From Pasta to Pigfoot (38 page)

The guide moved through to a side room and again waited for the group to enter. ‘This room was reserved for the slaves who resisted their masters. They were chained to the walls here or sent to the cells where, with no light and no air as the airtight doors ensured, they died a slow and painful death in the hot overcrowded dark rooms. When they died, they were buried together or thrown unceremoniously into the sea.'

He paused for a long moment while the group looked around the warm, dark room, a faint dripping of water
on the stone walls the only sound to be heard. After a moment, he gestured to them to follow him and led them back up into the open courtyard. Faye, her hand still in Rocky's, was silent as they followed the other tourists past the rusted black cannon balls placed around the paved courtyard. They came to a halt outside the Female Slaves Dungeon, edging past the underground water tank that the guide explained used to be filled with captured rainwater and used for cooking and washing.

They walked into the women's dungeons and looked expectantly at the guide. He cleared his throat and gestured broadly around the confined quarters.

‘These dungeons held three hundred women slaves.' His voice echoed loudly in the chamber. ‘Although the women slaves were not as valuable as the men for manual labour, they served more than one purpose for the slave masters.' He paused meaningfully for them to understand what he was inferring and then continued. ‘Evidence of this can be seen from the number of
mulattos
– mixed race children – in the area at the time.'

He walked out of the chamber into the courtyard and raised his voice dramatically, a note of emotion creeping into his narration for the first time. He pointed to a huge wooden door further down the paved walkway.

‘When the time came, the men would take their final walk down the tunnels and join their wives and sisters here.' He moved forward until they stood directly in front of the door marked with a small plaque.

‘Ladies and gentlemen...' He paused momentarily before continuing. ‘They would then walk through this
door, the “Door of No Return”, leaving behind the land of their birth, their families, their parents and their children.' He paused for a moment and continued softly while the group strained forward to catch his words.

‘Shackled to each other, they would walk down the cobbled walkway behind the Door and down a flight of stone steps into the ships waiting on the waters to receive them as cheap labour in the rice and cotton plantations of the slave masters.'

After another period of silence during which the tour guide bowed his head, he looked up with a sombre expression on his face and informed them that the tour was finished. Slightly dazed, the group broke up slowly, its members drifting off to inspect other parts of the Castle.

Faye broke the silence first. ‘It's so incredibly hard to believe, even after hearing everything and seeing those shackles upstairs in the museum, that this all happened,' she said soberly. ‘The thought that people were sold as though they were rice or coffee or flour is horrific.'

Amma, who had been uncharacteristically silent throughout the tour, nodded in agreement. ‘Rocky's right, these castles should be preserved. You know, they are actual proof that it
did
happen, that slavery was real.' She looked so upset that Edwin put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

‘I don't know about you guys but I think we've seen enough here.' He turned to Rocky. ‘Why don't we drive out to Elmina now? We can take a look around the castle and then get some lunch.'

Cheering up at the mention of food, the girls led the way out of the castle grounds. There were few signs left of
the rain that had fallen earlier in the day and the sun, now blazing high in the sky, warmed their chilled bones as they strolled back to the car. Rocky drove out of the winding streets and onto a major road running parallel with the beach and adorned with signboards advertising resorts and hotel complexes.

A short time later, they arrived at Elmina and were soon driving along a busy market road. They drove past boat builders hammering together their latest creations, past old salt-beaten houses and groves of coconut trees swaying in the marshy wetlands. Leaving a narrow road sandwiched between market stalls, they saw Elmina Castle sitting perched on a low hill.

Rocky parked the car, ignoring the plaintive begging for coins by some young boys hanging around the parking area. He took Faye's hand and led the way across a drawbridge with huge rusted hinges, into the castle. Having already agreed in the car to take a quick look around and then go on to lunch, they avoided the guided tour that was about to start, choosing instead to take a walk around the ancient fort.

They were immediately struck by its similarity to Cape Coast Castle, although the courtyard here was much smaller. A visit to the exhibition room revealed that the Portuguese had built the Sao Jorge Fort–Castle at Elmina in 1482.

Unwilling to revisit the overpowering emotions they had experienced at Cape Coast Castle, they contented themselves with a peek into the slave dungeons before climbing upstairs to explore the bedchamber and living
quarters of the Governor.

Amma's stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the tension that gripped them as they walked through the room that had once been occupied by the colonial master.

‘Okay, we get the message.' Edwin smiled and gave her a quick hug. ‘Let's go.' Relieved to be able to do what their ancestors never could, the four of them made their escape and headed back to the car.

After a brief stop for lunch at a small hotel, they set off back to Accra in high spirits. The journey back took less time as Rocky concentrated on getting them back to town before the traffic started to build up in the late afternoon. Within two hours, they were back in the heart of Accra and heading towards Labone.

Amma and Edwin, after a hasty whispered conversation in the back, asked Rocky to drop them off in Osu.

‘I'll see you back at home later, Faye,' Amma said as she slid out of the car. ‘Thanks for taking us along, Rocky. Now we'll leave you two in peace.' With a wicked smile, she reached out for Edwin's hand and dragged him off down Oxford Street.

With the engine still purring, Rocky turned to Faye, an eyebrow raised enquiringly. ‘Well, it's only five o'clock,' he said mildly. ‘Do you want to go back home or shall we go somewhere for a drink?'

Faye smiled, more than happy at the thought of prolonging the time they had together. ‘A drink sounds like a great idea.'

Pulling back onto the main road, Rocky drove down Oxford Street and turned into a narrow side street.

‘There's a quiet pub at the end of the road where they serve some incredible grilled kebabs, if you feel like something to eat'. He drove slowly, careful to avoid a large open hole in the road, and parked in the forecourt of a large walled off house.

He came round to open her door before locking the car and leading her through a pair of dark-brown gates. A number of tables had been set up in the courtyard outside the pub and potted palms and miniature lamps between the tables allowed its patrons a degree of privacy.

They spied a table and Rocky beckoned to a waiter to take their order. A few minutes later, Faye took a long sip of chilled white wine and leant back in her seat.

‘Mmmm, this is delicious!' She sighed happily. ‘Thanks so much for today, Rocky,' she looked straight into his warm caramel-coloured eyes.

'It was my pleasure,' he answered. He put down his glass of beer and reached for her hand. He gently stroked her thumb with his finger and smiled.

‘I'm glad we finally got to spend some time together,' he said softly. ‘Even if it meant we had to have my little sister and her boyfriend along for the ride.'

Faye laughed. ‘Come on, you must admit that they were very well-behaved. In any case, you have to be nice to Amma – she's going to miss Edwin terribly when he leaves this weekend.'

Rocky looked at her quizzically. ‘And I'm going to miss
you
terribly when you leave next week.'

Lost for words, Faye took a hasty sip of her wine and looked around the bar, her mind in a whirl of confusion.

‘Faye?' His voice was insistent as he tugged gently on her hand. She turned back to look at him, horrified to realise that she was close to tears.

‘I know,' she whispered, her churning emotions clearly visible on her expressive face. ‘I'm going to miss you, too.'

‘Rocky!' Engrossed in each other, they both jumped as the shout came from the bar area across the courtyard. Rocky looked up sharply and groaned in exasperation.

‘Damn it!' he muttered, sitting up straight as Nii strolled over to their table, his arm around a plump young girl who looked like she was barely out of school.

Rocky glared at the other man, who merely stroked his goatee as he took in the scene at their table.

‘Hey man, what's up?' He was obviously in a jovial mood and when it became clear that Rocky had no intention of responding, he turned to Faye.

‘It's Fiona, isn't it?' He bared his white teeth in a wolfish grin.

‘Actually, it's Faye.' Unable to resist it, her gaze moved to the young girl, who simpered at them both and nestled into the arm cradling her.

‘This is Gloria,' Nii said blithely, nudging the girl forward. ‘She's a very good friend of mine, aren't you sweetheart?' He laughed loudly as she giggled in appreciation.

‘Nice to meet you, Gloria,' Faye said quickly, looking apprehensively at Rocky, who continued to glare coldly and silently at Nii. Finally taking the hint, the other man gave a slight shrug and turned to the young girl.

‘Hey, Gloria, I think we're interrupting a
tête-à-tête
. Let's leave these lovebirds alone, eh?' With a brief wave and
salute, he propelled her away to the other side of the bar.

Rocky shook his head in resignation and took a long swallow from his glass.

‘I don't know how Serwah puts up with that man. She really doesn't deserve the kind of humiliation he puts her through.'

Faye remained silent for a few moments, sipping her wine thoughtfully. ‘Why does she stay with him?' she asked curiously. ‘He certainly doesn't appear to be particularly discreet – that's the second girl I've seen him with in less than a week!'

Rocky shrugged helplessly, clearly at a loss to explain his cousin's tolerance. ‘All I know is that if you can't be faithful to someone, there's no point in staying together,' he said flatly.

Faye looked at him, wondering if she dared to ask the question that had been preying on her mind ever since Amma's revelations about Rocky's time in America. Before she could reconsider her decision, she took a deep breath and blurted out the words. ‘Rocky, what happened with Celine?'

For an instant he froze, his glass lifted halfway to his lips. Carefully putting the glass back down on the wooden tabletop, he looked at her, his face expressionless.

‘Who told you about Celine?' he asked. Before she could speak, he cut in. ‘Amma, obviously.'

He took a sip of his drink and stared hard at the table for a minute. Looking up, the warmth had left his eyes and he stared ahead blankly. ‘Celine is history and there's nothing to discuss.' Swallowing the last of his beer, he shrugged.
‘All she taught me was that the only thing you can count on is working hard and making a success of yourself.'

Before Faye could say another word, he called the waiter over and dropped a pile of notes on the table in payment for their drinks. Completely unprepared for the abrupt change in him that her question had brought about, she stood up reluctantly, digging her fingernails into her hand to stop the threatening tears.

As she followed him back to the car, Auntie Akosua's description of her son sounded clearly in her head.
He is so obsessed with his career, he won't give any woman a chance
.

18

Arts and Culture

‘Faye, are you ready?' Amma's breathless tones floated through the closed bedroom door, rousing Faye from her brooding. Sitting up on her bed where she had flopped after a tiring afternoon of sightseeing, she called back loudly.

‘Almost. Just give me five minutes,' she added optimistically. She hastened into the shower and ten minutes later, having hastily donned her favourite black trousers and a cool sleeveless linen shirt, she ran a comb through her hair and rushed downstairs to where an impatient Amma was quite literally pacing the floor.

‘Oh good, you're ready,' she said with relief. ‘Edwin's flight is at nine o'clock and he's got to check in by six-thirty.'

She scrabbled in her handbag and retrieved her car keys before hastening across to the living room where her parents were watching TV.

‘Mama, we're off to the airport now,' she said, her long braids swinging as she put her head around the door. Blowing a kiss at her parents, she scooted out of the
hallway and into the car, Faye following close behind.

Taking another anxious look at her watch, Amma gunned the car into action and almost knocked down Togo, giving him barely enough time to open the gate before she shot through.

‘Erm, Amma, you need to calm down.' Faye said hesitantly, casting a nervous glance at her friend. Amma was hunched over the wheel; her eyes stared intently forward in fierce concentration and she drove as though she was in competition with the crazy taxi drivers. She glanced across at Faye and burst into laughter at the look of apprehension on her face.

‘I'm sorry,' she said. She slowed the car down and sat back trying to relax. ‘It's just that I want to make sure we don't miss Edwin at the airport.'

Her smile faded and her face clouded over. ‘I can't believe I'm not going to see him again for a whole year,' she said, sounding so disconsolate that Faye's heart ached for her. She tooted half-heartedly at a bus driver who looked set to leap into the road in front of her.

Faye nodded in sympathy. ‘I know, but it will give you a chance to sort out a job for yourself and take the project management course you've been talking about without Edwin to distract you. Besides, you're going to need the time to plan your engagement ceremony – hopefully, even Mrs Ofori can manage to get your outfit ready in a year!'

Amma smiled as she took the turning towards the airport. ‘You're right, as usual. When you put it like that, it's not so very long until next December to plan the engagement. I'll have to choose the fabrics I'd like his
family to present to mine, find a ring I like, and everything.' Despite herself, a note of excitement crept into her voice.

Still smiling, she drove into the airport car park and slid neatly into a parking space. It was now almost quarter past six and they rushed round to the check-in area, pushing their way through groups of people congregating around departing travellers, and craning their necks in search of Edwin. The line of people waiting to check in for the flight to New York was now quite short and a quick scan of the queue confirmed that he was not among them.

Just then, Amma squealed and Faye turned to see Edwin with one arm wrapped around his fiancée and a small holdall in the other. He greeted Faye with a smile.

‘I've finished checking in,' he said, his eyes back on Amma. ‘You just missed my parents – they dropped me off earlier.'

Amma nodded and brushed the lapel of his dark jacket, then linked her arm through his.

‘Are you sure you've packed everything?' She looked up at him, her expression solicitous, and Faye bit her lip, trying not to smile at her wifely tone.

Edwin smiled affectionately down at her. ‘Everything, except for you,' he said quietly.

‘Okay, you two, break it up and give me a chance to say goodbye,' said a deep voice from behind Faye.

‘Hey, Rocky!' Edwin looked up and a broad smile crossed his face. Her heart thumping, Faye turned slowly to see Rocky standing directly behind her, his hand outstretched towards Edwin.

The two men shook hands vigorously and hugged
briefly before Rocky stepped back to stand beside Faye. ‘Have a good trip.' He said. He paused while a muffled announcement reverberated around the terminal. ‘You'd better make a move to the departure lounge,' he added.

Amma's hold tightened on Edwin's arm and her determined smile wobbled. Rocky put an arm lightly around Faye's shoulders. ‘We'll leave you two alone to say your goodbyes,' he said.

Faye moved forward to hug Edwin. ‘Have a safe journey,' she said softly, and kissed him on the cheek in the Ghanaian fashion that now came to her so naturally.

‘Make sure you come back to Ghana for our engagement ceremony next Christmas,' Edwin warned.

‘I wouldn't miss it for the world,' Faye said. With a final wave, she turned and followed Rocky.

Once outside, they stood to one side of the entrance where they would be able to see Amma when she came out. Neither of them spoke and Faye kept her attention firmly focused on the people streaming in and out of the airport.

‘Are you still upset with me?' Rocky asked softly, looking straight ahead. For a moment Faye was tempted to pretend otherwise. But three days of fretting over his abrupt change in attitude could not be so easily glossed over and she nodded slowly.

‘Yes, I am,' she said, her voice hesitant. ‘I don't understand why you reacted the way you did. It really hurt my feelings.'

Rocky sighed and rubbed his head wearily. After a long pause, he turned to face her.

‘Look, Faye, I'm sorry I was so abrupt,' he said, his voice level. She noticed tiny lines of tiredness around his eyes. ‘I'm just not very rational when it comes to the subject of Celine.'

She started to speak and he held up his hand. ‘No, I still don't want to discuss her, but I do want to apologise for hurting you,' he said. ‘I hope you know that I would never do that on purpose.' There was no doubting the sincerity in his voice and she gave a tiny nod.

‘Okay. I can't pretend I don't want an answer to my original question but if you don't want to talk about it, we'll stay off the subject.'

‘Thank you for being so understanding,' he said, and an impish smile suddenly lit up his tired features. Before she could react, he bent down and swiftly kissed her before straightening up again.

She looked up at him wordlessly, her hand automatically rising to touch her lips. Grinning even more broadly, he asked suddenly. ‘What have you got planned for tomorrow?'

She shrugged helplessly, trying to remember what she had in mind for the day.

‘Well, as I'm leaving on Tuesday, I thought I'd get some souvenirs for my family and friends. Amma mentioned a couple of places I could try.'

‘Okay, let me suggest something,' Rocky said. ‘To make up for wasting the last few days when we could have spent some time together, I'll take you to the Arts Centre tomorrow. It's a huge market and you can get all kinds of souvenirs from carvings to jewellery. Deal?'

Faye smiled back at him and nodded her head in agreement. ‘Okay, deal.'

She looked past him to Amma who was slowly making her way over to them, her eyes suspiciously wet. Faye walked over to meet her and put a comforting arm around her friend's shoulders.

‘Don't worry,' she said, trying to sound reassuring. ‘He'll be back soon. Come on, let's get out of here.'

Rocky hugged his tearful sister and took his leave, explaining that he and Stuart had dinner plans with some clients. Despite Faye's best efforts to cheer her up, Amma remained quiet throughout the journey home and went straight up to her room when they arrived.

Faye wandered into the living room to find Auntie Amelia curled up on the sofa watching a Ghanaian play on TV. She looked up and smiled as Faye walked in, patting the space next to her on the couch. Sitting down next to her, Faye looked over with affection at the woman she had come to love in the short time she had known her.

‘How are you, my dear?' Auntie Akosua said, touching Faye's hand gently. ‘You look a little lost. Where's Amma?'

‘She's gone up to bed,' Faye sighed. ‘It's going to take her some time to get used to the fact that Edwin's gone – but at least she's got the engagement to look forward to.'

Auntie Amelia chuckled. ‘Don't worry. If I know my daughter, she'll start planning the whole ceremony as soon as she wakes up tomorrow morning!'

She glanced quickly at Faye. ‘You look a little sad yourself – is everything all right?'

Faye shook her head. ‘Oh no, I'm fine. I was just
thinking about having to leave for London and how I'm going to miss all of you so much.'

Auntie Amelia smiled and took her hand between hers. ‘We will miss you too, Faye. To tell you the truth, I've become so used to you being with us, I have been trying not to think about you going back. I do hope you will come back and see us again very, very soon.'

‘I'll be back before you know it. I've already promised Amma that I'll be here for her engagement.' She paused thoughtfully. ‘Maybe I can get William to come for a visit too,' she said. ‘He would love it, I'm sure.'

Auntie Amelia smiled. ‘I can't imagine what William looks like today. He was such a sweet little thing when I last saw him – he was always following Rocky around, not that either of them will remember that!'

Faye laughed and her face lit up at the mention of Rocky's name. ‘Isn't that amazing? I've always thought that they would probably get along really well.'

In her excitement she missed the speculative look that appeared on Auntie Amelia's face.

‘Did you see Rocky at the airport?' her aunt asked casually. ‘He phoned earlier to find out what time Edwin's flight was leaving.'

‘Yes, he arrived just in time to say goodbye to him.' She fell quiet, reliving the kiss at the airport, and failed to see the satisfied smile that crept over her aunt's face. Uncle Fred's arrival changed the topic of conversation and Faye watched the rest of the drama with the older couple before pleading tiredness and heading up to bed.

The next morning, after a long shower, she dressed
quickly and walked down the corridor to Amma's room. Knocking on the door, she entered to find Amma still in bed, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. She smiled as Faye walked over to sit on the edge of her dishevelled bed.

‘Good morning, Faye.' Amma sounded tired and her voice was hoarse. ‘I'm sorry I disappeared last night but I knew I was going to cry and I just wanted to be alone.'

Faye crossed her long legs, rumpling the bedclothes even further. ‘Hey, it's okay, I understand. I had a chat with your mother and then we watched a really bad play on TV. You'd have died laughing – the camera kept showing the microphones dangling from the ceiling and, at one point, you could see the other camera in the shot.'

Amma chuckled softly. ‘It can be quite painful sometimes watching those low budget dramas. Well, I suppose I had better get up and stop moping.'

Faye smiled at her in encouragement. ‘You'll be fine. What are you up to today?'

Amma grimaced before replying. ‘I told Baaba I'd help her with the fashion show she's taking part in.'

She laughed as Faye raised an incredulous eyebrow. ‘No, she's not modelling – although I think Clarissa is. Some of Baaba's clothes are being featured and as it's a pretty big annual event and the first time she's been invited to take part, she's quite excited about it.'

Amma slid off the bed and tied her braids back with a large band before slipping into her dressing gown.

‘I have to be there to keep an eye on Baaba,' she said with a resigned sigh. ‘If she gets within three feet of Clarissa, there will definitely be trouble!' She looked at
Faye hopefully. ‘The show starts at three o'clock. You
will
come, won't you?'

Faye stood up and shuddered in mock horror. ‘I think I'll leave that particular pleasure to you,' she said. ‘I don't think I could cope with another Baaba and Clarissa showdown. Besides, Rocky's taking me to the Arts Centre to buy some souvenirs later today.'

Amma had been heading towards her bathroom and she stopped and turned back. ‘Well, I'm glad you two are getting on again,' she said bluntly. ‘I don't think I've seen you exchange more than five words since we got back from Cape Coast.'

Faye beamed at her happily. ‘Well, we've made up now and we're friends again,' she declared.

‘Just friends?' Amma queried, a sly smile curving her lips. She laughed aloud as Faye came as close to blushing as her chocolate skin would allow.

‘Amma, I'm leaving here in three days!' she protested defensively. ‘Besides which, it's not as if Rocky is interested in a relationship with anyone – he's made
that
perfectly clear.'

Amma sniffed and turned back towards the bathroom. ‘Three days can be long enough,' she said enigmatically and shut the door firmly behind her.

Faye headed down the stairs to the kitchen for her morning coffee ritual. She made a cup of the brew and moved out to her favourite spot on the veranda, from where she could see Togo watering the flower bushes, his baggy shorts flapping loosely around his thin legs.

He smiled and waved in greeting when he saw her,
and she waved back. Suddenly conscious of how dear to her the Asante family had become, a wave of desolation swept over her as she thought of her return to London and the short, dark October nights she had to look forward to. Pushing the depressing thought aside, she settled herself on the wicker lounger and sipped her coffee slowly.

‘So, is this where the supermodels relax?' Faye looked up to see Uncle Fred, dressed in white shorts and a white polo shirt, standing just inside the French doors leading to the veranda.

‘Why, yes,' she replied, throwing her arm in the air disdainfully and adopting an affected drawl. ‘We get
so
tired of walking up and down catwalks.'