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 1st
march. You are requested to please hand over charge to Mr. Minsi latest by 20th
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.
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’
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