A few weeks later, Abena started asking about my job, even though I had told her a lot about my work in the north. On Mr Osekre’s advice, I had only told my family about the investment business. It was better to wait till it was on firm ground, he advised, and that would take at least a couple of years. Of course, I would tell her everything when we decided to get married. She started asking some funny questions like “did you say you were doing agricultural extension work or development projects?” Initially I gave her answers with some details, but when she persisted along the same lines, I said out of exasperation, “Abena, why do you keep asking the same questions even though I have answered you? Listen, there is nothing wrong with agricultural extension work, but that is not my line of work. But if that is what you wish to believe, then please go ahead, if it makes you happy. But I just don’t understand this”. Not long after, some friends said they had seen her with Jennifer eating lunch with friends. I complained, and said that I would prefer it if she went out with only me at that stage in our relationship. And if she needed to go out with others, I had to know. To my great surprise, she brushed it off, saying “but Bernard, what is wrong with going out for lunch with friends? As for this one, I think you are doing too much.” That was the beginning of the end.

After two weeks of hectic activity up north, I drove to the Tamale airport, parked the car at the Civil Aviation car park as usual, paid the usual parking fee and boarded the plane for Accra. Over the last two weeks, I had shuffled between three sites where work was close to completion. One was a seed warehouse, where farmers would come and pick up good quality maize, sorghum and other planting material. The other was a health facility for new mothers, where they were given basic training on good nutrition and small scale business. And the third was a set of big boreholes for three farming communities. The projects usually ran on schedule, but a good deal of time was spent building rapport with the local people, to ensure that they would be well patronised and maintained.

It was great to be working in a situation where one’s work was well-appreciated. But it certainly involved a lot of work, and proactivity. And I made sure that I recorded updates online before going to bed in the evening.

When the plane took off, my mind shifted to issues in Accra, the big city. The young guys in my office had done some good work. They had secured five or six houses on a row in a good part of the city, and were close to securing the last. When we got this property, we would be able to sell all five houses to one big corporate customer, and we had already spoken to a property dealer who was trying to find a buyer in order to get a good commission. That was going to be my biggest break. I had asked the boys to look for a large tract of land on the outskirts of the city where we could develop our own set of buildings, blocks of storey houses and upscale apartments. Things were going according to plan, and I was quietly excited. However, things were not going so well regarding my relationship with Abena.

My buddies Ebo and Nana Kwame had called to say that they met Abena and her friend Jennifer enjoying lunch with a guy, and Ebo believed that Jennifer was ‘promoting’ an affair between Abena and a guy. They were of the view that the promotion seemed to be going in the guy’s favour, because unusually, Abena greeted them casually, and was rather happy in the guy’s company. I was quite disappointed to hear that, because until the last few weeks, it seemed as if Abena and I were heading in a good direction. Apart from the affection I had for her, I liked her family. I decided to take it easy, and allow things to fall in whatever direction. Normally I would take a taxi to her house from the airport, and pick her up to my place. This time I went to my sisters’ joint, where they sat by me while I enjoyed a drink and a good meal.

“So Little Brother”, Sister Beesiwa said, “What is it we are hearing about our wife-to-be?”          

TO BE CONTINUED…