TRINITY (SIX)

It was almost 4:00pm and the traffic was heavy. The public transport buses driving recklessly while some cars kept honking. She soon became weary. She always stayed at the office till it was very late so usually didn’t encounter any of this. They had been calling for showers all month, but so far it’s been dry. The cars were no longer moving and people were becoming impatient.

Aku was in no hurry to get home. She put on the radio in her car and changed the stations till she tuned in to an fm station playing cool music. She thought about her friends again and how they met. She met Adoley Lawson first at the ‘Salaha market’ where she stayed with her parents. It was a small market located close to Jamestown.

 The atmosphere was totally different as everyone there seemed to know everyone else. They lived in Jamestown for a while at their mother’s family house. The place was too small for the whole family so they moved away and got a place within the market. Houses there were built with wood and most had very rusted roofs.  

They couldn’t complain because they had nowhere to go to and moreover, they had peace in the single room that they were in. Her mother sold foodstuffs and the father was a fisherman. They were both hardworking. Being the eldest, Aku had to take care of her younger brother who was just three. Her parents were always out.

 She was nine then and went to a public school very close by. She would close at 12 noon then pick her brother up from the market take him home and stay indoors till the parents showed up very late in the evening. 

Her brother would be up most of the time because of the noise from the market ,women calling people to buy their stuffs. Children around those areas were sharp-tongued and disrespectful. They were always left alone to decide on whatever they wanted to do with their day because their parents were either irresponsible or were too busy. 

There was simply no reason for timidity in the area. Most of these children were either too poor to pay the meager fees that the government school charged or they had refused to go to the school. 

Those who were forced to go would either end up by the beach side or the Salaha market trying to make money for themselves even in their uniform. She was warned not to mingle with them since it would only bring her trouble.

 Aku had no friends then so would sit by their doorway and look on as the other children played. But that day even though the place was noisy as usual she managed to put him to sleep.                                              

She stepped out and closed the door gently behind her. She grabbed a chair and sat down and looked at some children playing ‘Ampe’ on the street. A ‘Trotro’ bus honked several times but they wouldn’t barge. The driver got down from the vehicle to drive them away himself but they sped off making faces at him. Aku laughed at the old man who went back to his vehicle insulting them.

 One girl who came from nowhere and was obviously stubborn stood in front of the vehicle and looked straight into the man’s face which made him angrier. He sparked the engine and started to move. She hit the bus with her small fist and shouted at him to stop the bus. He shouted her name and asked her to move away. Aku was bewildered.

‘Hey Adoley! I said move away…are you deaf? ‘He shouted in Ga a local dialect 

She didn’t know why the girl was doing that. She looked a little older than Aku who still had her eyes fixed on the two. The man got down but she wouldn’t move. He tried to push her but she was too quick and dodged his hand but came back again then he caught her by her skirt as if to hit her and she struggled then almost immediately a woman who also came from nowhere pushed him away violently.

 And they started to quarrel. Scenes like this were habitual so she rushed into the room and picked up an orange, came back to her seat and continued to look on.

TRINITY (FIVE)

She had finished with her tea and toasted bread. When her mother was out of sight, Mr. Tetteh told her

‘I don’t see anything wrong with going back to see your friends there, just be careful and come visit us anytime’

Aku was glad that her father didn’t see anything negative in her going back to have a look at a place she grew up. She knew the place must have developed by now and was anxious to see the changes.

 She stayed and chatted with her dad till noon. Her father inquired about where she would live and she in turn told him that she was not so sure. Mr. Tetteh suggested the ‘Wato hotel’. Aku chortled and said

‘Dad, that hotel has not been operating for a very long time?...I’m thinking about staying at the Novotel hotel, it’s quite close but if there is the chance that I could get to stay with either of my friends why not and besides I plan to be there for a just a week?

Mr. Tetteh then reminded her that they didn’t know that she was coming over so she shouldn’t count on that. He pleaded with her to visit a few places and people on his behalf if they were still there. He had grown too old and was more comfortable sitting and reading newspapers quietly.

 When Aku was ready to leave, her mother was still indoors and she wondered if she was still upset. She had to let her know that she was leaving else that would cause another trouble between them.

Aku met them preparing lunch. Mrs. Tetteh asked her to stay a little longer but she declined and told her she would visit them as soon as she could then hugged her and left. When she drove out of the house Aku thought about the fact that she didn’t have any food in her house.

 Eating lunch in her parent’s house sounded nice but it would also give her mother the chance to query her and she was not ready to answer any questions.

She stopped by a Chinese restaurant and ordered for sweet and sour pork sauce with fried rice. She tried to remember how growing up in Jamestown was like for her. She smiled and was soon lost in her thoughts. Her memories about the place were only centered on her two best friends.

They had made a wonderful trio and they had been feared then. She laughed out loud when she thought of some of the things that they did to the other children. She realized that people were staring at her because she was alone.

She pushed strands of her hair behind her ear,lookedaway and soon her food was served. She was not too hungry but she knew when she got into her house it would be impossible for her to get out again. She ate her food slowly.

Her BMW 7series was packed across the street because getting out from the restaurant was always difficult for her especially when it was lunch time for most workers and perhaps because she didn’t want to dent the car that her father got for her on her 29^th birthday.

 Aku wore a pencil skirt with a turtle neck top that revealed her curves. Her mother was a not a fun of weave-on so she grew up with that and was mostly seen with her permed hair. When she got up from her seat, a gentleman who was also on his way out held on to the seat so she could get out with ease.

She wanted to crack up on seeing his car after he offered to drive her home but offered her gratitude instead. They walked out together and he still insisted. Aku shook her head, turned down the offer then pointed at her car and walked past him. When she buckled her seat belt, she saw the man enter into his Volkswagen beetle car. His rickety car was almost falling apart.

He was ashamed that he had picked on the wrong girl. She seemed too simple to be rich. She drove off giggling and he caught up with her. She was stopped by the traffic light. Aku shot a glance at him. He has shaking his head to a hip-hop tune. He rolled down his glass and looked her way. Aku looked back but was indifferent. Then he said still shaking his head

‘Nice car…but money is not everything you know? ‘He was smiling now. Aku pretended not to have heard him and he began to repeat the comment again but she cut in

‘Point well taken…..try to say that again when you have money’ she put on her sun glasses and sped off so fast as the lights gave them a go ahead leaving him behind.

TRINITY (FOUR)

Mrs. Tetteh ignored him and asked Mansa to get them an extra tea cup so she could make her daughter breakfast since they were almost done. Mansa hurriedly went into the kitchen and grabbed a cup, washed it and made sure it was clean because she didn’t want Mrs. Tetteh to make a fuss out of getting her a dirty cup.

Mansa handed the cup over to Mrs. Tetteh who inspected it as usual and smiled. She had gotten use to Aku’s mother and knew things that put her off. Mansa watched as she poured the hot water from the flask and asked Aku if she was feeling okay since it was quite unusual to have her visit them on a Monday morning. Mansa left them alone and headed straight to the kitchen. 

Aku told them about the promotion and how her boss got her to leave her work for a while. Her mother didn’t seem so happy and Aku knew immediately where the conversation would be leading to so she giggled and asked

‘What were you old folks arguing about before I interrupted’ her father was naturally a quite person.

She knew her mother was definitely the one dragging the issues, because even when she got down from her car she could hear her voice out loud. Aku had a beautiful mother, in fact she looked more like her. What she didn’t like about her was the fact that she thought that she was always right. 

Nobody won any argument with her and surprisingly her father always gave up and mostly did things without telling his wife. Mrs. Tetteh was difficult to deal but he loved her dearly.

He looked at her face and smiled then took in a deep breath but before he could say anything, he heard her say

‘Can you believe that just one man was given such an amount?’ Aku who was enjoying her breakfast just raised her head and shot a glance at her father. Then she said again

‘I am talking about the Woyome saga…..how the president can allow such a huge amount of money to be given to a man is a mystery when it is not clear…’Mr. Tetteh cleared his throat then she stopped and chuckled then continued

‘What annoys me is the fact that I heard that we go for loans from other countries that does not even amount to the one that was given to the man!...where did we get that kind of money to pay then?’

‘What is your problem? ’He asked her. The president has said that he had no knowledge of that…let’s just give him the benefit of the doubt…and besides that man has been arrested ’he continued

‘I bet if you were given that kind of money you would have squandered it within a twinkle of an eye’ Aku smiled and shook her head as her father was right. Mrs. Tetteh loved money and then her father said again

‘That reminds me of the supposed 2012 Wassce questions circulating on the internet with possible answers…the gargantuan instrument used in measuring cedi in billions is a. Woyometer b.Bettymeter c.Duffourmeter’ Before Mrs. Tetteh could say anything, Aku cut in abruptly.

 ‘Please…can I eat my breakfast in peace……I know you both love this country and you are probably concerned but this is not the right time to talk about this…’she sigh in relief when it was obvious that they were both ready to drop the subject.mr Tetteh then asked about her plans for the two months that she would be spending at home so Aku told them about her plan to spent some time in Jamestown.

Mrs. Tetteh shook her head at the thought of going back there. She couldn’t keep her mouth shut so asked her the main reason why she was going there. For her there was no need to go there since it would only remind her of how poor they used to be. There was no point at all in her doing this. 

Mr. Tetteh said nothing as usual but only listened. When his wife asked him about his view on the matter he pretended not to have heard her and kept glancing through the daily newspaper he held in his hands.

‘My mind is made up…besides I have friends there I need to see ’Aku told her mother. Instead she got up to leave. Walked a few steps and said

’ By friends you mean those two girls….Adoley and Akosua who still don’t know what to do with their lives?’ Aku wanted to defend her friends but knew it would only end up in another argument so ignored her.

TRINITY (THREE)

 She just smiled then got up and they both got up from their seats and shook hands. She then opened the letter to view the content. It read:

Dear Miss Aku Tetteh,

This is in continuation for your application for your internal job posting for the post of branch manager and your subsequent interview with our board of directors. We are extremely pleased to inform you that the board has considered you suitable for the post. You have therefore been promoted to branch manager with effect from 1^st march. You are requested to please hand over charge to Mr. Minsi latest by 20^th February. Congratulations on your achievements and we wish you all the best in the coming years.

 She didn’t show much excitement. Perhaps it was because she had expected it but she was elated that it happened soon deep within her. She started thinking about new strategies to help put everything in check and like her mind was being read he said

 ‘But….unfortunately for you, I will not let you have my seat if you don’t take some days off’ her expression changed and she started to say something but he cut in again

 ‘I have taken the liberty of filling your leave form…you would be away for two months and I just need you to sign here ’one look at Mr. Ansah and she knew he was prepared for this so she took the form, signed it and handed it back to him. Aku thanked him and started out but then again she heard him say

 ‘Oh and……I won’t like to see you in here after the weekend’ Mr. Ansah added as she walked out.

Apparently everybody knew why she was called into the office so clapped for her when she got back to her desk. She thanked them and went back to work but wondered what she could do for two whole months. Her parents’ house was out of the list since her mother always bugged her to bring home a man because she was growing old. At first she thought it was sweet of her, but her mother kept on and on about the same issue and soon she was bored. She didn’t want to be pressurized into any relationship.

She would however visit them to check how they are doing since she had not done that in weeks but called them once a while. Her work came first and that was how she intended to keep it till a man sweeps her off her feet again. As If that was even possible. She would wait for that day. Then she thought of a better place to spend her days. It occurred to her that she had missed living in an environment where people went about their daily business and were carefree.

 

A place full of life and was glad to be going back after so many years. She was going to spend some time at where she grew up…James town! She spent the weekend thinking of what to do and where to go since it’s been a very long time since she set foot there. She had spent fourteen years of her life there. She was born in the town which was Located directly east of the korle lagoon. Jamestown which she later got to know was one of the oldest suburbs in the city of Accra Ghana which emerged around the 17^th century.

 It was an area of a dense mixture of commercial and residential use merged with artisanal fishing. In the early years people lived in the shanty towns which had grown up around the edges of the city due to poverty. She remembered how homes were crowded and cramped. Even though there were hardships, most lived in harmony.

Her leave from work began the next week. She got up too early but realized she had nowhere to go. The sky was dark gray and overcast and her room was pitch-black with no light shining through her curtain. She dragged herself back to bed. She had rented a 3-bedroom apartment in McCarty hills but was there all alone. Her other two siblings were living in the United Kingdom schooling. She tossed and turned on her bed because it was a daily routine for her to get up that early and get ready for work. She couldn’t sleep anymore. It was about 4am.

The air was cold and chilling after Aku walked to the hall and put on the television. She picked up the remote and changed channels but could only watch the CNN news. So much was happening all over the world and she soon dozed off on the couch. The sound of her main door being unlocked woke her up instantly. She knew it had to be the house help that came in on Mondays and Thursdays to help with the cleaning of the house.

 Mansa was 24year old and had been hired by Aku who barely stayed at home so was startled when she saw her. She always came to the house as early as 6am but had never met her home. She stood by the doorway for fifteen seconds wondering if her madam was ok. The truth was she never felt comfortable around Aku and loved that she always did her work without any interference from her.

‘Don’t just stand there....what are you waiting for? Aku exclaimed. She hurriedly came closer but dropped her purse so bent down to pick it up. Aku was still looking at her which made her more nervous.

‘Sorry ma…….good morning ma’ Mansa said as she walked past her into the kitchen to begin her work. Then Aku called her back. Her heart missed a beat when she heard her name. She had been the one cleaning up her house ever since Aku’s mother picked her up from the market place and introduced her to her daughter. Mansa stayed with Aku’s parents and also helped with the cleaning. For some unknown reason she felt uneasy around Aku.

 ‘Are you ok?’ she asked

‘Very fine ma….i am okay’ the reply came quickly. She held a napkin and was fidgeting. When Mansa saw that her madam was watching her steadily she put both hands behind her back.

‘Can I please go back and finish the work ma’ Mansa said when she realized she had said nothing more. Aku shook her head and asked her to prepare her a cup of coffee. When she turned to leave Aku added

‘And stop calling me ‘ma’….its irritating’ but Mansa had already left.

She spent three more hours on the couch and when Mansa was ready to leave, she offered to take her home so she could visit her parents. When they got to the gate, she honked but there was no response so Mansa got out of the car to open the gate for Aku who was becoming impatient. Mr. and Mrs. Tetteh sat on the nicely weaved cane chairs where they had built a summer hut. That was Mr. Tetteh’s idea.

His wife had not consented to that but he went ahead to build it. After it was done however, Mrs. Tetteh was happy with the good job done and the couple always sat there to have their breakfast in the morning. They were very happy to see their daughter but her mother was especially happy and she knew why. Apparently they had been arguing about the latest headline story in most newspapers. She sat beside her father and greeted both. Then her father said

‘Your mother here has sent the gateman to take something from her friend two streets away…I wonder what that something is’