Grace of fear

  Baaba kept her head down as she walked home. That part of the road had so many potholes. She had to watch out for them before she tripped and fell. She had fallen before. It was darker that night than usual because she stayed an extra 4 hours at work. It was because her head was down that she saw it, a bundle of 50 cedi notes and a piece of paper attached to it.

   At first she wasn't sure it was money so she bent down to take a better look. She gasped and picked it up. She instinctively looked around. The lonely street was just as it always was at 2 am. She put the money in a secret compartment she had in her bag. She made this compartment for her money just in case she met any robbers. Luckily for her she hadn't met any yet since she started working at the bar but today it was very late so she didn't feel safe.

 Baaba walked faster now, completely forgetting the potholes. She was busy imagining what she was going to buy with the money. She was sick of working around drunk men. She guessed the money would be at least 2,000 cedis. When her house was in sight she broke into a run. She was planning what to do next. She would hide the money inside her mattress. There was no way her auntie would find it. Then she would run to Kumasi with her boyfriend, Ralph. He had been bugging her about running away for so long. She smiled as she run.

 She was just five minutes to her house when she heard the sound of motor bikes moving in her direction. Baaba was so startled that she missed her step and her bag fell. She picked it up quickly. Bikers at this time was never a good thing. She turned and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw shadows and lights getting brighter. They were moving very fast but she knew they couldn't see her yet. She dug her hand in her bag trying to locate her keys. There was a chance she could rush in before they saw her. When her shaking hands couldn't find the keys she shook her head and dashed into a bush nearby.

 In seconds they were on her street. She could hear them talk but couldn't make out what they were saying. They went up and down the street slowly. Baaba just sat in the bush with her heart beating faster and faster. She clung on to her bag like it was her baby. From where she was squatting all she could see were their feet. One had a tattoo of a snake around his ankle. Baaba closed her eyes tightly and prayed he wouldn't come any closer.


 To be continued...

A piece of Julz

It's funny how little we care about things till they happen to us. For a decent number of years before I was diagnosed I used to make jokes about scoliosis. I called and I still call chairs with curved back rests Scoliosis chairs. Back then I had no idea what was going on in my own back. All through high school and Senior high school I had some pains in my back but it was for short periods of time and not severe so I never paid attention to it. You see I was a very sporty person. I played basketball and swam a lot so the muscles in my back were pretty strong.

Having a swimming pool in my hostel during university and joining the basketball team there kept me on a relatively good path. The problem started when I graduated from University and joined the working class. No one ever prepares you enough for that. When I think about how 'stressed' I felt in school as compared to working a 9 to 5, I just laugh. Goodness I sometimes even wish I was back in school.

Moving on, I wasn't exactly carrying bags of cement or bending over to pick cotton, I was doing the usual office administration work but a lot had changed.

l  I was sitting for long hours.

l  I was standing a lot waiting for the bus to and from work

l  I wasn't getting enough time to play basketball

l  I rarely went for a swim because of proximity to the pool

l  I spent hours sitting at my desk on my computer even when I was working from home

Things had clearly changed. The pain in my back got worse until I went to the hospital. I had an x-ray done. Isn't it funny how the person doing the x-ray always hides when he's about to take your x-ray? Lol. A week later the results came and it said there was nothing wrong. I thought “hey, maybe it's my chair at work so I spoke with my boss and we had it changed. The pain also changed, it got worse. My neck also joined in. My mother who is a retired nurse told me to go and see a specialist, an orthopedic doctor so I did with recommendation from my brother-in-law.

I took my X-rays with me. The doctor studied them for a while, examined me and asked if I had certain pains. He was 100% spot on. You know how excited you get when someone describes an exact feeling? I was almost smiling. He diagnosed me with a mild case of thoracolumbular scoliosis. This simply means that between the thoracic and lumber portions of my spine it is curved slightly, in my case, to the left. He further went on to tell me that I didn't need surgery (woohoo!) but I would have to wear a brace :-( , a lumber support to be specific. He also advised regular swimming to strengthen my back muscles. “Why swimming?” I asked and he told me that because of the water it would put less strain on my spine itself while still strengthening my back muscles. Plus it was a cool (low temperature) way of getting a serious workout.

After that day I have had a completely new lifestyle. I wear a lumber support (which makes me a size bigger), I sleep on an orthopedic mattress, I take a decent amount of pain killers, I don't wear heels and try to swim as often as I can. So many things have changed. Scoliosis does that. There are times when the pain gets so overbearing it disturbs my mood and all my plans go out the window.

Rather than feel sorry for myself, I looked for ways to make my life cool and fun again. So I

l  Got a swimming partner :-)

l  Got a tablet to do all my computing needs while I lie down in bed

l  Altered my clothes so my lumber support doesn't look odd

l  Stopped my 9-5 and ran my own business. Check out zedighana.com 

l  Found a number of swimming pools close to me

Living with scoliosis is hard but the honest truth is that when you plan your lifestyle well, the pain will reduce drastically. I haven't gotten to the point where I go weeks/months without aches and pains but I'm constantly working hard to get there. God doesn't give us anything we can't handle :) 

Scoliosis :  a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side. 

Changes

Angela looked at her watch. Her brother was 20 minutes late. She played around with her drink uncomfortably. She didn't like where she was. She didn't like shabby public places like this. She just had to give her brother some money and he suggested they meet there. She was contemplating leaving when she saw an old friend of hers. He was called Henry. He walked straight up to her and sat down. "Wow, Angela how are you? It's been so long." He said. Angela nodded boldly. She told him why she was there and they did a little catching up. She enjoyed his company even after all those years. "Where is your Rosary ring? You always used to wear it." Henry asked. Angela looked at her empty finger. “I don’t believe in those things anymore. I’m now an atheist. Henry was surprised so he asked why. "I don't think God exists. If he did he wont let evil things happen to good people." She said and sipped on her drink.

Henry was even more surprised. He remembered Angela was one of the most dedicated Christians in school. "Well I can't say I understand all God does but..." Henry started but Angela cut him short. "I watched my dad lose everything. First his job, then his wife and finally his life. I had to wait tables just to pay for his funeral. There is no God, just luck." She said. Henry could feel the bitterness in her voice. "I'm sorry about your father. He was a good man. All I can say is things happen for a reason." He said. Angela was about to reply when she felt the floor underneath her shake. She looked down immediately and saw that the building was collapsing. There were screams all over the place.

People rushed to the exit but the stairs were the first to cave in. The screams got louder as one pillar underneath them fell causing the whole floor to tilt. The people on that side fell to their doom as others held on to anything they could find. Henry grabbed a table leg and pulled Angela to it. As they hung there they could see another pillar about to give away. Angela looked down. They were 3 stories up. Her heart beat hard. Was she going to join her father wherever he was? "Angela we might not make it. Please accept Christ now before it's too late. Just pray." Henry yelled. She was surprised he was thinking about her at this moment. She looked up and saw that the table leg was about to break.

Just as it broke and they slid down to the edge of the floor she closed her eyes to pray. "We are glad to have you back. You will join us in heaven but not today." She heard a voice say. She opened her eyes. She was inches away from the edge when she grabbed on to a decorative light pole. Henry got a hold of it too. She looked around and saw a roll of water hose attached to the wall. She turned and saw 7 people holding on in fear. She turned to Henry. "We can use the water hose to climb down!" She yelled. He looked at it and understood exactly what she meant. She stretched her hand and dragged it towards her. "Ok, go down before the pillar gives away! " He screamed as she gave the hose to him. She smiled and said, "not today, I won’t die today." She gave him the hose and unrolled enough for Henry to climb down. Everyone cheered when he got down safely. Angela turned around and gave the hose to a child.  Henry and a few people downstairs helped the little boy as he came down. One after the other Angela helped all 7 people down. She climbed down as fast as she could herself and met a host of cheers.

Minutes after the area was cleared the second pillar collapsed. Angela was safely out of the building looking for Henry. She didn't find him. Wherever he was she wanted to say thank you for those few words that gave her back the life she lost: a life in Christ.

Tua Wu Ka Company Limited

Andy struggled to enter his room with all the things he was holding. The noise brought his younger sister, Herty, walking towards the room. She smiled and helped him with his luggage. "I'm so tired. These new buses aren't as comfortable as the old ones. Where are your parents?" He asked when he was finally in his room. "They are preparing to leave for work. Aren't you going to the office?" Herty asked. "No, ah after that long trip? I have the day off." He replied lying on his bed.

Andy brought out a pair of traditional leather slippers and gave them to her. She beamed with joy and tried them on immediately. Just as Herty was leaving she instantly remembered something. "Andy, some men came here looking for you oh. They are from Tua Wu Ka. Do you owe anyone money?" She said frowning. Andy rolled his eyes. "It must be Selassie who hired them. I owe him some small 400 cedis too oh. He calls me several times. I won’t pay." Andy said. "Ei don't say that. I heard the Tua Wu Ka people are scary oh. They'll do anything for the money." Herty said but Andy brushed her aside and turned around to sleep.

That evening Andy got a call from a friend. He asked if he was home and Andy said yes.  He told Andy he'd be visiting him soon. When the doorbell rang Andy smiled in anticipation. He walked to the door and saw two, tall dark and very well built men outside his door. "Are you Andy?" One asked. His voice matched his size perfectly. Andy's heart missed a beat. He remembered what his sister said. "No I'm his friend. Let me go and call him for..." before Andy could finish his sentence. One of the men grabbed his hand. "I'll go with you." He said. Andy's heart missed a beat. Just then his mother called out "who is at the door? Andy is it your friend?" Andy swallowed hard. He had started sweating in the cold harmattan weather. He looked at the macho men. One had several marks on his face, ruthless. "It's 400 Cedis eh? I was going to pay oh but..."Andy started but the macho man tightened his grip and Andy got the message. "Ok let's go." He said, slowly losing his breath.

Andy walked to his room with one macho man close behind him. He took out his wallet and with shaking hands gave him the money. The man counted it and looked up at Andy. "But this is 425 cedis." he said. "Oh saa? Ah then the rest is for your transportation." He said. The man nodded and left. Just then Herty appeared in laughter. Andy was furious. "I told you about them. They are the only people who will come for money you owe them and you'll add a tip." She said laughing and holding her sides.

If you owe anyone money just pay or else you know who they are gonna call...

Eli's Wife 14

Sena sat in the canteen calling Charles. He wasn’t answering his phone. She called her detective next and asked him to find out where Charles was. She needed to get to him before he did anything scary. She looked around hoping to see Eli return but he didn’t. After an hour she decided to go and check up on him. She met President Tamakloe with his wife alone in his room. Afi was just a few steps outside the room on the phone. She knocked and went in. Mrs. Tamakloe signaled for her to sit down. “I don't understand. Why hasn't Charles told the press who he really is? All he needs to do is a DNA test.” She asked. Sena looked at President Tamakloe and he nodded. "Maybe he needs a way to get the president's attention or maybe he's saving it for last. These are my guesses." Sena added. When Sena found out Eli had left, she left immediately to find him.

Sena didn't have to look far. Eli was in his car. Just sitting there and staring into space. Sena walked to him and knocked on the window. Eli turned around and unlocked the car when he saw her. She shook her head and went around to his side. "Get into the other seat. You shouldn't drive." She said. He said nothing but did as she said. "Let's go home, take a shower and eat. We can talk whenever you are ready." She added and drove off.

Sena's phone rang as she drove Eli home. It was Charles so she quickly answered the call. "Were you calling to laugh at me?" he said. Sena asked to meet him in private and that it was important. Charles asked a number of defensive questions but later agreed to meet her at a familiar venue. "Was that Charles? The true president's son?" Eli asked. Sena hesitated but replied. "All these years I wasn't theirs. No wonder I'm such a screw up." He added. Sena felt bad. She tried to comfort him but it was like she wasn't even there. Eli kept talking. "Do you know what happened to my mother?" He asked. Sena swallowed hard. "My detective told me she died of breast cancer but I know she had good medical care. Eli I know it's a lot to take in but honestly, the people who love you and are always there for you ARE your family." Sena said. Eli asked for her detective's number. He had more questions he needed answered. She gave him her phone to call him.

When they got to the meeting point Eli stayed in the car while Sena went to meet Charles. It was an old playground. It had a lot of dark shady places to sit with almost no one around. She used to meet Charles there when she had no idea what his real intentions were. She sat down on their usual bench and waited. She turned to look at the car. Could Eli ever get over this? She asked herself. She felt very sad for him. Who was to blame? Charles? President Tamakloe? The new hierarchical rule of government? Perhaps all of them. All but Eli who was in pain.

Sena was about to head back to the car to wait with Eli when Charles appeared. "I didn't know I had to tell you I was done using you." He said and smiled. Sena wished she could slap him. "I know who you are." She said. His smile faded. "Why you saved it for the last I have no idea Charles Quaye, what is it really you want?" she asked. Charles giggled and sat next to her. "Aha, now you are talking. How about 50,000 Cedis? No that's not enough maybe 100,000? A million? I find deciding hard. What do you suggest?" He asked. "Money? All this was about money?" Sena asked. "Ah why you thought I wanted to have a family reunion? No please!" Charles said.

Before Sena could say another word Eli appeared. Sena noticed something different in his eyes. "Charles Quaye?" He asked. Charles smiled and nodded. "You know who I am right? Let me tell you something. I'm a few years away from being president. I'm not going to allow you to take that away from me." Eli continued. Charles shook his head. "I just want some cash and I'll be out of here." Charles confessed. Sena nodded but Eli shook his head. "No that's not a good plan for me because you can always come back for more. I have a better solution." Eli said and brought out a gun, a silencer.

Charles and Sena stood up immediately. "Eli what are you doing?!" Sena cried. Charles started to sweat profusely. "Look if you kill me you will go to jail and that will...” Charles started as Eli pointed his gun at him. An evil smiled crept up Eli's face. "There's no one here but my wife. We'll dump your body somewhere far away and I'll be the only true son of the president. Clean job." he replied. "Eli, this is crazy. Let's look for another option please. This is wrong." Sena pleaded. "Shut up! I need to focus! I don't have many bullets in this gun I need to kill him on the second shot." Eli yelled putting his finger on the trigger.

Charles in tears now screamed "wait I'm not the President's son. I'm not Debora Quaye's son. I just worked on a cancer article with her and she told me about it before she died. She asked me to tell her son but I decided to use it to make some money. Please, I am a nobody. Don't kill me." Charles confessed. Eli squinted and yelled “lies!” Charles shook his head. "No, no I swear it's true. I can show you the documents for the cancer article. I'm telling the truth!" Charles pleaded with tears falling down his face and Sena pleading in the background. Eli lowered his gun. Sena and Charles were relieved. He brought out a phone from his pocket. "I have all you said recorded. The sentence for identity theft, deception of the state, blackmail and extortion is about 40 years. If you don't disappear this tape is going to the police." Eli said. Charles nodded several times, got up and run off. Sena stared at the gun as Eli put it back into his pocket. He smiled at her. "Don't worry it's not even loaded." She giggled as they went into the car and drove off. This time Sena wasn't the one driving.

"How did you know to record Charles?" Sena asked finally. Eli smiled. "He could have gone the straight route with a DNA test but he didn't. He only appeared after Debora Quaye died. He just wanted money. I just suspected him and you are right, the people who love me are my family and no one messes with my family. Thank you for letting me see that." He said and kissed her hand. Sena smiled. She had never met any man like Eli before. She knew he would make a fine president one day and right by his side she would be. "Now that all this is said and done how about we go on that honeymoon?" Eli said smiling.

The End

Eli's Wife 13

Eli, his mother and his sister sat by their father in the hospital. He had been rushed there because of a heart attack. Luckily the president was stable. They watched as he lay there sleeping. Doctor Richard said he would be fine in no time and it was probably caused by stress. Eli left his father's side and saw Sena pacing in front of the hospital's canteen. "Trouble deciding whether to eat or not?" Eli teased. She smiled and hugged him.

 He looked at her and asked her what she said to his father. Sena shrugged and tried to change the subject. Eli kept asking. His voice even went up. He was getting angry. "Sena, you were the only one with my father when he had an attack. What the hell did you tell him?!" Eli asked furiously. Sena fumbled but after she noticed Eli wouldn't budge she looked around and signaled for them to sit down in an empty corner. Before she could say anything, Afi rushed to them. "Dad wants to talk to you." She said grabbing Eli's hand. "I'll be right back." he said to Sena and left with his sister.

  When Eli got to his father the nurse was just leaving his room. His mother turned to look at him with a worried look on her face. "Afi, let's go and get daddy a cup of water." she said. Before Afi could point out to the bottle of water by President Tamakloe's table the first lady had dragged her away. Eli sat down next to his father.

   “Eli there’s something I need to tell you. I should have told you this a long time ago but I didn’t know how.” President Tamakloe started. “Many years ago, before I was President your mum had a complication with her pregnancy. The baby was stillborn and her womb got damaged as well. The doctors said chances of her having another child was very slim. That very day there was a woman who also having a baby. Her name was Deborah Quaye. She was a janitor at a school nearby. The doctor came to me and we thought about us having her baby and paying her. We knew it was wrong but for my political career to take off I needed a child.” He paused for a second and continued. “She agreed to take the money and we had you. You were a bundle of joy to us, a gift from God. We decided to make her a surogate for our next child but she said she lost the child. I believe this was a lie looking at the age of the journalist. Five years later miraculously your mother had Afi. We only tried again because you said you wanted someone to play with. You gave us hope. I know I should have told you all this but I just couldn’t. I hope you forgive me.” He said looking directly at Eli.

  Eli sat there quietly for a while. It was a lot to take in. “Where is Deborah, where is my real mother?” he asked looking down. President Tamakloe hesitated for a while “We flew her to Nigeria to start a new life there with her family. The last I heard was she got sick and passed away. Eli, Sena believes Charles is her son.” he answered. Eli’s heart missed a beat. Nothing could have prepared him for all the things he was hearing. He stood up. “Thank you for sharing this with me. The truth is very important.” He said and walked out. President Tamakloe called him back several times but he just kept walking.



 To be continued for the last time...

Eli's wife 12

  The talk show with Charles went just as Eli guessed it. The guest who was also a journalist made Charles look bad. He made his story look like an unwarranted attack at the President. Charles did look bad. He in no way saw it coming and ended up fumbling all over the place.  

 The next day Charles was all over the papers. His disgrace was printed for the whole country to see. Sena smiled when she saw the papers. She was on her way to work. She breathed a sigh of relief. When she got to her office she found one of her detectives waiting for her. He was the only one who didn't bring in any evidence when she assigned them to fish for anything on Charles. "David you are very late. I got all the information I needed." Sena said taking her seat. He told her he was sure she didn't know what he had found out. Sena smiled she told him it didn't really matter because the Charles wasn't a threat anymore. David said nothing. He just pushed an envelope towards her. Sena read it and looked up at David. "Oh my God! Who else knows about this?" She asked.

   Eli saw his phone ring. It was Sena. He quickly muted it. He knew better than to answer a call when his father was giving him a scolding. This time around he felt he deserved it. Even though Charles had be crucified by the media he still felt bad. He saw a text from Sena and smiled. At least something good came out of all the chaos. The text read...I'm on my way to your father's office. Need confirmation on something concerning Charles.’ Eli frowned.

   Sena walked into the President's office moments later. President Tamakloe was surprised to see her. She started with a few pleasantries and went straight to the point. "Do you know a Debora Quaye?" She asked. President Tamakloe looked at her surprised. "I'm not sure, eh…it could be possible." he stuttered. President Tamakloe looked at Eli. He told him he could leave because their talk was over. Sena understood. She decided to leave with Eli.

 As they walked out of the building Sena stopped. "Oh snap! I left my phone in your father's office. I'll be right back." she lied and rushed back. "Where did that name come from?!" President Tamakloe demanded when she entered his office. Sena looked at him sadly and said, "Charles was playing this game with us because he is Debora Quaye's son." The President shook his head in disbelief. "No, that can't be possible!" he screamed. Then breathing became hard for him. He gradually began to pass out. He was having a heart attack.

 To be continued...

Eli's wife 11

Eli hadn't said a single word to Sena since they met Charles. Guilt was eating her up but she just didn't know what to say. "Sena you are such a fool!" she said to herself. She gathered some courage and went to Eli's room. She wrote all she wanted to say on a piece of paper. She was going to give it to him. It was funny how she never cared about what he would think if he found out about Charles until the night before. Maybe it wasn't a rebound after all. Maybe it was, but it felt so right she wanted more. Her mind was racing and so was her heart when she knocked on his door. There was no response so she slipped her note under his door.  

 Sena called her detectives over to her office and assigned duties for all of them. She offerred them twice as much as she usually paid them to give her results quickly. She cancelled her schedule for the day and did a lot of digging. She read all material she could get on Charles. He used Dean Thompson as his alias for his articles. He had written other stories of the President in the past. Sena wasn't surprised. She was determined to find a way to clear Eli's name. For the first time in a long time she would be a good wife. Sena imagined how furious her father would be when Enyonam told him about her relationship with Charles. She muted her phone. She had to find a solution to all of this. 

Sena opened her eyes slowly when she heard her name. It was Eli. She sat up properly and looked at her clock on the wall. It was 10pm. She had fallen asleep while reading. Eli sat in front of her. He told her his father had pulled some strings and had the talk show Charles was going to be on postponed. He added that his father seemed rather calm about the matter. Sena picked up an envelope that was on her desk and read the contents. It was from one of her detectives. "Ei this is odd. It looks like Tina knew Charles." Sena said. She looked up at Eli. He didn't look surprised. "Yea it's a long story." He replied. Sena packed up her things and Eli told her what his father told him when they got home.

 When the couple got home they went to the kitchen and Eli told Sena what his father said. His father felt suspicious of Tina for a while. He suspected she was contacted by Charles to get dirt on him. He suspects she decided to bail out when she got pregnant. "I guess when Tina stopped cooperating, his next target was you." Eli said. Sena looked away. She was still hurt. "I'm sorry for what he did to you. There's going to be a guest speaker who has all the info on Charles' dark deeds. He'll make him look like a fool for messing with us, with you." Eli said. He leaned in and kissed her.

 To be continued...