The One Who Holds Me (Sovereign Love #4)

14. Alex

14

ALEX

THEN

T he moment I step into our four-bedroom family apartment in the Upper West Side, Mom engulfs me into a hug, followed by her usual one million questions about college and how classes are going even though I only just resumed two weeks ago. She never gets bored with my one-word answers and somehow, she always comes up with new questions every time.

“ Eii , look at your cheeks. You’ve been listening to me and eating well, haven’t you?” She pinches my cheeks and ruffles my hair before settling on her favorite line. “ Herh . Beard gang. It’s growing well, oh.” She touches my beard.

“Thanks, Mom.” I hug her before she slips in one last question.

“What about Olanna? When do we get to meet her? D?n na ?regye wo bere tenten saa ?”

“Okay, Abena, I think the boy has had enough questioning for one day.” Dad swoops in and saves me.

“Hey, Dad.” I hug him, grateful he doesn’t have a list of questions waiting to throw at me.

“How are you, Yaw?” He squeezes my shoulder. “I wasn’t expecting you to be visiting us so soon.”

“Yeah, about that.” I lower my voice and lean close to him. “I’ll speak to you after dinner, but please keep this between you and me.” I thought I’d speak to Dad first since my problem is related to ‘men’s business,’ but I also know Mom is likely to get anxious and the last thing I want to do is make her worried about nothing.

Dad’s graying eyebrows crease up into a frown, but he nods and doesn’t ask any further questions. I carry my suitcase to my room and sit on my bed for a few minutes with my head in my hands.

Welcoming the silence with open arms, I listen to the ticks from the wall clock which is next to the Ghana map on my wall. I bought it shortly after Mom and Dad told me we would travel to Ghana. I thought it’d be a good idea to familiarize myself with the places we’ll be visiting and color them in on the map when I return.

Excitement was my only emotion the last time I was in the room. But now, everything I feel is dread, even though I’m trying to remain as positive as I can. I pick up my phone to check my unread messages and, like I expected, at the top of my list, Olanna’s message is staring at me.

Olanna: Hey, babe. Are you home now? How’s your mom and dad? Hope they’re okay? Please let me know. I love you. ???

I shouldn’t have lied to her. I should’ve told her the truth, like Kwame advised. My plan was to tell her after our dinner date, but I couldn’t bring myself to make her worry about me like that. I hope this turns out to be nothing serious, so I can finally tell her.

Dad knocks on my door and pokes his head in. “Come on, son. It’s time for dinner.”

“I’ll be down in two minutes.” I smile at him and when he leaves, I send a quick reply to Olanna to put her mind at ease.

Me: Hey, babe. I arrived not too long ago. Mom and Dad are doing great and Mom can’t wait to meet you someday. I miss you so much. I can’t wait to see you soon. I love you. ??

Placing my phone in my pocket, I rush down the stairs to join Mom and Dad at the dining table. I settle in the chair opposite Mom while salivating over my plate of waakye served with shito , red stew, gari , spaghetti, fried plantain, salad and, of course, a boiled egg.

Mom loves spoiling me with food whenever I come home because she has this idea that I don’t eat well at college. She may be right, but I won’t complain because this food is delicious.

While we eat, Mom and Dad fill me in on their adventures as property owners in Ghana. They always have stories to share about their tenants—from late rent payments, to broken toilets, and endless renovations.

With Dad working as a senior accountant and Mom a nurse, they’ve both experienced challenges juggling their full-time jobs and running several businesses in Ghana over the years. But their resilience has been so inspiring. If I can become half as successful as they both are, I’ll consider that a huge blessing.

After dinner, I help Mom wash the dishes before heading to Dad’s office. But instead of walking straight in, I stand outside the door for a few minutes, trying to steady my breathing and racing heart rate. I’ve spent all day trying to convince myself everything will be fine. But what if it won’t?

“Yaw, what’s wrong?” Dad asks as I enter the room and take a seat on the couch next to him.

I exhale and rub my forehead before forcing the words out of my mouth. “Dad, I found a lump.”

His eyes widen, and he straightens his back. “What do you mean, a lump? Where?”

I lower my head and fiddle with my fingers.

“Son, talk to me. Where did you find it?”

“Erm...” I look over my shoulder before lowering my voice. “My…my testicle.”

Dad remains silent for a moment before pulling himself close to me. “When did you notice it?”

“I think a week ago…or longer. I don’t know.”

“Does it hurt?”

I shake my head. “No, it doesn’t bother me. That’s a good sign, right?”

Dad doesn’t answer my question, but he takes his phone out of his shirt pocket and dials a number. “We need to get you to see a doctor urgently.”

After watching Dad’s reaction, panic settles into my chest. “Urgently?” I ask as I push myself to the edge of my seat. “You think it’s something serious?”

“Son, I’m not a doctor,” he says calmly. “But things like this have to be dealt with urgently before they get worse.”

Get worse? But I only noticed it a week ago. Did I leave it too late? “Okay.” I swallow the lump building in my throat before gathering the strength to speak again. “What do I need to do now? Who are you calling?”

“Just stay right here.” He brings his phone up to his ear. “I’m calling Kofi. He is the only urologist I know. I’ll ask him if he has time to see you today.”