My lovely reader, my words won’t be enough to tell you how very sorry I am. Forgive me I am sorry, very sorry for this delay. But I hope this last episode is really worth all the wait. The Circle, final episode…enjoy reading

 

Episode 12-The Perfect Holiday

Hazel was wedding planning with Alex when Shirley called her. After the call, she told Alex everything and he laughed. 

“ My sister never ceases to amaze me,” Alex said and they both chuckled 

“ I hope she can really act surprised. I can’t wait to see the look on her face” Hazel said 

Two weeks went by and they recovered from their experience in Greece. Femi reached out to Shirley and they planned to meet in Italy. Femi wanted to officially say thank you to her and Kwadwo. Since the trip was for only pleasure, Valerie didn’t join him. She couldn’t wait to return to Ghana to be with her family after the horrible experience. 

When Femi got to Italy, he had dinner with Shirley and Kwadwo and they all got along pretty well. 

Kwadwo had a work call and excused himself shortly from the table. 

Femi chuckled.

“ what’s funny?” Shirley asked

“ I can’t believe I am saying this but I think Kwadwo is pretty great. He is good for you” 

Shirley blushed 

“ Yes. Kwadwo is amazing” she said and stole a glance at him. She turned back to look at Femi

“ That reminds me. What’s going on between you and Valerie?”

“ Valerie? Nothing” Femi said 

“ Are you sure? I noticed the way you two looked at each other”

Femi laughed 

“ What way? Stop putting ideas into my head Shirley. I can’t date my ex-girlfriend’s little sister”

“ What if she likes you?” Shirley asked

Femi raised his eyebrows 

“ Why did she say anything to you?” Femi asked surprisingly 

Shirley chuckled 

“ She doesn’t have to but I know you two like each other a little too much and are both too proud or too scared to admit it,” Shirley said

Kwadwo returned to the table

“ Sorry about that. So…what did I miss?” Kwadwo asked

“ The part where Femi and Valerie love each other but are too scared to admit it or accept it” 

Kwadwo laughed out loud 

“ But come to think of it, they did give off a vibe,” Kwadwo said

Femi shook his head and laughed 

“ Not you too Kwadwo. Honestly, guys, there is nothing there. She is just my PA” Femi said

Kendra gave Valerie some time to rest after she arrived home the previous night but she was curious about what happened to Femi so she went to her room in the early hours of the morning hoping she wasn’t sleeping. 

Valerie was awake and scrolling through Femi’s Instagram. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her big sister in her room. 

“ Hey Val,” Kendra said and sat on her bed

“ What’s up?” Valerie asked

“ I am itching to know what happened in Greece,” Kendra said

Valerie smiled and dropped her phone. She sat upright in her bed and told Kendra everything. 

After she was done Kendra noticed how fondly she spoke  about Femi. She didn’t know what to make of it because as far as she was concerned Valerie still hated Femi for hurting her. 

“ I am glad he is going to be fine. Did he say when he would be returning to Nigeria?” 

“ He didn’t say but he mentioned he will be in Italy for a week,” Valerie said sadly. 

Her phone chimed and she quickly checked it as though she were expecting a text from someone special. 

“ Okay. I will leave you to freshen up. Going to start breakfast, you can come and help me when you are done” 

“ Sure,” Valerie said and nodded

Back in Italy, Shirley and Kwadwo invited Femi to join them for sightseeing. He and Femi were getting along fine and Shirley didn’t know how to feel about it but she was grateful they had grown past the drama. 

They spent the rest of the week together hanging out and trying new foods. They went dancing a lot and Femi noticed how much Shirley has improved her dance moves. He loved seeing her happy and Kwadwo really made her happy. 

When Kwadwo was alone with Femi, he took the opportunity to ask him about his health

“ I will say so far I have been good. I hope all the drugs slowly get out of my system”

Kwadwo nodded

“ I am hoping the same too. Good thing the divorce papers have been signed now. Soon you will be a free man” Kwadwo said

Femi chuckled 

“ Yes, I guess. Talking about being a free man, I wanted to know if you two were really sure about Valerie and me?” 

Kwadwo smiled

“ oh my goodness so you do like her?” he asked 

“Well, I hadn’t paid much attention until you two spoke about it”

“Spoke about what?” Shirley asked.

She came back to join them,  after taking photos of some very cool building designs.

“ About Valerie. It seems something is there after all” Kwadwo said

“ I didn’t say that,” Femi said and blushed

“ What are you going to do about it? I think if you really like her, you should go for it”

“ I don’t think Kendra is going to understand,” Femi said 

“ You know what? I think you shouldn’t force anything just yet. You aren’t even completely sure what you feel for her is real yet. Figure that out first, and if she feels the same everything will work out. Things have a way of working themselves out” Kwadwo said

Shirley nodded

“That’s true. I think you should get your divorce sorted out first, that way you can think clearly and decide what you want to do” 

Femi shrugged 

“ Yes! You guys are right. There is so much on my plate” he said

Valerie waited all morning for a call or text from Femi but by the afternoon when she hasn’t heard anything from him she decided to call. 

Femi was having lunch with Shirley and Kwadwo when Valerie called. Femi smiled when he saw her call and answered immediately 

“ Hello Valerie”

“ Hi, Sir. Good afternoon”

“ Good afternoon. How are you?”

“ I am fine. How are you too?”

“ I am doing fine. Italy is just what I needed, I am glad I came. Are you getting all the rest you need at home?”

Valerie smiled

“ Yes Sir. I am. Have you decided when you want to go back to work?” 

“ umm…I don’t know for now but I will be in Ghana for a short visit”

Valerie was elated to hear that he would be returning to Ghana. 

“That’s nice. I wanted to check in on you, you sound happy”

Femi chuckled 

“ That’s because I am. I really am”

“ I am glad. Please extend my love to Shirley and Kwadwo” she said 

“ Sure thing. Have a lovely day. Thanks for checking in” 

When the call ended Valerie placed the phone on her chest. She was falling in love with Femi. 

The week ended and Femi managed to convince Kwadwo and Shirley to return to Ghana with him. 

They booked a return flight to Ghana on their last night in Italy and by morning they were on the second flight to Ghana. They decided to surprise the others in their circle. 

On the flight, Kwadwo thought about how he can pull off the proposal he had finally decided on. He looked at Shirley she seemed so happy and he hoped he will be able to keep her that happy. He reached out for her hand and kissed it. Shirley was watching a movie but she paused it and looked at Kwadwo when he kissed her hand. 

“ What was that for?” Shirley asked

“ I just love you, Babe”

“ I love you too Honey” Shirley said and leaned forward to kiss him. 

Femi was seated adjacent to them and couldn’t help but admire what Shirley and Kwadwo had. 

They arrived in Ghana but it was late and Shirley stayed the night at Kwadwo’s house. Femi went to his house and a part of him couldn’t wait to see Valerie.

He couldn’t believe how he was starting to feel about her but he was holding back because of Kendra and how she was going to feel about it. He smiled to himself in bed as he thought about Valerie. 

The next morning, Kwadwo and Shirley went to his family home to surprise his parents. 

His father wasn’t home when they arrived but Kourtney was and she was so happy to see them. 

“ Why are you two here anyway? I had braced myself to see you guys again in a year” she said excitedly 

“ Let’s just say we missed home. I missed you” Kwadwo said and hugged her

By evening Kwadwo went to drop Shirley off at Hazel’s apartment. They spoke a little in the car and kissed.

“ I will text you when I get home,” Kwadwo said 

Shirley nodded and Kwadwo kissed her on the forehead. She excitedly got out of the car and made her way upstairs to Hazel’s door. 

Hazel was on a video call with Alex, they were putting the finishing touches on the design for their wedding invitation cards. When Hazel heard the knock, she thought it was someone knocking on her neighbor’s door. 

Shirley knocked again.

“ Are you expecting anyone?” Alex asked

Hazel shook her head in confusion.

“ Who is there?” Hazel called out. 

Shirley smiled to herself and kept quiet, Hazel was starting to get worried. She peep through her window by the door and saw Shirley. She checked again and excitedly opened the door. 

“ What are you doing here?!” she said and hugged her

“ You silly girl, you almost gave me a heart attack” she added.

She let go of her and took her by the hand to the room

“ Babe. You won’t believe who I found at the door” Hazel said

Shirley immediately signaled her to keep quiet, she wanted to surprise him too. 

“ Who was it?!” Alex asked worriedly

“Ummm…Jayden”

“Jayden? The four-year-old? Your neighbor’s son?”

Hazel nodded

“ His mother brought him to say hello. She said he wanted to see me because he had missed me. He is so cute” Hazel lied

Alex had a confused look on his face but Hazel ignored it and forced them to continue designing their cards. 

Shirley covered her mouth and giggled, she mouthed the words thank you and went to Hazel’s room. 

She passed out on the bed as she waited for Hazel to finish up. When she was done and found Shirley fast asleep she decided to leave her to rest and took the time to prepare some Jollof since she knew how much Shirley loved her Jollof. 

When Kwadwo got back home, he showed Shirley’s ring to his mother and told her about his proposal plan but Kourtney had an idea that wouldn’t cost so much money. 

“ I know you love her son, but you can save all that money for the wedding. And I am certainly sure that Shirley is the kind of girl that would appreciate a simple yet classy proposal” 

Kwadwo was skeptical, and Kourtney laughed when she was the look on his face.

“ You don’t trust me anymore, I see”

“ No. I trust you but I thought my plan was going to work”

“ You said you overheard her telling someone that she had seen the ring right?” 

Kwadwo nodded 

“ Yeah so why don’t you do something that doesn’t involve everyone as she expects? It could be very private and special. You can go to our beach house in Prampram with her and create something magical just for the two of you”

“ How about we get the whole family to go to the beach house? Her family, our family; we make a fun weekend of it to take her mind off it. We can hire a chef, get a masseuse. Something, anything to keep her well distracted”

Kourtney smiled

“ There you go again wanting to spend money,” she said 

“ What can I say, mom, she deserves it. I love her, and at this moment I am willing to do whatever it takes to make her feel special” 

Kourtney stayed quiet for a bit and shrugged 

“ Well, you are right. You only get one chance to propose marriage to the love of your life. Okay then, let’s go crazy!”

Femi informed Valerie that he had arrived in the country and asked if he could see her. She was watching a movie with Kendra and was thinking about how she could leave the house to see Femi without Kendra noticing.

She waited a short while and when she saw her big sister dozing off, she decided to sneak out. Their parents were fast asleep.

She drove to Femi’s apartment and on her ride there she thought about what she was doing. It felt so wrong yet so right. Femi was the last guy she ever thought she would fall in love with, taking into consideration what he had done to her sister. 

When she got to his apartment she texted him. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Femi walking up to her car. 

“ Hey,” he said and sat in the car

“ Would you want to come inside?” he added

Valerie shook her head

“ I can’t stay long”

Femi nodded 

“ Sure. How have you been?”

“ I have been fine Sir. How have you been too?” 

Femi smiled 

“ I have been okay too. Shirley and Kwadwo were fun to be around”

There was an awkward silence and Valerie got very shy because Femi only stared at her. 

“ Is there something here?” Femi asked to break the silence 

“ Something here? What are you talking about?” 

“ I mean between us. I had not paid much attention or should I say I forced myself not to feel anything” 

Valerie stayed quiet and listened to Femi speak. 

“ You are an incredible young woman, and you keep getting amazing with each passing day. But…I…I dated your sister. I don’t know how this is going to play out”

“What are you talking about Sir? Are you thinking about dating me, Sir? How? You are my boss ” Valerie asked looking confused. 

Femi was a little thrown off by Valerie’s questions, he thought she felt the same and they were on the same page. 

“ Ummm….I…I thought. You know what? Never mind” Femi said embarrassingly. 

Valerie looked at him and burst out laughing.

“ I am kidding. I feel the same about you, Sir. I am scared too because of Kendra”

“ Could you please stop calling me Sir? To you It’s Femi. Please Say my name” Femi interrupted 

Valerie blushed and called out Femi’s name. 

“ Now that’s better,” Femi said and reached out for her hand. 

 “ Do you want this? Get to know each other a lot better?” Femi asked

“ What about Kendra?” she asked

Femi sighed

“ We can keep it private until we need to tell other people. When we are sure we want to be together then we can inform her in the most appropriate way possible. But now we don’t have to disturb her if we are still figuring this out” 

Valerie smiled and nodded 

“ Okay, Sir. Oh, sorry. Femi” Valerie said shyly 

“ Can I kiss you?” Femi asked 

They locked eyes and Valeria leaned in to kiss him. A slow passionate kiss. It felt surreal, they couldn’t believe what was happening between them. 

They broke off the kiss and shared a hug. 

“ I have to go now. Kendra might be looking for me” Valerie whispered

“ Would I see you tomorrow?” he asked

“ Yes. Of course. You would go to the office right?”

“ Umm…I will come in the afternoon, want to rest a little more in the morning”

Valerie smiled and nodded 

“ Okay then I will pass by In the morning before work” 

“ Take tomorrow off,” Femi said

Valerie laughed 

“ As tempting as it sounds, I have a couple of things on my desk I need to handle Boss”

Femi laughed 

“ Okay…maybe we can have lunch together when I come into work”

“ Having lunch together might make people suspect something at work” Valerie said

“ That’s true. Don’t know why I just thought of that.  But I am sure we will figure something out”

“ Sure thing. I really have to go now” Valerie said

Femi nodded and they shared another kiss, he got out of the car and watched Valerie drive off. 

Early the next morning, Hazel and Shirley made their way to the Yankey residence. Alex washing his car when he saw an Uber pulling up. Hazel got out and Alex was immediately worried. He walked to the car and asked if Hazel was okay. 

Shirley then got out too and Alex just stared at her. 

“ Shouldn’t you be on a yacht sipping on wine?” he said and the girls laughed. 

“ Well, I missed you. Didn’t you miss me?” she said

Alex walked to her and hugged her

“ I missed you. Did you return with Kwadwo?” 

“Yes. We got in a couple of nights ago” 

Alex help her with her suitcase and they went inside. Brigitte was in the kitchen about to start breakfast when she heard what sounded like Shirley’s voice. She thought she was only imagining it until she saw her walk through the door. 

She smiled widely when she saw her daughter 

“ Ewurakua!” she said excitedly and run to her

“ Mummy! I missed you the most” 

They had breakfast and Alex dropped Hazel at work before he headed to the hospital. 

Shirley after settling down told her mother everything including Kwadwo’s ring. Brigitte watched her daughter go on and on about Kwadwo but all she was thinking about was the fact that her little girl was soon going to be a wife. 

Kourtney called Brigitte within the week and they had a hearty conversation about their children. Kourtney then invited her and her family to the beach house and told her everything about the proposal. Brigitte was so amazed by everything 

“ I know she is my daughter and I want what is absolutely best for her but what you described sounds really expensive. Would Kwadwo have enough for the wedding at all?”

Kourtney laughed 

“ Don’t worry your sweet head with that. We got everything figured out. We will be going to the beach house a day earlier to prepare. I will send you an accurate location of the place when we get there” Kourtney said

“ Okay sure. I am very excited. I hope I can keep calm”

“ You better keep calm. You don’t want to ruin your daughter’s surprise” Kourtney said and they laughed

“ Also, brace yourself to have one of the best weekends of your life” Kourtney added

“ I sure will. See you soon” 

On the morning of their weekend getaway, Kwadwo went very early to Shirley’s house. She was still sleeping when Kwadwo entered her room. 

He smiled and watched her sleep for a while then kissed her on the forehead twice. Shirley opened her eyes and looked at him. 

“Did my parents see you coming in here?” Shirley asked 

Kwadwo smiled and nodded 

“ As a matter of fact, it’s your mother that asked me to come”

Shirley smiled and stretched 

“ I don’t like how your charm is working on my mother Mr. Afriyie-Boateng” she said and kissed him

“ Why are you here so early? When you said you will be here in the morning last night, I didn’t know you meant this early” 

“ I wanted us to avoid the morning traffic, on Fridays, there’s traffic sometimes on that stretch”

“ Ooh okay then. Let me freshen up” she said and got out of bed. 

Kwadwo looked around her room for a short while when she went to the bathroom. He left the room to give Shirley privacy to get ready.

When he got downstairs Brigitte asked him if he wanted some breakfast 

“ Can we have it to go and eat in the car?” Kwadwo suggested 

“ Sure thing”

“ Thank you” 

Kwadwo sat by the kitchen counter and watched Brigitte, they haven’t really gotten much time to talk. The moment was the only time they really have been alone. Brigitte tried to break the awkward silence by asking about work

“ Oh work, I’d say is fine, haven’t really been around so I don’t really know how things are now but I am pretty certain everything is fine”

“ I know it’s too soon to ask but I was wondering after the wedding are you planning to move to New Zealand or stay in Ghana?” 

“ I am still thinking about that, but what I can say now is that I won’t keep Shirley too far away. Wherever she is, you can freely come. The last time we spoke about it, it looked like she wasn’t ready to leave Ghana. If push comes to shove, I can easily move back to our company here in Ghana. Whatever makes her happy”

Brigitte smiled and walked over to hug him

“ Thanks so much, Kwadwo,” she said  

“ You are very welcome, Mom,” he said in her arms

Shirley came down the stairs and saw them hugging 

“ You two are very cute,” she said

She greeted her mother. She saw pancakes on the kitchen counter and was elated, she picked one and asked Kwadwo if he wanted some

“ Umm…actually mom wanted to pack us a bag so we can have breakfast on our way? Is that okay by you?” Kwadwo said

Hearing Kwadwo calling her mother, mom, warmed Shirley’s heart. 

“ Okay sure. I will give you a hand so we can be quick” Shirley said

When Alex joined them, Kwadwo asked to have a word with him privately. Brigitte noticed that their little private conversation was making Shirley suspicious so she quickly had to break it off.

“ Fiifi. Kwadwo and Shirley need to set off now. You can talk more with him when we all are in Prampram” she said

Kwadwo smiled 

“ Sure! Let’s continue in Prampram” he said

Brigitte gave Kwadwo the bag and he headed to the car.

“ Make sure to travel in separate cars as we discussed Mom” Shirley whispered to her mother 

Brigitte nodded 

“ I will come with daddy and Alex with travel with Hazel. We will drive safely. Promise” Brigitte said

Shirley smiled and hugged her again

“ See you soon,” she said. 

Kwadwo was waiting for her in the car, he smiled when he saw her walking to the car. 

“ All set?” he asked 

Shirley nodded and put her seatbelt on. Kwadwo started the car and they began their trip. He connected his phone to play some music, he had kept the song he wanted to propose to Shirley with, on repeat and had forgotten about it.

Shirley fell in love with the song when she listened to it twice. Before he knew it, Shirley was singing too, and how she learned some of the lyrics so quickly surprised him.

Shirley placed his cup of coffee in the cup compartment of the car and fed him some pancakes. 

Kwadwo changed the song when it ended for the fourth time it had played. 

“ I am so happy we came back to Ghana. I thought of missing Hazel’s wedding hurt me every time I remembered” Shirley said

“ I am glad we came back too,” Kwadwo said

Shirley sipped on her coffee and stared at him.

Kwadwo looked at her and smiled

“ What going on in that beautiful mind now?” he asked

Shirley chuckled. 

“ I have taken a while to say this Kwadwo, but I really, really love what you did out there in Greece for Femi. You really didn’t have to do it but you did, and it speaks volumes about the kind of man you are and I count myself blessed to have you in my life. I am so blessed” she said.

“ Ooh don’t mention Baby. That’s was my pleasure. I will never stand by and watch someone die or get hurt just because he is your ex-boyfriend. My mother brought me up better than that” Kwadwo said 

“ Oh, you are right. She certainly did”

They stayed quiet for a short time and munched on their breakfast. 

“This weekend getaway is exactly what I think we need. The last couple of weeks has been crazy. Also, I can’t wait to see the look on Hazel’s face when I surprise her with the bridal shower. Can you believe she didn’t want one? Silly girl” Shirley said and laughed 

“ She didn’t? why not?” Kwadwo asked

Shirley shrugged

“ I don’t know, that’s Hazel being Hazel but I think you get to marry the love of your life once and she absolutely deserves a beautiful bridal shower. I have called all our girlfriends and I hope they don’t disappoint. I am so nervous now” Shirley said excitedly 

Kwadwo chuckled and took her hand.

“ Relax baby. I am very sure everything will work out” he said and kissed her hand. 

“I know this weekend getaway is like the long-awaited welcome home celebration after the accident, but are you sure me squeezing my bestfriend’s bridal shower in there somewhere isn’t a bother at all?” Shirley asked

Kwadwo rolled his eyes 

“ For the umpteenth time Shirley I don’t mind. Do whatever you want this weekend. Hazel deserves it, I am just glad it going to happen exactly how we planned it”

“ Yes! She is going to be happy I can just feel it!” Shirley said excitedly 

Kwadwo looked at his girlfriend and smiled. He was glad Hazel’s bridal shower was going to be the perfect distraction for her. 

Kourtney was already at the beach house with one of her favorite event planners. They got an in-house chef, a masseuse, and a nail technician.  They mounted a minibar and hired a mixologist, they got a couple of violinists to serenade them. 

The event planner run everything by Kourtney for her final approval, and Kourtney loved everything she said. 

Shirley and Kwadwo arrived a couple of hours later and Kourtney was elated to see them. Kwadwo said hello to the event planner and left the girls to chit-chat.

Shirley inquired about the bridal shower and if there was something else she could add but the event planner assured her that she had everything under control. Shirey was very happy to hear that, she excused herself and went inside the house to join Kwadwo.

“Wow. She is very beautiful” the event planner said

Kourtney smiled

“Yeah, she is quite mesmerizing. Only if she knew we are all here for her and not her friend” she said

The event planner laughed.

“I know right, I hope everything goes as planned”

By mid-afternoon, everyone had arrived and was getting acquainted. Kwadwo and Shirley got a much-needed massage and after Shirley went to find Hazel to get their nails done.

Hazel chose Shirley’s nail polish and Shirley did the same for Hazel. 

Kwadwo was getting nervous as the hours went by but he controlled his composure. Hazel and Shirley were done with their nails and went back inside to dress up for the party. Hazel dressed up quickly and went to find Shirley, she had to make sure Shirley looked her absolute best without making her suspect anything but when she saw Shirley she was stunned

“You never disappoint. My fashionista!” Hazel said

Shirley laughed 

“You don’t look bad yourself. Alex will not be able to keep his eyes off you”

“He better not”

Kwadwo came back to the room and was blown away. Shirley looked so beautiful

“oh my goodness. You look so beautiful, Babe”

“Thanks, honey”

She looked at him and was confused

“You aren’t dressed?” she asked

“Yes…umm we have run out of some drinks, I am going quickly to get some for mummy then come back and change”

“Drinks, really? let me go with you” Shirley cried

Kwadwo laughed

“Not when you look like that babe. I will be back soon. I promise”

Shirley smiled and walked to him to kiss him. Hazel excused herself and went to find her man

“Hurry back babe, you don’t want to miss Hazel’s surprise,” Shirley said.

“I will be back before you know it,” Kwadwo said

The party started when Shirley went outside with Hazel. Everything was well planned and the decoration looked really stunning. Shirley loved everything, she saw her mother dancing and talking to Kourtney. She walked to them and they both admired her beautiful outfit. 

A couple of Hazel’s girlfriends texted Shirley on a WhatsApp group page she had created to let her know they had arrived and were waiting in the room the event planner had decorated for Hazel’s bridal shower.

“Okay. So is everything set? Should I bring her?” she texted

“Yes, please. You can” they texted

Shirley quickly went to find Alex to let him know when she can bring Hazel then she sneaked back into the house to join the other girls. She saw Aisha and she was so happy. She gave her a warm hug.

“I wasn’t sure you will be able to make it. I am happy you are here. How’s Dompreh?”

“He is very fine. I came with him. I am sure he is out there somewhere”

“Oh really? I can’t wait to see him. Did you bring the baby?”

Aisha laughed.

“No. He is home with my mother, but we are in Ghana for a while so we can arrange for you to come over” Aisha said

“That will be great! I can’t wait” Shirley said

Alex convinced Hazel to go inside the house with him so that he showed her something. Hazel was still confused but she followed him.

“ Where are we going ? ” she kept asking

Alex got to the door and knocked twice. They waited a bit behind the door then Shirley opened it widely.

“Surprise!”

Hazel’s eyes widened and Shirley took her by the hand. Tears filled her eyes and she hugged Shirley

“This is beautiful,” she said 

Alex left them alone and went back out to the party. 

Hazel hugged all her other friends and thanked them for coming. 

Femi and Fitzgerald arrived some moments later. Brigitte was a little confused to see Shirley’s ex-boyfriend, and so was Alex. 

The girls took turns talking and giving Hazel gifts, she was very happy and she was glad Shirley didn’t listen to her when she told her that she didn’t want a bridal shower. They had a little more fun but Hazel knew she had to wrap everything up quickly and get Shirley outside. 

She texted Aisha who was also in on the proposal to come up with a quick way to wrap everything up while she gets Shirley out of the room. 

Hazel hugged and thanked everyone again before she left with Shirley.

Shirley was confused when Hazel asked them to go back to the party

“ Didn’t you like your shower ?” she asked worriedly

“ I really, really loved it. But we are here for the party as well. And we are done with the shower. Aisha will take over. It was beautiful and thoughtful. I loved it”

“ Are you sure?” Shirley asked

Hazel nodded and smiled

When they got outside, Kwadwo was still nowhere to be found and Shirley checked her time on her phone. She went to sit next to her father. Her father saw the worried look on her face.

“ What’s wrong sweetheart ?”

“ Kwadwo still isn’t back, he said he was going to get some drinks,”Shirley said sadly

“ Oh, I am sure he will be back soon. Have you eaten?”

Shirley shook her head. 

“ Come on. Go get something to eat” he said

She got up to fix herself a plate and saw Femi, Dompreh, and Fitzgerald. 

“ Oh, my God! My people! You didn’t mention that you’d be coming?!” she said excitedly 

She hugged them individually but hugged Dompreh the longest she had really missed him

“ This party just got better. Have you guys had something to eat?” she asked 

“ Yeah, we have. The food is so delicious” Femi said

“ Oh really? I am going to get a plate. Come show me what you had so that I choose the same” she said

Femi stood up and escorted her to get some food

“ You look really stunning,” Femi said 

Shirley smiled and thanked him. 

“ I can’t believe you all are here. Thanks for coming” she said

“ Anytime. We are all very glad you both survived the accident. This party is the least we could do to celebrate your life” 

“ Yes! I am glad to be alive and I am glad you are alive and well too, Femi. So happy to see you. I wish Kwadwo were to enjoy his own party. I wonder what is keeping him” 

She went to sit by her friends to catch up. Aisha, Hazel, and Alex joined them later. Shirley was laughing and talking to her friends but she was still worried about  Kwadwo. She kept looking around for him. 

The event planner kept her eyes on Shirley the whole time, she wanted her to finish eating and relax but she wasn’t relaxed, she kept getting up and walking around looking for Kwadwo. His calls weren’t going through anymore. 

She went to Kourtney to ask if he had heard from Kwadwo but she asked her to relax but Shirley just couldn’t. She felt as though something had happened to him. 

“ He has been gone for a couple of hours now. I am getting scared. And he isn’t answering his phone either” she said sadly. 

Tears filled her eyes and she started sobbing. Brigitte and Kourtney quickly took her to the room to calm her down. 

“ Baby, Kwadwo is fine. I know he is. Stop crying, love. I have asked Alex to go find him. He will be here soon” Brigitte said. 

Kourtney quickly told the event planner that the first plan had changed, they totally forgot that Shirley was a crybaby. 

The event planner quickly had to come up with something equally amazing as the first plan. 

She texted Kwadwo to tell him the new plan, he smiled to himself when he read that Shirley was crying because he wasn’t there. 

“ Is she calm now?” he texted 

“ Yes, her mother and your mother are with her” 

“ Okay then. I am ready whenever you are ready” 

Shirley was cuddled up in her mother’s arms when they heard fireworks going off. They rushed to the balcony to look at it. It was beautiful and it made Shirley smile. Brigitte was happy her daughter was back to smiling. 

When everyone’s attention was still in the sky, they heard a sound of a plane flying by. It was Kwadwo’s father’s private plane. 

The words “ will you marry me Shirley?” was written in very bright lights hanging on the tail of the plane. It moved very slowly allowing Shirley to read the words. 

She gasped and looked at her mother’s face. Her heart started to beat quickly. She looked up at the sky, she was still in awe. The event planner ushered the violinists into the room when Shirley was distracted by the plane. 

Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head, everything made sense now.

When the plane flew past, the violinist began to play the song that Kwadwo had kept on repeat in the morning when they were driving to Prampram. 

The sound of the violin startled Shirley and she turned to look at them. She smiled to herself when she recognized the tune.

The lights went off in the room and the door opened, the violinist led the way, then  Shirley saw all of her friends with fire sparklers in their hands waiting for her in the hallway.

Alex walked to her and gave her a beautiful bouquet of fresh red roses and gave her a peck. 

Flower petals were on the floor leading her to another room where Kwadwo stood waiting for her. His heart started beating faster when he noticed the lights from the fire sparklers getting closer. Shirley laughed happily when she saw Kwadwo. He looked dashing in his black suit. 

“Aww baby” she said tearfully. 

Kwadwo walked to her and took her by the hand. 

“ I know you find long romantic speeches cheesy and it makes you shy but I need to say this Boo,” Kwadwo said

He knelt down on one knee, still holding on to Shirley’s left hand.

“ I love you so, so much Ewurakua. So much it scares me. The first day I saw you, I knew I wanted you in my life and  I bless God that despite all the things we have been through I still have this opportunity to ask you, the most beautiful woman in my world to be my wife. Will you please marry me, Shirley? Please? I love you and I really want this” 

Brigitte and Kourtney had tears in their eyes, it was beautiful and they looked so in love. Shirley wiped her eyes and smiled

“Yes, Kwadwo. A million times, yes! I love you more” she said through her tears.

Kwadwo placed the ring on her finger and they shared a passionate kiss. 

Everyone in the room cheered them on as they continued kissing. They hugged and kissed some more.

After a while, they went back outside and the other guest clapped and congratulated them. Shirley couldn’t stop smiling. Shirley walked to her father and hugged him, she was so happy. 

Everything was beautiful, and she was amazed at how everyone pulled it off. 

Femi came over to congratulate them properly. He was very happy for them both. Kwadwo really loved Shirley and all he ever wanted was for Shirley to be happy. 

They got a saxophonist who serenaded them to popular tunes. The party went on for hours but Shirley and Kwadwo sneaked to the beach to have some alone time. They walked on the beach holding hands. 

“ I can’t believe you cried. You are so adorable” he said

“ you were gone for hours. Where did you go?”

“ I didn’t go anywhere, babe. It was part of the surprise. I was getting dressed in one of the rooms”

“ the original plan was to surprise you outside but because you were upset we had to do it inside. I hope you liked it” 

Shirley smiled

“Are you kidding me?  You got a whole plane to ask if I will marry you? That was so cool, babe”

“Not cheesy at all?” he asked

“No way.  It was magnificent. I couldn’t believe my eyes, baby. And the ring, oh my God it’s so, so beautiful. I loved everything, and wouldn’t have it any other way”

Kwadwo blushed

“I love you so much,” he said

They stayed talking on the beach, making subtle plans for the wedding. Alex came to find them and they all went back into the house. All their friends and guests have left. That evening Shirley and Kwadwo stayed up talking more about the proposal until they both drifted off to sleep.  

The next day, both families had some fun, and they enjoyed the beach house. They had so much fun that Mr. Yankey was considering getting a beach house himself. 

A couple of months went by, and Femi and Valerie had begun a secret relationship. He made things official when his divorce was finalized. 

They found a perfect time to tell Kendra everything, she was upset for a while but she later understood and gave them her blessing. She was also blessed with a fine gentleman Caleb, who totally adored her.

They have been at it for almost a year. Caleb spoke some truth to her and she had no choice but to understand. 

She knew how Femi was, he wouldn’t come to her for her blessing if he didn’t truly love her little sister. She had seen them together and saw that there was something real there. 

Hazel and Alex’s wedding was very beautiful all the planning and running around was worth it. They left the country the following month for their honeymoon, Alex couldn’t get some days off from the hospital right after their wedding so they had to wait. 

Kwadwo settled back in Ghana because Shirley didn’t want to have a long-distance marriage. Due to the company’s policy about workers getting married, Kwadwo was asked by his father to head another of their branches in Accra, that way he isn’t so close to his future bride to aid in productivity. Shirley was sad when Kwadwo broke the news to her but it all worked out with time. 

They took a year to plan the wedding and they had a beautiful private ceremony at Shirley’s home. It was a classy garden wedding where only all those that meant the world to the couple were invited. 

They chose to have their honeymoon in Italy because it was one of Shirley’s favorite countries and the last time they were there was the best time of both their lives. 

Femi texted Shirley one morning and it was a wedding invitation; he was tying the knot with Valerie. Shirley laughed when she saw the message and quickly showed it to her husband.

“Femi isn’t wasting any time,” Kwadwo said and they both laughed

Shirley called him and put him on speaker, they congratulated him properly and promised to be at the wedding. 

Shirley and Hazel miraculously got pregnant around the same time and they both were very, very excited. They casually mentioned when they were kids, that they would love their kids to be friends sometime in the future, and it was happening exactly the way that they had hoped. They planned a cute, private gender reveal and they found out they were both having boys. 

“Our sons are going to have their own circle of friends. I really can’t wait” Shirley said excitedly and hugged Hazel.

A little while after having their son, Alex and Hazel moved to Canada. Alex got a great job opportunity that gave him the chance to move with his family. Shirley called Hazel every day, they both were very intentional about making their sons bond, even if, it was almost always on FaceTime. 

The End.

 

I really apologize again for the delay. Adulthood is not easy, it’s showing me pepper, no be small but when God blesses me with another story, I promise to be quick about it. Until then, it is goodbye to you, my lovely readers,  from your favorite writer.