Both Love Matters/Responsible Young Men We got married in the same month of the same year, 2003, days apart from each other. I married first, with Alfonso being my Best Man on my wedding day. A few days later, as he married Zsazsa in a traditional marriage, I played an equal role traditionally for him. Golden Age Thirty-eight years later, the golden age caught up with us. That was late last year. At first, we wanted a joint celebration, but somehow ended up planning different celebrations. Alfonso had a Hawaii-themed party, while Patrick had a formal black-tie dinner party. We guess this reflected our different personalities. Alfonso is more laid-back while Patrick is a more formal person, but both functions were beautiful. For us, the joy of being able to celebrate hitting fifty was what was memorable. On reaching fifty, the similarities between us are amazing. We were both born on the same day in the same year; we studied together through secondary school in Achimota; we were in the same classroom and boarding house; we both qualified as Lawyers, and we were both called to the Bar of England and Wales as Barristers from the same Inn of Court, out of the four Inns of Court, that is Grays Inn firstly, and then to the Ghana Bar; we both got married in the same December of 2003; Patrick is the Godfather to my first child, AJ, and I, Alfonso, am the Godfather to his first child, Helena. It has indeed been a terrific journey of friendship. Fortunately, our friendship and brotherhood have been truly blessed and seamless. In a nutshell, we have learned from our friendship not to take relationships for granted, and we ensure to make a conscious effort to be intentional about them. We have also learned that great friendship is dependent on great respect for each other. In troubled times, we have been able to give each other unapologetic criticism and advice. In the future, we do hope to do some joint celebrations. Perhaps visit South Africa for a bonding session or go relaxing on some beach with calm blue azure waters, a good single malt in hand with an equally good cigar, and recounting our fun times. These adventures, we will leave to the reader’s imagination. It’s for Alonzo and Stix to know, and for the reader to imagine. We may be amazing friends, but we are indeed brothers. our friendship and brotherhood have been truly blessed and seamless. In a nutshell, we have learned from our friendship not to take relationships for granted, and we ensure to make a conscious effort to be intentional about them. “ 57 The Birthday Journal
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