Well, it’s been quite a journey with Richie, seeing him slip up and all. He’s back to his senses, though. Let’s see how this ends…

“So you think this conference was successful?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Ahmed! An absolute success. I think we learned a lot throughout, and I believe with your story and all, the squad is very much motivated to make Bons Farms a major success. At least I know I’m really excited and ready to get things cracking!”

“Great, great! I see everyone is excited myself. I’m very very sure that we are on right track, and it’s just matter of time till Bons Farms becomes a success.”

“Definitely.”

Sunday morning, and I was making sure I got myself a king’s breakfast before checking out and heading for the airport. Sebastian was around, and we were chatting about the past two weeks. Forget about my personal indiscretions, it had been a booming success on the business side. Everything was in place for Bons Farms to be a roaring success.

As I finished the bacon on my plate, Sebastian asked, “Oh, by the way, that nice lady you were sitting with last week, she still around?”

I stopped for a moment before smiling and shaking my head. “She apparently left yesterday.”

“Oh! Unfortunate! I should have get her number, you know. Sweet, sweet chica! Maybe I could have make her my girlfriend! I know you don’t need her for that; you have your own beautiful wife!”

We laughed. Fair point there from Sebastian, though; I never needed her.

“Anyway, I’m just kidding.”

“Oh I know, I know. So you’re leaving tomorrow?”

He shook his head as he took a sip of the coffee in his mug. “I leave for Accra this afternoon. Four-thirty. I must have some short meetings with some other people before I leave. When I get to Accra, I stay on for another three days, then I go back to Spain.”

“Oh, alright, alright, no problem. Well, of course we’ll be in touch in case of anything.”

“Of course, of course! I see you are ready and eager to leave. Missed your wife?”

I nodded. “A lot.”

“Hehe, very sweet. Well, you get back to Accra safely, okay?” he said as we stood up from the table.

“Sure thing, boss. Thanks a lot.”

***

10:40 am, and I was seated by the window in the African World Airlines plane.

As I leaned back in my seat a bit, I shut my eyes and thought back to everything that had happened.

So many things to learn from this Marilyn debacle.

Chale, if there’s one lesson I’ve learned from this, it’s not to be lackadaisical when it comes to matters like this. From now on, no space for other women! Flirty behaviours sef no be acceptable. I’m never letting myself play with fire like this again. I already have Ellie, and she’s enough. More than enough.

There was one major positive to pick out of this as well: I hadn’t slept with Marilyn. I mean, we were on the road to that, but thanks be to God, it didn’t happen. You have no idea how much of a relief it was to my soul, because I doubt I’d have been able to even begin to consider forgiving myself. Ellie is the only woman I’ve ever made love to, and it would have hurt to live with the fact that I had given Marilyn a part of me she had no business receiving.

“Well, it is well,” I murmured to myself. “I’ve learned my lesson. And at the end of it all, it is well.”

***

An hour and a 40-minute flight later, I made my way through Terminal 1 with my luggage on the trolley I had picked.

It felt good to be back in Accra. The flight had been smooth and uneventful. We set off at 10:45 am and landed in Accra around 11:25. No problems whatsoever with getting my luggage either; I barely waited seven minutes before I got my two bags.

All smooth sailing.

As I stepped out into the arrivals area, I kept my eyes peeled for the one meant to pick me up. She had gone for the early service that day, so she could come for me.

A few quick scans through the very small crowd before me. I didn’t see her.

I looked to my left, where a few others were standing around.

And there she was.

The cutest woman in the world, dressed in that black dress I can’t get enough of.

She definitely rushed home to slip into that to welcome me back home.

She had her hands outstretched as she called out. “Babeeeeeeeee!”

I dunno, but… in that moment I saw her, it really just hit me how stupid I had been while in Takoradi. I saw Ellie and I saw… my satisfaction. The one with whom I find my happiness. The one I was proud to be bound to for life.

I saw the woman who had brought me joy in the most diverse of ways since she said yes to me. The one I loved singing Akwaboah and Kofi Kinaata songs with in the car. The one I teased every single day. The one who incessantly stressed me over my hatred for pineapples and my ‘penchant for eating anything acceptable to the stomach’. The one I intended to spoil silly with my riches once Bons Farms became successful.

The one I gleefully vowed to love above every other woman in the world before God and man nineteen months ago.

And it really struck me. That I easily could have messed up this beautiful lifetime reality by settling for a short-term, illicit fling.

I heard the voice of Wolf number 1. Chale, imagine if you had traded this treasure for something way lesser. The regrets you’d have been carrying for the rest of your life, eh…

So as I pushed my trolley and moved in her direction, my eyes welled up with tears as I approached her. I can’t believe I could have thrown this away for some strange girl!

She ran to me, and jumped on me, hugging me tightly. “Richieeeeeee! Baby, the way I’ve missed youuuu!”

I couldn’t help it, a tear rolled down my cheek and I sniffed as I whimpered while hugging her back, “I’ve missed you so much, Ellie. Oh God, I’ve missed you.”

Pulling back to look me in the face, she was surprised by the reaction. “Aww, babe?”

I shook my head as I tried to keep more tears from falling. The emotions really hit hard, chale, they really did.

“Awwww, baby, no need to cry! It’s okay, honey. I’m here. We’re back together now,” she comforted as she wiped the tear stains off my face.

All I could do was smile at Ellie as she patted my face and spoke sweet words to me, grateful to God that I had her.

In that moment, my heart spoke out to God: Father, thank You so much for delivering me from my stupidity. Thank You for reminding me that this woman You’ve given to me is way precious than I could have ever imagined. Thank You… thank You… thank You…

“Come, let’s get the stuff to the car, okay?”

***

As I took my place in the driver’s seat, my luggage sitting comfy in the car boot, Ellie slammed the door closed and started to put on her seat belt. “So Richie, you know, Mummy and Auntie Daphne-“

“Come here, girl!”

I hit the pause button on Ellie’s story as I grabbed her and pressed my lips against hers.

Ohh, the ecstasy! The euphoria!

The overwhelming joy!

Nothing felt better than to kiss those full, luscious lips once more. This truly was where my lips belonged.

As we ended our deep kiss half a minute later, I whispered, “I’ve missed you so much, Ellie. So damn much.”

That giddy look had appeared on her face without fail as she held my arm. “I’ve missed you too, Richie. It’s been the hardest two weeks ever, with you being so far away from me.”

It’s been a tough two weeks for me too, but for different reasons. I nearly lost you due to my foolishness and indecisive behaviour.

Those were the words in my head. But there was no need to say them out. All that mattered was that the real occupant of that throne of my heart was before me, and nobody else would ever be allowed to think of dethroning her. She was queen for life.

I took her hand and kissed it. “It was tough for me too. But now we’re back together. That’s all that matters.”

“Amen, honey, amen. That’s all that matters. You’re back home.”

Back home. Chale, nothing more refreshing to the soul than that!

“Now, not to rush you or anything, but can we get moving, please? Now that you’re back, I really need to end this celibacy thing and spend the rest of the day in your arms to make up for these fourteen days.”

I snickered. Time for a little mischief. “Wow, you’re already in a hurry to end it? I thought you were growing your philosophical bone so nicely…”

Ellie shot me a dirty look, then crossed her legs to expose content I love to see. “Gentleman, there’s a good reason I wore this, and it’s not to look sassy.”

Mmmmm, sweet sight! She sure knows how to trigger her man. She knows her thighs are a weakness for me.

“Ummm, on second thought, who cares about philosophy? Let’s go end that celibacy period ASAP.”

She laughed. “Perfect! Now you’re talking!” She then brushed my cheek with her fingers. “By the way, I love you, Richie.”

I looked at her and smiled as I started up the engine. “I love you even more, Ellie. Always and forever. And you’ll forever be the most important woman in my life. No woman on this earth will ever come before you. Ever.”

And I meant every single word of that.

My beautiful, precious Ellie simply smiled back and rubbed my arm.

“Oh, by the way, you were saying something about your mom and Auntie Daphne.”

“Aha, yes yes! So can you imagine this? On Thursday, Mummy and Auntie Daphne went to visit the family home in Winneba. On their way, eh…”

I smiled, content as could be as I listened to my wife’s story while we drove out of the airport car park. 

So yeah, that’s my story.

It’s been a while since it happened, and chale, how life has changed.

Now, I take boundaries very, very serious. Every woman who’s encountered me since then knows that there are so many things you do not try around me. The line has been redrawn at my heart’s entrance, and only Ellie crosses it. Nobody else does, and I make sure of that.

Obviously, I secured the job, and so I make my way to Takoradi on a regular basis, but this time, I go with Ellie. We don’t go to Alliance Hotel, though; Best Western is our preferred choice.

Also, my baby had a baby, so we’re a family of three now. The sweetest baby girl a man could ever have; my beautiful little Esi Adesua Acquah. It’s so beautiful to be a father, and it warms my heart to see my favourite woman in the world care for our sweet Esi.

And yep, Bons Farms is on course. Business is moving along as expected, and so far, the upcoming profits are super encouraging. Man is well on his way to securing that major bag, no doubt. And once I do, the things I’ve planned for those two girls… man, Ellie and Esi are gonna enjoy big time.

Wondering about Marilyn? Well… I’ve neither seen nor heard from her since. She blocked me on WhatsApp, so I did same and deleted all our chats. We’ve gone back to being total strangers.

And it’s better that way, right?

Of course, it is.

Yeah, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. And one of them is allowing myself to get romantically involved with that Marilyn lady.

But I’m really happy with some of the choices I’ve made in life. And chief among them is choosing Mrs. Eleanor Acquah over her.

And I’ll keep choosing her till the day I die.

So help me God.

THE END

Well, all’s well that ends well! Richie certainly made errors in these fourteen days. But he woke up in time and did the right thing, and now he’s learned from it. At the end of the day, he’s better off staying committed to the wife of his youth.

Thanks for reading, and as always, continue to enjoy yourself around the State!