Page 21 of Choosing the Chief

She shakes her head and reaches out for me with her free hand. I grab it. “No, Adom, taught me.”

He rubs Maya’s wrist while glancing sideways at me. “How can a man that has forgotten his roots teach anything of consequence?”

“Chief, you are mistaken,” I quickly answer before Maya can stop me. “I did not forget my roots. I ignore them just as they ignore me.”

He smiles at Maya, but speaks to me as he stands from the stool, never letting go of her hand. “What do you know of anything, ehh? The tree grows from roots, and the roots dig deep into the soil until they find water. A tree that ignores its roots has no purpose and perishes. Is that what you are doing? It is time to repay the ancestors for the kindness they have bestowed upon your head. You have billions, yet you do not have the favor of our ancestors. The money will shield you from this world’s wrath, but not the wrath of the world we cannot see. Every bill comes due. That is something I am learning now in my final days.”

Hearing the old man indirectly reflect on his personal failures at the end of his days softens my resolve. Now, I understand Kofi. Being here and seeing our grandfather, I no longer feel the need to feed my hunger for revenge. There is no need to hold onto my anger. He will fight the demons he created regardless of how I feel. I need to ensure that I do right by my family, my woman, and the people of Tafo to avoid facing any similar demons at the end of my life. I will start by giving him the familial respect he deserves.

“Grandfather, will you stop hitting on my woman long enough to talk about what Tafo requires of me?” He squints and extends Maya’s hand in the direction of my voice. I walk over and take Maya from my grandfather’s grip and lead her in the direction of a table and chairs set up in the middle of the room. While we were greeting my grandfather, the table was set with the palm wine and rice offered to us earlier. I motion for her to take a seat and return to the chieftain stool to retrieve my grandfather. “Grandfather, let us sit and have some wine. Tell me, are the ancestors really ready to take the heart of Tafo for a permanent visit with them?”

Maya shoos the servant girl away and pours wine for my grandfather and me before serving herself.She is perfection.My grandfather takes a sip of wine and coughs before speaking. “Yes. I believe the time is soon. I see your aunt Afia and my dearly departed Akosua when I close my eyes to sleep every night now. More importantly, I see my Issa. You look just like her, you know. That is where you get your fair skin from. That is Egyptian blood; never be ashamed of it. I loved her so. When she died, I turned my grief toward your mother and eventually you. You remind me of her so, and your face breaks my heart. But none of that matters now, because she is ready for me to join her beyond this world. I cannot face her knowing I never did right by you.” He extends his open palm across the table and I take it. “I only need to ensure our bloodline is ready to lead our village, as we have for 14 generations now. You are the one marked to lead. My son serves Christ. Your cousin serves the Ashanti across the globe. You will serve Tafo. That is God’s will.”

What does my life have to do with God’s will?It is a constant reel of abandonment, rejection, and complete self-reliance. I doubt he has much to do with it.

“Will I be required to live in this home? What if I decide to stay in Kumasi, at Manhyia perhaps?” I steal a quick glance at Maya, hoping she understands the undercurrent of my statement.

He takes a deep breath and wrinkles his brow. “Why would you think to stay at the palace? Has our king granted this?”

I shrug. “No, but while I am accepting bloodline duties, I figure I may as well claim the royal line my father, the former king, accidently left in my veins. Kofi seems to be happy with any step I take toward claiming my title as an Ashanti prince.”

My grandfather chuckles. “Of course he does. His family is expanding, and he wants to share the royal duties. You are my grandson indeed; you will barter your time for his palace. I understand.”

I nod. “Yes, he does not live there. If I will be spending the majority of my time in Ghana, I want a suitable residence that I do not have to finance. Plus, I can handle Tafo business from the center of Kumasi.”

“True, but ensure you take time to be in the village weekly. You have to stay connected to the people. Public schooling for our people has been a longtime dream. When Kofi’s queen finishes the education initiative, you must be in town to ensure the people get what they need. You must help bridge old Tafo with new Tafo. Even if you live in Kumasi, your shadow must reach all the way to the streets of Tafo to keep your reign and your people united.”

The more he speaks, the more I realize how unprepared I am to be chief. Strangely, I suddenly want to be a good chief . This is the exact opposite of what I came here for. I came to find a loophole that would allow me to slip out of my duties. Now I am committed to doing anything to prove to the old man that I am perfect for the job. When I look over to Maya, her smile is wide and she nods at me to seal the deal.

“Grandfather, I have my businesses, but I will find a way to integrate them with my duties as chief. I cannot be in Africa all the time, but I am willing to explore making it my home base to serve Tafo. My dealings in New York and Atlanta will make it easier for me to find investors from our village. Our cocoa exports will reign in the world once again under my reign.”

My grandfather claps his hand over mine and rejoices. “Yes, I knew you would not forsake us. You are Tafo’s prodigal son, and I am more than happy to give you the golden ring and chief’s robe to welcome you home.”

With those words, he takes one of his many rings off and places it on my finger. The ring is a solid gold lion head with ruby eyes, supported by a snake band also in gold. I instantly understand the symbolism. The lion is supported by the snake, in the same way the king is supported by creative life force that is possessed by his queen. He chose to give me this ring because Maya is here. It is his way of approving of her. I did not even know I wanted that. But I do. It also becomes very clear to me that I cannot live without her.How can I make her stay?

I kiss his hand and allow him to talk to Maya and me for another two hours. She continues to charm him, and by the time we leave, he has agreed to allow us to use a townhome he has in Paris. I never even knew he had one. Maya, however, was able to charm that and more information from him. Apparently, his real estate holdings are vast. I agree to come and visit him daily to learn more about my upcoming role.

My grandfather bids us a safe trip and Maya and I rise to leave. We exit the house and we walk side by side to a waiting car. Once inside, I waste no time in showing my appreciation through a kiss that takes over her entire body. In that moment, I utter the words that I know will change our lives forever.

“Maya, marry me.”

Chapter Thirteen

Jet-Set

Maya

Adom’s marriage proposals are seriously starting to freak me out. It was just a couple days ago that he was reminding me we are only friends. Now all of a sudden, he wants me to be his wife. I know what this is. It’s just another attempt for Adom to keep me close and control me. I knew the moment he agreed to meet with his grandfather there was a possibility he would be chief.

Adom never wastes time. Even in business, CEOs and stockholders meet with Adom Annan thinking it’s an introductory meeting to gather information and feel each other out. They leave having signed their controlling shares or entire businesses away. He studies his prey and their environments to determine how he can rule. Adom never partakes in anything he is not in complete control of. Now he wants to add me to that list.

While I was body broken and opioid addicted, he didn’t have to do much to control the situation. Now, as I get better and he gets pulled deeper into his duties in Ghana, he’s panicking. He should, I love him, but unless I know he loves me enough to actually admit it, I am taking my ass back to Atlanta in two weeks.

I must admit, his announcement this morning that we are flying to Paris for the weekend to relax and check out his grandfather’s townhome on the St. Germain is a step in the right direction. I go to Paris all the time. However, I’ve never been with a fine-ass African chief-in-waiting who makes my body sing.

I’m downstairs in the family room, waiting for Adom to finish up some calls, when Senya comes over and takes a seat in the chair across from me. I perk up. I want to get to know him better; he’s an enigma to me.

“Hi Senya, I take it you are escorting us to Paris?”

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