From Pasta to Pigfoot (36 page)

17

Cultural Pains

‘Oh no, it's raining!' Faye wailed in dismay at the fat drops of water splashing against the windows of her bedroom. True to his word, Rocky was taking the day off to take them to Cape Coast and now the weather looked set to put their plans in jeopardy.

A loud knock at the door was followed by Amma's entrance into the room. Still in her nightshirt, she looked thoroughly disgusted as she marched in.

‘Just look at that rain,' she said crossly. ‘I was really looking forward to going out of town today – I've hardly had any time with Edwin over the last few days!'

Faye tactfully refrained from pointing out that Edwin had been over to Labone for at least three hours every day since her return from Ntriso two days earlier. With his flight to America scheduled for that weekend, he was making every effort to spend as much time with Amma as he could.

‘Well, why don't we get dressed and see if the weather
improves,' Faye said, trying to sound practical. She had really been looking forward to spending the day with Rocky and to their planned visit to the old castles in Cape Coast. Painfully aware that she had only a week left in Ghana, she could relate only too well to Amma's frustration.

With another heavy sigh, Amma stomped out of the room, leaving Faye staring out gloomily at the weather.

It looks just like London out there, she thought moodily before taking her own advice and heading for the bathroom. Ten minutes later, feeling fresh from a bracing shower, she was back to pressing her nose against the glass panes.

The rain had subsided considerably although it was still drizzling lightly. Feeling a bit cheerier, she rummaged through the chest of drawers for something to wear. Settling on a pair of black jeans and a pink Mickey Mouse T-shirt, which always managed to make her bust look a bit bigger, she dressed quickly and slipped on a pair of black canvas shoes. She brushed her hair vigorously and spent a few minutes carefully applying some make-up. After a final check in the mirror, she left her room and walked down the corridor to tap on Amma's door.

A muffled shriek was the only response and she pushed the door open in alarm to find Amma and her braids tangled in a long dress she had been trying to pull over her head. Stifling her laughter, Faye walked over and after much pulling and tugging, managed to get the straight shift down over the girl's curvy hips. Breathing heavily from her exertions, Amma adjusted the dress and tied her braids back firmly with a bright red scarf.

‘I'm going to call Edwin to see if he's on his way,' she said breathlessly, spraying two quick bursts of perfume on her wrists. Faye followed her downstairs and headed straight for the kitchen, leaving Amma to make her phone call in the living room. Martha, who had her back to the kitchen door, was singing one of her favourite church hymns so loudly she didn't hear the door open. Turning around to pick up a dishcloth she jumped, exclaiming in shock as she clutched her ample bosom.

‘Good morning, Miss Faye! I didn't hear you coming in.' She took two deep breaths before continuing. ‘Can I serve you some coffee?'

Faye nodded and waited while the housekeeper filled a large mug with the fresh brew. Taking the cup, Faye added a splash of milk from the milk jug in the fridge and had a sip.

‘This tastes wonderful, Martha,' she said happily. ‘Where is everyone?' she asked artlessly. Martha looked sceptical, not fooled for one moment by the apparently casual question.

‘Master Rocky is in the dining room with his mother,' she replied dryly, turning back to her washing up and hiding a grin.

Faye stared doubtfully at the older woman's back, then turned and headed to the dining room.

‘Good morning, Faye,' Auntie Amelia said warmly as she walked in. ‘I was just telling Rocky that you people should set off soon so you have enough time to see all the sights at Cape Coast.'

‘The rain has stopped now so we can leave as soon as
Edwin gets here,' Rocky said lazily. He leaned back in his chair, his eyes on Faye. She smiled at him, feeling the now familiar wave of excitement coursing through her. Rocky looked relaxed in a stone-coloured denim shirt with the sleeves partially rolled up to reveal his strong forearms.

Taking a seat next to his mother, Faye sipped slowly on her coffee and tried her best not to look at him. Rocky, on the other hand, made no effort to look away, keeping his eyes on her expressive features all the while.

Amma came in, clutching her phone.

‘Good morning, Mama; hi Rocky,' she said absently, sitting down in the chair next to her brother. ‘Edwin should be here in a few minutes.' She paused for a moment, and then went on. ‘I can't believe he's leaving in only three days!'

Auntie Amelia stirred in alarm and stood up to leave before her daughter started on the same theme she had been forced to listen to every day since the now famous marriage proposal.

‘I'll be in the kitchen with Martha,' she said hastily as she snatched her empty teacup from the table. ‘Let me know when you are leaving.' With that, she swept out of the room, leaving Amma staring after her in surprise.

Trying not to laugh, Faye took refuge in her coffee mug while Rocky rubbed his chin slowly, amused at his mother's less than subtle flight and Amma's clearly perplexed face. The sound of the gate opening distracted her attention and she rushed off to open the front door.

As soon as Amma had left the room, Faye couldn't contain herself any longer and burst into laughter.

‘Poor Auntie Amelia,' she choked. ‘Did you see the
hunted expression on her face when Amma mentioned Edwin?'

Rocky laughed. ‘You can't blame her – she must have heard his name about a thousand times in the last week. It's enough to drive anyone crazy!'

‘Who's crazy?' Amma demanded as she walked back into the room, dragging a damp-looking Edwin behind her.

‘You are,' Rocky answered coolly before turning to shake hands with his future brother-in-law. ‘Is it still raining out there?' he asked, taking in the drops of moisture clinging to Edwin's short hair.

Edwin gave Faye a hug and shrugged carelessly. ‘It's not too bad now. It will probably stop soon, so we can get started if you are all ready.' He looked enquiringly at them and Faye immediately jumped to her feet.

‘I'll just get my bag. I'll be down in a minute,' she said. Amma followed her up the stairs and ten minutes later, they were in Rocky's luxurious car driving down the dual carriageway out of Labone.

Amma and Edwin had dived straight into the back seat, leaving Faye quite happy to be in front with Rocky. It had stopped raining and a cool breeze wafted through the half-open car windows. Faye sat back and listened to the soulful songs on the radio.

‘Rocky, can you change the station to something more lively,' Edwin piped up from the back. ‘That music will put you to sleep.'

‘You're so unromantic!' Amma grumbled. ‘Listen to the words of the song – they're a lot better than that awful hip hop stuff you keep forcing me to listen to.'

‘You said you
liked
rap!' Edwin protested. ‘You even came with me to the Nas concert last year, remember?'

‘How quickly they forget. You'd better get used to it, man,' Rocky chuckled. ‘That's what happens when you mention the word
marriage
, my brother.'

Incensed at Rocky's attitude, Faye sniffed in disgust and turned in her seat to gaze stonily at the passing scenery.

‘Oh wow!' She sat upright, completely forgetting her irritation at Rocky, and pointed. ‘What is
that
?'

To their right, rising majestically out of the green bush and scrubland was a huge hill dotted with large, white-roofed houses.

‘It's beautiful isn't it?' Amma sighed. ‘That's McCarthy Hill. One of my friends lives up there and the view from her house is breathtaking.'

Edwin looked sceptical. ‘It's beautiful if you're not worried about earthquakes. That hill is right in the centre of earthquake country. It's like the San Andreas fault of Ghana.'

Faye bit her lip to stop the giggle threatening to erupt as Rocky glanced at her and rolled his eyes upwards in exasperation. Between Amma who only talked about Edwin, and Edwin who only talked about America, he was beginning to question the wisdom of his invitation.

They drove along a dual carriageway that eventually gave way to a single-lane main road. Rocky navigated its uneven surface carefully, slowing down from time to time to avoid potholes. Faye watched the passing scenery in fascination. Clusters of tall green trees interrupted a series of industrial buildings, warehouses, shacks and
tiling factories, their coloured tiles prominently displayed by the roadside. Straggly coconut and palm trees hung desolately, struggling to survive in the face of the industrial encroachment onto their land.

Rocky slowed the car down and they stopped just before a road barrier manned by a couple of bored looking policemen, one of whom was carrying a rifle.

‘What's going on?' Faye whispered in apprehension, her eyes fixed on the weapon slung casually over the policeman's shoulder.

Rocky gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Don't worry, it's just a checkpoint barrier – it's supposed to be for surveillance against smugglers.'

‘That
wouldn't deter any decent smuggler.' Faye looked incredulous as she took in the makeshift barrier, which consisted of a rusty gate attached to a concrete pillar.

‘It's unmanned half the time anyway,' Edwin scoffed. ‘If we had passed here earlier when it was raining, you wouldn't have seen a soul.'

Saluting the policeman who waved him on, Rocky pressed down on the accelerator and the car shot forward again. The road was still wet and puddles had formed in the potholes dotted haphazardly along their route.

‘We'll be in Kasoa soon, Faye,' Amma piped up from the rear. ‘I tutored some secondary school students in ICT there a couple of years ago.'

They drove into Kasoa, where both sides of the road suddenly turned into an impromptu market. Faye craned her neck to see the wares being displayed by cheerful stall keepers, literally within arms reach of the car.

Now this looks more like I imagined a market to be than the one I went to with Martha
, she thought,
and much closer to the picture on my bedroom wall
.

Rocky honked in warning as two boys rolling a tyre along the road with a stick almost ran into the path of the car. He drove slowly until they had passed through the densely populated market area.

‘Kasoa is a very important trade centre for the farmers in this region,' Amma explained to Faye. ‘They do everything here from selling their foodstuffs at the market to buying their spare parts. They even do their banking here – Rocky's bank has a branch in the centre of town.'

‘They also do their praying here,' Rocky added with a grin, pointing out several signboards bearing the names of different churches.

Faye read the names out loud. ‘
Church of God
,
Divine Believers' Society
,
Holy Divinity Worshippers
… Who thinks up these names?'

Amma announced that she was thirsty and Rocky pulled into a petrol station, parking in front of the small supermarket on the forecourt. Edwin and Amma went in and returned a few minutes later armed with bottles of cold water and a large bag of popcorn. Ignoring Rocky's exasperated expression when he saw the popcorn that was about to enter his precious car, Amma slid into the back seat and cuddled up to Edwin as they resumed their journey.

They drove out of Kasoa and for several miles the scenery was once again green forests and bush. The music was lively and Faye and Amma sang along tunelessly to the radio, taking no notice of the pleas from the men
to stop. Amma passed the bag of popcorn to Faye who munched happily on the sweet buttery snack, giggling as she succeeded in cramming a few handfuls into Rocky's protesting mouth.

Taking a quick swallow from the bottle of water Faye held out to him, he drove fast past coconut trees and palm trees with their branches spread out against the sky. The road curved through bushes, shrubs and thick green vegetation. Occasionally they would pass small groups of men and women trudging along from their farms or sitting behind vegetable stalls set up alongside the busy road.

‘Most of the people in these parts are farmers,' Rocky said, nodding in the direction of a woman who was busy replenishing a large basket on her stall. ‘They grow pineapples and a wide variety of vegetables. They sell them along the road and in the major markets like Kasoa, Accra and other parts of the region.'

‘Oh, look, that signboard said we are 83 kilometres away from Cape Coast!' Faye pointed at the board as they sped past.

‘We'll go through Winneba first, and then it's not too far to Cape Coast,' Rocky said, smiling at her enthusiasm. He swerved to avoid a burnt out vehicle; the remains of the destroyed car had been stripped by scavengers of any spare parts that could be sold.

Faye shivered. ‘It reminds me of what Auntie Akosua said about car accidents being one of the main causes of death in the country. Why can't people just drive more carefully?'

Faye stared out of the window, marvelling at the African
landscape. Tall eucalyptus trees rose out of the seemingly endless miles of bush. Towering pylons carrying cords of power across the countryside to the urban areas hovered over the clusters of small hamlets and villages like an army of angry housewives, their giant arms crooked onto metallic hips.

Ironically, many of the communities nestling in the embrace of these iron arms were yet to receive their share of the national grid's largesse and coal pots and kerosene lamps were the chief sources of power and light for many of them.

The eucalyptus trees gave way to coconut trees clustered together in groves and Faye leant across Rocky, trying to see the horizon.