From Pasta to Pigfoot (41 page)

Faye nodded, her expression bleak. Amma stood up and hovered hesitantly by the door. ‘Why don't you wash your face and come down for a drink? Mama is in her room and it will give you time to pull yourself together before dinner.'

Faye nodded again and headed for the bathroom to repair some of the damage caused by her tears. She washed her face with cold water and looked into the mirror above the sink. Her eyes were pink rimmed and watery and her hair was sticking out in all directions. She went back into the bedroom and brushed her hair vigorously, applying a little lipstick and spraying some perfume to lift her spirits.

All the while, Amma's words, ‘The new job is based in London...' were reverberating around her brain. Piercing shafts of joy alternated with bursts of despair as she
thought through dozens of scenarios of how she could convince Rocky that he could trust her.

A few minutes later, determined to sort things out come what may, she ran downstairs to find Amma in the living room on her phone, scrolling down through a text message that Edwin had just sent.

‘He seems to be having a good time,' she remarked, glancing up as Faye came in. ‘I hope he finds that job quickly – I was looking in the jewellers this afternoon, and the kind of ring I'd like is not exactly cheap.'

She looked closely at Faye and breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Well, you look a lot better now, thank goodness; you had me really worried upstairs. Oh, wait, there's a message here for you.' She scrolled down and read aloud. ‘“Give my love to Faye and tell her to keep a tight hold on Rocky….”' Her voice trailed off and she looked at Faye apologetically.

‘You can always trust Edwin to say the wrong thing at the wrong time!' She tossed her phone onto the side table. ‘Come on, there's a bottle of wine in the fridge – let's get some glasses.'

Faye laughed for the first time in hours as she followed Amma to the kitchen.

‘I hope Martha's not there or she'll be totally scandalised. Do you know her church says that alcohol is the devil's brew?'

Amma peered around the kitchen door and turned back with a grin. ‘The coast is clear. Quick – you get the glasses and I'll bring the bottle!'

A few minutes later, the two of them were sprawled on the rug on the living room floor, wine glasses in hand. Faye
had changed earlier into a sleeveless maxi dress and she lay stretched out on her back, staring reflectively at the high ceiling.

‘This time tomorrow, I'll be heading for the airport,' she sighed. ‘I'm really going to miss Ghana.' Turning her head, she smiled at Amma who was sitting propped up against the sofa. ‘I'm going to miss you, too. It's been just like having a sister over the last three weeks.'

Amma nodded, suddenly subdued. ‘I know what you mean. It's bad enough with Edwin gone; now you're going and Rocky is supposed to start work in London next month…
I'm
the one who should be getting upset.'

‘Okay, I'll stop complaining if you will. Now, where's the bottle?' Laughing, they refilled their glasses and played some of Amma's CDs until Auntie Amelia came in to tell them that dinner was ready.

There was still no sign of Rocky as the rest of the family went into the dining room, although Martha had laid a place for him at the table. Feeling very relaxed and more than a little tipsy from the wine, Faye kept them entertained during dinner with stories of Mr Fiske (Junior) and some of his more famous exploits at the office. It wasn't until she had finished telling a long story about the time her boss had unwittingly sent the cheque from the sale of a client's property to a national charity, that she realised what she had done.

Staring at her empty plate, she looked at Amma in astonishment. ‘Amma, do you realise that I've just eaten a plate of
kontomire
with pigfoot and I didn't even notice?'

Amma smiled in amusement at the incredulity on Faye's
face. ‘Well, I guess you've really adapted now,' she said. ‘I wondered when you would realise what you were eating!'

Uncle Fred, who had been enjoying listening to Faye's office anecdotes, patted his round stomach in satisfaction. ‘Listen here, pigfoot is my favourite meat and I won't hear a rude word said about it.'

He picked up the unused fork from the cutlery laid out for Rocky and tapped it against his glass, calling for silence.

‘Ladies, I was hoping my son would be here for dinner but doubtless, due to his recent news, he is working harder than ever at his office. Nevertheless, I have a few words I want to say.' He paused and looked around the table, paying no attention to his wife's twitching lips and Amma's open smile.

Smiling at Faye, he raised his glass and continued. ‘Three weeks ago, this delightful young lady arrived here to grace us with her presence and to renew her ties to her homeland. We have all been privileged to have her here as part of our family.'

He turned to Faye and his voice softened. ‘Faye, my dear, since this is our last night together before you leave tomorrow, I just want to let you know that you have another family right here with us. We love you and wish you all the best on your return to London.'

With that he raised his glass to a chorus of ‘hear, hear' from Auntie Amelia and Amma. Faye looked around at them, her eyes misting over again at the love and affection that surrounded her. Clinking his glass against hers, Uncle Fred added cheerfully, ‘Make sure you come back as soon
as your lawyers give you some more time off.'

With dinner over, they moved to the living room to chat and watch TV. Amma had offered to take her out for a drink, but Faye was now intent on waiting for Rocky to come home. It was after ten o'clock when the rest of the family said goodnight and went up to their rooms, leaving her downstairs on her own. As she left to follow her parents upstairs, Amma turned to Faye.

‘Good luck,' she hissed. ‘Tell me what happens tomorrow.'

Alone in the living room, Faye curled up on the sofa in front of the TV. She turned down the volume, her mind a million miles away from the drama taking place on the small screen. Twice she thought she heard the gate opening and ran to the front door, only to find that there was no one there.

It was close to midnight when the creaking sound of the metal gate and the powerful roar of Rocky's car confirmed that he had returned home. Her heart pounding, Faye rushed to the door of the living room and waited for him to come into the house.

He walked in a few moments later, his jacket slung over one arm, and headed straight for the staircase. She stepped forward out of the shadow of the doorway and called his name hesitantly just as he reached the foot of the stairs.

He stopped at the sound of her voice, not moving for several seconds. Then, with an audible sigh, he turned around to look at her. His eyes were as hard as pebbles and her lips trembled as she took in the look of impatient irritation on his face.

‘Well?' His tone was not encouraging and she cleared her suddenly constricted throat nervously before she spoke.

‘Rocky, we've got to talk,' she said, her voice husky with nerves. ‘Please, you have to listen to me. What happened earlier wasn't—'

He cut her off abruptly. ‘Faye, it's late and I really don't have time for this. You don't owe me any explanations. You're our guest and a free agent, and you're perfectly entitled to see whomever you wish.'

As he started to climb up the stairs, she called his name again. He stopped for a moment then turned around and came back down, walking right up to her until his face was literally inches from hers. She stared up at him, her expression one of naked pleading and for a second she saw uncertainty in his eyes. The next moment, however, his expression had hardened again and he took a step backwards.

‘Rocky, please, don't do this,' she whispered, her expression agonised as she watched him literally retreating. ‘Don't pretend that everything that happened meant nothing to you.'

He shook his head violently, backing away slowly away from her.

‘What
did
it mean, Faye?' His expression was unreadable as he continued brutally. ‘I think you've been around long enough not to read too much into what men say and do, haven't you?'

She flinched as though he had struck her, but his expression did not waver.

‘It's like I've always said, Faye.' He spoke slowly and distinctly. ‘The only thing one should count on in this world is working hard and getting ahead.
Everything
else,' he paused meaningfully, ‘is just a waste of time.'

The tears streamed unchecked down her face as she watched him turn around and walk swiftly up the stairs without a backward glance. Sobbing quietly, she went back into the living room and burrowed into the armchair, crying as though her heart would break.

It was almost an hour later that she forced herself to leave her refuge and go up to bed where she tossed and turned for hours, unable to sleep until dawn. Exhausted, she slept through the loud crowing of the neighbourhood rooster and the usual morning noises of the city, only waking up when Amma's insistent knocking intruded into her dreamless slumber.

She sat up groggily, mumbling ‘Come in' before rolling round and burrowing back under the sheet. Amma marched in purposefully and without saying a word, unhooked the mosquito net and flung it up over the frame before sitting down on the edge of the rumpled bed.

‘Okay, so what happened?' she demanded. ‘I saw Rocky this morning before he left for work, and he told me to mind my own business before I could even open my mouth!'

Faye groaned into her pillow, shaking her head to avoid remembering the awful scene from the previous evening. Amma was not prepared to take no for an answer and pulled the pillow away impatiently.

‘Okay, okay,' Faye mumbled indistinctly. She sat up and rubbed her swollen eyes gently, seizing the pillow back
from Amma to prop herself upright.

‘Wow, Faye, your eyes look awful!' Amma said in alarm, peering closely at her.

‘That's the least of my worries,' Faye said bitterly, leaning back against the pillow. ‘What happened? I tried to talk to your stubborn brother and he didn't want to know.'

She sighed and shook her head in despair. ‘I tried
everything
to get him to listen, but he was so cold...' Her voice trailed off as the memory of the events from the night before flooded back.

Amma sighed and raked her hands through her long braids. ‘Unfortunately, I know what you mean. Rocky can be so difficult sometimes.'

She sat up straight and said firmly. ‘Look, Faye, just give him some time. After all, you're leaving this evening and he's not going to just let you go.' She smiled confidently despite the sceptical look Faye gave her. ‘Come on, get up and get dressed. Try and finish your packing so we can go and check you in early – that way, we can come back and relax at home before the flight.'

It was almost ten o'clock when Faye dragged herself out of bed and headed for the bathroom where she stood under the shower for several minutes before coming back to the bedroom. She looked around the room sadly, conscious of how much she had come to consider this
her
room.

She dressed quickly in a pair of cream shorts and a sleeveless linen blouse that tied at the waist, only too aware that she was returning to weather that was definitely not suitable for the summer clothes she was now accustomed to wearing. She smudged some eyeliner on to her swollen
lids to disguise the puffiness and brushed her hair, leaving it to swing loosely around her face.

She walked downstairs and, following her usual routine, walked into the kitchen to fetch a cup of coffee. Greeting Martha, who smiled at her fondly and then frowned as she took in the brevity of the shorts, she filled her cup and sat down at the kitchen table.

‘Can you believe I won't be here tomorrow morning drinking coffee with you, Martha?' she asked, looking wistful as her gaze wandered around the large familiar kitchen. The older woman, dressed in her usual navy dress with a white collar, stopped her activities and smiled cheerfully at the younger girl.

‘Don't worry, Miss Faye,' she said with confidence, ‘you will come home again soon, I know.'

It
is
home, Faye thought, suddenly realising why she was feeling so wretched about leaving. She savoured the thought and it felt right. She stayed with Martha until she had finished her coffee, reluctant to go out to the veranda, which now held only bitter memories from the previous day.

Returning upstairs, she emptied the wardrobe and all the drawers in her room and slowly packed her things, tucking the fragile gifts between her clothes for protection. She held Lottie's jewellery box against her chest for a long moment, remembering the laughter in Rocky's eyes when he had handed it to her. Looking down at her wrist, she stroked the gold and bead bracelet he'd bought her and wished desperately that she could turn the clock back twenty-four hours.

With a frustrated sigh, she hung the trousers and top
she intended to wear for the flight in the wardrobe and closed and locked her suitcase. After dragging the heavy case downstairs, she went into the living room where Amma and her mother were in the middle of a heated debate. They broke off abruptly as Faye entered.

‘Good morning, my dear,' Auntie Amelia smiled at Faye. ‘You are just in time to tell my stubborn daughter that she will
not
get married until she has found herself a decent job and started her career.'

Amma glared at her mother. ‘Mama, I did not say I am not looking for a job. I
said
that when people put too much emphasis on jobs, they can lose sight of what is really important.' She glanced at Faye. ‘And I
know
Faye will agree with me on that one,' she added meaningfully.

Faye raised her hands in mock surrender, laughing affectionately at the irate expression on Amma's face and the look of complete exasperation on her mother's. ‘It's good to know that some things don't change,' she said. ‘Amma, I've finished packing and my suitcase is in the hall. What time are we going to the airport to check in?'