woes of koosam 9
WOES OF KOOSAM
EPISODE 9
by Samuel Cobby Grant
Unfortunately, the orientation at the Mines was over and Kobina Sam had no choice but to leave to start with his official duties. He was such a hard-working person that he was presented with a lot of gifts. From farm produce, including a goat and fowl to items like watches, phones and some electronic gadgets mostly from the expatriate staff. His good-naturedness, his astute character and his love for the job endeared him to his colleagues and to those he came into contact with.
The Mine Supervisor, a hot-headed Australian known as ‘Kwesi’ Gregg had even tried to pull some strings to get him to stay at Tarkwa but Amankwaa Mireku got wind of it and refused to allow it to happen.
“As long as I am the Mine’s Supervisor, I’ll eventually have you here sooner or later,” he had said and presented him with a digital wristwatch. He also arranged for a Toyota Prado to take him and his beautiful girlfriend to Takoradi.
They arrived in Takoradi in the wee hours of the day. He had the driver first pass by Abena’s house, where he left the goat and the fowl. They shared a long kiss as the driver sat in the car waiting for them to get done so he could send him home too. They reluctantly parted and he left.
He soon got home, and into chaos.
The whole house was lighted up which he thought was strange considering how early a time it was, with four armed military personnel guarding the house.
The one in front of the house confronted him and when it was established that he lived in the Boy’s Quarters and that his name was Kobina Sam, was escorted, roughly to a standby military vehicle and was sent to the Airforce Base Guardroom for questioning.
It was quite a scary situation for him. After being with the soldiers for a couple of hours answering questions after questions to the best of his abilities, he got the picture of what it was all about.
He garnered that someone who seemed to be Kofi’s father had attempted to murder him but he had no idea whatsoever why he should do that. For a man whose son he was trying to help get better academically to have a reason to kill him was way beyond him, he thought.
Rumours, propounded by Uncle George were rife in the area that he had been sleeping with the man’s wife every day, hence the man’s action.
He was sent back home only to be interrogated by no less a person than Captain Omar himself and he stuck to his story that he only knew the man because he tutored his son.
A call came through from the Military Hospital that Mr Eshun had regained consciousness and was being questioned.
Captain Omar realized that Kobina was exhausted, both from the questioning and the trip so he asked him to go and rest for later when he might be needed.
Abena had let no time go before she called him just to chit chat. She was separated from him for just an hour and she was already missing him. The phone rang and rang but there was no response. She at first attributed it to the fact that he could be asleep. She slept too, promising herself that she was going to call him later. She woke up some hours later and called him again, she being someone who didn’t like sleeping during the day.
She called him on phone again and it went unanswered.
“What at all is going on?” she said with a feeling of trepidation.
She went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of Milo.
Morosely, she went through her chores with a heavy heart. He had never in the short time he had known him ever refused to pick up her calls.
“Is it because I didn’t give him sex?” she said to no one in particular.
Esi her sister, who had by then woken up too had wanted to tease her a bit as had been their usual style but the sad and confused expression on her face got her to back off.
“It’s Kobina o. He’s not picking up my calls,” she told her elder sister when she asked to know what the problem was.
“Look at this small girl trying to play Maame ne Paapa,” Esi said, making fun of her.
She comforted her and made her understand that there could be a simple explanation to the puzzle. She somewhat calmed down but wasn’t altogether convinced that it was nothing serious so after having a refreshing bath, she left for his end despite her sister’s attempts to dissuade her from doing so.
Meanwhile, Kobina had fallen into an uneasy sleep and managed to catch a couple of hours sleep until he was rudely awoken by Uncle George that he was needed in the main house.
Even as he made his way to the house, the older man walked closely behind him as if he was under arrest.
He went in as Uncle George stood guard just outside the door as if he wanted to prevent a criminal from escaping justice. Of which he was prepared to prevent with his very on life.
“Kobina, I am very disappointed in you. I have spoken to the man and he says you are sleeping with his wife,” Captain Omar said.
Kobina gasped as he gaped at the Officer. He was utterly floored, flabbergasted. He was shocked, to say the least.
The Captain, an astute man who could read people like a book noticed all that.
“Oh no, Sir,” Kobina said in protest” I would never do such a thing, sir. She tried many times to get me to sleep with her but I didn’t allow her,” he explained in a quavering voice. He had wanted to add that he had only touched her buttocks once but he knew that that was going to spoil the case.
“Why then would her husband be sure enough to attempt to kill you?” the officer asked, his voice showing his exasperation.
“I really have no idea, sir” he replied, feeling inadequate.
Abena made her appearance and Uncle George who had been listening in on the two men swiftly informed the Captain of her presence intending to prove to the Captain that he really was a womanizer.
“Who are you looking for, young lady” she was asked by the Captain in a gentle voice.
“I came to visit Kobina. To check up on him when he didn’t pick up my calls,” she said and knew at once that something wasn’t right.
“I see. Kobina, do you know her and what is she to you?”
“This is Abena” Kobina simply said, bravely feeling that what Abena was to him wasn’t the Captain’s business.
Despite the tense situation she had come to meet, she almost blurted out the ‘untouched and untapped’ mantra but stopped herself just in time.
“I said what is she to you?” the Captain asked impatiently.
“We are going to get married,” Abena said quickly to prevent herself from saying something inappropriate.
“Yes, she’s my future wife,” he said when the Captain glanced sharply at him after frowning at Abena.
“You can go now. I will have to come to a decision on whether you should continue living here,” he said and turned away, giving them no choice but to find their way out.
It was a messy and sordid affair. Auntie Ama hadn’t known what her husband was up to when he left home that night. She only got worried when he didn’t return. She really spent an uneasy night and had a strange feeling that something bad was about to happen. She was sure of it, especially when the day broke and he hadn’t returned.
Nevertheless, she went about her daily chores, until she got a phone call from a certain sergeant who informed her that her husband was on admission at the military hospital.
She quickly left what she was doing and went to the hospital. But she was first taken to the guardroom and interrogated extensively. She answered the questions to the best of her knowledge. That was how she got an inkling of the unfortunate affair.
“How had he known about my interest in Kobina?” she wondered as she went to his bedside.
Finally, Kobina commenced his duties at the Shipping Department of Sika Kokoo Mines as the Purchasing Officer.
He had a driver assigned to him who took him to and from work. The same driver Godwin, drove him to wherever his duties took him. He gave Godwin the respect due to an elderly man and Godwin also respected him as his Boss.
He loved his job and it soon became apparent to everyone. He was humble and respectful and
Amankwaa Mireku smiled at the good fortune that made it possible for him to cross paths with him. He didn’t regret the confidence he had placed in the chap. He even did things way beyond his job description.
He was resourceful. He always managed to come up with smart and practical ways to counter problems that arose in any of the Department’s activities.
“How can one person be this good?” he said to himself with wonder, “He’s productive, efficient, diligent, conscientious, dynamic and honest to boot,” he thought.
“I am afraid it would not be long before the powers that be take him away from me. Already, Gregg is doing it.”
The subject of Amankwaa Mireku’s musings was at that material moment in his air-conditioned office perusing through a file of suppliers and vendors.
He had submitted a brief on how only suppliers of reputable sources should be maintained. He also wanted to be given the go-ahead to negotiate new terms with agents as he had seen that some of the deals were captured solely to siphon large amounts of cash from the coffers of the company.
He had even found an ingenious way to track ordered items, and their Expected Times of Arrival (ETA).
More than once, he stayed behind to formulate Plans of Action.
Even the delivery times for ordered items were considerably shortened, making the units that needed those items feel less pressured.
After a couple of months of frantic and tedious arrangements, the new Purchasing Modules were put in place and things reverted to normalcy and he found himself having lesser and lesser work on his hands.
Abena gave him the needed balance that made him feel relaxed and contented.
Even up to now, she hadn’t visited him yet as she didn’t want to distract him from his work. She felt office hours were supposed to be devoted to office work so she let him be and didn’t want to invade his official space.
An exception was made one day when he was feeling a bit down with nothing much to do at the office.
“Hi, how is the day going?” she said when he called.
“OK. Just bored,” he said.
“Awwww, come to Mama for some TLC,” she said, feeling lonely as well.
“You come to Daddy for Daddy’s love,” he replied, with a special surprise tour on a ship in mind.
“I am coming right away, Daddy,” she said and jumped onto her feet in excitement.
“Godwin will pick you up in thirty minutes,” he stated and quickly cleared his table in anticipation of her arrival.
Auntie Ama had gotten the whole picture of why her husband had done what he did. It seemed that she had called out Kobina’s name unknowingly as they made love.
She had explained to him, with tears that she had never cheated on him with the lad before. She said it was an unconscious thing and that he was the only one for her. She swore to the High Heavens and he believed her.
“Me wura, I swear on my mother’s grave, I will never think of doing such a thing to you,” she said as she shed copious amounts of tears.
He understood and apologised. She forgave and embraced him regardless of the presence of the military policeman guarding him.
It was now left to the courts to determine the case and that was going to happen as soon as the doctor gave the all-clear that he was strong enough to stand trial.
Despite all the brouhaha, Auntie Ama still reeled under the intense heat of the infatuation she felt for Koosam. She found out, quite by accident that he worked at the Harbour Business Area.
Kobina Sam was making a last-minute entry into the PC when a knock sounded on the door. He smiled and asked the person to enter.
The smile left his face instantly when he saw the visitor. His expression changed to one of apprehension, and then to anger.
“Why are you frowning? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Auntie Ama said as she walked slowly and seductively towards him.
He quickly got up from the seat and nervously looked from left to right as if he was looking for a way of escape. He found no route of escape and none was offered.
She looked at the spacious air-conditioned office and was impressed. She saw him on his feet waiting for her and she automatically felt herself getting wet. Her breath hissed out and looked into his eyes as she went to him.
“Relax, I am not going to swallow you up,” she said even as she put her hand on his chest, noting how quickly his heart was beating.
“But… but what are you doing here?” he asked, wishing for some sort of divine intervention.
“I am sorry for what my husband did. He’s going to pay dearly for it,” she said and inched uncomfortably closer.
Kobina was desperate. The Biblical quotation ‘Where cometh my help, my help cometh from the Lord’ came to mind. But there was no help.
He angrily pushed her back from him and sidestepped her intending to open the door for her.
She caught his hand before he took the second step and tried to kiss him. He swerved from her and she threw herself into his arms desperately forcing a kiss.
“Oh God, why didn’t I call security as soon as she came,” he mused and pushed her away, more forceful this time.
She got hold of his shirt to stabilize herself and three buttons came off. He stared at her in dismay and that gave her the opportunity to throw her arms around his neck and rubbed her crotch against his.
“Koosam the darling boy, please don’t reject me. Let’s make sweet music once and for all,” she said, her eyes dilated with passion.
Just then Abena Tawiah entered, a radiant smile on her beautiful face.
The smile was abruptly wiped off her face as her eyes picked out the compromising scene in front of her.
A distressed heart-wrenching cry escaped from her and she fled, both of her palms clamped on her mouth.
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