By Amie Sillah
Mahtarr
He visited Ken to give him a message from Sheriff then his phone rang.
“Your Excellency! I am on an errand, the Sheriff sent me to deliver a message and I’ll be available tomorrow by God’s power.”
“I should come now, now it is urgent and cannot wait.” Then he paused and stares at Ken who is overwhelmed.“You’ve seen it for yourself, his Excellency the High Commissioner needs me urgently and I have to go. Don’t allow the housekeeper that gladdens your heart to escape you is the Sheriff’s message; I do the errands for him as he is stationary. Your wife is Lolly, many are called but few are chosen.” He left a great impression on Ken who believes him in tutu.
Lolly
She enjoyed herself with the semester who promised to take her to greener pastures. All the same she was able to collect D1,000,000.00 from him and said she was going to invest in a small business to maintain herself and her family. Dave was impressed.
Dave
“I have my documents recently just give me more time before I marry you and help you come over,” he promised Lolly.
At Home
Lolly came home quite exhausted, she asked for water which Ken gave her.
“You look tired and exhausted, your village must be far away,” Ken posited.
Lolly
“It is far away in the interior and the roads are bad.”
Ken
“What did your seer say about the semester.”
Lolly
“He said the semester is not my husband that my husband will dream about me and will approach me in due course. He said I should wait for that and not be in a hurry.”
Ken
“I am your dream man, will you marry me and give me my children? I am daily dreaming about you since I set my eyes on you.”
Lolly
She pretended to make it real and felt amazed.
“Really! Will gossip not say that you were masterminded? I am not snatching anyone’s man Oh!”
Ken
“You are my wife, Mahtarr said it and I saw you vividly in my dreams. What do you want me to give you as ‘first marriage gift’ (Menge gu njayka)?”
Lolly
“I am not a greedy person, whatever your heart desires give me and I’ll accept it whole heartedly.”
Ken
“That’s my woman, I’ll give you a precious marriage gift because since I know you, you have gladden my heart and I am very pleased with your performance and know you’ll be a better wife than Neneh, that evil, deceitful woman.”
Lolly
“Don’t spoil my day by mentioning Neneh, she is gone and gone forever.” Ken apologised and promised never to mention her name again. Lolly hugged and kissed him.
“That’s better my love, let’s move forward and never look backward, backward never and forward ever.” Lolly was thrilled when Ken left and she rang the aunties.
“The hour has come he has proposed to me, everything fitted very well.”
At the Village
The children were enrolled in school but there is little money to cover the expenses. Mama’s small business at the market is being strained to the limit.
Sengan has some carpentry skills and set up a make shift shed where he does some work to support himself and the family.
Neneh does not have any capital to do something; she started to do some odd jobs here and there for the village elite and what she receives was not much.
Mama insulted her all the more.
Mama
“Look at the pitiable plight you put all of us your children included; your husband has rejected all of us disowning your children, how are we going to cope is anyone’s guess?”
Neneh
She approached Sengan and asked for help.
“Can you help me with little money to help my kids back to school?”
Sengan
He laughed at her.
“Mother Christmas! What about all the money you were throwing about to patronize those useless ‘aunties’? Go to them to help you Oh! As for me I have nothing to give to you or your children, what I have is even too small for me to cover my needs. Close my door please.”
At the City
The Marriage
The marriage was done in a simple style to impress Ken and he was overwhelmed.
“Neneh’s wedding even though at the village was very expensive compared to Lolly’s,” he sololiquised.
Lolly
She squandered 5 million through fraud, took one and gave them four to be shared among themselves. The aunties were very pleased that Lolly is playing the game to perfection.
“This is your destiny in your hands and you should grab it well, well our people say if Allah claps for you if you don’t dance you’ll never dance again, opportunity knocks only but once.” Dor advised as the others concurred.
Neneh
She came with the kids pleading with their father as they stooped together holding his pants.
“Forgive us, I faltered by being deceived to juju and diabolism but I was never unfaithful to you, I don’t mind us doing paternity test to any clinic of your choice and my innocence will be ascertained, let me carry my cross alone but certainly not our innocent kids.” The kids cried bitterly for daddy’s love and care which is deadly absent now.
Ken
He roared like an injured lion which frightened the trio.
“Get out of my presence with your ‘bastards’! I don’t want to ever set my eyes on you again. Get out before I commit murder! Get out and now!” The trio ran fast for their dear lives.
He shouted Muhammad’s name;
“Never allow these bad omen to ever enter my compound not to talk about my house; they are cursed and will remain so for life.”
Muhammad compiled and shut the gate behind them.
“Boss say not to show up again, don’t spoil job for me I have two wives and plenty children whom I have to feed and house from this small salary. Aunty Neneh a pity you condition now because you have done a lot of favour for me and my family but my hands are tied, Boss threatens to sack me and you are not in a position to help me.” He shook his head dipped into his pocket and took out a hundred dalasi note.
“Buy something for the children, Boss is being deceived for now but God day, your kind heart will absolve you, these are trials and tribulations but the end will be great.”
Neneh
She thanked him and commented.
“All those I helped in the past with a lot of money who pretended to be my ‘friends’ have all rejected and forsaken me. But you whom I used to give crumbs, with the little you have, have remembered me in my time of need, a friend in need a friend indeed! Thank you and greet all your family for me. Not all people are bad Oh!”
To be Cont.
