From Pasta to Pigfoot

by Frances Mensah Williams

  Faye snorted inelegantly, unable to believe that Rocky would pay any attention to observations from Clarissa, of all people.

  ‘Sonny’s crazy about any girl he hasn’t been through yet,’ she replied bluntly. ‘You saw him at the party – did that tell you he was crazy about me?’

  ‘Faye, I think you’ve been around long enough to know that a man can flirt with someone else and still want you.’ Rocky still sounded unconvinced.

  ‘Well, all I know is that he doesn’t mean anything to me,’ she retorted.

  The waiter approached with the bill and Rocky paid it quickly before helping her from her chair. The weather was cooler and they walked around Osu, peering into shop windows and laughing at some of the outrageous designs on show. They wandered into a tiny boutique, almost hidden away from the main road and, at Faye’s insistence, Rocky bought a stylish silk tie in a black geometric design. As he was about to hand over the money, he spotted a delicate gold and bead bracelet in the display case at the counter and asked the assistant to add it to his purchase.

  When they eventually made it back to the car, he started the engine to cool the heated interior and then turned towards her. Removing the bracelet from its tiny gift box, he reached for her hand and solemnly clasped the pretty trinket around her slender wrist.

  ‘This is to say thank you for spending today with me.’ He looked at the bracelet in satisfaction, before adding softly. ‘And to say I’m sorry I can’t spend tonight with you.’ Leaning forward, he kissed her gently before releasing her hand.

  Faye gazed at her wrist, her eyes misting over as she tried to focus on the bracelet.

  ‘It’s beautiful, Rocky,’ she said softly. ‘Thank you.’

  He nodded silently before putting the car into gear and heading for home.

  19

  Cultural Closure

  ‘Faye, telephone!’

  Faye scrambled to her feet from the lounger where she had been enjoying the warm afternoon breeze on the veranda, and dashed inside. Auntie Amelia was in the hallway holding out the house phone and she smiled indulgently as Faye rushed in barefoot, her long slim legs exposed by her tiny shorts.

  ‘It’s your father,’ she said, as she passed her the handset.

  ‘Dad?’ Faye seized the phone in excitement. ‘Dad, is that you?’ She moved to the nearby armchair and sat down. After a few minutes of conversation, she said goodbye and replaced the receiver before walking through to the living room in search of her aunt. She found her lying on the couch engrossed in a thick book that she put down when she heard Faye walk in.

  ‘Have you finished your call already?’ She gestured to Faye to sit down next to her.

  ‘Yes, I’ve given him my flight details for tomorrow night so he can meet me at the airport in the morning,’ she replied. ‘It was so good to hear his voice! I love it here, but it will be great to see Dad and William again.’

  Auntie Amelia took off her reading glasses and looked at Faye closely, her expression amused.

  ‘You know, my dear, correct me if you think I’m wrong, but you seem so much more…’ she paused, searching for the word she wanted. ‘So much more confident than when you first arrived.’

  Faye sat thoughtfully for a few moments and then nodded.

  ‘Yes, I think you’re right. I’ve only been in Ghana for three weeks, but it feels so much longer. And I am much more confident now that I know more about my country and my culture.’

  ‘And about yourself?’

  The question was asked gently and Faye smiled ruefully and nodded again. ‘Yes, and about myself.’

  Auntie Amelia’s eyes were still fixed on Faye. ‘What are your plans when you get back to London, Faye?’ she asked, fingering her glasses thoughtfully.

  ‘Well, I’m due back at work on Thursday.’ Faye looked slightly puzzled by the question.

  ‘Yes, but what are your real plans for yourself?’ the older woman said insistently. ‘Do you want to continue working forever as a secretary?’

  Faye shrugged helplessly. ‘Now you sound like Dad,’ she grimaced. ‘I know I don’t want to carry on doing the same job for ever, but I’ve never really been sure that I can do anything else particularly well.’ She shrugged again. ‘I suppose I’ve just been marking time with my job – and probably did the same with my ex-boyfriend – because I don’t have the guts to try for something better. I guess it’s been a case of living down to my own expectations.’

  Auntie Amelia folded her glasses carefully and laid them on the side table by her book.

  ‘You remember what I once told you about finding your passion?’

  Faye nodded and she continued. ‘Well, if I remember correctly, I was talking about Amma at the time. You are like another daughter to me, so I will give you the same advice. First, look for what you love, for what excites you. Don’t worry about whether or not you can do it perfectly; just start doing it and your passion will take over.’

  Faye sat in silence, trying to absorb what she had heard and to make sense of it in her own mind. Impulsively she scooted over to the older woman and hugged her, resting her head against her for a moment. Auntie Amelia held her closely for a short while before raising her chin with gentle fingers and looking into her eyes.

  ‘Your mother would have been very proud of you, my dear’ she said gently. ‘I know I am.’

  ‘Thank you – I’ll try and justify your confidence in me. Now as I’m leaving tomorrow, I’m going back to the veranda for my last afternoon of doing nothing,’ she added mischievously. Straightening the tiny cropped T-shirt she was wearing, she blew a kiss at Auntie Amelia and headed straight back to her favourite spot.

  Stretched out on the wicker lounger with her eyes closed, she was dreaming of all the things she could do with her life when she heard the door to the veranda slide open. She squealed with shock as a pair of hands suddenly seized her bare midriff, tickling her heated flesh mercilessly.

  Her eyes flew open and she gazed up in disbelief at Sonny, who stood grinning down at her, his hands still resting on her stomach.

  ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ she asked furiously, trying fruitlessly to sit up. Pushing his hands away, she finally managed to get herself upright before asking the question again.

  Sonny shrugged and sat down uninvited next to her. She shuffled along the lounger, trying to put some space between them.

  ‘Well, you said you were leaving tomorrow, so I thought I’d come by and see you.’ He looked sheepish as she continued to glare coldly at him. Having recovered her composure, she relaxed a little and gave him a small smile.

  ‘Well, you didn’t have to scare the life out of me, did you?’ she asked mildly, not stirred in the least by his hangdog expression.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, trying to sound contrite. Then he looked into her eyes suggestively. ‘But I just couldn’t resist it when I saw you lying there looking so inviting.’ She made no comment except to glare at him again and he hastily changed the subject.

  ‘You missed a good show the other day,’ he remarked, fingering the medallion dangling from his chain. ‘Clarissa was actually pretty impressive.’

  He laughed at her look of scepticism. ‘Okay, so I know she’s not exactly your best friend, but she is a good model. And,’ he added more seriously, ‘she’s also tough – she usually gets what she wants.’

  ‘Is that a warning?’ Faye asked lightly, trying to dismiss the small knot of dread that had started to form in her stomach.

  Sonny hesitated for a moment. ‘No, it’s the truth.’ She looked at him, eyebrows raised, and for a moment he remained silent. Then shrugging as if he had no other choice, he looked across at Faye.

  ‘Where do you think Rocky was two nights ago, and last night?’ he asked. Faye stared back at him in bewilderment.

  ‘He and Stuart took some clients to dinner on Saturday night, and he was working late at the office last night. He had to finish a report for work that he needed to send off this morning,�
� she said.

  ‘So, I suppose he didn’t tell you that the dinner was at Clarissa’s mother’s restaurant, did he?’ Sonny asked, his expression challenging.

  Faye paused for a moment, the knot of dread growing bigger and pulling tighter. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Sonny. ‘So what if that’s where they went? What difference does it make? It was a business dinner.’

  ‘So why was Clarissa with them, then?’ Sonny countered swiftly. ‘And why was Rocky with her last night?’

  Faye looked back at him silently, her expressive features betraying her uncertainty in the face of the bombshell he had dropped. Her mind raced as she tried to think of all the possible reasons why Rocky hadn’t told her about taking Clarissa to dinner on the night of the fashion show. She remembered his apparent regret at having to cancel his proposed outing with her and she shook her head doubtfully as she tried to reconcile the two things. Rocky had spent most of the previous day at the office, finishing the paperwork for the deal he and Stuart had been working on, and she had seen him only briefly when he came by the house late in the afternoon to pick up some documents he had left in his room.

  Now, as she looked at Sonny smiling at her in undisguised triumph, she felt her new-found confidence waver and her old insecurities start to rear their ugly heads. Sensing her distress, he moved closer to her, putting his arm around her comfortingly and pressing her head gently on to his shoulder. Fighting back the tears, she was too distraught to pay attention to his hand rubbing her shoulder and continuing down slowly to stroke her skin where the tiny T-shirt had left her back exposed.

  ‘Faye! Where are you? I’ve got some news for—’ The deep voice coming from within the house came to an abrupt stop as Rocky appeared in the doorway of the veranda. Faye looked up in bemusement to see Rocky standing stock still, an expression of frozen disbelief on his face as he took in the sight of her, barely dressed and in Sonny’s arms. As she watched in horror, his expression changed to one of utter contempt and without uttering another word, he turned on his heel and strode back inside.

  ‘Rocky!’ Her heart pounding, Faye pushed Sonny away and rushed into the house. She ran frantically from room to room in search of him and then outside when she heard the familiar sound of his car’s powerful engine. As she raced out to the driveway, she saw the car turning out of the gate onto the main road, leaving only loose chippings of gravel in its wake.

  Faye watched the back of the car disappear down the road and promptly burst into tears. She was sobbing so hard that she didn’t hear Sonny coming up behind her.

  ‘Faye?’ He raised his hand tentatively to comfort her and she slapped it away furiously.

  ‘Haven’t you done enough already?’ she cried angrily, hot tears coursing down her face. ‘Just go, please!’

  With that, she turned around and rushed back inside the house and up to her room. Every time she calmed herself down, she remembered the expression on Rocky’s face and dissolved into tears yet again.

  A loud knock at the door made her sit up sharply, hoping against hope that Rocky had come back.

  ‘Come in,’ she said, her voice hoarse from crying. Wiping her swollen eyes, she swung her legs down from the bed, ready to get up. But before she could move, Amma burst in, whooping loudly and barely able to contain herself. Too excited to notice Faye’s condition, she jumped onto the bed, her long braids flying.

  ‘Have you heard? Mama’s just told me about Rocky,’ she said. ‘Isn’t it just too amazing?’ Unable to sit still, she jumped up again and twirled around the room.

  ‘I’ll miss him terribly, but I’m so glad for him!’

  She turned to Faye, who was sitting dumbfounded on the edge of the bed and grinned with excitement. ‘I told you a lot can happen in three days, didn’t I? You must be thrilled!’

  As Faye continued to stare at her in complete bewilderment, Amma stopped her dancing and peered closely at her friend. Her smile faded as she took in the tear stains on Faye’s cheeks and the eyes clearly swollen from crying. Exclaiming in concern, she sat down on the bed next to her.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ She stared at her in consternation. ‘Oh Faye, what’s happened?’ Amma’s sympathy brought forth a fresh flood of tears and it was a few minutes before Faye was able to haltingly explain what had happened on the veranda.

  Amma listened in silence, putting a sympathetic arm around Faye after she had finished speaking. With a deep sigh, the younger girl shook her head slowly before sitting back to look at Faye.

  ‘Oh dear, what a mess,’ she said soberly. ‘But Faye, don’t pay any attention to what Sonny said. Clarissa overhead Stuart telling Baaba that they would be at her mother’s restaurant that evening and she just showed up there. Rocky told me about it yesterday – he asked her to leave and she stormed off, really upset at him.’

  ‘But why didn’t he say anything to me about it?’ Faye wailed, resorting to wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as her handkerchief was now totally soaked.

  Amma hesitated for a moment before answering. ‘I don’t know, but since he made such a fuss about Sonny chasing after you, he probably didn’t want you to think he had any interest in Clarissa. He’s been really patient with her because he felt guilty about ending things and he’s not the type to humiliate anyone. But he’s had enough of her antics and he went to see her last night to warn her that she needed to accept that their relationship is over and that he’s tired of her attempts to try and get him back.’

  Faye stared at her in despair, another wave of tears welling up in her eyes. ‘Oh Amma, I can’t believe this – what am I going to do?’

  Amma sighed again. ‘Look, don’t worry.’ She tried to inject some conviction into her voice. ‘Just give him some time to calm down and then you can explain what happened. I’m sure he’ll understand.’

  Faye shook her head in misery. Then a thought struck her and she looked up at her friend. ‘What did you mean just now about you’ll miss him and I must be so thrilled? What’s happened?’

  Amma squirmed uncomfortably before running her hands through her braids helplessly. ‘Well, I suppose it’s quite ironic really, given what’s just happened, but Rocky found out today that he’s being promoted to a Managing Director position.’

  Faye still looked puzzled. ‘Well, that’s great news; he’s worked really hard for this. But why does that mean you’ll miss him?’

  Amma grinned. ‘We-ell… the new job is based in London.’

  Faye sat bolt upright in shock. ‘What!’ Her voice was so hoarse, she could barely get the word out. Clearing her throat, she stared in disbelief as Amma hugged herself with glee. ‘You’re kidding, right?’

  The younger girl shook her head and Faye ran her hands through her hair, her brain spinning as she took in the import of the words she had just heard. The extent of the damage caused by the scene on the veranda hit her afresh and she stared at Amma in horror.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she whispered. ‘That’s what he came back to tell me. And to find Sonny of all people sitting there pawing me…’ She jumped off the bed and started pacing up and down the room in agitation.

  ‘Amma, you’ve got to do something!’ Literally wringing her hands, she turned to her friend in desperation. ‘Promise me, talk to him and tell him what happened – he’ll believe you. Please!’

  Feeling desperately sorry for Faye, Amma nodded helplessly. ‘Okay, calm down,’ she said, trying to sound soothing. ‘I promise I’ll speak to him as soon as he gets home, okay?’

  Faye nodded, her expression bleak. Amma stood up and hovered hesitantly by the door. ‘Why don’t you wash your face and come down for a drink? Mama is in her room and it will give you time to pull yourself together before dinner.’

  Faye nodded again and headed for the bathroom to repair some of the damage caused by her tears. She washed her face with cold water and looked into the mirror above the sink. Her eyes were pink rimmed and watery and her hair was sticking out in all directions. She went back into the b
edroom and brushed her hair vigorously, applying a little lipstick and spraying some perfume to lift her spirits.

  All the while, Amma’s words, ‘The new job is based in London...’ were reverberating around her brain. Piercing shafts of joy alternated with bursts of despair as she thought through dozens of scenarios of how she could convince Rocky that he could trust her.

  A few minutes later, determined to sort things out come what may, she ran downstairs to find Amma in the living room on her phone, scrolling down through a text message that Edwin had just sent.

  ‘He seems to be having a good time,’ she remarked, glancing up as Faye came in. ‘I hope he finds that job quickly – I was looking in the jewellers this afternoon, and the kind of ring I’d like is not exactly cheap.’

  She looked closely at Faye and breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Well, you look a lot better now, thank goodness; you had me really worried upstairs. Oh, wait, there’s a message here for you.’ She scrolled down and read aloud. ‘“Give my love to Faye and tell her to keep a tight hold on Rocky….”’ Her voice trailed off and she looked at Faye apologetically.

  ‘You can always trust Edwin to say the wrong thing at the wrong time!’ She tossed her phone onto the side table. ‘Come on, there’s a bottle of wine in the fridge – let’s get some glasses.’

  Faye laughed for the first time in hours as she followed Amma to the kitchen.

  ‘I hope Martha’s not there or she’ll be totally scandalised. Do you know her church says that alcohol is the devil’s brew?’

  Amma peered around the kitchen door and turned back with a grin. ‘The coast is clear. Quick – you get the glasses and I’ll bring the bottle!’

  A few minutes later, the two of them were sprawled on the rug on the living room floor, wine glasses in hand. Faye had changed earlier into a sleeveless maxi dress and she lay stretched out on her back, staring reflectively at the high ceiling.

  ‘This time tomorrow, I’ll be heading for the airport,’ she sighed. ‘I’m really going to miss Ghana.’ Turning her head, she smiled at Amma who was sitting propped up against the sofa. ‘I’m going to miss you, too. It’s been just like having a sister over the last three weeks.’