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BEESIWA – Part 4
After managing to get just a little sleep, Beesiwa woke up early, and without saying anything to her mother, headed for Yaw Awotwe’s house, not to see Yaw, but in the hope that his driver would be kind enough to say something meaningful to take her out of her confusion. Fortunately they met at the entrance to the Estate, and she greeted him.
He nodded. ‘Uncle Paa Willie, may I respectfully ask you something? I’m in a tight situation. Please help me.’‘Go ahead’.‘You see, Uncle, Yaw has been more than extremely good to me. However, I have been in love with him for some time, and privately hoping that something would happen between us. But my mom warned me emphatically that Yaw was way above my class, and there were better girls waiting to catch him.
I kept up the hope for some time, then I gave up, took the advice he had been giving me, and started my own business. As you know he has been very helpful always. Unfortunately the frustration of losing him always weighed on me, and then Jeff showed interest, and made a big proposal, and even promised to buy me an estate house.
I discussed it with my mother, and she said I should accept Jeff’s proposal, and I did. I thought everything was going to go well, but at yesterday’s dinner, Jeff made the announcement of our impending marriage, and the response was shockingly negative. A few people applauded, and Yaw and Ebo Mensah rose to congratulate us, but the general reaction was bad.
So I want to find out whether there’s something I don’t know, so that I back out before I get badly hurt’.‘Beesiwa, if I didn’t know you I would have given you a diplomatic answer. But since I know you to be a graduate with a lot of good sense, let me tell you, straight up, that you and your mother have shown the worst form of judgement anyone can make.
Jeff comes to propose to you, and promises to buy you a house, and you drop all your senses and follow him? What work does Jeff do? Where is his office? Who does he employ? Have you met his parents or relatives? Beesiwa, you should be really ashamed of yourself. And please tell your mother that I have lost all respect for her. Let me not waste your time.
You and your mother, go and ask Jeff to show you his office, and tell you what he does for a living. Yaw was prepared to do anything for you. Anything. I said anything. And you turn your back on him, and follow this thief with the big mouth?’ Beesiwa opened her mouth wide.
‘Uncle Paa Willie, he told me that Yaw was in serious debt, and he had tried to help him in many ways. He said he would support me to become one of the biggest caterers in town, because he had very powerful contacts. Uncle Paa Willie, how come Yaw did not show any sign of affection for me? I would have never taken such a foolish decision if I had the slightest idea he wanted me’.
‘He takes his time with everything. He encouraged you to develop your talents, gave you money to start business, and brought in a girl to help at the house so that you would be free to make money. Why do you think he was doing that? He heard about you and Jeff a couple of weeks ago, and he said he felt very sorry for you, but hoped you at least knew what you were going into’.
So I’ve given you more answers that the questions you raised. I need to be going’.Devastated and weeping uncontrollably, Beesiwa started walking to the roadside to pick up a taxi. Then on an impulse she stopped, turned and followed Paa Willie to Yaw Awotwe’s house. Yaw saw her just before he opened the front door.
‘Beesiwa, I thought I have answered all your questions. What is the problem now?’‘I, I, I just want to say one word to Yaw. I won’t take more than one minute of his time’.‘ButBeesiwa, I have told you what you need to do. Why don’t you allow Yaw to go to work?’
You have already made your decision. I don’t see how he comes in at all’. ‘You are here, Paa Willie’, Yaw said from the hall. ‘Is there anyone with you?’‘Beesiwa is here. She says she wants to have a word with you?’‘Really?’ he said as he walked to the front door, and saw Beesiwa weeping. ‘Is anything wrong?’
‘Yaw, I want to beg you. Forgive me for everything I’ve done against you. I have always had deep feelings for you, and kept hoping that you would show some interest in me. But I realized that it was not going to happen, so I gave up.
Then Jeff started showing interest, and saying all kinds of things about you, and offering to marry me. I now realize I made a foolish decision. I was reacting to the disappointment of losing you, and I thought that because he was close to you he was also a decent man.
He said some really bad things about you, and because we knew him as a close friend of yours we believed him, and my mother and I decided that I should accept his proposal’.‘Beesiwa, I have a difficulty. Yesternight, in fact, only a few hours ago, Jeff was proudly introducing you as his wife, and announcing that you two would be getting married in two weeks time.
Now here you are, telling me that you have changed your mind. What do you want me to do?’‘I’m apologizing for the things I believed about you. After spending so much time with you I should have not accepted any of the things he said. I am really sorry.
The reaction of the people to his announcement clearly showed that there was something wrong, and when I went home I realized I had acted very hastily. And I came to see Uncle Paa Willie, and he told me a few things. I feel really terrible’. ‘Well, Beesiwa. You avoided a big bullet, so let’s thank God for that. If you had taken just a little time to get to know Jeff, you would have known the kind of person he is.
But now you know, so you can get on with your life. You have a business to run. I don’t blame you, but I certainly blame your mother. I don’t think I have the words to describe her’.‘Yaw, I want to ask a very big favour?’‘I’m listening’.‘I want to stop running the business, and come back to work with you’.
‘You know that doesn’t make sense at all. You have clearly demonstrated the capacity to excel in this business, and you are making good money. You want to stop all that and come back as my house help? That’s not right at all’.‘I would do anything to be around you. Please give me just one chance’.Yaw couldn’t hold back the emotions he had been keeping about Beesiwa.
She had made a very ridiculous, careless mistake by accepting Jeff’s lies and going so far with him. Fortunately she stopped just in time. He decided, from that moment, to take her as his lady.‘Okay. Stay here. Spend the day. I have to rush to keep some appointments. I will call’.That was how their relationship started. After three months preparation, Beesiwa and Yaw were married. As for Jeff, he got lost somewhere in the bush
By Ekow de Heer
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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