ONE MONTH LATER

Kobina Ferguson’s life settled down into a calm routine which was beneficial business-wise but he wasn’t exactly a happy man. His frozen foods business was booming. He had gotten in touch with some suppliers in Germany and had been getting his supplies direct from them. He managed to acquire two 20-foot freezer containers for storing his food products.

He had even signed contracts to supply items to some of the major hotels in the Western and Central Regions.

His job with Gregg did not even start.

Gregg had encouraged him to concentrate solely on his own business and had asked him to use any of his vehicles should the need for them arose.

What really floored him was Gregg’s insistence for him to move into one of the flats in the building where he stayed. That house actually belonged to him.

“Gregg, why, why are you so good to me?” he asked, trying to seek meaning into Gregg’s reasons for the immense assistance he had been offering him.

“You don’t give up, do you?” Gregg asked and continued, “Do you remember a certain American who came to your Club and started acting crazy, stripping naked and stuff?”

“Yes, I remember him. Jim, right?”

“Yeah, Jim. Weren’t you the one who kept his valuables for him until he was well and normal enough to come for them?”

“I did what any man in my shoes would have done,” Kobina said.

“Well, may I remind you that most men wouldn’t have returned the briefcase containing the 100,000.00 cedis, a cheque for the amount of 100,000.00 US dollars, numerous credit cards, business, and documents among other items. Let me further remind you that you drove his Jeep to a safe place after rushing him to the hospital,” he paused, breathed in and out and continued.

“Let me also tell you that all those money were mine and he was bringing them to me but found himself at the Club.”

“I see, is he a friend of yours?” Kobina asked.

“He is my brother, and the recovery of those items saved my business and my life.”

“Wow,” Kobina gushed, understanding the scenario now.

“Yeah wow. So you see, you saved my ass. I have never seen such an honest man as you.”

“What else could I have done?”

Gregg stared at him.

“I used the cash to set up my business and bought the house: the house I am currently living in which has 4 furnished 2 bedroom self-contained flats. I am living in one flat. You can move into any of the remaining  flats.”

“Thank you, Gregg,” Kobina said, short of words.

So, the following weekend, Kobina, with Gregg’s Toyota Tacoma pick up, moved his belongings into an upstairs flat that had a very wonderful view of the sea from the balcony. There was a swimming pool with a large area for a party should the need arise. It had 4 garages at the West end of the compound.

Kobina, after settling in his new home, went to see Deaconess Abena Acquaye to enquire if she had made any headway with Dzifa.

“Eii, Kobina, so you left here without informing me,” she said as soon as she saw him.

“Aww, Deaconess, that’s why I am here o. I have moved to Airport Ridge.”

“Hahaha, see this small boy o, you can’t deceive me o,” she said jokingly and continued “anyway, have you seen Dzifa of late?”

“Naaa, I left everything in your capable hands.”

“Yeah, I know. Rumours have it that she went to Fiifi your friend to quarrel with him, accusing him of messing up her life.”

“Whaaaat?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, it seems she was in a relationship with him when she slept with you.”

“I see. Nyimpa ye bad o.”

He thanked her and left, with the resolve to get to the bottom of it.

He was a bit disappointed with Fiifi. He had even played with the idea of making him stay with him at his new place since he was his best friend.

” I will surely get to the bottom of this,” he intoned.

He was pondering’s over the issue when luckily for him, Dzifa called. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have picked.

“Hello,”

“Hello, ei brother Kobina, is it because of me that you have moved from the area?”

“Partly. You have been hounding me too much,” he told her to make her feel bad.

“Ohh, so what are we going to do about the pregnancy?” she asked.

“Let’s meet and talk about it.”

“Where, now?” She said, happy that she was making some headway with him.

“Let’s meet at Funko beach at 4:00 pm to talk about it.”

“OK, I’ll be there at 4:00 sharp.”

He then tried to call Aba Joan. He had been calling her almost every day but all she had been saying was that she wasn’t interested in a relationship with a man who had several ladies at his beck and call. Nothing he had been saying could sway her from her entrenched position. It was no different this time too. He was really at the end of his tether.

After making several business calls he left for his rendezvous with Dzifa.

He wore an all-white outfit. White polo shirt, white shorts and a pair of white sneakers and wore black shades that brought his handsomeness to the fore. He took a taxi to the beach to find that Dzifa was already there and was walking along the beach and occasionally jumped out of the way when the waves threatened to wash over her feet. He stood under a coconut tree watching her with amusement and a little bit of pity. She was wearing a nice dress that had flowery designs in them.

After watching her for a while, he clapped his hands loudly to draw her attention.

She saw him then and walked towards his direction with her slippers in her hands and she was having a hard time keeping the gusts of wind from billowing up her dress. Though she was a beauty, he could see a hard streak in her that clouded her beauty.

She saw that he had sat down on a chair and went to sit opposite him. He bought two malt drinks from the bar he studied her from; her shrewd hardness showing as she stared at the sea, sipping her drink.

“What!” she said playfully when she caught him staring.

“Why didn’t you tell me that it was Fiifi who made you pregnant?” he asked brusquely, catching her unawares.

She spluttered, almost choking on her drink, and looked around desperately as if for help.

“Why didn’t you ask for my help but decided to mess up my life,” he charged further.

She began to shed silent tears in reaction to his attack.

“Don’t you know that it’s a curse to deliberately give one man’s seed to another?”

“It was Fiifi who made me do it,” she said as she wept. “He said I should force you to accept the pregnancy. I love you Kobina.”

“Why then didn’t you accept me when I was entreating you to accept me back then?” he asked in anger.

“It was Fiifi o, he asked me not to  accept because he said you were a womanizer.”

“I see,” he said calmly, “And so what will happen next?”

“He said he loved me more than you loved me and forcibly had sex with me on two occasions and when I told him that I was pregnant, he convinced me to entrap you with it.”

He stared at her open-mouthed.

“I am sorry, brother Kobina. I have already told him that I am not going through with it again.”

” So what are you going to do about the baby?” he asked her.

“I will deal with it myself in my own way,” she said with sudden determination.

“I loved you but you rejected and humiliated me in a most horrible manner. Now because of your scheme, I have lost someone’s love. Someone I love dearly.”

“I am sorry, please forgive me,” she said as fresh tears began to trickle along her cheeks.

“I have forgiven you but I am sad that Fiifi my friend can do this to me,”

” He isn’t a good friend. He has always talked about you with animosity.”

“Come, bring your drink. Let me show you something.”

He took her for a walk along the beach and watched the swimming crowd for a while till she calmed down but was shivering from the sea breeze that had become cold from the setting of the sun. He then led her away to the junction to pick a taxi to town.

He had decided not to confront Fiifi his friend for now. He was going to distance himself from him because he felt that he wasn’t trustworthy and that being friends with him could spell disaster for him.