PART 18: “THE PROPOSAL”

It was a Saturday morning in Takoradi calm sea breeze, early sunlight glistening off rooftops,

and the smell of waakye and roasted plantain lingering in the air. Manda, now teaching maths at a government school, was expecting a friend to help her with lesson notes.

She had no idea Kwabena had travelled overnight just to surprise her.

THE SETUP

Kwabena had enlisted the help of one of her colleagues, who arranged for Manda to stop by a quiet garden near the beach under the pretense of attending a school "development meeting."

Manda, grumbling but respectful, arrived in her usual no-nonsense Saturday attire modest, neat,

and unsuspecting.

But when she walked into the small open garden, her steps slowed. There was no meeting. There were no teachers.

There was only Kwabena standing in a crisp white shirt, holding a bouquet of fresh lilies (her favorite), and that familiar boyish smile she could spot from a mile away.

"You again?" she laughed, hands instinctively flying to her cheeks in shock. "What are you

doing here?"

"Trying to pass the biggest test of my life," he said.

THE MOMENT

He stepped forward, took her hands, and said quietly:

"We've faced rumours, long distance, different regions, and a jealous storm named Rita... But through it all, you remained calm, brilliant, and everything I didn't know I needed."

"You're not just my peace, Manda you're my purpose."

Then, he knelt and this time, not with a folded letter, but with a velvet box. Inside was a simple but elegant silver ring with an inscription: Real Love Wins.

"Will you marry me?"

Manda didn't speak immediately. Tears welled in her eyes not from shock, but from clarity. She had known this man would come for her. That when he said he would, he truly meant it.

She nodded, then whispered, "Yes… I will."

The two embraced as a few nearby students who had quietly been told to hide and watch cheered from the bushes. It was sweet, sincere, and just dramatic enough for their story.