Chapter 4

It just dawned on Ohene that his decisions had been arbitrary. Now, the onus lay on him to find a good teacher secretly. How was he going to do that and how would he explain his situation to anyone? The question was: did he have to explain himself to anyone? It was nobody's business but his after all. That was the worst nightmare. First, his unforgivable error, now, an attempt to cover it up. This could lead from one thing to another.

Ohene had a lot of work to do today, searching online and asking neighbours and friends. Now, he was certain it was going to take him more than a day to solve this problem. Many of the teachers were unavailable and some couldn’t agree with his conditions. They were too restrictive and shady for them. Now, it was an open secret that all the teachers were taken and it was going to be a long road home until one man called him back.

“I saw your missed calls and you seemed very desperate. How may I help you?” he asked.

“A friend of mine recommended you and I thought I should contact you as soon as possible.”

“I hope you’ve thought this through because it seems you’re in a bit of a hurry to get one at all cost?”

“You have judged rightly. I’m truly desperate.”

“This is called a ‘cocoa season ' for us. Many people can make a lot of money from you.”

“I deserve it. Even if it takes the whole world’s resources to get me what I want, I’ll do it.” The man seemed too desperate for his liking. What would push him to be searching for a commodity that was not so rare? He could get anyone he wanted but he may have to be changing him or her from time to time until he got the right person. Atta explained this situation to him, unwilling to take advantage of his situation.

“I still think you would be the right person for the job.”

“You can’t say so over the phone. Just take your time and make this decision good once and for all.” He and Atta hooked up the next day for a chat.

“Can I see your daughter first?”

“Unfortunately not. We have a situation and I hope you respect that.”

“That’s what I usually do but for your sake, I’ll let it pass and see her for the first time when you introduce me to her.”

The next morning, the teacher appeared at her gate as scheduled.

"Mum. Mr Mireku did not even describe my teacher. What if this one is an impostor?"

"Let's hope he's not, Frema."

"We can't take chances, Mummy."

"Are you the one taking this thing too seriously or it's just me?"

"Whatever it is, Mummy. We still have to take precautions."

"He's still at the gate, Frema. We must either let him in or send him away. Come to think of it, we could find out about him from your father."

"I think we had better find out about him before we make any big mistakes." Soya had a little chat with Ohene who readily described the teacher to her.

"He's tall, dark, wears a pair of glasses by Dior, and speaks good English. He is very muscular too and likes wearing Muscle - T's.

“He’s in a muscle -T alright," she said, confirming his description. “I’ll let him in soon." With several apologies, the security men let the teacher in. Soya met him at the gate, also apologizing profusely.

“Why did you let me wait for so long? Did you not want me to come in? Are you not ready?" leering at Frema intently.

“I needed to be sure about you."

“Will you not even take some risks sometimes?"

“I cannot afford to." Now, Atta was beginning to understand Ohene’s reservations

“So do you want me to go back or you're prepared for our lesson?"

“We can begin. Come right in"

“Then let's go ahead."

“I’m sorry about my daughter's behaviour, Sir." Said Soya as the two entered. Soya winked at Frema. It was all part of the plan.

“That’s alright. If you do not see to it that she changes the way she thinks, she may send an angel away one day."

“I’ll talk to her, don't worry."

Frema scrutinised the teacher as the lesson went on so much that he began to feel jittery and nervous. Why was she staring so much? Did he look suspicious? His marker fell on the floor. It took him several minutes to pick it up.

“If it's too much trouble picking this up, we have a handful of markers over there. You can interchange them whenever you want," said Frema

“I’ll be fine," he replied. “The floor itself is heaven on earth."

The lesson went on and on until Atta remembered he had not introduced himself. Summoning all the courage he could find, it took him minutes to express his thoughts. Now, he was stuttering as if he had been born with it.

“I would like to interrupt this lesson if you will allow me to," he finally said.

“Why would you do that now when you have already started?”

“It escaped me."

“You can do so now. I'm all ears." Frema placed her hands on the table, her elbows apart and her hands stuck underneath her ears, ready.