Chapter 20 Adesua Ridley
Adesua Ridley
The Ridley estate was eerily quiet, the only disturbance being the phone’s incessant ringing.
Each ring was a piercing reminder of Joseph’s persistent calls, a sound that had transformed into the source of Adesua’s mounting irritation.
She wasn’t sure why she didn’t want to be bothered by anyone today, especially men. Mrs. Darla picked it up yet again.
“Yes. Yes, Mr. Blackwood. I will tell her you called.”
Mrs. Darla hung up and shrugged, as she had no cure for a man in love. The phone rang again, and this time, Adesua answered.
“Look, Joseph. I am dealing with some important matters I have at home, just as you have yourself sometimes. I know it’s hard to believe a woman is ignoring your calls.”
The voice on the other end laughed before she could finish.
“Would a ticket to the Harmon Foundation Gala change your mind?” he asked, sounding amused.
Adesua pondered for a moment. Because surely it would make her look rather suspicious to change her mind so quickly, but this was more business than her frolicking around with his family and peers, who seemingly despised her.
“Oh, forgive me, Joseph. It’s been a whirlwind of . . . Never mind that. I would be delighted to go. If anything, this would get my mind off things.”
She could tell Joseph was more than likely shaking his head with a wide smile on his face.
“Well, darling, I thought it would be a great place for you to make new connections, since you say I don’t pay attention to your world,” Joseph affirmed.
“Of course, lovely. I will meet you there. Seven o’clock, okay?”
Adesua hung up and looked at Amelia, who was pacing left and right. This made Adesua’s nerves falter once again, making her second-guess everything.
“I can’t go to this gala Joseph invited me to—there is no way. What if there’s another person who’s out to get me, like at the ballet? This worry is consuming me,” Adesua said, her voice heavy with genuine concern.
Wei strolled over to the cabana chair, his gaze fixed on the tranquil view of the water, its surface mirroring the calmness of his thoughts.
“Adesua, no matter what you do, you will have lovers and inevitably haters as well.”
Adesua wanted to tell Kavita and her brothers what was going on in Harlem, but she could barely hold on to the little sanity she had left.
“I should probably call and cancel. I don’t know what I was thinking—”
“That’s enough,” Wei interrupted. “None of that matters anymore. Dale is dead. Let’s discuss this another time.
You know Henrik and Kavita like to eavesdrop.
I do want you to be careful. I have been receiving some rather odd things, so just keep an eye on your stuff and don’t let anyone get into your belongings, okay? ”
He gave her a hug, and Adesua watched him leave the cabana area, heading to the art room.
“You’ll be fine tonight, Dusie,” Amelia added.
The Harmon Foundation Gala was like something out of her wildest dreams. Seeing people who looked like her, but with their art transcending their names.
Her name was something she knew she would never escape, but being here felt like finding the family and community of like-minded individuals she had been searching for.
Adesua never liked the galas her family threw because anyone who approached her at those parties was doing so just because she was a Ridley.
Here in Harlem, who she was didn’t matter.
But no one was as impressive as Adesua in her blue satin dress.
Joseph tilted his head with a smile, grabbing her hand and ushering her to the ballroom floor and sending her into a twirl.
“Oh, don’t you look breathtaking,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek. “I am so happy you came, my dear.”
Adesua smiled, happy to see his reaction, as this conversation was much more pleasant than the one they’d had before.
She wished that life could be simpler, where the only worries she would have were what party she would go to next or where she would donate money.
It would be to the arts, or to young women and children, or to both.
Now her life was all that, but it came with a price to pay for wealth and fame, as turmoil and pain would surely follow.
“Adesua, it’s only the beginning for you. I can see you up there after a long day with the kids, getting awarded for your beautiful artwork,” Joseph remarked as they sipped on their drinks.
Adesua nearly choked. She loved the idea of children, but having them now was something she couldn’t want less.
Adesua thought she was broken in a way. She loved the traditional values of men like Joseph, but she didn’t necessarily love when it applied to her and her future.
As she cleared her throat, a man who Adesua assumed to be William Harmon announced the winner of the Harmon Foundation Award for Visual Arts.
He held a check for $500. Aaron Douglas walked up to the stage, accepting the award with a gentle speech.
“Although I have won this award, I want you to know all our work means something far greater than we can imagine. For centuries, we have communicated through art, whether with fables, religion, or the simplicity of showing love. It all resonates deep within us until we inspire others to create their art. I would like to hope tonight, with all of us surrounded by beautiful minds, that these moments can offer something far greater than this money—how we define the future. Whether it is black, white, or any color in the rainbow, it shows we all have a story to tell. Thank you.”
Adesua and Joseph nodded silently to each other, knowing how important it was for people like them to be recognized for the things they’d done.
Although the night was coming to an end and she had an even bigger day planned for Wei tomorrow, she was finally present in the moment instead of lost in the hundreds of thoughts that were going through her mind.
Moments like this were few and far between, so seeing it together with their very own eyes made them each think of what they could accomplish.
Even if their goals were vastly different from each other’s.
Adesua loved a good birthday party—and she loved planning them for her siblings even more.
Today she was hosting a yacht party for Wei, who was never one for surprises.
But Adesua would do whatever she wanted to make it memorable.
She felt he was not fond of knowing what happened next because of what happened at the ballet.
He didn’t like surprises or not having control of every setting they were in.
Wei always made sure to oversee any event they had or attended to, but his birthday wasn’t one of them.
Adesua had cried for weeks in her room. Every time Wei tried to comfort her, he was met with a door slam.
So when she looked at the calendar and saw his birthday was approaching, it was the distraction she needed from the hounding press.
Adesua rushed into the kitchen, where Chef Laurent and Diego carried out trays of food alongside a perfect vanilla-buttercream cake with cherry filling, “Happy Birthday” scripted atop in red icing.
The yacht, waiting patiently off Huntington Bay, was docked and ready, and they all stepped onto the boat with gifts and decor.
Adesua invited his college friends from Yale, the Grant brothers, and his new friend whom he had hired as an assistant.
His college roommates, Nathaniel and Gregory, were already filled with alcohol, which made them sway in the growing breeze and nearly fall overboard.
“Boys, the party hasn’t even begun,” Adesua called out.
They ended up swigging more alcohol in cheer.
“Oh, sweet Dusie, every Yale boy knows the party starts before the party,” Nathaniel yelled.
Wei was roughhousing with them. “Our Yale days are slipping behind us, brothers!”
Adesua lit the candles, covering them with her hand, and called everyone to crowd around the cake.
“Wei, come on, front and center, so you can remember this moment tomorrow morning before you boys get sloshed.”
Kavita chuckled, hitting Diego and Henrik.
“Hey, me too. I can be one of the boys.”
Wei came over, rubbing Adesua’s shoulder in gratitude while removing the hair covering her face.
“All right, all right. As long as my baby brother and sister will do the honor of starting it off for me!” Wei exclaimed.
Kavita sang slowly as Henrik played his harmonica.
Then Adesua chimed in, as did the rest of the crowd.
Adesua loved her sister’s voice. She felt Kavita could be a star in her own right if she wanted to, instead of feeding the gossip columns petty drama that she knew was beneath her and their family.
Adesua looked over to see Amelia and Jamison holding hands.
It made her smile, seeing her sister doing the things she said she would never do.
Wei blew the candles out and stared at them longer than usual. Adesua thought that maybe Wei had made a real wish this time, unlike the other times, when he would quickly make his way to the food and celebration. This time, he relished the moment, and she saw Amelia take notice of it too.
“Thank you all for everything. Let’s make this a night to remember,” Wei said.
Jamison laughed. “Oh, like remembering the book club you started in college? Boys from Dartmouth, Columbia, and every college in between wanted to be a part of it.”
Adesua raised her eyebrow. “You’re telling me Wei had a serious book club?”
Nathaniel turned around with a chocolate-covered strawberry, barely making coherent sentences. “Some would call it ‘a book club.’ Some would call it ‘a journey of tasting the forbidden nectar we all so love,’ all while, of course, learning everything about the fine arts!”
“Now, this has intrigued me. Do tell, boys,” Adesua said jokingly, wanting to embarrass Wei even more.