Three days into her work with us, Kwakyewaa has become an indispensable member of our team, and our contractors are very much pleased with her. She gave them advice on the placement of electrical fittings. She again contacted a couple of paint specialists and, after joining them to test their quality, we chose their products, which saved me a very substantial amount. On the evening of the third day, I drove her home. ‘Kwakyewaa, we have been so busy we haven’t had the chance to chat’.

 ‘Yes, indeed, I have been hoping we could talk. But why don’t you have your say first’. ‘Okay, the first thing I would like to say is actually a question and I hope you don’t mind me ask­ing’. Certainly, please go ahead’.

 ‘Well, I… I am really enjoying working with you. You have done quite a lot for us, and I really appreciate that. But I mean that on the personal level, I like being with you, and I wish, er ….’

 ‘I like being with you too, apart from the fact that I respect what you are doing, and I wish I could do this on a regular basis. What about your re­lationship with Abena? Even though your relationship is practically over, would it not look funny that within a short time of ending the relation­ship you quickly grab her cousin?’

 ‘She’s your cousin, not your sis­ter. And she’s already started a new relationship. Moreover, she doesn’t have any respect for me. You’ve heard the disparaging things she’s been saying about me’.

 ‘She’s obviously being influenced by Jennifer, but I would have thought that she would at least reflect a little before believing them’. ‘You went to Tech, so you know that this type of thing is common, even though it’s boys who indulge in it. It’s ‘Takashi’. If you want a girl and you are not confident of winning her normally, you tell her false stories about the guy she’s going out with. Most of the time it doesn’t work, but in this case it has worked. It’s almost funny’. I stopped in front of her home, and just as I was driving off, Esaaba called me. ‘Bernard, Mum would like a word with you’. So I locked the car and went in with them. ‘My son Bernard, I learned yesterday that you and Abena ended your rela­tionship. I wasn’t pleased to hear it because you know that I have come to regard you as my son. I heard Esaaba and Abena arguing, and when I asked them they said it was due to her decision to stop seeing you. Abena is adamant that she will not change her decision, and in fact she has started going out with another person. So what can I say? I’m glad that you have not stopped coming here, because I want to see you here regularly’.

‘Don’t worry at all Mum. I will be regular here, and you can always call me whenever you need me.’ ‘Thank you, my son. Now, the second thing, I hear Kwakyewaa has started helping you at your office. I hear that in addi­tion to your job with the EU you have a big company. I really admire you. You are so humble and hardworking’. ‘Mum, let me tell you this, Kwakye­waa has been extremely helpful to us. She has already made a lot of difference in our work. I am re­ally sorry that she will have to return to France in 10 days time’. ‘Ah, but I thought you said you would not allow me to go back. Have you changed your mind? I am thinking of staying for a while’, ‘Ei, Kwakyewaa, what will your parents say? You want to stay for how long?’ ‘Mum’, my parents are in London, and I have been in France on my own for two years. I believe that what I’m doing with Bernard is really useful. I’m not even think­ing about money. I will stay for a month or two, maybe even three’. ‘Let me correct you there. You will not work for us for one day without being paid. Now, tomor­row I will take you to my other site and show you what we are doing there. Then you can take a good decision. For now, Mum, we have something to discuss. Goodnight’.

‘Okay madam Kwakyewaa’, I said as we walked to my car, ‘will you give me a chance? I have really developed feelings for you, and I believe we can get along together. I can assure you that I have nothing to hide, and …’ ‘You don’t need to talk much. I ac­cept unconditionally. Let’s go and take a look at the site tomorrow’.

She called me fifteen min­utes after I left their house. ‘Bernard, I’ve told Esaaba. She’s very surprised, and very excited. So it’s official now. She wants to talk with you. ‘Bernard, do you know how I will call what you’ve just done? It’s a smooth transfer, within the same family. Con­grats, I’m happy for you’.

I picked her up, and we drove to the site on the Aburi road. We drove for about five minutes, and a security man opened the gate, and we entered the 40 acre plot secured with a fence wall. ‘Here we are. I have just started buying materials. I am planning of building one hundred apart­ments, and fifty top class houses’. ‘Bernard, are you telling me that this is all yours?’

 ‘Yes, all mine. I carefully engaged with the chief of the town, and his elders. I paid him all the arranged monies, in the presence of his people. And I have started work on a school building for the town, and I’m reno­vating his palace. When the block of houses is sold, I will invest the bulk of the funds here. I will start with twenty houses, without taking any loan. When I sell them, then I will build more’. We went round the site, and spoke with the workers who were clear­ing the land. After an hour we went back in the car and drove off. ‘You are not saying anything, Kwakyewaa’.

‘What can I say? It’s just incredible. I will stay for as long as you need me’. ‘Many thanks, Kwakyewaa. I will count on your support. I will continue working with the EU for another cou­ple of years, so I will be up north a lot of the time. So you will be in charge’. After spending another couple of hours at the city centre site, we decided to go for lunch’. We got down at Sanko­fa, and I took her hand as we walked to take our seats. After taking a sip of my drink I look across the big room and saw Abena staring at us, a look of utter shock on her face. She continued to stare as Kwakyewaa spoke about the changes she had to make due to her extended stay in Ghana. After a while I ignored her and focused on the discussion.

To be continued…

By Ekow de Heer