to work with you’.

‘You know that doesn’t make sense at all. You have clearly demonstrated the capacity to excel in this business, and you are making good money. You want to stop all that and come back as my house help? That’s not right at all’.‘I would do anything to be around you. Please give me just one chance’.Yaw couldn’t hold back the emotions he had been keeping about Beesiwa.

She had made a very ridiculous, careless mistake by accepting Jeff’s lies and going so far with him. For­tunately she stopped just in time. He decided, from that moment, to take her as his lady.‘Okay. Stay here. Spend the day. I have to rush to keep some appointments. I will call’.That was how their relation­ship started. After three months preparation, Beesiwa and Yaw were married. As for Jeff, he got lost somewhere in the bush

By Ekow de Heer