A glorious Wednesday morning it was, and in the modern-looking building that housed Ascendancy Advisors, as the door to the office of the Finance Director swung open, its inhabitant took in the sight before him and smiled.
“Chale, God, thank You, wai,” he beamed out loud, observing the new surroundings he called his workplace. His desk was adorned with neatly arranged files and a sleek laptop where all his work was done on. He had recently added a little photo of him and Nana Asor to add a bit of homeliness to it. The walls around him were adorned with framed certificates that testified of Ascendancy Advisors’ professionalism and expertise.
As he walked in and settled into his chair, he felt a surge of gratitude wash over him. Finally he had found a good place, a place where he could thrive professionally without sacrificing his sanity. Now the nightmarish experience of walking on eggshells to avoid the wrath of that idiot Lorenzo Martinique was well and truly over.
“Chale, this is what life should be like,” he commented to himself as he switched his laptop on. “Waking up in the morning and feeling a sense of excitement and determination to get that money. To do what you like doing. That life of waking up and shedding tears because of some toxic work environment di33, it’s no way to live. Life is already tough as it is. Where you fit make am soft, chale, you for make am soft. I can’t spend my life crying and complaining about everything, I need some happiness…”
“Good morning, Bruce!” the voice of Mr. Manning boomed as he passed by Bruce’s office. Bruce duly waved at him.
“Ready for another day of work?”
Bruce nodded zealously. “Yep, another day, a couple more cedis.”
Mr. Manning laughed. “Right, right. So please, let’s get to work on that financial report.”
“No problem. Should have something to send to you by midday.”
“Splendid! I like the way you’re hitting the ground running. Great stuff!”
Bruce smiled. “Thanks, sir.”
Mr. Manning nodded at him, then moved on. As he did, Bruce shook his head.
Just look at how this CEO actually appreciated his efforts. So unlike someone else determined to find fault even where there was none whatsoever.
“Chale… Thunder fire that kwasia alukumi wizard!” he pronounced, snickering as he turned to his laptop screen to begin work for the day.
***
“Delasi, I can’t even begin to express how relieved I am. See eh, I was practically jumping for joy when he told me you guys had finally patched things up! I was so happy!”
Delasi grinned as she crossed her legs on the sofa, enjoying the solitude in the Fugah household with her being the only one present. She had been lying about on the sofa, enjoying the peace and quiet when Olivia had called, giddy about the new and all-important update of the twins having settled their silent conflict. It was so sweet to hear her overjoyed about this. It really showed how much she loved Deladem and cared about every aspect of his wellbeing.
“Yep. And I have my little brother to thank for that. Who would have thought he’d be the one to trigger this?”
“Hmmm, what can we say? God has His ways of bringing us to where we need to be. Sometimes the people we least expect trigger the change we need. Like how Naaman was convinced by a young maid and all that.”
“Yeah, true, true. Well, all I can say is that I’m really relieved! After all these weeks and months of tension between us, I’m glad we could finally bury the hatchet.”
“Absolutely! It’s such a weight off my shoulders knowing that the two most important people in my life are on good terms again. I’ve been hoping for this day for so long.”
Me too, Liv. It’s been tough for all of us, but I’m glad we’ve moved past it. And I’m genuinely happy for you both.
Olivia’s voice then turned reflective. “You know, Delasi, this whole situation has made me realize something important.”
Delasi sat up curiously. “Oh really? What’s that?”
“I’ve come to understand that Dela’s behavior towards you was pretty much sending a subtle message about how he might treat me in the future if I ever offended. It was like a wake-up call for both of us. But he acknowledged it, and he’s willing to deal with his mistakes and work on them. And I’m so relieved about that. Coz Delasi, I really love your brother, and I see my future with him. But I wouldn’t be happy to deal with a husband who gives me the cold shoulder when I hurt him.”
Delasi nodded. He had mentioned it later on, and promised he would do better. “Yeah, he did say that. So I’m just gonna pray he sheds that. At least he’s had that wake-up call, so I’m trusting he’ll do better. I’ll also do what I can to remind him, okay?”
“Absolutely. Thanks so much, Delasi. I’m just happy this is over now.”
Delasi nodded in agreement. She couldn’t have agreed more. Those days of stiff responses from Deladem whenever she tried to speak to him… those moments his smile disappeared the moment he set his eyes upon her… those times he overheard him recalling the fateful event with so much bitterness…
… it was all over.
Now he treated her well, spoke to her normally, and all was well. Of course, she wasn’t in doubt that the sting of Dina’s words still lingered somewhat, but she had been forgiven for her role in facilitating that. Eventually, he would forget about those foolish words and remember they held no power over him or his eternal destiny.
“Yep, me too. Finally, it’s over. Thank God for that”
***
Baby, follow my commanding like zombie
Go down on me, o
With your coca body
Follow my commanding like zombie
Go down on me, o
With your coca body
It was evening, and at the poolside in the Labadi Beach Resort, where the cocktail was being held by one Thomas Otchere – a big man in the finance industry – the party was in full effect.
As always, Deladem could not resist being the life of the party. So when Lojay’s ‘Monalisa’ started up, he found himself in the midst of the squad, shaking his body to the rhythm. Those who knew his ways, including Bruce and Clarence, were cheering him on.
“Didayy-Didayy! Didayy-Didayy! Didayy-Didayy!”
The three minutes that followed was all about him, as he stole the show with his impressive moves. The DJ had originally planned to play up to the first chorus before switching to his next track, but decided against it, choosing to let Deladem ride out the song.
Once he was done, everyone around him cheered and laughed, showering him with adulations aplenty. As he joined his boys and Henry, the latter shook his head while slinging an arm around his neck. “Eii, Didayy! You dey like enjoyment pass!”
Deladem shrugged, a grin on his face while Bruce and Clarence laughed. “How we go do am, chale?”
Henry shook his head again, snickering. He then turned Deladem to their left side, and nodded in the direction of a group of gentlemen standing there, holding glasses and laughing among themselves.
“So that’s Rakim over there. In the tight, white shirt.”
He looked in the direction Henry referred to, and saw him.
A tall, fully bearded, light-skinned gentleman with a shiny head and sharp-looking eyes, standing in the middle of the small gathering.
Quite a sight to behold, to be honest. This Rakim guy was good-looking, and it was plain for all to see. If anyone had a plaque for the finest man in the party, he definitely had to be the recipient.
Deladem nodded admiringly. “Okayyy. So that’s him, eh?”
“Yep, yep. So chale, you and your guys can do wild and pass by there and see what you can start up. As you spoil there di3, I sure sey you go get some conversation going.”
Deladem snickered, then nodded. “Sure, sure.”
“Great. I dey go the washroom come, so chale, do wild.”
Henry then nodded at him before moving away to relieve himself. Deladem then joined Bruce and Clarence, and nodded in the direction of Rakim’s gathering. “Chale, ibi we p3 we dey this side. Make we go that side then go see what’s up.”
The two shrugged and agreed. They were pretty bored of standing together and not being a part of any gathering. “Sure, make we go,” Bruce agreed.
“We dey go join that fine macho nigga ein gathering, eh?” Clarence asked.
Deladem and Bruce looked at the gathering, and guffawed. They knew who he was talking about. Who else but Rakim?
“Chale, I figure sey ibi me p3 wey I notice,” Deladem snickered. “Fine ass nigga paaa that ooo.”
“I swear! Chale, if I get body like that eh, like Asor go lock me for bedroom inside then destroy me morning, afternoon and evening,” Bruce quipped mischievously.
The looks he got in return could only be described as ‘bombastic side eyes’.
“Mr. Aforo, I know you and your wife share DNA on the regular. But please, don’t move out of order,” Deladem warned him. “Please paaa. I dey respect you pass.”
“I agree. We don’t need that behaviour, my guy. Leave it for your wife. Please,” Clarence added, a faux stern look on his face.
As they laughed and walked over to the gathering, they were greeted with cheers from the gentlemen making up the gathering, who were still deeply impressed by Deladem’s show on the dance floor. They briefly complimented him, and said some quick hellos to Bruce and Clarence before getting back to their conversation.
A conversation centered around a recent rave on Twitter concerning the use of certain words.
“I mean, imagine that. Now these obroni people say the English we write is only ChatGPT English! And it’s not like it’s any huge word bi too oo. They are claiming using words like ’empower’, ‘crucial’ and the like shows you’re using AI to generate whatever you’ve written,” one gentleman commented.
Another guy shook his head. “They’re not serious. They claim those words are too big for normal use? Do they know the way the average educated African uses these words on the regular? Ei, then what will they say about our lawyers?”
The gentlemen all laughed.
“That’s true, mohm,” Deladem agreed, nicely involving himself in the conversation. “Abi there are a few lawyer colleagues at Velvet. Mikey and Franklin. Those guys use heavy English ankasa. Me that I’ll say stealing is taking something that doesn’t belong to you, they’ll say some plenty things about appropriation and property and tins…”
The laughs continued.
“But I think it’s telling, how they don’t seem to rate these words as basic, yet we do,” the first guy mentioned. “Only God knows what exactly they were taught in their schools, while we, even though our educational system is still not the best, they made us learn all those major words and stuff.”
Rakim nodded. “Chale. You’ve just reminded me of my English teacher back in secondary school. Greatest English teacher. The pronunciations alone… stop! If he start dey teach your class, one of ein beginning statements: I am here to teach you boys to be articulate and eloquent in your speech and writing.“
As the gathering oohed at Rakim’s imitation of his teacher, Clarence’s brow furrowed.
“Na the way he says ‘oh’ kraaa still freaks me to this day,” Rakim added before imitating that pronunciation.
Clarence’s brow furrowed even more while the others laughed at Rakim’s very posh repetition of ‘oh’.
Those words were very familiar to his ears.
He then interrupted the conversation. “Umm, boss,” he called out to Rakim, “perchance, did this teacher also talk about how ‘you need to write conscientiously’?”
Rakim cocked his head sideways and looked at Clarence curiously. Everyone else, including Deladem and Bruce, also had curious looks on their faces.
Then Rakim nodded. “Yeah, yeah, that’s him. Complete. So you’re one of Doyi’s boys?”
A wide, sly grin spread across Clarence’s lips. Yep, just what every old student taught by him referred themselves as. “Doyi the doyen’s boys!” he exclaimed.
Rakim’s face instantly broke into a delighted grin. “Action nkotsi!” he burst out.
“Action nkotsi!”
Before everyone knew it, a meeting between two old students of St. Augustine’s College was taking place before them. Rakim and Clarence shook hands and gushed delightedly, pleasantly surprised at this meet up.
“Oh, my junior Apsunian! Chale, lovely, lovely! It’s so nice we’ve met here!” Rakim declared.
A beaming grin on his face, Clarence nodded enthusiastically. “Chale, who would have thought? As I dey follow my guy come here, never crossed my mind that I’d meet a senior Augusco bro. Life, eh!”
“Life ooo, life!” Rakim agreed. “Chale, good to meet you ooo. So where you dey? Where are you working?”
Clarence’s smile dimmed somewhat. His eyes immediately switched their gaze downward. “Ummm… na I dey this bank… Cross-Switch Bank. Wey chale, as you know, they folded up, so chale, since then…”
Rakim’s enthusiastic look immediately metamorphosed into one of concern. “Oh! That’s been over a year now. And you still haven’t got a job?”
Clarence shook his head. “Man try saaa, but chale…”
Rakim immediately began rummaging his pockets. “Chale, this is an error. Major error. Apsunian brother paaa wey he no get job. Chale! Here, this is my card. I beg, call me morrow, wai. Make I see if I go fit help out.”
Clarence’s heart soared within him as he received the card from Rakim and checked it out.
Rakim Yorda, CEO of Prosperity MicroCredit
“Networking at its finest.”
“I’m telling you, chale.”
As the others around buzzed in admiration at what had just transpired, Clarence could not believe his luck. He had been hoping for a lead of some sorts, and in fact, had been praying for something like this.
To think that it had come like this! Meeting a senior old boy of his secondary school, who was the CEO of a fast-growing microfinance company.
Amazing, right?
As he pocketed the card, the excitement reverberating around his brain was almost dizzying. Now he was so glad he had caved in to Deladem’s demand to join him. And for the first time in a long time, he felt that maybe… just maybe…
This streak of unemployment might be coming to an end.
Well, who would have thought Clarence and Rakim would have that in common? Let’s hope something great can come out of this for Clarence…
