Borla Man — Part Two

‘But, er… I don’t even know your name.’

‘Paul. Paul Allotey. I’m Sarah, by the way. Paul, why don’t you leave me here, since this is the last important thing I’m doing today?’

‘Okay. Now Sarah. I was just thinking. You will be here at the café for about an hour. By then it will be about twelve thirty. Then, you would be thinking of buying yourself some lunch, to eat here or to take home. So if you would please allow me, I will take you to one of the nicest eating places in town, and after you have sorted that one out, then I can drop you home. Just that one errand, then I won’t bother you again.’

‘You are not bothering me at all. You are being very kind to me. And I just realised you are a mind reader too. The last item on my agenda was lunch.’

‘I’m so glad I appeared at your doorstep, just in time.’

‘Okay. Now Paul, since you say the café is a comfortable place, let’s go in together, and you can do your work while I get my application done.’

‘Okay, Sarah. Thanks. Let’s go.’

We got back in the car at eleven forty-five.

‘So where are we going, Paul?’

‘To Royalty Restaurant. It’s a twenty-minute drive away.’

‘So, do you enjoy your job?’

‘Most certainly. I won’t change it, not even to be President. And am I right to say that you are preparing to enter the university?’

‘That’s my plan. I hope it works.’

‘It will, if you are determined and disciplined. You look very much like a disciplined person.’

‘Thank you very much.’

We arrived at Royalty in twenty-five minutes.

‘You are joining me for lunch, Paul?’

‘Thanks for the honour, Sarah. But the bill is on me.’

‘Aren’t you taking on too much for one day?’

‘I never do anything that is bigger than me, Sarah.’

Over the next hour and a half, we discussed fashion, local and international politics, and sports, as we ate and relaxed. Finally, he drove me to the shop.

‘I will never forget you, Paul.’

‘I’m glad to have been helpful. But if you don’t mind, I’ll say it again, your husband is extremely lucky. You are really beautiful.’

‘Thanks again. But do you mind if I call you sometime in the future?’

‘Certainly not. Let me write it here. I will not ask for your number, for obvious reasons. But I will be looking forward to hearing from you. And hopefully, I will see you next month, when I call to drop your bill.’

I got home by seven. I went straight to the bedroom, stood in the mirror, and took a good look at myself.

‘You are a very beautiful woman, Sarah. Never forget that.’ I will not forget that again.

Over the next several weeks, Martin and I had very little to do with each other. In the morning he ate his breakfast and after a shabby, ‘I’m going,’ he left. He came home around eight at the earliest, ate his dinner, and, already soaked in beer, went off to sleep.

He spent the greater part of the weekends at the clubhouse with his friends, playing tennis and partying. My mind was focused on furthering my education, so I didn’t complain to him, and didn’t bother to inform my parents about what was happening. I had decided that I would only take action if he lifted his hand against me again. I spent my free time reading all manner of interesting stuff on the internet, and chatting with my sister on WhatsApp.

One evening, he came home at about eight, rushed to the bedroom, and rushed out. An envelope, obviously containing money, dropped out of his pocket, and I picked it up and followed him. I was going to call him and give it to him, but I noticed that there was a young woman in the car, so I went back in, counted it, and put it in a drawer in the hall. He came back after some ten minutes.

‘Excuse me, I dropped an envelope containing money. You must have seen it.’

‘Yes, I saw it. Actually, I followed you, and was about to call you and hand it over when I realised there was a woman in the car, so I came back in. I counted it—one thousand cedis.’

‘Well, let me have it. I have to be going.’

‘I will let you have it if you tell me who the woman in the car is, and why you are going to give her that amount of money.’

‘Listen, if you waste my time, I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Give me the money now!’

‘Here’s what we will do, Martin. I know you will give money to her anyway, so I will give it to you if you withdraw the threat you just issued. But I want you to know that I will be taking some steps from tomorrow. Things are getting out of hand.’

‘Okay, I’m sorry I threatened you. Can you please give me the money?’ I handed it over to him, and he ran out.

The following morning, I waited for him to finish having breakfast and told him I wanted to have a word with him urgently.

‘You better be quick. You know I’m going to work.’

‘Well, my daughter. I’m not going to say “I told you so.” I was only trying to protect you. So here’s what we’ll do: continue doing the best you can, and try not to give him any excuse to harm you. But if things continue to deteriorate, I will take you back.’

A couple of days later, my cousin Dinah arrived in Accra from Brussels, having completed her medical course. With Martin’s agreement, I went to Koforidua and spent a couple of days. I spent most of the time chatting about her experiences in the US, but we also discussed my relationship with Martin, and she endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if Martin’s behaviour did not change after two weeks.

Dinah returned with me to Takoradi. Her plan was to spend a couple of weeks and return to Accra to be posted. I called Paul Allotey, and asked if he would meet her for lunch and, if possible, show her some interesting spots. Delighted, he suggested that we meet at Royalty the next day. I told Martin about it, to remove any possibility of future disagreement over ‘going out with men.’

‘It’s fine with me, if, of all the people who could show your sister round this town, you chose a borla man. Doesn’t that indicate the kind of person you are?’

‘First of all, Martin, I’ve spoken to him a few times, and he comes across as a decent guy, so I think it is rather unfortunate that you are writing him off when you don’t know him.’

By Ekow de Heer