It was another Friday night at the Executive Tavern, where a young group of graduates and business­men who had started climbing the corporate and business ladder gather to make contacts, drink beer, link up with girls and mostly, show off.

After three weeks on tour in the regions with the Inspection Team of the bank’s Accounts Department, Aperkeh had joined his three friends – Kwabena, Edusei and Charles, had just met as they did every Friday.

‘So folks, how have things been? Any interesting office news, and any new girls?’ ‘On my part, nothing new,’ Charles said. ‘I’m still eyeing that girl at Procurement, but she’s not showing any interest. She gives only short replies to my questions, and hardly smiles back.

I will give her another two weeks, then I will forget her. She’s real­ly sexy but she could also be very boring’.

‘She’s boring because you can’t get her? Why don’t you look at your approach, your style? Maybe she finds you boring so far? Do a little investigation, find out what her in­terests are. Talk to one of her close friends. You will get one or two useful tips’.

‘My brother, as for me, I don’t have time for CIA work o. If the girl is boring, I will just move on and try my luck elsewhere. There’s another girl in the same department. I will start looking her way. If this one doesn’t improve I will simply move over’.

‘I’m with you, bro’, Kwabena said. ‘Life is too short. At this stage in our lives we should be looking at the market, trying a few potentials and eventually making a selection. No need to waste time on one boring girl’.

‘Hey, Aperkeh’, Edusei started, how is Waakye Girl? What’s the plan?’

‘No change in plan. She’s still there. I will keep her for as long as I find it convenient, then I will drop her. I think I was a little hasty in moving her into my place. She’s certainly good-looking, and very helpful.

My parents kept asking me to bring her in because she’s from our town and all that, even if I was not going to marry her immediately, and her parents did not object when she started spending time with me. But I should not have moved her in.

She knows now that I have no plans of marrying her. In only a matter of time she will find her way out.’

‘But Aperkeh, shouldn’t you be a little careful there? She’s a beautiful girl, and she’s virtually living with you as your wife, cooking for you, keeping the house clean and doing all that a wife does? Would it be so easy pushing her out, especially when you are from the same town and your parents know each other? And what if she gets pregnant?’

‘I have thought about all that. But I’ve made my decision. I won’t mar­ry her. The earlier she sees the light and moves on, the better for her. I won’t waste much sleep on this. Her parents and my parents will not be pleased, but what can they do? Lis­ten, I have already located another curvy, elegant, pretty girl.

I gave her a lift just before I went on inspection. You guys will meet her in a few days. So forget Waakye Girl. Her time has passed’.

‘I think it’s okay if you decide to leave her and move on’, Charles said, ‘but don’t keep things hang­ing for too long. Some parents can make things difficult if they believe you have used their daughter and dumped her, especially in this case where the girl is not a street girl, as you yourself have said. Leave her and be done with her.

She and her parents will not like it but they will get over it. And don’t forget, a fine girl like that will get another guy chasing her in no time’.

‘Where will she get a handsome graduate with a great future like me? Somebody will certainly grab her and give her four kids in four years, but she won’t get very far. Look, why don’t we change the subject? I’m not really comfortable with this’

It was Monday morning.

David stopped the car and walked to buy waakye for himself and three others at the office. Stella served him and moved towards his car.

‘Good to see you again, Stella. I hope your weekend was okay’. ‘Well … I will call you when we close from here. How was your weekend?’

‘My weekend was fine. I will be expecting your call.’

‘Hi David. Sorry if I keep bothering you with my issues, but I appreciate the sympathy you have shown. The weekend was not great, at all. A girl came to the house to ask for my, er boyfriend, and when I asked her why she wanted to see him she said it was not my business, so I said I would not allow her to see him.

Eventually, he heard us exchanging words, so he came over and went to the entrance to speak to her, and I saw him giving her some money.

I had made up my mind to ask him why a girl should come to the house to ask for him, and also why he gave her money. But to my surprise he issued a stern warning that he’s not married to me, and I have no right to prevent him from seeing anyone. So I asked him what he thought of me, and what role he thought I was playing, living with him, and he replied that if I had any intelligence I would not ask him such a silly ques­tion. I have never felt so humiliated in my life. I have just given myself away to a man who has absolutely no respect for me.’

‘Stella, listen to me. You have done absolutely no wrong. Given the attention he was giving you, and the encouragement and even pressure from your parents, any young girl would have made that decision.

He’s from the same town, he’s a graduate, and he said all the right things. Fortunately, there’s more than enough time to change things round.

Don’t engage in any more confron­tations with him. As soon as possi­ble, if possible today, go and tell your parents what is happening.

Let them know the situation, and state emphatically that it is clear the guy has no plans for you, and wants you out, so you are moving out. If they insist on your staying, tell them you will go and rent a place to live in.’

‘Thank you David. Thank you very much. I will do that, today. I hope I can continue to call you.’

Of course you can. In fact, we can meet sometimes, even though I won’t advise it until this problem is solved. But I’m sure all will be well very soon.

By Ekow de Heer