Chapter 36: THE FATHER'S HONOUR
Mrs. Richards woke up earlier than she usually does on the next day because she had just a week to plan and organise for both the traditional and white wedding. She called Amelia on phone to wake her up so that they could start with the planning and preparation. They both met at the dinning hall to put a few ideas on paper and to follow up after that. Amelia heated water to make hot coffee for both of them to keep them focused and active.
Her mother told her that for them to be able to plan a good wedding, they should know the purpose of wedding ceremonies. Amelia smiled and said, " mom, isn't a wedding an Avenue for the couples to be legally recognized as partners so that they could both be protected by the law and for the couples to be appreciated by their families and friends?" Her mother smiled, shook her head and said to her, " no, baby! Weddings are not to impress people and the main aim of a wedding isn't just for the couples to be legally recognized by law but it is also an opportunity for the families and friends of the couples to celebrate and witness the love between the couples." She giggled at Amelia and she also nodded in agreement.
" So, Ame, the wedding must be such that both the couples and witnesses would have good memories of the ceremony." she said with smiles as she remembered how memorable her own wedding was. They both drew the wedding program and sitting arrangements and later went on to plan how the decorations would be and the materials to use for the decorations. The colours to be used wasn't a problem since Mrs. Mensah suggested they use royal blue, gold and white for the decorations. The maid served them their breakfast after three hours of their discussions and deliberations.
Amelia and her mother went to one of the biggest bridal shops for consultation and purchasing of bridal items especially the dress and it's accessories. After several discussions and going through the bridal brochure of the shop, they chose a 262 from Alfred Angelo's Disney wedding dress collection inspired by the Cinderella story. It was a classic bridal ball gown with a Sweetheart neckline and sparkling silver embroidery designed to catch the light as you move. They also chose a Jimmy Choo's Ari crystal covered pointy toe pumps because it had a sparkly detail and crystal embellishments to make it a stylish version of Cinderella's glass version. They chose these because Amelia had always known that Phyllis' favourite fairytale was Cinderella and she would love a Cinderella themed wedding.
They chose pearl accessories to match with the dress and heels and also a bouquet of Dahlia pink flowers. They left the rest of the organisation to the event planner at the shop who gave them a vivid description of how the decoration and refreshments will be. She also offered to do the bridal makeup for them as well. She gave them their bill but they decided to sign a contract with her and make part payment of the total cost and pay the rest when they are done providing their services. Mrs. Richards signed the contract after she read through and then wrote a cheque of half payment for the consultant. They then left for lunch before Amelia called for an uber the office while Mrs. Richards drove home.
When Mrs. Richards got home, she noticed her husband was home because all his cars were parked in the garage. She found him in their bedroom drunk. He broke into tears as soon as she asked him what was going on.
" I went to Bonwire to order a customised kente cloth ( a cloth woven with thread which is mostly expensive and rich in colours. It is mostly worn by royals or rich people) for both my son and Phyllis. I am preparing for my own son's wedding and I can't even perform any of the rites as his father. This secret I have kept for the past thirty-two years, is really eating me up. You don't know how happy I felt when you told me you knew." He said with his face buried in his hands. His wife asked him to gather courage and tell Denzel and Amelia about it but he told her that, he didn't know how Denzel would feel about that and he might even break all ties with him and for Amelia, he knew she would understand but he feared she might even tell Denzel or Phyllis about that. He was also worried about how that secret when revealed will affect Mrs Jones' marriage. Mrs. Richards comforted and assured him that time will take care of this and advised him to tell Denzel after the wedding so that he would get the chance to spend time with him as his father because he had a lot to make up for and no matter how hurt Denzel gets, he wouldn't cut all ties with him as he thought. She didn't want her husband to know that Denzel was already aware of it because it wasn't even in her place to reveal that secret to Denzel. Her husband owed himself that responsibility.
When Phyllis noticed that Mrs. Richards was home,she called her to their bedroom so that she would show the dresses and accessories she and Beryl would wear for the christening to her for her to give her opinion of them. She loved all of them and complimented her for her good taste. "Mrs. Richards, Phyllis retorted. I want to ask your opinion on something but please don't take it the wrong way." Phyllis said.
"Oh please, Phyl call me mum, if you're okay with it. After all you're my daughter's best friend so I see you as my daughter. What's eating you up, dear?" She asked with concern.
"Denzel wants to name Beryl after your husband and I am okay with it but I wanted to know if both you and your husband would love that. I don't want us to offend anyone besides I have told him to seek his father,'s approval for that so he's gone to see him. Mrs. Richards smiled with tears in her eyes ( because she knew that would be a comfort to her husband) and thanked her for that honour. She hugged her and whispered in her ears " you don't know what this would do for my husband. Thank you". She left with joy to the kitchen to prepare supper because she was very happy for her husband.
During supper, Denzel told the Richards that he wanted to give them a news he felt will make them happy. He had no idea that, Phyllis had already discussed it with Mrs. Richards. He told them that, the baby's name would be Beryl Dahlia Richards. As soon as he mentioned the name, Amelia run to hug him because she was very happy. Mr. Richards broke down in tears leaving Amelia and Phyllis confused as to why he would cry at such a good news but Mrs. Richards and Denzel understood that. Mrs Richards hugged both Phyllis and Denzel and thanked them for the honour done her family. Mr. Richards also thanked and told them that he appreciated the kind gesture they've done him. They ate and conversed about the christening and how the preparation was going. Later in the night, while Mr. Richards lied in bed, she looked back at his relationship with Felicity, Denzel's mother and was comforted by how kind Denzel, their love child grew to be. He smiled and said, "Thank you Denzel for giving me the father's honour".
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