Thursday, October 13, 2011
NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES
Bernice felt wonderful. It was like a feeling she had never experienced before. It would be difficult to explain to anyone how she was feeling. All she could say was: "I'm in love." who could she tell about this wonderful feeling?
Yaw had introduced his friends, Bernice and Kelvin, at his party. This was the introduction to a wonderful shared love. As they talked and got to know each other, the more they were in love with each other's ideas and aspirations. Bernice had just come out of a long relationship and she was planning on staying single and enjoying singleness. However, this introduction changed her plans and she was more than happy to do so.
Kelvin had also been out of a relationship for a while. When he saw Bernice, there was the attraction which made him curious to know more about her. He asked a lot of questions and since Yaw was getting tired of him, he made the introduction. Yaw did not dream of the two of them hitting it off so well. Kelvin had gone in with the intents of dating Bernice but when he realised that she had just come out of a long relationship, he had wanted to give her some breathing space. Since no one can decide for the heart, they had started a relationship before they had time to indulge in any 'what ifs'.
Bernice sometimes felt she was being irrational where Kelvin was concerned but she could not help it. Although he was not perfect, he was the kind of man she wanted and she did not hold back in giving him all her love. She did everything possible and good to make their relationship work. It was blissful. Pinching herself became a daily activity because she could not believe what she was experiencing.
Nevertheless, she did not allow her heart to rule her head. Investigations were conducted to be sure that she made not a fool of herself. To be cheated by anyone was not as heart wrenching as to be cheated by the one person you love so much that, you could feel this love within you. She loved well but she loved cautiously. Yaw helped her with most of her questions and since they were friends, she often told him how Kelvin made her feel. The way she expressed it made it easy for one to gain appetite for love. Yaw was a good friend who listened and gave advice.
Since life is not a fairy tale, this love story was not without hitches. Yaw became Bernice's confidant. She told him almost everything. Although they have been friends for sometime now, they have not experienced the kind of closeness they were sharing now. This was all thanks to Kelvin.
It was a cold evening and Kelvin was in the mood for a love talk. He dialled Bernice's number and she rejected it three times. On the fourth dial, her phone was off. Disturbed by this event, he tossed the whole night. The next day, he tried her number again at lunch time but there was no response. Greatly disturbed, he told Yaw about the situation. According to Yaw, he had talked to her that day at lunch time. Suspicion sets in. Why was she avoiding him? Why can she not face him and tell him what he had done? What had he done to deserve this kind of treatment? It was not fair.
The sun was really showing off its power on this day but life at the office was just good for Bernice. She came from lunch with a feeling of contentment.
Kelvin: Hello
Bernice: ha! (she was startled.)
Kelvin: I know you were not expecting me but we need to talk. Can you tell me what i have done? Why are you not accepting my calls?
After a few minutes, Kelvin stormed out of her office looking like he was going to kill someone. It was a miracle that he was able to drive to Yaw's office. The driving must have calmed him because he got there quite composed. Yaw had just seen off some clients. They withdrew into his office. After some minutes, shouts were heard from Yaw's office. It seemed there was a commotion. Kelvin came out with a cut on his lips. It was not difficult to guess what had happened.
When evening came, Bernice went visiting Kelvin. She dressed the cut on his lips and some other bruises. When it was done, they cuddled in the sofa.
Bernice: What was his excuse?
Kelvin: Jealousy.
Bernice: Why? How? We've been friends for some time and he never said anything.
Kelvin: I guess our relationship made you appealing to him.
Bernice: But...
Yaw had allowed his envy to lead him into hurting his friends. He had connived with Kelvin's ex-girlfriend to disrupt the love between Kelvin and Bernice. It seemed the facts Bernice had that Kelvin was back together with his ex were compelling. However, a proper investigation would have proved everythn to be false. She had been fortunate. The thought that she nearly lost her sweetheart made her shiver. They forgot about Yaw and enjoyed that moment.
Love is wonderful but it does not come without challenges. Challenges could come in different forms. If you love the one you are with, surely you will try your best; more than your best to overcome the challenges. If it works out, you will feel the contentment that comes with it. If not, you will be devastated but you will have no regrets because you did your best; probably more than your best. Are you prepared for the challenges?
N.B: This story was posted earlier on my facebook notes.
Motivation
Hi folks,
It's been quite awhile since I blogged here. Hope you are all doing great. Recently, I've had calls from friends to to write more stories and articles because they enjoyed reading the ones I've written earlier. Really? They do? My goodness!
To tell the truth, I was really happy to hear this from my friends. It really meant a lot to me. It's an amazing feeling to know that you are appreciated. However, what I did not understand was why they'll not leave their comments after reading the stories or articles? One person that I'm grateful to is Albert Opoku. He has read and commented on my stories. I think, I was not fair to him when I went on this long break from my blog. Al, you are a wonderful friend and I am grateful. I know, I owe you something. I just hope you'll forgive me for my shortfalls.
To my friends who enjoy my stories and articles but do not comment, please comment. I need to know what you think. It does not matter if it's negative criticism. Such criticisms are needed to refine someone. I need it all; the good and the bad. However please do not forget to make it constructive.
I want to thank everybody who has been here to read something on my blog. I write because I want people to read, learn and be motivated but, I also need some motivation from you. Therefore if you read, Please comment.
Thank you.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
BE MORE LIFE CONCIOUS
It was 7am and mother was running late for the office. She could not get up early from bed because the previous day had been so tiring. Daddy had already left, setting the clock alarm to wake up his wife since all his efforts had proved futile. The alarm had gone off but she did not hear. When she woke up it was 6:30am. She rushed to get her two kids ready for school. When they were ready to leave the house, she ushered them into the backseat of the car and she left the house. She was speeding than normal since she was in a hurry to get to the office. Her kids; Kofi and Adwoa, were jumping at the backseat throwing questions at their mum. She tried shutting them up but they just won’t keep quiet. With her speeding, the questions from the kids and their jumping, she did not notice the car which had just crossed into her lane. All she heard was a big bang, screeching of tires and shouts. When she woke up, she had spent three days in coma. She was later informed that her daughter had hit her head so hard that when she came out of her coma, she had amnesia. Her son unfortunately had gone through the windscreen and had died. All these could have been prevented if she had done one thing; strapped her kids in their seat belt.
Yesterday, Monday 6th July 2010, I was on my way to town when I saw a horrific sight. Placed on a motorbike with no helmet was an infant. His father was the one riding the bike and he also had no helmet on. I cared less about the father. 1. He was old enough to know what was good for him. 2. He had seen the many adverts on television about the benefits of wearing a helmet. 3. He has seen a lot of the world so if he decides to kill himself that was his problem. I did not like the fact that he was endangering the life of that innocent child who was yet to know a lot about the world; the ugly and the beautiful, the hard and the soft, the sadness and the happiness, the cry and the laughter and so on.
I remember one evening on Fiifi Banson’s programme on Peace fm (a radio station in Ghana); he was talking about parents strapping their kids in their seats when driving. I was happy to hear the action he took when he saw parents in their cars with the kids just standing. He said he will stop them and tell them to strap the kids in their seats. From what he said, the parents he talked to did listen to him. That was brave of him to stop someone and tell them to do something. Probably they listened to him because he was well known. But what worries me is: did they continue to do that or it was just a nine day wonder? It is very common to see children standing and jumping around in a moving car. That is dangerous.
The National Road Safety Commission keeps talking and making advertisement about wearing our seat belts when in our vehicles, it was not for only adults. In the UK, It is an offense to be seen in a moving vehicle without wearing your seat belt. In Ghana, I am not so sure about that. Try going into people’s car and you will see how dirty their seat belts are. It goes to show that those seat belts have not been used in years. I just hope that law or no law, people will put their life first and those of their children above theirs.
Yesterday, Monday 6th July 2010, I was on my way to town when I saw a horrific sight. Placed on a motorbike with no helmet was an infant. His father was the one riding the bike and he also had no helmet on. I cared less about the father. 1. He was old enough to know what was good for him. 2. He had seen the many adverts on television about the benefits of wearing a helmet. 3. He has seen a lot of the world so if he decides to kill himself that was his problem. I did not like the fact that he was endangering the life of that innocent child who was yet to know a lot about the world; the ugly and the beautiful, the hard and the soft, the sadness and the happiness, the cry and the laughter and so on.
I remember one evening on Fiifi Banson’s programme on Peace fm (a radio station in Ghana); he was talking about parents strapping their kids in their seats when driving. I was happy to hear the action he took when he saw parents in their cars with the kids just standing. He said he will stop them and tell them to strap the kids in their seats. From what he said, the parents he talked to did listen to him. That was brave of him to stop someone and tell them to do something. Probably they listened to him because he was well known. But what worries me is: did they continue to do that or it was just a nine day wonder? It is very common to see children standing and jumping around in a moving car. That is dangerous.
The National Road Safety Commission keeps talking and making advertisement about wearing our seat belts when in our vehicles, it was not for only adults. In the UK, It is an offense to be seen in a moving vehicle without wearing your seat belt. In Ghana, I am not so sure about that. Try going into people’s car and you will see how dirty their seat belts are. It goes to show that those seat belts have not been used in years. I just hope that law or no law, people will put their life first and those of their children above theirs.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
WHEN I GROW UP...
I WANT TO BE... WHEN I GROW UP
It is a typical day in a class. The teacher is seated in front of his student. On the board, he has written quite a number of words. The class has just finished with a dictation. Let me add that it a stage/primary two class. Among the words is CAREER. Most of the students could not spell it correctly. The teacher using his stick pointed to that word again and asked: ‘who knows this word or has come across it before?’ The class was silent for ten minutes. Then, a hand went up in the air. It came up gradually as if the owner of the hand was unsure. The teacher stretched his head and identified the owner of that hand. It was none other than Kofi Baah, the most brilliant boy in the class yet deprived in a lot of ways. His parents could hardly pay his school fees let alone give him money daily for school.
Kofi explains to the whole class what the word meant. He receives a rousing applause. The teacher has gone on to ask what each child will take up as a career when he/she grows up. ‘I want to be a lawyer.’ ‘I want to be a pilot, a doctor, a nurse, a president, a soldier, a policeman.’ These were what the children said. The teacher realised that none of them mentioned being a teacher. So he asked: ‘Doesn’t anyone want to be a teacher?’ Juliana, a girl from a rich home stood up and said: ‘My mother said they are not paid well.’
I am sure most of us had our dreams on which career path we wanted to take as children until reality set in. Yes, the obstacles which prevent people from seeing their dreams come true. Most of us however have changed our minds so many times on what we will want as our career through the ages. Some of the reasons are that we find out later that we are not interested in a particular course which will lead to that career path, we get interested in something else, we are discouraged by our parents or we are simply confused. Apart from these, there is the situation of reality. The reality that even though you may be able to follow your dreams, you may find it difficult living that dreams because the job market is choked or is it some part which is choked?
Many of us believe that a good education is what will lead us to our dream career but we find out later on that it is not entirely the case. Because of such a notion, we go all out to work tireless so that we can enjoy the fruit of our labour after school only for it to be fruitless. It is amazing the number of people who graduate every year from different institutions with the hope of finding a job which will kick start their career. However, as it turns out, that career may take such a long time in coming or for some people, it may never come so they will have to take a detour.
It is known that most people are working in areas not because they want to be there but it just happens that it is the only available opening. I had the privilege of working in a particular institution and that is where I met an engineering graduate who was working as surveyor, finding clients for the institution. He was underutilising himself. I thought I was, but his situation was worse. After all the fees and years spent in the tertiary institution, one comes out and has to work for less. Working for less is not just in terms of the money because although it is important, as a starter, that should not be much of a concern but also in a territory where you will add nothing to what you trained at or learned in school. I agree that one must not be parochial and put his/ her eggs in one basket but one should not work, underutilising his/her abilities.
It has become so difficult in getting a job that I believe that one must be all rounded. After all, those who work in their offices also have a shop somewhere to supplement their needs these days. There are certain careers which demand that you go a particular course. Imagine someone studying to be an engineer, an architect or an environmentalist. This person has trained and invested a lot solely for that. Then after completing his/her course of study, there is no job but he / she finds himself / herself working as a sales representative or a call centre operator (no offense to these people), a job that completely underutilises the knowledge stored in that person’s brain. The expectations of this person have been crushed. How does such a person exert himself / herself expediently in such a work?
So as a child and as we grow up we all have our career paths but when the time comes to move in that direction, we realise that the reality is the ability to survive and not what you learned in school. Education is good, everyone must strive to be educated but it does not guarantee a good future. What I will recommend is educate yourself and also have a skill. It will help you in the future. I know people who when education failed to give them a job, they turned to their skills and they are earning a living instead of being jobless and waiting around for the kind of job they laboured in school for. I wish I had learned a skill.
It is a typical day in a class. The teacher is seated in front of his student. On the board, he has written quite a number of words. The class has just finished with a dictation. Let me add that it a stage/primary two class. Among the words is CAREER. Most of the students could not spell it correctly. The teacher using his stick pointed to that word again and asked: ‘who knows this word or has come across it before?’ The class was silent for ten minutes. Then, a hand went up in the air. It came up gradually as if the owner of the hand was unsure. The teacher stretched his head and identified the owner of that hand. It was none other than Kofi Baah, the most brilliant boy in the class yet deprived in a lot of ways. His parents could hardly pay his school fees let alone give him money daily for school.
Kofi explains to the whole class what the word meant. He receives a rousing applause. The teacher has gone on to ask what each child will take up as a career when he/she grows up. ‘I want to be a lawyer.’ ‘I want to be a pilot, a doctor, a nurse, a president, a soldier, a policeman.’ These were what the children said. The teacher realised that none of them mentioned being a teacher. So he asked: ‘Doesn’t anyone want to be a teacher?’ Juliana, a girl from a rich home stood up and said: ‘My mother said they are not paid well.’
I am sure most of us had our dreams on which career path we wanted to take as children until reality set in. Yes, the obstacles which prevent people from seeing their dreams come true. Most of us however have changed our minds so many times on what we will want as our career through the ages. Some of the reasons are that we find out later that we are not interested in a particular course which will lead to that career path, we get interested in something else, we are discouraged by our parents or we are simply confused. Apart from these, there is the situation of reality. The reality that even though you may be able to follow your dreams, you may find it difficult living that dreams because the job market is choked or is it some part which is choked?
Many of us believe that a good education is what will lead us to our dream career but we find out later on that it is not entirely the case. Because of such a notion, we go all out to work tireless so that we can enjoy the fruit of our labour after school only for it to be fruitless. It is amazing the number of people who graduate every year from different institutions with the hope of finding a job which will kick start their career. However, as it turns out, that career may take such a long time in coming or for some people, it may never come so they will have to take a detour.
It is known that most people are working in areas not because they want to be there but it just happens that it is the only available opening. I had the privilege of working in a particular institution and that is where I met an engineering graduate who was working as surveyor, finding clients for the institution. He was underutilising himself. I thought I was, but his situation was worse. After all the fees and years spent in the tertiary institution, one comes out and has to work for less. Working for less is not just in terms of the money because although it is important, as a starter, that should not be much of a concern but also in a territory where you will add nothing to what you trained at or learned in school. I agree that one must not be parochial and put his/ her eggs in one basket but one should not work, underutilising his/her abilities.
It has become so difficult in getting a job that I believe that one must be all rounded. After all, those who work in their offices also have a shop somewhere to supplement their needs these days. There are certain careers which demand that you go a particular course. Imagine someone studying to be an engineer, an architect or an environmentalist. This person has trained and invested a lot solely for that. Then after completing his/her course of study, there is no job but he / she finds himself / herself working as a sales representative or a call centre operator (no offense to these people), a job that completely underutilises the knowledge stored in that person’s brain. The expectations of this person have been crushed. How does such a person exert himself / herself expediently in such a work?
So as a child and as we grow up we all have our career paths but when the time comes to move in that direction, we realise that the reality is the ability to survive and not what you learned in school. Education is good, everyone must strive to be educated but it does not guarantee a good future. What I will recommend is educate yourself and also have a skill. It will help you in the future. I know people who when education failed to give them a job, they turned to their skills and they are earning a living instead of being jobless and waiting around for the kind of job they laboured in school for. I wish I had learned a skill.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
As soon as she entered her apartment, Wendy slumped into a chair and cried. “How can this happen to me?” She wondered. “You’ve been careless Wendy!” She reprimanded herself. How was she going to explain this to Michael? Would he be as supportive as he had been from the time they met? She laid down certain rules and she knew most guys would have difficulties going by those rules but Michael still stuck by her. Sometimes she wondered why he loved her that much. His friends had teased him and insulted him but he still stuck by her.
She cried throughout the night and did not know when sleep overtook her. She woke up abruptly by a sound outside her house. It was almost six in the morning. She was a bit hazy. She could not remember how she even fell asleep. Fifty missed calls were registered on her phone. “Oh my goodness! Who will need me so badly?” She thought. Then as she turned her head, she saw the result and it registered in her mind what had happened the night before. Just then, she heard the door bell ring. With the result in hand she went to the door. Seth stood in front of her looking dishevelled.
“Girl, what happened to you? Do you know I could not sleep because of you? Michael has been worried sick over you. What happened to our phone?”
“Seth! Please ask one question at a time!”
“Well, girl you will not get that from me! I want answers to all my questions at once! Do you have any idea how many times Michael has called you?”
“Fifty times.”
“What did you say?”
“I said fifty times. That is how many times Michael has called me.”
“So what are you going to do about that?”
“I was about to call him.”
“What is that in your hand?”
“It’s nothing which should concern you. As you can see I am doing well so why don’t you be on your way?”
“Well aren’t we a bit bitchy this morning? Anyway sorry to disappoint you dear but Michael threatened to disown me if you should leave him because of this incident.”
“Oh really? He did? Then you should look forward to your disowning ceremony.”
“What?”
“You should look forward to your disowning ceremony because I am going to help you get disowned. You should know by now that you are my number one enemy and me, yours. So don’t expect anything better from me.”
Seth jokingly made a hurtful face which got Wendy to smile and she picked her phone to call Michael. It was as if he knew she was dialling his number. Within seconds he was on the line.
“Hi honey. I have been trying to reach you. What happened?”
“Hi love. I was so tired that I did not even realise when I slept.”
“I thought you were mad at me for not honouring my promise.”
“Sweetie, you know me, you should know this is no cause for trouble with me. The way I see it, you had an urgent engagement and I even forgot about your promise so there is no one to be blamed.”
“Okay, I am glad you are well and that we still have a relationship.”
“Don’t be ridiculous love. This should not break our relationship. It is stronger than that. Do you want to talk with Seth? He said you’ll disown him if this incident makes me leave you.”
“Well I did say that.”
“As if you have anything he might want. Hahahaha!”
“Alright then we will talk later. We are wrapping up with the meeting so I should be in Accra within some few minutes then, I will take you some place that I discovered. But until then, bye.”
The line went dead. Wendy turned to Seth.
“Satisfied?
“Yes!”
“Well then I guess you will be leaving now because I have a couple of things I would like to do.”
“Hmm...If I didn’t know better, I would say you are driving me out of your house.
“Oh come on Seth, don’t be dramatic.”
“Me? Dramatic?”
“Yes! Listen, your brother said he will be here in some few minutes and you know how he is. If he gets here and I’m not done with whatever thing I am doing, he will not be happy with me. After what he’s been through yesterday when he thought I was angry with him, I don’t want to cause any squabble between us. At least things should be peaceful for today. Don’t you agree?”
“Well I do agree. Alright then, I will leave you to go on with your work. Knowing my brother, he’ll be here any minute.”
With these words, Seth stepped out of the house. As soon he left, Wendy slumped into the sofa and cried to her heart content. She had never in her life shed that much tears; not even when her father had died. That was when she had met Michael.
She cried throughout the night and did not know when sleep overtook her. She woke up abruptly by a sound outside her house. It was almost six in the morning. She was a bit hazy. She could not remember how she even fell asleep. Fifty missed calls were registered on her phone. “Oh my goodness! Who will need me so badly?” She thought. Then as she turned her head, she saw the result and it registered in her mind what had happened the night before. Just then, she heard the door bell ring. With the result in hand she went to the door. Seth stood in front of her looking dishevelled.
“Girl, what happened to you? Do you know I could not sleep because of you? Michael has been worried sick over you. What happened to our phone?”
“Seth! Please ask one question at a time!”
“Well, girl you will not get that from me! I want answers to all my questions at once! Do you have any idea how many times Michael has called you?”
“Fifty times.”
“What did you say?”
“I said fifty times. That is how many times Michael has called me.”
“So what are you going to do about that?”
“I was about to call him.”
“What is that in your hand?”
“It’s nothing which should concern you. As you can see I am doing well so why don’t you be on your way?”
“Well aren’t we a bit bitchy this morning? Anyway sorry to disappoint you dear but Michael threatened to disown me if you should leave him because of this incident.”
“Oh really? He did? Then you should look forward to your disowning ceremony.”
“What?”
“You should look forward to your disowning ceremony because I am going to help you get disowned. You should know by now that you are my number one enemy and me, yours. So don’t expect anything better from me.”
Seth jokingly made a hurtful face which got Wendy to smile and she picked her phone to call Michael. It was as if he knew she was dialling his number. Within seconds he was on the line.
“Hi honey. I have been trying to reach you. What happened?”
“Hi love. I was so tired that I did not even realise when I slept.”
“I thought you were mad at me for not honouring my promise.”
“Sweetie, you know me, you should know this is no cause for trouble with me. The way I see it, you had an urgent engagement and I even forgot about your promise so there is no one to be blamed.”
“Okay, I am glad you are well and that we still have a relationship.”
“Don’t be ridiculous love. This should not break our relationship. It is stronger than that. Do you want to talk with Seth? He said you’ll disown him if this incident makes me leave you.”
“Well I did say that.”
“As if you have anything he might want. Hahahaha!”
“Alright then we will talk later. We are wrapping up with the meeting so I should be in Accra within some few minutes then, I will take you some place that I discovered. But until then, bye.”
The line went dead. Wendy turned to Seth.
“Satisfied?
“Yes!”
“Well then I guess you will be leaving now because I have a couple of things I would like to do.”
“Hmm...If I didn’t know better, I would say you are driving me out of your house.
“Oh come on Seth, don’t be dramatic.”
“Me? Dramatic?”
“Yes! Listen, your brother said he will be here in some few minutes and you know how he is. If he gets here and I’m not done with whatever thing I am doing, he will not be happy with me. After what he’s been through yesterday when he thought I was angry with him, I don’t want to cause any squabble between us. At least things should be peaceful for today. Don’t you agree?”
“Well I do agree. Alright then, I will leave you to go on with your work. Knowing my brother, he’ll be here any minute.”
With these words, Seth stepped out of the house. As soon he left, Wendy slumped into the sofa and cried to her heart content. She had never in her life shed that much tears; not even when her father had died. That was when she had met Michael.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
PLAYERS
She looked simply ravishing. It was a Friday night and it was time for yet another escapade. She had decided about two years ago that she needed some adventure and fun in her life. She was tired of the routine in her school life so one Friday evening; she had dressed up and gone to a pub with her friend, Oforiwaa. As they sat in a corner minding their own business, a gentleman came up to them.
“Hello. Are you two lovely ladies here by yourselves?”
She did not know what business their sitting down and enjoying their evening was to him. Oforiwaa thought the same so none of them paid him any attention but he went on anyway with why he was being a nuisance.
“Well, my friends and I were wondering if you girls would care to join us at our table.”
She and Oforiwaa turned their heads in the direction at which he pointed; they saw three young men sitting around a table grinning at them. She was appalled just looking at their grinning faces.
“No thanks." She responded.
The gentleman tried to be persuasive but it was like talking to the wind so he left them alone. A few moments later, another older gentleman had come around their table to try and hit on any of them or maybe both of them. The evening had continued that way till they left the pub. She was horrified at how men, both young and old, had come around their table to get them into their beds. She wondered what was coming over the world.
The next Friday had seen her and Oforiwaa at a different pub. The situation had been no different from what happened at the first pub. They just wanted to go to a place and relax after a week of endless lectures but these men kept coming at them. After the second pub they had tried three different pubs and the situation was no different. She was amazed at the number of lonely hearts out there. Was it really that they were lonely or they were just promiscuous? She recalled having seen some men with their wedding bands but was not afraid to hit on them. “A very crazy girl could make money out of these men”, she had thought. It occurred to her she could be that crazy girl. She shook her head in an attempt to take that thought out of her head but it would just not leave. So she told Oforiwaa of her intentions who branded her crazy. She, Oforiwaa, tried to persuade her to forget such a ridiculous idea but it had already settled in her mind.
She had gone to three different pubs in three months and had been successful at ripping off three men of huge sums of money. She had made sure to completely change her looks to avoid any trouble. She also made sure to choose a place where it would be easy to see her but it would be difficult to see her face. She was careful to let some ample time pass if she would visit one pub twice. It was funny how the men were not interested in the face but the body and that was how she was able to escape a disastrous situation.
She had gone to a newly opened pub about forty minutes ride from campus to prey on someone. As she found the perfect spot and sat down sipping on some chilled wine, she saw a man moving towards her. She could not make him out as he approached since the place was not well lit. As he drew nearer, light was thrown on him and that was when she realised he was the second man she had preyed on. Putting her hand in her bag, she brought out her phone and pretended to be talking to someone as she passed through the darkness and made her way out.
She sighed and felt the cold wind on her face which cooled the sweat she had experienced as the man moved towards her. As she stood there feeling the cold winds on her and thinking of how close she had been to prison, she heard a voice behind her.
“Hello sweetheart. I have found you again.”
The sweat came back as she realised it was the man she was running from who had come up behind her. What did he mean by “I have found you again”? The answer rang in her head; she had been caught. She could no longer stand straight as she felt some weaknesses in her legs. She bent a little bit to prevent her from falling.
“Do you need help? Are you alright?”
She got confused as she heard the man. Had he seen her or he had not?
“I’ll be alright. Thank you. I... I just need some fresh air.”
She could feel him drawing closer and wished he would stay where he was. Just then, they heard a big bang. Some drunk had hit his car into another man’s car. They both turned their attention to the accident and the man rushed to the place. The drunk had hit his car. Seeing this as an opportunity, she quickly left the place. Unfortunately, this situation was not enough to deter her.
So as she looked at herself for the last time in the mirror, Asantewaa could feel within her that she was going to hit it big time this evening. It had been six months now as she went out on such jaunt and had therefore taken her time in picking out her dress and putting on her makeup. She had opted for a wine boob straight dress which was three inches above her knee. She accessorized herself with gold (chandelier earrings, chain, bracelet, belt and a four inch shoe). She was what would be described as dressed to kill and she was, in every sense of the expression. She felt good as she stepped into a sleek 4x4 Toyota range rover belonging to Oforiwaa. That was the gift her father had given to her for her 23rd birthday. Asantewaa was able to persuade Oforiwaa to give her the car. She sat in and drove to the newest pub, Escape, which was a fifteen minutes drive from the international airport.
She lingered at the entrance for a while scanning the place for the kind of person she wanted. She had seen a couple of people who fitted her kind of prey so she entered and found herself a seat. She ordered for a wine and sat down to wait for her victim.
He had seen her at the entrance; standing and gazing into the room for awhile before she made her way to her seat. She was breathtaking and looked loaded. He had gone past her into the parking lot. He had been successful to find her car by bribing the guard. He was happy with his findings.
Owusu had moved away from his friends and had made his way towards Asantewaa’s table. He was a half-caste (a Ghanaian father and a French mother), tall and lanky. His dressing and perfume portrayed him as a foreigner and he had the accent of a Frenchman. She had seen him coming towards her and she knew he would make a move on her. His body language and the twinkle in his eye as the light shone on him convinced her.
As he got closer, he fixed his eyes on her. She could feel the excitement within her. She was not too sure if he fitted the kind of person she wanted to claw. There was one way to find out and it was just some minutes before she was sure. She lowered her gaze and could feel that his steps had slowed as he got nearer. She started to count his steps...one, two, three, four, five...nine, and the last one, ten. But he did not stop. He kept moving till he got to the next table that was occupied by two hotties and there he stopped to sit and converse with them. She felt like cold water had been poured on her. She felt angry, stupid and disappointed at once.
Owusu knew she was expecting him to stop by her table and so he had led her to believe it would happen and pulled a fast one on her. As he sat talking to the two girls, who proved to be quite foolish and naive by their line of conversation and giggles, he made sure he was able to see her reaction from where he was seated. He had seen the look of disappointment and he felt quite good about it.
Asantewaa recovered and continued sipping on her wine. As she waited for someone else to come around, she fidgeted with her bag which fell off the table. She drew her chair back to pick it up and she heard someone curse. Ooops! She had hit someone with her chair. She quickly turned to attend to the person and she saw that it was Owusu. While she was sorry for hitting him, she was glad it was him. It gave her some satisfaction because for some strange reason, she knew he had purposely passed by her table.
The excitement within her was back and her heart beat faster. She kept on saying sorry so much that it irritated Owusu. Then she offered to buy him a drink. He had refused but she passionately insisted. Eventually, he gave in. She had him where she wanted. She smiled triumphantly within. Owusu also smiled within himself. So far things were working for the better. The chair had not touched him but pulling it backwards just when he got there had helped matters for him.
They hit it off talking about themselves. They had both given false names. Owusu had talked a lot about himself and his “businesses”. He had opened his wallet to pick out something, making visible the amount of money he carried. Asantewaa’s eyes had bulged at the sight of the money. Can someone really carry that much on him? She had not taken him too seriously when he kept on about his businesses. She needed to see some evidence and it was as if he had read her mind. At this point she cared less about whether he was lying or not. All she wanted was to get her hands on that money.
Owusu had also sensed her mood and knew exactly what to do to perk up her interest. Noticing her interest after displaying his cash told him that he had succeeded and it was only some few minutes before he got what he wanted. He had told Asantewaa that he had come with some friends in their car. He had made suggestive comments to show that he would like to be alone with her. Asantewaa was in a hurry to get things done and over with. Having sat talking for an hour, they got up and headed for Asantewaa’s car.
They arrived at the hotel some few minutes to midnight. Asantewaa was all ready and perked up for action. Owusu could sense it and he felt excited as well. She had yawned a few times on their way but Owusu did not think that would hinder the activities planned. Thinking through the situation, he knew he was going to kill two birds with one stone. He had made sure that her chain, earrings and bracelets were pure gold as he had sat talking with her. He had an eye for precious stones.
Asantewaa started faking sleepiness. They had signed up for just a night. As soon they entered the room, Asantewaa slumped onto the bed. Owusu went into the bathroom to freshen up. He had left his wallet on the table with the dressing mirror. Asantewaa had given another fake yawn as Owusu went into the bathroom. She had smiled to herself as he entered the bathroom. When he came out after five minutes, Asantewaa was fast asleep, or he thought so. She had also removed her accessories and placed them in her bag. She knew his intention was to have a ‘good time’ with her. But she did not play like that.
At 2a.m, she woke up and tipped toed out of the room. The receptionist had looked at her with a scowl on her face. She hated girls who sold their body just for money. Asantewaa got into the car and drove away. She kept smiling and whistling as she drove off.
A few minutes after she had left, Owusu woke up. He could not feel her beside him. He heard that the shower was on. Thinking that she was in the bathroom, he dressed up and left the room. When he got to the reception, he took out his wallet to pay for the room. He only brought out papers which had been cut out like money. The receptionist was not amused. Owusu went back inside and the shower was still on. Then he started laughing. He could not believe what had just happened. In his hands he had a paper bag which was filled with Asantewaa’s accessories. He laughed out so loud that tears filled his eyes.
Asantewaa got to her room with a big smile on her face. She removed the wig from her head and changed into a house dress. She emptied the contents of her bag unto her bed. A stone fell out of her bag plus the money. In her hurry, she had not checked her bag to see if she had everything. She burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that her eyes were filled with tears.
Two months later, she went back to the pub. As usual, she scanned the place before making her way to an empty table. As she sat down, she turned her head and their eyes locked. He raised his glass to acknowledge her and she did the same. He made his way towards her table with a smile and twinkle in his eyes.
“Hello. Are you two lovely ladies here by yourselves?”
She did not know what business their sitting down and enjoying their evening was to him. Oforiwaa thought the same so none of them paid him any attention but he went on anyway with why he was being a nuisance.
“Well, my friends and I were wondering if you girls would care to join us at our table.”
She and Oforiwaa turned their heads in the direction at which he pointed; they saw three young men sitting around a table grinning at them. She was appalled just looking at their grinning faces.
“No thanks." She responded.
The gentleman tried to be persuasive but it was like talking to the wind so he left them alone. A few moments later, another older gentleman had come around their table to try and hit on any of them or maybe both of them. The evening had continued that way till they left the pub. She was horrified at how men, both young and old, had come around their table to get them into their beds. She wondered what was coming over the world.
The next Friday had seen her and Oforiwaa at a different pub. The situation had been no different from what happened at the first pub. They just wanted to go to a place and relax after a week of endless lectures but these men kept coming at them. After the second pub they had tried three different pubs and the situation was no different. She was amazed at the number of lonely hearts out there. Was it really that they were lonely or they were just promiscuous? She recalled having seen some men with their wedding bands but was not afraid to hit on them. “A very crazy girl could make money out of these men”, she had thought. It occurred to her she could be that crazy girl. She shook her head in an attempt to take that thought out of her head but it would just not leave. So she told Oforiwaa of her intentions who branded her crazy. She, Oforiwaa, tried to persuade her to forget such a ridiculous idea but it had already settled in her mind.
She had gone to three different pubs in three months and had been successful at ripping off three men of huge sums of money. She had made sure to completely change her looks to avoid any trouble. She also made sure to choose a place where it would be easy to see her but it would be difficult to see her face. She was careful to let some ample time pass if she would visit one pub twice. It was funny how the men were not interested in the face but the body and that was how she was able to escape a disastrous situation.
She had gone to a newly opened pub about forty minutes ride from campus to prey on someone. As she found the perfect spot and sat down sipping on some chilled wine, she saw a man moving towards her. She could not make him out as he approached since the place was not well lit. As he drew nearer, light was thrown on him and that was when she realised he was the second man she had preyed on. Putting her hand in her bag, she brought out her phone and pretended to be talking to someone as she passed through the darkness and made her way out.
She sighed and felt the cold wind on her face which cooled the sweat she had experienced as the man moved towards her. As she stood there feeling the cold winds on her and thinking of how close she had been to prison, she heard a voice behind her.
“Hello sweetheart. I have found you again.”
The sweat came back as she realised it was the man she was running from who had come up behind her. What did he mean by “I have found you again”? The answer rang in her head; she had been caught. She could no longer stand straight as she felt some weaknesses in her legs. She bent a little bit to prevent her from falling.
“Do you need help? Are you alright?”
She got confused as she heard the man. Had he seen her or he had not?
“I’ll be alright. Thank you. I... I just need some fresh air.”
She could feel him drawing closer and wished he would stay where he was. Just then, they heard a big bang. Some drunk had hit his car into another man’s car. They both turned their attention to the accident and the man rushed to the place. The drunk had hit his car. Seeing this as an opportunity, she quickly left the place. Unfortunately, this situation was not enough to deter her.
So as she looked at herself for the last time in the mirror, Asantewaa could feel within her that she was going to hit it big time this evening. It had been six months now as she went out on such jaunt and had therefore taken her time in picking out her dress and putting on her makeup. She had opted for a wine boob straight dress which was three inches above her knee. She accessorized herself with gold (chandelier earrings, chain, bracelet, belt and a four inch shoe). She was what would be described as dressed to kill and she was, in every sense of the expression. She felt good as she stepped into a sleek 4x4 Toyota range rover belonging to Oforiwaa. That was the gift her father had given to her for her 23rd birthday. Asantewaa was able to persuade Oforiwaa to give her the car. She sat in and drove to the newest pub, Escape, which was a fifteen minutes drive from the international airport.
She lingered at the entrance for a while scanning the place for the kind of person she wanted. She had seen a couple of people who fitted her kind of prey so she entered and found herself a seat. She ordered for a wine and sat down to wait for her victim.
He had seen her at the entrance; standing and gazing into the room for awhile before she made her way to her seat. She was breathtaking and looked loaded. He had gone past her into the parking lot. He had been successful to find her car by bribing the guard. He was happy with his findings.
Owusu had moved away from his friends and had made his way towards Asantewaa’s table. He was a half-caste (a Ghanaian father and a French mother), tall and lanky. His dressing and perfume portrayed him as a foreigner and he had the accent of a Frenchman. She had seen him coming towards her and she knew he would make a move on her. His body language and the twinkle in his eye as the light shone on him convinced her.
As he got closer, he fixed his eyes on her. She could feel the excitement within her. She was not too sure if he fitted the kind of person she wanted to claw. There was one way to find out and it was just some minutes before she was sure. She lowered her gaze and could feel that his steps had slowed as he got nearer. She started to count his steps...one, two, three, four, five...nine, and the last one, ten. But he did not stop. He kept moving till he got to the next table that was occupied by two hotties and there he stopped to sit and converse with them. She felt like cold water had been poured on her. She felt angry, stupid and disappointed at once.
Owusu knew she was expecting him to stop by her table and so he had led her to believe it would happen and pulled a fast one on her. As he sat talking to the two girls, who proved to be quite foolish and naive by their line of conversation and giggles, he made sure he was able to see her reaction from where he was seated. He had seen the look of disappointment and he felt quite good about it.
Asantewaa recovered and continued sipping on her wine. As she waited for someone else to come around, she fidgeted with her bag which fell off the table. She drew her chair back to pick it up and she heard someone curse. Ooops! She had hit someone with her chair. She quickly turned to attend to the person and she saw that it was Owusu. While she was sorry for hitting him, she was glad it was him. It gave her some satisfaction because for some strange reason, she knew he had purposely passed by her table.
The excitement within her was back and her heart beat faster. She kept on saying sorry so much that it irritated Owusu. Then she offered to buy him a drink. He had refused but she passionately insisted. Eventually, he gave in. She had him where she wanted. She smiled triumphantly within. Owusu also smiled within himself. So far things were working for the better. The chair had not touched him but pulling it backwards just when he got there had helped matters for him.
They hit it off talking about themselves. They had both given false names. Owusu had talked a lot about himself and his “businesses”. He had opened his wallet to pick out something, making visible the amount of money he carried. Asantewaa’s eyes had bulged at the sight of the money. Can someone really carry that much on him? She had not taken him too seriously when he kept on about his businesses. She needed to see some evidence and it was as if he had read her mind. At this point she cared less about whether he was lying or not. All she wanted was to get her hands on that money.
Owusu had also sensed her mood and knew exactly what to do to perk up her interest. Noticing her interest after displaying his cash told him that he had succeeded and it was only some few minutes before he got what he wanted. He had told Asantewaa that he had come with some friends in their car. He had made suggestive comments to show that he would like to be alone with her. Asantewaa was in a hurry to get things done and over with. Having sat talking for an hour, they got up and headed for Asantewaa’s car.
They arrived at the hotel some few minutes to midnight. Asantewaa was all ready and perked up for action. Owusu could sense it and he felt excited as well. She had yawned a few times on their way but Owusu did not think that would hinder the activities planned. Thinking through the situation, he knew he was going to kill two birds with one stone. He had made sure that her chain, earrings and bracelets were pure gold as he had sat talking with her. He had an eye for precious stones.
Asantewaa started faking sleepiness. They had signed up for just a night. As soon they entered the room, Asantewaa slumped onto the bed. Owusu went into the bathroom to freshen up. He had left his wallet on the table with the dressing mirror. Asantewaa had given another fake yawn as Owusu went into the bathroom. She had smiled to herself as he entered the bathroom. When he came out after five minutes, Asantewaa was fast asleep, or he thought so. She had also removed her accessories and placed them in her bag. She knew his intention was to have a ‘good time’ with her. But she did not play like that.
At 2a.m, she woke up and tipped toed out of the room. The receptionist had looked at her with a scowl on her face. She hated girls who sold their body just for money. Asantewaa got into the car and drove away. She kept smiling and whistling as she drove off.
A few minutes after she had left, Owusu woke up. He could not feel her beside him. He heard that the shower was on. Thinking that she was in the bathroom, he dressed up and left the room. When he got to the reception, he took out his wallet to pay for the room. He only brought out papers which had been cut out like money. The receptionist was not amused. Owusu went back inside and the shower was still on. Then he started laughing. He could not believe what had just happened. In his hands he had a paper bag which was filled with Asantewaa’s accessories. He laughed out so loud that tears filled his eyes.
Asantewaa got to her room with a big smile on her face. She removed the wig from her head and changed into a house dress. She emptied the contents of her bag unto her bed. A stone fell out of her bag plus the money. In her hurry, she had not checked her bag to see if she had everything. She burst out laughing. She laughed so hard that her eyes were filled with tears.
Two months later, she went back to the pub. As usual, she scanned the place before making her way to an empty table. As she sat down, she turned her head and their eyes locked. He raised his glass to acknowledge her and she did the same. He made his way towards her table with a smile and twinkle in his eyes.
UNCERTAINTIES
“No wonder my husband was with her”, she thought. She was beautiful and much younger. She had a pretty face and a gap between the fronts of her upper teeth. She knew how much her husband admired women with these attributes. “This would be a tough problem to solve”, she thought again. She had no intention of leaving her husband for any other woman. She had accepted this saying from her friend, Esi, which was a man in his life time, would cheat on his woman; maybe this was her time to go through this situation. However, if this woman should think that she would leave her husband for her then, she had another think coming.
As she was going in her head about them, she realised they had got up and were making their way towards the entrance. She was hit with another threat. The woman was well endowed both behind and in front. One could say God had been in his best moods when he was moulding her. She knew that her husband had been attracted to her because she was also endowed both behind and in front. The real challenge was that this woman was young and her legs were bigger in the calf than hers. This woman was exactly her husband’s taste.
She had seen the way they had looked at each other with so much affection. She had seen how she had been swaying her head shyly like a woman with her lover. The funny thing was that she was with her lover. She had seen them holding hands when they entered and her husband had even shown her courtesy by pulling the chair for her; something he used to do when they were dating. She had seen his hand go up to her cheek and touch her affectionately. She cannot remember the last time her husband was this affectionate to her. She had seen all these at a safe distance in the restaurant.
Marie and Kwadwo had been married for five years. Two years into the marriage, her in-laws had been hostile because they had not yet put to birth. Kwadwo had not been very supportive in those years; he nearly married a second wife if she had not stood firm and bared her teeth. Now, in their fifth year, she was pregnant and yet Kwadwo continued to give her problems. It was true that sometimes, someone can be married to his/her enemy or destructor.
Esi had been her informant. She had suffered greatly because her husband went in for another woman younger than her. The story was told of how her husband had dragged her into a rainy night when she was pregnant with their son. He had denied been the father of the child and as such ignored his duties as a father. Many people advised her to take up her case with the Domestic Violence Unit but she had been so in love to do such a thing. After fifteen years, she still harboured the thought he would one day come to his senses and ask for forgiveness. She blamed herself for her situation because she had paid no heed to the tell tale signs. She had therefore made it her business to warn people if she saw anything suspicious, especially between someone and another person’s spouse.
This was exactly what she had done resulting in the private eye job Marie was now doing. She had no doubt in her mind that they were having an affair. She followed them at a safe distance. Kwadwo hailed down a taxi car for her. She saw him paying the driver after he had given her some money. Esi had seen them twice at different restaurants. Marie praised herself for having the insight to wait for them at Kwadwo’s work place. She had then followed them into the restaurant. She had seen enough so she turned to go home.
Kwadwo gets home close to midnight as he had been doing for the past month. She was always asleep when he came home. When she had asked for an explanation to the late night arrival, he had only said that some clients were on his neck for their products. “What a liar! If your clients are that hard on you, will you have some time to sit and be affectionate to another woman for that long?”, she had thought. Kwadwo was amazed to find her up when he got home this time.
“What are you doing up at this time?”
“I could not sleep with you not in.”
“But I always find you asleep when I come in.”
“I guess I am much too worried today.”
“Worried? That someone will abduct me? You know this is the first time I’ve heard you use that word.”
“Kwadwo, that is not fair and you know it!”
“But you know I’m right. When I come in from work and meet you not asleep, hardly do you ask how my day was. Hardly have you met me at the door as I come in from work and even plant a kiss to my cheek. With this kind of attitude, a man will be driven to another woman who shows much care.”
“Oh so you think that just because a man is not been shown enough attention is an excuse for infidelity?”
“What I’m saying is that the woman should take part of the blame if her marriage fails and not take it all out on the man.”
“Are you telling me that you are cheating?”
“Come on my dear wife, cheat on you, never!”
“Hmm!”
“So how was lunch today?”
“Lunch?”
“Yes, lunch!”
“Why do you ask of lunch and nothing else?”
“Well honey, you were just complaining that I do not show how much I care for you.”
“Not that I am saying you should not ask about lunch, do not get me wrong. It’s just surprising that it was the first thing that came to your mind.”
“You should try to understand dear, these days the kind of food they cook outside is not very good. I was even thinking that maybe I should be making lunch for you to send to work. Won’t that be great? Then there will be no need for you to go out during lunch for food and you can trust the quality too.”
“Sweetheart, I know you are trying to show how much you care, but really I don’t think you should fret over the food I eat. You can be rest assured that yours truly gets the best of service when it comes to good food.”
“And company.” (as she fakes a yawn)
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, I am just tired. I think I’ll retire to bed.”
Marie went to bed thinking about the woman trying to take her husband. She had a dream where she was in a squabble with the other woman. Then suddenly she was out of the house with the other woman smiling sardonically at her while Kwadwo brings out her bags. The look on the other woman’s face was what woke her up with a start. Kwadwo was still sleeping with a smile on his face. Looking at him, Marie could not help but wonder if he was dreaming of the other woman, if she was in his arms in his dreams. She decided to take action.
She was cleaning, singing and whistling as Kwadwo was leaving the house in the morning, the next day. Just before he stepped out he had a call on his mobile. Minutes later, he put the phone to Marie’s ears. It was his sister who had been leaving in the States for a decade now. They have not had the opportunity to meet but she showed much interest in Marie. She always talked to her when she called her brother. Marie felt much closer to her than Kwadwo’s relatives who were closer to home. She had cut the line when she was done talking to Marie. But just when Marie was handing the phone over it started to ring again. She instinctively pressed the received button and just then Kwadwo snatched the phone from her. He quickly talked into the phone as he left the house. Marie just smiled and shook her head.
Since she was pregnant and could not do most of the fighting herself, she had ‘hired a lawyer’ or ‘the lawyer’ had offered herself. Esi had volunteered to help Marie teach ‘this woman’ a lesson. They had kept taps on Kwadwo and had found out where the woman stayed. The lesson they would teach her would surely keep her away from other women’s husband.
Kwadwo had left the office at 5pm and taken a different direction. They knew where he was going so they followed him. When he got to his destination, he parked the car in front of the house and brought out some carrier bags. It was obvious that he had gone shopping for the woman. They knocked on the gate when he had entered the house for some minutes. They were allowed into the house. The woman had come out to find out who they were looking for and Esi had started her verbal abuse. Kwadwo heard the commotion and rushed out with a baby in hand.
Marie was greatly surprised to see her husband with a baby in hand. Something within her just snapped. She could feel herself falling but she could do nothing to stop herself from falling. Esi caught her just in time before she hit the ground. As she was going down she said: “ah Kwadwo, you’ve killed me!”
At the turn of events, Kwadwo gave back the baby to its mother.
“Sister, I’ll have to rush her to the hospital!”
“Sister?”
“Yes, Esi, sister! My sister!”
As she was going in her head about them, she realised they had got up and were making their way towards the entrance. She was hit with another threat. The woman was well endowed both behind and in front. One could say God had been in his best moods when he was moulding her. She knew that her husband had been attracted to her because she was also endowed both behind and in front. The real challenge was that this woman was young and her legs were bigger in the calf than hers. This woman was exactly her husband’s taste.
She had seen the way they had looked at each other with so much affection. She had seen how she had been swaying her head shyly like a woman with her lover. The funny thing was that she was with her lover. She had seen them holding hands when they entered and her husband had even shown her courtesy by pulling the chair for her; something he used to do when they were dating. She had seen his hand go up to her cheek and touch her affectionately. She cannot remember the last time her husband was this affectionate to her. She had seen all these at a safe distance in the restaurant.
Marie and Kwadwo had been married for five years. Two years into the marriage, her in-laws had been hostile because they had not yet put to birth. Kwadwo had not been very supportive in those years; he nearly married a second wife if she had not stood firm and bared her teeth. Now, in their fifth year, she was pregnant and yet Kwadwo continued to give her problems. It was true that sometimes, someone can be married to his/her enemy or destructor.
Esi had been her informant. She had suffered greatly because her husband went in for another woman younger than her. The story was told of how her husband had dragged her into a rainy night when she was pregnant with their son. He had denied been the father of the child and as such ignored his duties as a father. Many people advised her to take up her case with the Domestic Violence Unit but she had been so in love to do such a thing. After fifteen years, she still harboured the thought he would one day come to his senses and ask for forgiveness. She blamed herself for her situation because she had paid no heed to the tell tale signs. She had therefore made it her business to warn people if she saw anything suspicious, especially between someone and another person’s spouse.
This was exactly what she had done resulting in the private eye job Marie was now doing. She had no doubt in her mind that they were having an affair. She followed them at a safe distance. Kwadwo hailed down a taxi car for her. She saw him paying the driver after he had given her some money. Esi had seen them twice at different restaurants. Marie praised herself for having the insight to wait for them at Kwadwo’s work place. She had then followed them into the restaurant. She had seen enough so she turned to go home.
Kwadwo gets home close to midnight as he had been doing for the past month. She was always asleep when he came home. When she had asked for an explanation to the late night arrival, he had only said that some clients were on his neck for their products. “What a liar! If your clients are that hard on you, will you have some time to sit and be affectionate to another woman for that long?”, she had thought. Kwadwo was amazed to find her up when he got home this time.
“What are you doing up at this time?”
“I could not sleep with you not in.”
“But I always find you asleep when I come in.”
“I guess I am much too worried today.”
“Worried? That someone will abduct me? You know this is the first time I’ve heard you use that word.”
“Kwadwo, that is not fair and you know it!”
“But you know I’m right. When I come in from work and meet you not asleep, hardly do you ask how my day was. Hardly have you met me at the door as I come in from work and even plant a kiss to my cheek. With this kind of attitude, a man will be driven to another woman who shows much care.”
“Oh so you think that just because a man is not been shown enough attention is an excuse for infidelity?”
“What I’m saying is that the woman should take part of the blame if her marriage fails and not take it all out on the man.”
“Are you telling me that you are cheating?”
“Come on my dear wife, cheat on you, never!”
“Hmm!”
“So how was lunch today?”
“Lunch?”
“Yes, lunch!”
“Why do you ask of lunch and nothing else?”
“Well honey, you were just complaining that I do not show how much I care for you.”
“Not that I am saying you should not ask about lunch, do not get me wrong. It’s just surprising that it was the first thing that came to your mind.”
“You should try to understand dear, these days the kind of food they cook outside is not very good. I was even thinking that maybe I should be making lunch for you to send to work. Won’t that be great? Then there will be no need for you to go out during lunch for food and you can trust the quality too.”
“Sweetheart, I know you are trying to show how much you care, but really I don’t think you should fret over the food I eat. You can be rest assured that yours truly gets the best of service when it comes to good food.”
“And company.” (as she fakes a yawn)
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, I am just tired. I think I’ll retire to bed.”
Marie went to bed thinking about the woman trying to take her husband. She had a dream where she was in a squabble with the other woman. Then suddenly she was out of the house with the other woman smiling sardonically at her while Kwadwo brings out her bags. The look on the other woman’s face was what woke her up with a start. Kwadwo was still sleeping with a smile on his face. Looking at him, Marie could not help but wonder if he was dreaming of the other woman, if she was in his arms in his dreams. She decided to take action.
She was cleaning, singing and whistling as Kwadwo was leaving the house in the morning, the next day. Just before he stepped out he had a call on his mobile. Minutes later, he put the phone to Marie’s ears. It was his sister who had been leaving in the States for a decade now. They have not had the opportunity to meet but she showed much interest in Marie. She always talked to her when she called her brother. Marie felt much closer to her than Kwadwo’s relatives who were closer to home. She had cut the line when she was done talking to Marie. But just when Marie was handing the phone over it started to ring again. She instinctively pressed the received button and just then Kwadwo snatched the phone from her. He quickly talked into the phone as he left the house. Marie just smiled and shook her head.
Since she was pregnant and could not do most of the fighting herself, she had ‘hired a lawyer’ or ‘the lawyer’ had offered herself. Esi had volunteered to help Marie teach ‘this woman’ a lesson. They had kept taps on Kwadwo and had found out where the woman stayed. The lesson they would teach her would surely keep her away from other women’s husband.
Kwadwo had left the office at 5pm and taken a different direction. They knew where he was going so they followed him. When he got to his destination, he parked the car in front of the house and brought out some carrier bags. It was obvious that he had gone shopping for the woman. They knocked on the gate when he had entered the house for some minutes. They were allowed into the house. The woman had come out to find out who they were looking for and Esi had started her verbal abuse. Kwadwo heard the commotion and rushed out with a baby in hand.
Marie was greatly surprised to see her husband with a baby in hand. Something within her just snapped. She could feel herself falling but she could do nothing to stop herself from falling. Esi caught her just in time before she hit the ground. As she was going down she said: “ah Kwadwo, you’ve killed me!”
At the turn of events, Kwadwo gave back the baby to its mother.
“Sister, I’ll have to rush her to the hospital!”
“Sister?”
“Yes, Esi, sister! My sister!”
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