1 My Queen

Opanin Ntow and his wife are farmers who live in the village of Kaemebre. He and his wife have been married for ten years without a child. But, finally, their prayers were answered one day and they gave birth to a beautiful daughter, they named Adom(which means grace). Adom was a girl who was loved by everybody, whether old or young. She was a very good girl and never allowed the fact that she was an only child get into her head.

She grew up into a beautiful young woman and all the young men in the village wished to have her for a wife. Kaemebre was a village in which it's inhabitants where mostly farmers. So, riches was mostly based on how many acres of land you have and how many livestock you rear. Adom's parents were not very rich, but they were not poor either.

As Adom grew, her parents noticed she how bright she was in her young age. So, they admitted her in the only school in the village. She was glad her parents sent her to school, since most of the girls from the village were never allowed into a school. Even though she loved reading her books, she still knew what she had to do to help her family at home, as a young woman.

Every morning, she walks a long distance to the stream to get water her mother will need to start the day. She then sweeps the whole compound and cooks breakfast before leaving for school. She was not a child who loved to complain about anything and her family loved her for that. She was the joy of the home, as her father always said.

One morning, as she bent down by the stream to fetch her bucket of water, she heard rustles in the nearby bush. At first she thought it was an animal so she got frightened. But before she could blink, a young man suddenly jumped out of the bushes and ran to her. Adom was confused and relieved at the same time. Relieved, at the fact that it was not a wild animal waiting to devour her, and confused as to what a young man will be doing the bushes.

" Help me, please" the young man cried out.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" she asked, looking at the young unkempt man suspiciously.

"Before I tell you who I am, can you please give me some of you water? I am really thirsty. I fear I might die out of thirst", the young man requested, pleading with his eyes.

There was something about this young man that made adom want to help him. He looked very unkempt. His hair looked dirty, like he had made the ground his bed for days. His shirt was torn and his pants looked old. The slipper he wore looked like they would give up on him anytime. He looked very tired, like someone who had been walking a million mile. He sat down on the stone, by the stream, waiting for Adom to give him some of her water.

Adom had a small cup in her bucket, which always used to fetch her water. She took the cup which was floating lazily on the water in the bucket and dipped it into the water. She brought it out, and handed it to the young man.

"Here. Please drink this. I am sure you are very tired. You look like you came a long way."

The young man took the cup, and hungrily placed it on his lips. When he brought the cup down, the water in it was already finished. "Thank you so much," he panted, and cleaned his lips with the back of his hand.

Adom took back her cup, and placed it into her bucket. "So, can you please tell me who you are and what you are doing here?"

The young man nodded. "My name is Ahenkan. I live in the next two villages before this one and I was on my way to the next village to visit my grandmother. But, on my way, I was attacked by four men who took everything away from me and beat me up. They took all my money. I don't know how I am going to continue my trip."

Ahenkan began to cry. Adom hated to see others in misery and pain when she could do something to help them out. She felt pity for the young man, and walked closer to him, leaving her bucket by the stream.

"My house is not far from here. Why don't you come with me and rest. Then tomorrow, you can continue your journey," adom offered.

His eyes shot up when he heard what the young girl said. "You want to help me? But, why? You don't even know me."

"Yes, I don't know you. But, I want to help you. You don't look good and I don't think you are in the best position to travel to the next village like this. You know from here to the next village is a three day journey, right? Please, come with me. My family and I will be happy to have you in our house," she replied.

Ahenkan shook his head, trying to reject her offer but adom continued to insist till he finally gave in.

"Fine, I will come to your house. Thank you so much. I did not even ask of your name. Oh, my poor manners!" he exclaimed making adom laugh.

"My name is Adom."

"Adom. Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." the compliment made Adom blush. She could not understand why she blushed so hard.

"Thank you. Please, let's go now. My house is that way," she pointed to the bushy path on the left.

Ahenkan stood up and helped her carry her water on her head, then followed her to her house. While they walked down the bushy road, they talked and got to know each other better. By the time they got home, they were already chatting like best friends. Adom's mother, Maame Yaa, who was already sorted in front of the house, sorting out the rice she was about to cook, looked up at the sound of her daughter's voice. She saw her daughter was not alone, a boy was with her.

Ahenkan greeted the older woman when they got closer to the house. Maame Yaa was surprised a man had followed her daughter home. Adom was not the kind of girl to make friends anyhow, as such, never liked bringing her friends home. The older woman looked at Ahenkan up and down, trying to take a full look at the young man.

Adom quickly rushed to the back of the house and poured her water into the big barrel. She felt happy when she realised the barrel was filled and she would not have to make another distance to the stream. She placed the basket beside the barrel and rushed out to join her mother and Ahenkan.

She narrated everything to her mother and her mother in turn, listened to her very carefully.

"Hmm, it's a pity such a thing happened to you, young man. I am sure you have not even eaten," Maame Yaa turned to Ahenkan, after her daughter had finished with her story.

"No, Maame. Now that you have mentioned it, I am very hungry. The robbers took all my money. I have nothing left," Ahenkan replied.

"Don't worry, my son. I am coming to make breakfast so, Adom will prepare a bath for you and give you some clothes. I am sure by the time you are done, breakfast will be ready, okay?"

Ahenkan knelt in front of the older woman and thanked her. He was so surprised that this woman and her daughter were ready to help him out, when they did not even know him.

"Thank you, so much Maame. You don't know what you have done for me. Thank you very much."

"It's okay, son. Get up. Adom, please prepare a bath for him and give him some clothes from your father's closet. I am sure there are some there that can fit him," she said to her daughter, who quickly got up to do what her mother had asked of her.

She came back later to call Ahenkan into the bath house. The young man got up and followed the young woman. He was directed into the bathroom where he took his bath. Then changed into different clothes after he had finished bathing. Adom helped her mother prepare breakfast for the family and beautifully served Ahenkan who appreciated all the kind gestures been shown to him.

Later in the day, Adom decided to take Ahenkan out for a walk. They walked and talked and laughed. They passed by a lot of people who kept staring at them. Adom did not like it when people stared at her. She was indeed a beautiful girl who always had that kind of attention, but she could never get used to it.

They walked past the king's huge palace. Ahenkan was a bit nervous when they got there and almost dragged Adom away from there. He held her wrist tightly but gently, so as not to harm her and urged her to walk faster.

"Ahenkan, why are you walking so fast? I thought we were out here so that I can show you around," she questioned him.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I want us to walk a bit faster, that's all," Ahenkan smiled, but it did not look sincere. Adom was a bit suspicious, but, she did not question him.

They later found themselves by the stream again, where they had met earlier.

"I can't believe after all the walk, this is the last place we decided to come to. Considering the fact that, this is were we met," Adom pointed out. She smiled widely while Ahenkan stole glances at her.

Adom was one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen. He had fallen in love with her the first moment he saw her and had decided to get to know her. Within the short period of time they had spent together, he realised how caring and kind Adom was. So, he decided he would marry her.

Adom never had friends. The girls in the village did not want to be with her. All the men in the village were interested in making her their wife and that made the other girls jealous. One of those girls was Akosua. Akosua always found ways to humiliate Adom in front of the other girls whenever she asked to play with them and yet, no one ever defended her.

Adom knew Akosua was the daughter of the richest cocoa farmer in the land. So, everyone wanted to be her friend. Akosua is rude and arrogant to all the girls, but, because of her father's power as one of the elders in the palace and a rich farmer, no one dared to defy her. They were scared of what her father might do to them if they ever do so.

So, when Ahenkan was so good to her, she was happy. At last, she had made a friend. She wanted to keep Ahenkan by her side forever, but he had to go back to his grandmother. She suddenly became sad, when it dawned on her that she might never see Ahenkan again.

"My Queen, why are you suddenly sad? What's wrong?" He stopped walking abruptly, when he realised Adom was no longer following him.

He walked over to her and held her hand. Adom looked at him, sadness written all over her face. There were tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall. Ahenkan brushed his thumb on her face before the tear that was threatening to escape from her eyes fell.

"This is the first time I have had a real friend who is willing to be there for me. But, it hurts me so much that I will be loosing you the next day. I feel like I will not see you again." Adom began to cry hard. Ahenkan had no option than to hug her. He was careful enough not to do anything to startle her or make her push him away. When Adom did not do anything but hold him close, he tightened his grip around her.

"I will come back to see you again, Adom. I promise. Listen, you don't need to be afraid of loosing me, because I am not going to leave you alone. I will come back," he comforted her, as she continued to cry on his chest.

Little did she know that he was closed to her than he thought.

They later got back to the house when it was almost evening and met Opanin Ntow who had arrived back home from his trip to the big city. He had gone to sell some of his farm produce there to make some money. He wanted to raise enough money to send Adom to the university. Adom and her mother told what had happened to Ahenkan. Opanin Ntow, like the rest of the family was very understanding towards Ahenkan. He even agreed for Ahenkan to spend the night with them.

The next day, Adom and her mother packed some food and clothes for Ahenkan. He was so happy with their kind gesture, he almost shed a tear. He accepted all the gifts they gave him and promised to come back and properly thanked them. Adom offered to walk him to town. Kaemebre is a prosperous village but, they had problems with transportation. Their roads were very bad and only the rich could afford a car. Most of the people did not own a car, apart from the royal household and the cocoa farmers. Cars only came there twice a week, and those days were market days. Days where the people were able to sell and earn a lot from the rich merchants who came to buy.

"I am happy today happens to be a market day, which means you will get a car that will take you to the next village. At least, you will not have to travel for days," Adom sighed.

"Yes, I am glad about that too. I will miss you a lot, Adom. As I told you yesterday, I will come back to see you. And I will spend more time with you. Thank you so much for everything." He hugged her tightly, wishing to never let her go.

Adom began to cry. She had met Ahenkan in just a day, but, she felt like she had known him her whole life. He was the only person who could make her laugh, apart from her parents. He had known her for just a day, yet, he had made her so happy. She did not know what she will do after he was gone.

Ahenkan hugged her a little longer, then let her go after a bus arrived at the station. "Promise me you will take very good care of yourself."

"I promise I will, Ahenkan. Good bye," Adom replied

"Good bye, Adom." He hugged her again, then kissed her on her forehead, making Adom feel surprised. He let go of her and boarded the bus. When he sat down and made himself comfortable, he pulled his head out the window and waved at her. Adom waved back, with tears in her eyes.

                                                 ~~~¤~~~

Adom and her mother were in the kitchen preparing the ground nut soup they would be eating with the Fufu. The soup was already boiling on the fire and the smoke from the firewood was all over the kitchen. The cassava had already been cut into pieces and put in a bowl containing water. Adom quickly started to wash them and placed them in a silver ware.

Opanin Ntow was seated outside, reading an old newspaper when he saw a young man approaching him. He looked at the young man who was smiling at him. When Ahenkan got close enough to Opanin Ntow, he greeted him.

"Good afternoon, Opanin."

"Good afternoon, my young man. How are you?"

"I am fine, Opanin."

"Please, do have a seat," Opanin taps on the bench he is sitting on and Ahenkan sits down beside him.

"Forgive my manners but, I don't think I remember where I have met you before even though you look familiar."

Ahenkan smiles. "Opanin, it is I, Ahenkan, the young man your daughter, Adom helped, two weeks ago. I am the young man who got robbed and and spent the night at your house two weeks ago."

Opanin Ntow thinks for a while then smiles when he remembers Ahenkan. "Yes. I remember you now. How are you doing my boy? I never thought I would see you again so soon."

"I am fine, Opanin. Please, is Adom at home? I would like to speak with her."

"Oh, she is in the kitchen with her mother. They are preparing supper for the family."

"So, can I please go there to see her?"

"Of course, my son. You can. It is right behind the house," Opanin Ntow pointed and Ahenkan followed his direction right away.

Ahenkan called out as soon as he got to the kitchen entrance.

"Hello. Is anybody here?" he clapped his hands and called out.

"It seem there is someone out there. Can you go and check who it is?" Maame Yaa said.

Adom nodded and quickly went out. He saw a young man standing there, looking at her with a smile on his face. She greeted him and he responded to her greeting. She looked at the person for a while then gasped. She put her hand on her mouth to prevent her from shouting.

"Ahenkan? Ahenkan, is that you?"

Ahenkan was smiling broadly now. "Yes, my queen, it's me. I missed you so much. Come, come give me a hug."

Ahenkan opened his arms and Adom ran into them. She wrapped her hands on his back as he wrapped his around her waist.

"I miss you so much. I was so afraid you will forget me," he said.

"I miss you too, Ahenkan. I thought I would never see you again. I am happy you came back." she had her head on his chest and held him tightly.

They finally broke the hug. "Anyway, where is Maame?"

"She is in the kitchen. We were preparing supper before you came in. Let me let her know you are here and get you a stool to sit on."

She ran into the kitchen and came back later with a stool in her hand and maame Yaa following right behind her. She gave the stool to Ahenkan then went back to the kitchen to get another one for her mother. She offered Ahenkan some water, which he kindly refused. Adom then stood beside her mother as they welcomed Ahenkan.

"Welcome Ahenkan. I was so surprised when my daughter told me that you were here. You are welcome again, my dear."

"Thank you mother. I promised Adom here that I will come back to see her again. I wanted to properly thank her and your family for what you did for me two weeks ago."

Maame Yaa nodded and smiled. She looked up at Adom. "Adom, please get your father here. He needs to be present to welcome Ahenkan back to our house again."

Adom ran to go get her father as her mother and Ahenkan continued to have a conversation. Adom came back with her father and rushed inside the house to get her father's lazy chair for him. When he was finally seated, Maame Yaa introduced him to Ahenkan.

"You are welcome to our house again, my dear boy," Opanin Ntow said.

Ahenkan smiled. "Thank you so much, Opanin. I am also glad to be here at last."

"So, what brings you here to our humble home?" Opanin Ntow asked.

"Well, I am here to pay a visit to you and also to properly thank you for what you and your family did for me two weeks ago. You see, when I arrived at my grandmother's house, I told her about you. So, she gave me some things to come give to you as an appreciation for what you did for me," he picks his bag from the side and opens it. He brings out a box containing gold necklaces and expensive beads and three different pieces of African prints.

He gets up and hands it over to Opanin Ntow who graciously takes it out of his hands. He opened the box and gasped in shock.

"Oh son, you did not have to go through the trouble of bringing us gifts. Thank you so much, my son."

Ahenkan nodded. "You are welcome Opanin."

Ahenkan spent another two weeks with the family. He and adom grew closer and closer and eventually fell hard for her. Adom could not explain what she felt for Ahenkan. But, she knew she was always happy around him. She also knew she felt something deeper for him, but she did not want to say it out loud.

Ahenkan left the family to go back to his parents. He visited adom from time to time and spent more time with her. They finally got the courage to tell each other how they felt and started to date. Opanin Ntow and his wife were so happy when they were told about it. They had gotten to know Ahenkan and had come to the conclusion that he is a good man worthy of their daughter. That is why they quickly approved of their relationship.

Time went on, and their relationship grew. Ahenkan decided not to waste time anymore to tell Adom and her parents about his intentions. He gathered the family around one afternoon when he had come to visit them of his intentions.

They were seated at the porch in front of the house. Ahenkan, Opanin Ntow and maame Yaa shared the bench, as Adom sat on the kitchen stool beside Ahenkan.

"I am sorry to disturb you all this afternoon but I wanted to tell you of my intentions towards your daughter. Your daughter and I have been dating for six months now. I had already told my parents about her and they approved of their relationship. I have already discussed what I am about to tell you with them and they happily agreed."

"Okay, son. So, what do you want to tell us?" Opanin Ntow asked him.

Ahenkan smiled, looking down shyly. He raised his head and looked at the older man and woman. "I want to marry adom as soon as possible. I just want to ask your permission then I will come with my family to perform the necessary rites."

Opanin Ntow and maame Yaa looked at each other in surprise. They wanted to Adom and Ahenkan to get married but they did not want to pressure the two love birds. Maame Yaa smiled and nodded at her husband who looked back at both Ahenkan and Adom. The expression on Adom's face showed she was as surprised as they were.

"My daughter. Come to me. Come to your father."

Adom got up and went to stand by her father. "You heard what Ahenkan said. Do you want to marry him?"

Adom stole a glance at Ahenkan and smiled then looked back at her father. "Yes father. I love him so much and I am willing to marry him."

"Thank you so much, my daughter. Thank you. So, young man. There is your answer. You can bring your family to come perform the marriage rites."

Ahenkan opened his arms and Adom walked into them. He held her very tightly, as if she might slip out of his hands. "I love you so much, my queen. Thank you."

Opanin Ntow asked for time to gather his brothers to tell them of the impending marriage and promised to send word to Ahenkan very soon. He asked for two weeks and Ahenkan decided to come back in two weeks for the answer and what there was to be done. He so much wanted to make Adom his wife and wanted to make sure everything goes well.

                                                 ~~~¤~~~

The day of the marriage came. People had come in their numbers to grace the occasion. Canopies had been built up to house the guests and music was been played. The cultural band had been contracted to come dance when the bride and groom were to be called out. There was a live band stationed under another canopies. The marriage was been held at the big compound of one of Adom's uncles since Opanin Ntow's house could not contain too many people.

The bride was inside the house with some of the girls that had been contacted to dress her up. Adom was happy that she was going to marry Ahenkan. Ahenkan had told her he was the son of one of the richest cocoa farmers in the next village. His father owned lots of cars but he never loved to use them. He said he did not want unnecessary attention. Adom loved him more when she realised how simple he was. He was rich, yet so modest. But this time, on their wedding day, he had gone all out to make the day special and memorable for Adom.

Everything started well. Ahenkan arrived with his parents in a long line of cars. When they got to their destination, the people gathered around were totally surprised. They had been told the man in question was a modest man, so they were surprised when they learnt he was not.

What even surprised them most was when the king and his beautiful queen came out of one of the five cars with guards and maidens surrounding them. As they walked into the compound, the people cheered and greeted them. The noise from outside alerted Opanin Ntow and his wife who were already dressed up and were about to leave. They quickly rushed out to see what was going on only to meet with the king and his queen seated among the people.

Opanin Ntow and his wife went to them and greeted them. They could not understand why the king and queen were there but they did not ask any questions. Finally, everyone was seated, and the marriage ceremony began. The gifts and bride price was presented to the family by the maidens and guards which got Adom's parents more confused. It was now time for the groom to be presented to the family and all the people gathered around.

The cultural dancers went outside the compound with their traditional dance. Then came in still dancing with a long line of people from the palace following them. Ahenkan was spotted among the people who had entered. He was dressed in royal attire. He wore one of the richest Kente cloth which was wrapped around his body. He wore the traditional slippers as well. He wore two golden rings on both hands and had a golden necklace on his neck. He was dressed like the king.

Opanin Ntow and his wife looked so surprised when Ahenkan finally stood in front of them, smiling at them. The bride was finally called out, the cultural dancers went to get her too. She also had girls in front and behind her dancing with the cultural dancers who were ahead of them. Adom walked with her entourage and greeted the people. She saw the king and queen among the people and got confused but smiled through it. Ahenkan looked so handsome in his attire but looked too royal for adom. She finally stood beside him, smiling at him. She really wanted to understand what was going on and it was written all over her face.

Ahenkan helped her sit down on the chair under the special canopy made for just them and sat beside her. The king used that opportunity to speak and address his people.

"Greetings my people. I know most of you are confused about the presence of I and my wife at this marriage ceremony. Actually, the truth is, Ahenkan is my son. He is the crown prince of this village. He one day told me of his plan of getting a wife for himself and discusses with me how he wanted to go about it. I did not think it was possible till he told me he had found the girl he wanted after so many failed attempts. I was glad when he told me who it was. I have known Opanin Ntow's family for years and I know his daughter too. My son, did well choosing you adom, and I am so proud to welcome you to my family."

Adom looked like she was about to cry as all the people gathered just murmured among themselves. Adom angrily walked out of the ceremony with Ahenkan following her. Adom's mother tried to intervene but her husband stopped her. "Leave them alone. They need to talk."

Ahenkan caught up to Adom behind the house. "Adom wait! Please let me explain. I really wanted to tell you the truth. I really did... "

"So, what stopped you from telling me?" Adom angrily cut in.

"I was scared I would loose you. I did not know what better way to tell you this. I am so sorry to have lied to you. I did this because I wanted a woman who would not just become my queen but will be there for me and love and respect me as a man, not as a future king. I met you and you had everything I was looking for in a woman. You helped me the first day you met me and sheltered me without knowing who I was. That was when I realised you are a good woman. Please, Adom. Please forgive me. I really love you."

Adom turned towards him. "The prince of this land was living in another country for years. When did you come back?"

"I came back six months before I met you. I came back to get a good wife and settle down here. I never meant to hurt you. I never would have wanted to see you cry because of me. I love you."

Adom smiled and held his hand. "Don't ever lie to me again."

"I promise you. I will never lie to you again."

"I love you, my prince."

"I love you, my queen."

Then, they kissed with all the love and passion they had for each other. They went back to the venue and the marriage continued. They got married with the blessings given by both families. They were happy that everything had been cleared out and finally fallen into place.

Adom continued her education, with the supper of her husband and became a teacher. She reached in the primary school in the village, built by the king and encouraged the people to enrol their children, especially their female children in the school. It took time, but eventually, more parents began to enrol their female children. She became a role model for the younger female generation and became loved by all. The girls who shunned her, became friends with her. She was happy and fulfilled with her life. Ahenkan was happy she accepted him and became his queen. They had a fruitful marriage and managed the kingdom well after the demise of the king and queen.

                                                                             The End.