A Piece of Ghana - Eye 1
Lapaz, 31st May, 2019. 8:12am
I lift my head from my phone to realise we are at Nii Boi Junction. I will alight at Las Palmas -the next junction - where I can pick up a Chantan bus to work. I close the word document and lock the screen of my phone only to realise I didn't take note of the page I was reading. Clearly this novel won't be done with at this rate. I have been trying to finish it for months now. I petition my mind to remember that I have read past chapter four. 'Obviously this unpublished book has become my troski read', I say to myself.
The mate gets back on the troski and starts calling, 'Awoshie...Awoshie...you will go? Come come...'. He hits the side of the bus and the driver stops. The passenger does not show up and he hits the bus again, 'Let's go ... Awoshie ...Awoshie'.
The mate gets back on the troski and starts calling, 'Awoshie...Awoshie...you will go? Come come...'. He hits the side of the bus and the driver stops. The passenger does not show up and he hits the bus again, 'Let's go ... Awoshie ...Awoshie'.
Driver drives slowly while the mate calls for anyone who will join this slow moving bus.
These people are against me!! Today, I'm in a hurry. I need to get to work, finish a few things and get back to Legon for an exam. My plan is to finish a few things at work and get to Legon campus by 12 noon to run through the play for the last time with my cast before we present at 3pm. (Have you realised that when you are in a hurry everything just moves not fast enough?)
The driver is still lurking around the Techno shop after Nii Boi Junction. He has spotted a potential passenger so I'm forced to alight there and walk up to the station. The street is buzzing with activities; young men and women are already setting up their wares. Others are already set, shouting the wares to whomever might listen. One shoe trader who has set up on a part of the street has already made a sale. His assistant is wrapping the shoe in a polythene. He too must make sales so he tells the buyer, 'Bossu, this shoe eh, the under is weak but I can tighten it for you oo.'
The Tuo zaafi seller is not at her stall yet - and I noticed that not because I was hungry. The place is usually packed with people but today it was a quiet sight.
This trader who will set up her wares on the floor is gathering rubbish from yesterday. Ahead of her spot are other heaps of gathered rubbish lined up like a queue of morning Wakye buyers. The rubbish truck is at the end of the road. And I notice it's not Zoomlion.The traffic light has red for pedestrians but this lady is in a hurry so she crosses with this walk-run strategy.
The belt seller, points his belt at me, 'Belt...' I smile and shake my head in a negative. I wonder how much sales he makes in a week. How often do people need belts??? Well, God watches over the sparrow, he will not go hungry - I hold on to that promise on his behalf.
Finally, I'm at Las Palmas. I hop into my next troski that will take me to my work place. The money changing lady at the station is asleep behind her table. She also has engine oil on that table for sale. If that surprised me then I don't know my people! Trust us to sell everything and anything in one shop/stall. We have not heard of specialization. young man who sells sponge is folding the sponges that didn't sell yesterday. He ties them with rubber bands.Someone attempts to snatch my phone while I'm typing..... My head turns swiftly. It is Mr. EM, my colleague at work. Lucky him, I was almost going into my Avengers mode. I would have given him my fist which would feel like Thor's hammer.
A young man who looks like a trotro mate comes to my bus to take our fares because according to him, 'the driver does not have a mate and so he says I should take the money.' So I tell him to bring the driver so I hear from him that he sent him. Someone behind me snorts, 'And the thing kraaa is not full and you want to take money?'
I try to explain to him why I cannot trust him if he is not the mate. He should go get the driver so that we hear from the horse's own mouth. Soon the driver comes to the bus. 'Erhmm please I asked him to take the money for me. As for my mate he does not come to work on Fridays. He says it is his holiday.' As he speaks people enter and he moves to the driver side, gets in and starts the ignition. And continues with his thesis on why he lacks a mate on Fridays. I hear something like, '...no mate but children are home and they must eat so you people should bear with me.' Then a lady behind me reacts with, 'so whom do you expect to open the gate when we must alight? Will you come down and open the gate?'
My phone vibrates with a notification. I check and it's a Whatsapp message from the lady working on my costumes for my exam. I open Whatsapp to respond. It was a long dialogue on the time she will send the costumes and a little challenge she has with some of the items we discussed. And that was how I missed the end of the no-mate thesis discussion between the driver and the passenger.
Soon we were at my stop. Someone inside the bus opened the door. I quickly hopped out. And with all that was going on in my mind, I forgot Mr. EM was in the bus. He also alighted and I heard him say something to me. So I turned and acted like I had not forgotten he was there all this time. (but clearly, my 'yes' reply gave my pretence away.) He repeats what he said, 'A lady in the bus says she wants to alight at Airport. There is everywhere at some part of Ghana.' We laugh at the thought of it. A place called Airport at Chantan??
I've never heard of it. Then again, I've never lived at Chantan so...
I put my phone in my back pocket. We get on to other topics related to work that I can't put out here. Sorry but yes, I'm a very loyal employee (wink wink).
These people are against me!! Today, I'm in a hurry. I need to get to work, finish a few things and get back to Legon for an exam. My plan is to finish a few things at work and get to Legon campus by 12 noon to run through the play for the last time with my cast before we present at 3pm. (Have you realised that when you are in a hurry everything just moves not fast enough?)
The driver is still lurking around the Techno shop after Nii Boi Junction. He has spotted a potential passenger so I'm forced to alight there and walk up to the station. The street is buzzing with activities; young men and women are already setting up their wares. Others are already set, shouting the wares to whomever might listen. One shoe trader who has set up on a part of the street has already made a sale. His assistant is wrapping the shoe in a polythene. He too must make sales so he tells the buyer, 'Bossu, this shoe eh, the under is weak but I can tighten it for you oo.'
The Tuo zaafi seller is not at her stall yet - and I noticed that not because I was hungry. The place is usually packed with people but today it was a quiet sight.
This trader who will set up her wares on the floor is gathering rubbish from yesterday. Ahead of her spot are other heaps of gathered rubbish lined up like a queue of morning Wakye buyers. The rubbish truck is at the end of the road. And I notice it's not Zoomlion.The traffic light has red for pedestrians but this lady is in a hurry so she crosses with this walk-run strategy.
The belt seller, points his belt at me, 'Belt...' I smile and shake my head in a negative. I wonder how much sales he makes in a week. How often do people need belts??? Well, God watches over the sparrow, he will not go hungry - I hold on to that promise on his behalf.
Finally, I'm at Las Palmas. I hop into my next troski that will take me to my work place. The money changing lady at the station is asleep behind her table. She also has engine oil on that table for sale. If that surprised me then I don't know my people! Trust us to sell everything and anything in one shop/stall. We have not heard of specialization. young man who sells sponge is folding the sponges that didn't sell yesterday. He ties them with rubber bands.Someone attempts to snatch my phone while I'm typing..... My head turns swiftly. It is Mr. EM, my colleague at work. Lucky him, I was almost going into my Avengers mode. I would have given him my fist which would feel like Thor's hammer.
A young man who looks like a trotro mate comes to my bus to take our fares because according to him, 'the driver does not have a mate and so he says I should take the money.' So I tell him to bring the driver so I hear from him that he sent him. Someone behind me snorts, 'And the thing kraaa is not full and you want to take money?'
I try to explain to him why I cannot trust him if he is not the mate. He should go get the driver so that we hear from the horse's own mouth. Soon the driver comes to the bus. 'Erhmm please I asked him to take the money for me. As for my mate he does not come to work on Fridays. He says it is his holiday.' As he speaks people enter and he moves to the driver side, gets in and starts the ignition. And continues with his thesis on why he lacks a mate on Fridays. I hear something like, '...no mate but children are home and they must eat so you people should bear with me.' Then a lady behind me reacts with, 'so whom do you expect to open the gate when we must alight? Will you come down and open the gate?'
My phone vibrates with a notification. I check and it's a Whatsapp message from the lady working on my costumes for my exam. I open Whatsapp to respond. It was a long dialogue on the time she will send the costumes and a little challenge she has with some of the items we discussed. And that was how I missed the end of the no-mate thesis discussion between the driver and the passenger.
Soon we were at my stop. Someone inside the bus opened the door. I quickly hopped out. And with all that was going on in my mind, I forgot Mr. EM was in the bus. He also alighted and I heard him say something to me. So I turned and acted like I had not forgotten he was there all this time. (but clearly, my 'yes' reply gave my pretence away.) He repeats what he said, 'A lady in the bus says she wants to alight at Airport. There is everywhere at some part of Ghana.' We laugh at the thought of it. A place called Airport at Chantan??
I've never heard of it. Then again, I've never lived at Chantan so...
I put my phone in my back pocket. We get on to other topics related to work that I can't put out here. Sorry but yes, I'm a very loyal employee (wink wink).
•••••••••••••••••••••••
I hope you enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed the writing . I look forward to the next Eye. Kindly leave a comment. Ayeeeee.....
I hope you enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed the writing . I look forward to the next Eye. Kindly leave a comment. Ayeeeee.....
© Amu Mawutoh 2019
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