The Truck Driver
THE WRITER
SAMUEL COBBY GRANT
THE TRUCK DRIVER
“Massa Koo, IGP is looking for you,” the Security Guard told him and he jerked out of his reverie and stared at the Guard, still thinking about the call he had just received from Atsupi, using an unknown number but he had cut off the call after asking her not to call him again. He cursed silently and walked into IGP’s Office.
“IGP wosop,” he greeted in his usual jovial manner.
“Cool o, please sit down. I just want to ask you a few questions concerning your trip to Ivory Coast.”
“Yeei, has something happened?”
“Chill, it’s just that the tracker in your truck indicated that you stopped at Apowa on your way back from Ivory Coast.”
“Oh, but I told you that I had a problem and I stopped there to fix it.”
“Ok” IGP leaned forward, looked hard at Koo Hima and continued, “the tracking device reads that the fuel is zero when one stops the vehicle but goes back to the original level when you start the vehicle.. but in your case, it read as you having thirty litres when it was one hundred and thirty 130 litres when you stopped at Apowa. Can you explain that?”
“O Boss, why are you doing this? Didn’t I tell you that I fixed the problem at Apowa? I used some of the fuel to breed the truck and that might have caused a shortage.”
“Do you want to tell me that you used 100 litres of diesel to breed the filters, something you could have done with less than a litre of fuel?”
“Please don’t accuse me of something I haven’t done o. I am not a thief. And I didn’t say that I used a hundred litres to breed the truck. You should check your tracker well. Maybe it malfunctioned but don’t accuse me wrongly because a machine is telling you lies.”
“Ok, hold it right there,” IGP interjected, “I am not accusing you of anything, I am just stating what the tracker indicated here. Anyway, you can go you’ll be called again when the need arises.”
Kweku Hima walked out of the office dejectedly, looking around for Abolo to brief him on what had transpired in IGP’s Office but he wasn’t able to find him.
On reaching the Main Gate, he saw Atsupi sitting at the Reception and walked angrily over to her.
“What are you doing here?”
“Awwww Koo, I came to tell you about how I was knocked down by a taxi when I was coming to see you that night.”
“Don’t lie to me, why didn’t you call me?”
“Hmmmm, I lost my phone in the process because I lost consciousness until we got to the hospital,” she said showing him her left thigh which had a large plaster on it.
He gulped air on seeing her thighs, breathed in deeply at the sight and patted her on the back.
“Don’t worry I am sorry for doubting you. It shall be well. Have you eaten?”
“No, but I’ll buy Ceres and some meat pie when I get to the Last Stop.”
Ok, take this Gh₵100.00 to sort yourself out.”
“You are an amazing person. I’ll show you sweet sugar when I get well.”
As soon as Koo saw Atsupi off he got a call from Adiza.
“Koo, mangana yaazo, there’s problem ooo.”
“What is the problem, is someone dead?”
“No, but I am pregnant and Hajia Mey Kooko has been looking at me suspiciously.”
“But how did it happen, who is responsible?”
“Your father! It’s your father who is responsible, dan bulumba. I’m going to inform my brothers about this.”
Koo quailed, visibly shaken, knowing that Adiza by saying her ‘brothers’ actually meant she was going to tell the Zongo boys about him getting her pregnant and denying paternity. He knew just what those boys could do to him.
“Okay okay, let’s meet at Okutey this evening.”
“Better. I just need money to get rid of it before I’m found out. Send me the money as soon as you hang up so I can get it done before meeting you.” Adiza hissed “but just book a room, I don’t feel like drinking anything.”
“Ok, but bring me some of the sala meat.”
“Galawey,” she screamed and hung up.
Kweku Hima was sweating all of a sudden. He was in some really hot waters.
First, it was IGP and his wahala; then it was Atsupi and her problems…and now it’s Adiza and her mangana.
“Trouble comes in threes ampa,” he mused.
As soon as he said that he received a call from his wife that she had been admitted to the hospital after collapsing at home barely ten minutes after Koo left home for work.
“But why didn’t you call me earlier?” he asked, thinking about the Gh₵100.00 he has given to Atsupi.
“I have just regained consciousness o. You won’t even ask me how I am doing and you are there trying to pick a fight.”
“Ok, I’m on my way.”
A very miserable Kweku Hima asked for permission from the Transport Manager and found himself at the private clinic which catered for the health needs of workers of 3 Brothers Company and their families.
He went to the nurses’ desk and enquired about the ward his wife was and went in.
“Me wura, I have been discharged o,” she said as soon as she saw him.
“What did they say is the problem?”
“It seems I’m pregnant.”
He screamed and fainted on the bed his wife had just gotten up from.
The Truck Driver
THE WRITER
Samuel Cobby Grant is the name, Trained in Electrical Installation (Intermediate) at Takoradi Polytechnic.
Works as a Secuirty Supervisor in a Logistics Company.
A widower with two children.
A proud resident of Takoradi.
Love reading, swimming and now writing after completing the REWA Wriitng Course by The Klever Magg.
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