Short Story: "The Confession"...Episode 2

"What just happened? Huh?..Tina?" Agyeiwaa asked as all three watched him walk out of the pub - Tina, wearing a perplexed look, and Philipp sighing. "Tina?" she repeated, in a quasi-demanding tone. "Was I not here with you", came the response as she resumed her seat. 

"Am I wearing a mask today? Maybe I scared him" Philipp said in a bid to diffuse the situation. "Ah, didn't you know you always wear a mask?" Agyeiwaa said, drawing laughter from all three. 

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There was something weird about the weather when Siisi stepped out that mid-morning four years ago, enroute to Osu. The atmosphere was a rather dry and dust-laden one, reminiscent of the Harmattan season – except that it wasn’t that time of the year yet. “Can’t this form endorsement wait till tomorrow”? he contemplated. Siisi had taken the day off to attend to some domestic issues including the endorsement of his Birmingham University postgraduate application form by his uncle. Ten minutes spent at the bus stop waiting for a Circle-bound troski, and Siisi construed it as a bad omen, corroborating his strong premonition about the day being eerie. So he returned home and undressed, settling in the sofa to catch a repeat of Paul Adom-Otchere’s Good Evening Ghana.

After about fifteen minutes, his uncle phoned to enquire where he’d reached as he had to argue a case out at the High Court, and was scheduled to travel to Egypt later in the evening for other legal matters. “When is the deadline for submission”, his uncle asked, when Siisi informed him of his decision to wait for him to return from the trip. “Next week Friday. Hope you’ll be back by then?” Siisi asked in Fante. Siisi wore the short-sleeved shirt he’d hanged in the wardrobe not-too-long ago, and pulled the Chuck Taylors from under his bed, when his uncle answered in the negative. He was on the road, walking to the bus stop within five minutes, with earphones plugged in both ears.

It was Rakhia, the Waakye seller at the junction before the bus stop who frantically waved to draw his attention. “You and these earphones? Hmm…Someone is calling you” she said, pointing to a gentleman briskly walking towards him. “Who is he?” Siisi asked, as he couldn’t figure out who he was. Rakhia heard the question, but ignored it, as her answer would have been a rather cheeky one.

“Sorry to bother you. I’m new in the area and I was hoping we could be friends. I’m Philipp, by the way”. “Alright, I’m Siisi, and welcome to the neighbourhood”, he answered, as they shook hands. “Sorry, I have to run. I’m running late for an appointment, so I guess I’ll see you around later”. “Sure. I live in the blue storey building down there”, Philipp answered, seemingly unconscious that he was still holding Siisi’s hand. “My hand – an integral member of my body, is also needed at the venue”, Siisi sarcastically remarked. “Oh sorry, I didn’t realize”, came Philipp’s apology. Siisi squinted, shook his head in his mind.

“Can I have your number, Siisi?” The latter thought about the request for about 2 seconds and answered in the affirmative. “Thanks…I’ll flash you now, so you can have mine as well” Philipp said when Siisi had given him the number. “OK” Siisi replied, with his back turned towards Philipp as he walked away. He turned again to cast a weird look at Philipp after about ten seconds. “What gay s#@t is that?” he rhetorically asked.

Some two hours later, Siisi saw his ‘new friend’ from a distance, walking towards the bus stop, as he also walked home from same. He placed his I-phone 6s on his left ear, pretending to answer a call. Siisi nodded when Philipp indicated he will call him in the evening, when he stood for about 10 seconds, and realized Siisi had no intention of ending the call soon. Siisi turned again to look at him when he’d left him, and shook his head in disapproval of the newly established friendship.

“Charley, you know the new guy for the area inside wey dey stay Akushika dema house?” Siisi enquired from Donald, when he found the latter sitting on the bridge at the T-junction. “Yh, he come the area inside like last week there” Donald responded. “Why, what’s up?” he asked, when he saw the expressionless face of Siisi. “Oh, nothing. I just see am for the junction top” Siisi answered. The I-phone 6s vibrated in Siisi’s left hand, and the sender of the Whatsapp message had no name – only a number – unknown to the recipient.   

                        “You are very hairy. Your chest region provides ample evidence”

Siisi hit the display picture after reading the message for the second time and saw the image of an unfamiliar lady. “Who’s this, please”? he replied. “Guess who”, another message came through. Siisi steupsed after reading it, and slid the phone into his left pocket. “Nonsense”, Siisi mentally said.

“Akushika say the guy dey love women like the way you dey love Sobolo” Donald continued. “Every day, different girl dey visit am”.  Siisi eyes widened.

The phone vibrated again. “Not confident enough to hazard a guess?”

To be continued…