Thirteen

By Christmas Eve, Emily was becoming accustomed to the whispers and stares from the workers as she moved around the house. She knew that Donald particularly was dying to engage her in gossip but she was determined not to know what was going on. She, therefore, did her best to discourage him or any of the workers from talking to her. 

Christmas Eve eventually came by and Emily, having adequately psyched herself up for her evening appointment with Dr Newman, was up before dawn to read, pray and wait for the programme. She had mixed feelings and had, on several occasions, tried to call the elderly man to cancel it but she held back, choosing to endure it, rather than break her word. 

Dr Newman was on time and Emily was ready when he arrived. Mrs Gloria Adams came out of her room to chat briefly with Dr Newman before the two set off. "Enjoy your evening," she said tersely to her as Emily and her companion moved towards the car. "Thank you," Emily said with a smile and Mrs Adams walked away hurriedly. 

The time Emily and Dr Newman spent together turned out to be more entertaining than she had expected. Because her companion was an older man, Emily had secretly dreaded he might patronise her but he dispelled any such notion from the moment he set eyes on her till he drove her back to the Adams' residence later that night. 

He had alighted when he spotted Emily making her way towards him and quickly held the door open for her. The look of undisguised admiration on his face as he gazed at her brought the shadow of a smile to her face. 

Emily looked resplendent in the strapless black evening gown Mrs Adams had helped her pick up from the boutique when they had gone shopping. 

"You look beautiful!" Dr Newman complimented her as she settled in the front seat. Having assured himself that she was comfortable, he walked away in long strides to his side of the car. 

"Thank you for accepting to be in my company for the evening, he remarked as he drove out of the compound. 

Emily smiled and as she glanced at him she noticed that he looked younger in the black tuxedo. Dr Newman was tall, athletic looking and fair complexioned. He always kept his hair, which he brushed into curly waves, very low. He had thin side burns and a line of moustache graced his upper lip. He usually wore glasses but that evening he chose to wear his contact lenses and Emily had a good look at his big brown eyes. He cut a very impressive figure and his manners had been excellent since the first day she set eyes on him, through the period they had travelled together to North Kaneshie. He was generally mild tempered, except for that unforgettable incident when the issue of abortion had broken the dark waters of wrath inside of him, Emily thought. 

"How did you spend your day?" Dr Newman broke into her thoughts as he drove towards the Okomfo Anokye Roundabout. 

After that initial question, he engaged her in small talk until they arrived at the State Theatre. She had seen the magnificent edifice from the distance a couple of times but when she got closer she was very impressed by its architecture. 

A number of statues and paintings were used to decorate both the outside and the inside of the massive building. Statues of great Ghanaian composers and the first director of the theatre stood at the front and the sides of the building, while several statues of male and female horn blowers lined up in what appeared to be a traditional Ghanaian welcome at the main entrance. 

Patrons had begun to mill around the foyer and as they entered the auditorium, Emily noticed that the interior was as impressive as the outside. Works of famous Ghanaian artists decorated the interior of the State Theatre and as they slowly made their way to the middle gallery seats, she noticed that their tickets allowed them to see every part of the stage. Some minutes after they had settled, the show took off in full flight. Emily listened with rapt attention and felt her spirits soar high as the popular artiste launched into her popular songs. She felt gratified that she had attended the concert and told her companion so. 

Hours later, as she leaned on Dr Newman's arm while they inched their way out of the auditorium, she felt relieved. She had savoured every moment of the show and she was surprised at how she felt at ease in Dr Newman's company. The older man was very attentive to her and, without saying too much, he made her feel very special. She had noticed that her companion also savoured every minute of the show. By the time they began the drive to The Miami Inn, a popular restaurant in town, Emily was totally at peace with herself. When they were cloistered in the sleek, spacious black Jeep, Dr Newman placed a soft hand on Emily's. "Thanks, my dear, for keeping me company," he said as he glanced at her. 

Encouraged by her smile, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Thanks," he repeated. 

Later, as he concentrated on driving, he thought about the beautiful young lady seated by him. He liked Emily and was enthralled by the way she carried herself. He had thought he was done with women after his second wife, Rose, died, but Emily, with her youthfulness, beauty and charm, had gradually wormed her way into his heart. 

Mrs Adams had done a great job as she had promised she would and he had liberally provided her with all the resources she needed to do the job. He had spent several hundreds of Ghana cedis to have Emily groomed and educated. He had agreed with Mrs Adams to keep his sponsorship a secret and so far everything was going as planned, but for Stephen's unmistakable interest in the girl. Mrs Adams had assured him that she would deal with her son and he had expected that the nuisance Stephen was posing to his scheme would soon pass. 

 She had disclosed to him that Emily had never dated any man and he had been mildly surprised. He had, out of sheer disbelief, broached the topic when he was with the girl and the young lady had confirmed it. She was from Techiman in the Ashanti Region and girls from that village were generally very promiscuous, he knew. He knew her parents and other relatives very well, having worked in the neighbouring town for over twenty years. He must get together with the young lady more often if he was to make any progress in his plan to marry her, he thought. 

Mrs Adams had hinted that Emily was a devout Christian who took her Christian life seriously. 

"Can I invite you to my church tomorrow?" he asked and turned briefly to look at her. Their eyes met and Emily flashed him a smile. 

"I'd love to accompany you, but we have a programme tomorrow and I'm featuring prominently in it," she explained. 

"Then can I pick you up after church service for a drink?" he asked. 

Emily felt trapped. She had declined his first offer and turning down the second might look like a deliberate attempt to avoid him. 

When she hesitated, he added, "It will be just for a few minutes. I'm growing very fond of you, you know. Do we have a date, then? That is, if you can call a quick drink a date." 

"All right," she caved in. "If it'll be for just a few minutes, I'll make time for it." 

"Thank you," he said. "It will be for only a few minutes. All I'm asking for is just to see the face of my beautiful and intelligent lady so any excuse to have you with me will do. Even if it's just for a few minutes, I'll feel greatly honoured. I do care a lot about you, Emily." 

She arched a brow and opened her eyes wide with surprise. She was looking ahead so her partner could not see the expression on her face. 

"Do you like me, Emily?" he asked softly. 

She did not hesitate. "Yes, I do," she said with sincerity. 

"Thank you for loving an older man!" he remarked. 

Emily rolled her eyes and, as she did so, she remembered Mrs Adams's admonition not to roll her eyes. 

Had she said she loved him? Wasn't his question about whether or not she liked him? Did older people use 'like' and 'love' interchangeably? Emily wondered. 

"Dr Newman, I like you a lot but I don't think I said 'I love you'," she finally mustered courage to tell him. "Of course, of course, you have said no such thing!" he laughed. "Did I say you said you love me?" The girl became confused. Maybe she had not understood him. "I'm sorry," she apologised. 

"You don't have to be," he gently corrected her. "This game between men and women is a very curious thing. It cuts across age barriers. Can you believe that at my age I'm still burning with love and cannot resist a beautiful woman? I have to apologise to you, my dear, but I cannot help myself. By the way, are you dating Mrs Adams's son, Stephen?" 

The question took Emily completely by surprise. 

"You may choose not to answer the question if you don't want to," he assured her. She assured him that she was not averse to answering his question. "No. Stephen and I are not going out," she said in an even voice. 

"Oh I see," he said with surprise. It was Dr Newman's turn to be confused. Was the young lady really telling him the truth? 

There was a long pause after that until they arrived at the restaurant. After parking the car, he helped Emily out and then locked it up. Holding her hand gently in his, they entered the plush The Miami Inn Restaurant. A few heads turned in their direction as they walked in and Dr Newman relished the envious looks he got as he held on to the young lady. Later, as they sipped their drinks, he plied her with many questions but the young lady just gave monosyllabic answers. Mrs Adams had warned him that Emily was not talkative and that she would usually not initiate conversation. She smiled a lot and was a great listener, he had been told. 

"What do you know about me?" he asked, hoping to draw her out. 

Emily smiled. "You're a great doctor," she replied. "Is that all you know about me?" he persisted. "You are also kind-hearted," she added. 

Dr Newgate laughed. It would take more effort to get Emily to chat, he realised. Their food arrived and his attempts to engage her in conversation ceased. 

As they ate in silence, he digested what she had disclosed about her relationship with Stephen. He had all along believed he was in competition with Mrs Adams's son, only to learn that there was no amorous relationship going on. How well could he rely on the young lady's words? Had Mrs Adams been able to destroy what they were all convinced was germinating between the two young persons? He made a mental note to find out from Mrs Adams exactly what was going on. He had been determined not only to win Emily's love but also teach young Stephen a few lessons in their fight for the girl's affections. He decided to keep Mrs Adams out of the fight, otherwise after he had won, Stephen might later accuse him of having had an unfair advantage. 

The playing field must be level so that the young man would not have any defence when the chips were down. A smile creased his face as a plan began to form in his mind. It was a very familiar path. He always got what he wanted and his mind went back to his late wife, Rose. Dr Newman had successfully wrestled Rose from a younger man called Richie several years ago and that young man had been left licking his wounds for many years. Stephen would not be any different from Richie, he told himself, as he eyed the beautiful young lady seated across from him.