Entangled: A Little Too Many, A Little Too Close

by Kenneth Igiri

  He had been roaming Adabraka out of boredom that quiet Sunday evening. As he left the petrol station he passed two plump looking, light complexioned ladies, heavily made up and well-dressed asides the fact that their skirts went just over half way down their femurs. One was a little taller than the other but on the whole, no one would describe any of them as particularly tall. He went pass for about five meters then turned back. A taxi had also stopped in front of them but one of them had been watching Philip's car so she tapped her companion and they let the taxi go.

  "Which way are you going?" Philip had asked.

  "East Legon"

  9:30 PM. East Legon. Just about 30 minutes away. Not a bad idea.

  "I can drop you...", Philip finally said.

  He realized from their accent that they were Igbos. He turned on the air conditioner and rolled up the glasses. Then he switched on the radio to 94.3 FM. A worship song was playing, and he joined silently. Then he decided to start a conversation.

  "How was church today?" He asked out of the blues.

  One of the ladies, the shorter one had sat in the front seat. She seemed to be the team lead. She appeared more in control, more vocal. She answered him.

  "Fine, Sir"

  "What church do you attend?"

  "Pure Fire."

  It was a well-known church with a sound minister as the general Overseer. Philip pondered on the implications. They were obviously prostitutes; how did they survive weekly preaching at this church. Why did they bother going in the first place? It was puzzling to him. Sometimes men want God in their lives, but they just cannot let go of things that God may not want in their lives. But who was he to judge? He had his own skeletons, didn't he?

  He paused a bit and wondered how best to proceed. On this particular evening despite his loneliness and carelessness in picking up woman on the street, he felt particularly spiritually powerful. There was no desire for intercourse, no lust, no flirting, just a very calm disposition as he spoke to these two plump ladies in their late thirties.

  "Let me share what I learnt in church today and then you can also share yours," he began.

  "OK. No wahala..."

  It was still the team lead responding though Philip noticed through his rear-view mirror that the other lady was also paying attention. Maybe she was already convicted of her sins as she realized they had been picked up by a Christian brother. The team lead must have been 'already hardened in sin' Philip had thought to himself.

  "The preacher spoke about life being like an examination... and every choice we have to make in our lives being like an exam questions..."

  He paused. Waiting for the statement to sink in. Reaching out with his feelers to see whether he was getting through or getting resistance. He continued:

  "...we choose how we answer each question and they add up. At the end the papers are marked, and we are given our rewards..."

  "Salvation is not by works o... " the lady cut in.

  "True. But when we are saved there is a certain quality of life that God expects from us. 'And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure' I John 3:3. Have you read that before?"

  She was not so quick to answer. "No. I am not so good in reading Bible, but I know God very well. He has done a lot of things for me..."

  It is amazing how many people know the basics of grace. Philip could not condemn her, could he? It hurt him however how it was possible for a person to consistently live in sin and have a systematic defense for their lifestyle apparently based on teaching they had received from church. It always made him wonder whether the charismatic church was getting things right. Philip cut in:

  "Have you read Revelation 20:12 '... and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works' or Galatians 5:21 '... of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God'"

  "You might be quoting these things out of context o. We are saved by grace. 'He that is without sin let him cast the first stone'!"

  Philip would have laughed out loud if the discussion was not so serious. She was right in that he had no right to cast stones. But here she was using the scriptures to avoid facing a clear reality that there may be things in her life she needs to let go of. She did not even want to let any kind of conviction set in. Philip looked in the rear-view mirror and realized the other lady was paying attention and he just kept talking till they got to Lagos Road on the way to Ajirigano. He did not quite recognize the place, but it seemed to be a restaurant or night club of sorts. Both ladies stepped out and thanked him as he maneuvered the large SUV making a u-turn they just stared at him. What kind of young single man would have this kind of car and preach like this? Philip heard the Silent Whisper "I am proud of you!"

  All this had run through his head that morning as he set out for work, his head aching from a very short night. Victoria called him later that morning and he picked, spoke to her coldly for a few minutes and excused himself to stop the call when she began asking for a lift to pick her aunt. He never answered her calls again.

  ____________________________________________________________

  "Which kain man be dat?" Nneka asked.

  "I neva see before o. Im no even look your side at all" answered Amaka.

  Nneka gave her friend a sharp look which turned Amaka's laugh switch to ten points. "Which kain talk be dat? Na your side im come look, abi?"

  Amaka reached out to playfully hold her while still cackling with laughter but Nneka pushed her away and moved on away from the T-junction where they had been dropped and towards the noisy, dimly lit bar. Amaka followed a foot or two behind and added salt to injury:

  "Im dey use di mirror dey look me oh" She stuck out her tongue briefly while Nneka was not looking and kept laughing.

  Suddenly they were both quiet. Something seemed to have struck both of them at about the same instant. Amaka was especially hit. She began to speak:

  "But Nneka, dis ting wey we de do so, when we go stop am? God fit dey vex for us o.."

  "Nne biko [5]just face ya work abeg. Na im go give you food chop? Im don preach finish dey go. Im give you shishi[6]? Im don chop beleful dey preach na. You wetin im done do before im come dey preach?"

  "Nneka dis wan wey you dey talk be 'by di bush o'. God dey vex, kponkwen[7]"

  When conviction comes to us, we can argue and rationalize all we want but that uncomfortable feeling lingers and just will not go away. It is there whether our sins are visible to others or not. The feeling is worse when our sins are not visible to others. We choose what to do with those nudging of the Silent Whisper. He is willing to wait for extensive periods of time for our response. He keeps hoping we eventually respond correctly.

  Clash of the Concubines

  “And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,

  ‘We will eat our own food and wear our own apparel;

  Only let us be called by your name,

  To take away our reproach.’” Isaiah 4:1

  "So, what do you think?"

  "He is nice. So, has he spoken?"

  Abena hesitated. "Well... not in many words...". She kept her eyes on the picture she had been showing her colleague, Sandra when the banking hall was less busy.

  "So, you are just friends?"

  "Yup"

  "Hmm... Have you slept with him yet?"

  Abena gave her first a disgusted look which made her laugh. Sandra looked away, a sinister smile still perched on her face. She attended to a customer and turned her attention back to Abena.

  "You didn't answer the question"

  "Sandra, you know I have more respect for my body than that!"

  "I hear! Holy Mary, Mother of God"

  "Sandra don't do that!" She gave a very serious look. Her respect for Mary was more serious to her than the Holy Spirit was to most Charismatic Christians. She just could not allow anyone around her to make fun of the Bl
essed Virgin Mary. She glanced at the clock straight ahead across the waiting area and noticed they had about twenty minutes to close of business. Two back office staff walked across the waiting area on their way out blocking her view for a few seconds. She beckoned on a customer to step forward as soon as the view was clear again.

  Sandra had that smirk on her face again and started talking:

  "So, what are you going to do?"

  "Do? About what?"

  "How are you going to get him?"

  "Get who? I am not interested"

  Abena cleared her throat. Sandra laughed again.

  "You are always pretending to have it all together. These days you don't have to be all lady-like else you will age single! I can see you like the guy so make him love you. Some guys need a little push. Or are you worried that he is a Nigerian? Nigerians are very romantic o"

  "Is that so," Abena mocked, "So how many of them have romanced you?"

  Sandra used the handkerchief on her desk to catch sound of her next round of laughter. She could easily have turned every head in the office in her direction with that outburst.

  "Look Sandra, I am not like you. And I don't see any benefit of being like you anyway because it has not gotten you a permanent man has it?"

  "Adein[8]? And who says I am looking for a permanent man? Enjoy life while you are young! I am barely twenty-seven and you are talking about a permanent man?"

  "I definitely do not want your advice then!"

  "But you want Philip, right?"

  Silence.

  Both ladies started getting ready to close.

  After a little more silence Sandra burst into a chuckle non-stop. Both were going through the cycle of leaning over to pick up bundles of notes, counting them and binding them in hundreds. Abena ignored her at first but could not bear it any longer after she chuckled the third time. She looked out of her cubicle and blurted "Sandra behave yourself!"

  "Stop pretending. You will die of sex starvation o"

  "Sandra!"

  She simply laughed.

  "Abena stop pretending and enjoy life. You are not Mother Mary!"

  Abena sat up suddenly and made a serious looking face. "Sandra behave yourself. Leave Mother out of this!"

  It was about six thirty when both ladies finally started leaving the complex. The Back-Office staff had taken over. It was almost completely dark but the street along which they had to walk to get to the car park some thirty meters away was relatively busy with people. North Ridge was not completely shut down till about 8:30 PM on most days. The walk was fast paced and chatty for the most part between the two. Every now and then the trees made the walkway a little darker than it really was, blocking out the sparse street lights.

  "... But are you sure he doesn't have a girlfriend?"

  "How would I know? Our relationship is not like that. But I think he would have told me if he did. He tells me a lot and I do too. We are good friends"

  "But he is not going to be available forever o. So, if you want him, you had better make a move if he is not making a move."

  Abena did not answer. Sandra kept talking.

  "Me I have my plans. Once I find the man I really like I will just have a child with him! There is no need to tie myself down with marriage. It is such a hassle"

  Abena stared at her friend.

  "A hassle! Sandra, you are just a case! Marriage is a responsibility. It is the best environment to really show that you love someone despite their shortcomings. Life is not only about fun. Get serious."

  Sandra simply made a gesture as though she tapped the surface of a drum with the tip of her fingers. "O Come off it! Have you checked out married folk these days? Who is happily married. No one! Do not deceive yourself. Better beware before you get trapped. Once trapped, societal pressure will not let you be free easily..."

  "Free? Free to do what? Free to have sex with every Tom, Dick and Harry?"

  "I do not sleep with every man I see o. I am free to choose which I sleep with and when. It all depends on my mood. I know you are a virgin but when you experience sex you will realize that one man cannot satisfy you no matter how hard he tries!"

  A film of fluid welled up in Abena's eyes. She was not particularly emotional, but she did have her moments. This was one of those moments. Why did it have to feel so out of place? yes, she was a virgin and she wanted to keep herself for her husband but crossing the thirty border still "innocent" was sometimes embarrassing. Why was it embarrassing? Because everyone else in her age group, married or unmarried, experienced sex every now and then as a regular part of their lives. Husbands, boyfriends, one-night-stands etc. Every lady around her had someone "keeping them happy". Was she happy? Yes, she was. She did not need sex to make her happier. Or maybe she did not even know she could be happier... with sex.

  "So, many men keep you happy?"

  Now Sandra was quiet for a change. For a second. Abena glanced at her.

  "You just have to keep trying"

  Happiness. A state of being or a brief experience. What is the relationship between happiness and ecstasy? Does ecstasy create happiness? Does a momentary thrilling experience create a happy person, or does it take a series of ecstatic experiences? It almost sound like drug use. Heroine. Cocaine. Multiple injections or inhalations are required to keep the high daily. Sex. Multiple encounters a week are required to maintain the "happiness”. Someone is keeping all the ladies happy. That is three or four times a week!

  "Give me your phone"

  "My phone? Why"

  "Let me check something..."

  "Check what? I am not giving you any phone!"

  Abena's phone was visible in her large handbag. Sandra took her off guard, grabbed her handbag and ran across the street narrowly missing a moving car. Abena could not cross immediately. Her fingers quickly danced around the keypad and she had arrived at Philip's contact details in seconds just before Abena had a chance to cross safely.

  "Hi Philip, are you still in the office, we are coming over..."

  Abena grabbed the phone and continued the call.

  "Hello Abena, yes I'm here. Why are you talking so fast?"

  "Philip..."

  Contemplation. She could easily have called it off as a friend's prank, but it would do no harm to see him. What would she be going all the way home to do any way....

  "Yeah. You can come by. I can take you home"

  "To your place or?"

  "Oh. Abena... OK."

  "Ha ha ha. I was joking o. "

  " I hear. Alright. See you soon"

  Abena ended the call and looked at Sandra. She had a huge smile on her face. Abena turned away from her and started walking towards into the car park. Sandra stepped forward and hugged her from behind refusing to let go while Abena struggled.

  "C'mon leave me alone. Naughty girl!'

  Sandra laughed. The Toyota Corolla was close. It still had the shiny teal colour. It was bought brand new with a staff loan. Abena was not interested in any kind of loan so she preferred to save for hers. Sandra always dropped her off at Abeka Junction and she would complete the journey home herself in a taxi, today was different. She would take her to see Philip... at the office. Maybe there would be a trip home too. That sounded exciting to Abena, but she would not show it. Exciting because it made her feel closer to him not because she wanted to be happy for a few minutes like her Sandra every now and then. What did she really want from him? A relationship. Marriage? Not necessarily. Just a relationship. A romantic relationship? Not necessarily. Just a relationship. The workings of a woman's mind will always be complex. Men misinterpret all the time and make moves that mar the relationship. The difference between 'like’ and 'love' seems very clear to a woman even though they cannot articulate same in words. The difference is unclear to a man. The case of Fuzzy Logic versus Boolean Algebra.

  Labone. A good portion of Accra's upper middle class built their homes here. A large portion of that portion were foreigners - mostly modern Asians who had taken o
ver the business landscape of Accra from big supermarkets to IT. The roads were just perfect: wide, sparkling clean and almost brand new. The embassies and consulates were here too. The banks built their structures here with class as though they had more respect for the name Labone than they had for Lartebiokoshie or New Town or Bubuashie. Some things were good in Ghana and Labone was one of them. Philip's office was located here amongst the other high-profile outfits owned by foreigners. Labone was different from a lot of other places for another reason too: nothing was difficult to find once you had the address. They could not have found Kolours so easily in many other parts of Accra: Adabraka, Kaneshie, Kotobabi etc. Maybe it would have been equally as easy if it was sited at North Ridge, Roman Ridge, Airport Residential and the like. The disparities in African cities were here in Accra too.

  The car park was just about full. The smiling security guard in a white top black bottom semi-military outfit help her park adjacent an already parked Skoda Octavia. She glanced at it when they stepped out of the car. Very nice car, a little old though. 2008? Maybe.

  "Let's go, Abena"

  Abena looked up at the building. A five-storey beauty covered in glass. She was sure those inside could see everything happening outside. maybe even Philip would see her and hurry downstairs. Fancy that. The open area used as a car park was as bright as day with flood lights and the like. This car park must have been like three quarters full. Cars were neatly parked along white markings on the smooth concrete floor. The workers here were obviously not as enthusiastic about going home as bankers were, were they? She noticed the gadgets on the penthouse. Maybe a radio station or ISP also used this building. Certainly, up to four outfits must have shared this edifice. In this part of Accra, high rise buildings were not all that popular so this one seemed particularly imposing at five storeys.

  Sandra was more enthusiastic about this trip than her friend. She led the way to hunt down Philip Ezeani. At the reception they waited for Rebecca to place a call to Philip's floor. Just then Helen, on her way home, stepped out of the lift and overheard the enquiry. She looked at Abena. Abena could not help noticing her flowing white gown spotted with green leaves and pink flowers on one side. That kind of dressing was certainly not something a banker like her could wear to work on any day of the week. Their eyes locked till it could easily be defined as a stare. They communicated even though they had never seen each other. Sandra was busy with the receptionist Rebecca. She tapped Abena out of her standoff with Helen and they sat down.