I have been rather lazy this weekend. My intention was to make it to church, I was even up early enough, but just couldn’t get myself to leave the house. Since I walked in through my door on Friday night, I have not been able to venture out since. I think I am beginning to develop that phobia, can’t remember what it’s called but you know the one where you fear to go outside. Well not totally, I did managed to find my way to the spot about 30 minutes ago. My intention was to go see God daddy who has come back from his farm somewhere in Kumasi, his son is around from the US so he will be here for a couple of weeks. Today I was supposed to go to church, go to the supermarket, go see the family and then come home, but like all the best laid plans. It came to zero.

I do love my little spot on the roadside. There are no expensive cocktails, no flatscreen TV showing sports, it is basically a container which sells booze, softdrinks and some provisions. But the customer service is top class. He lady here calls me Ma even though she is old enough to be my mother, almost always knows what I am coming to order, in the morning its most likely a lucozade and in the evenings, two shots of gin and a shot of lime, once in a while she let’s me off with something free, so I don’t mind when I do pay full price to give her a tip even if its just to keep the 50p change.

I also like the quietness, once in a while it gets a bit rowdy, but nobody bothers you, a few guys might try their luck and get a bit bothered when I don’t respond but nothing physical, I have never witnessed a fight here maybe a few drunken insults but they feel too shy to make anything more of it.

Just now a lady bought some pure water sachets. The rubber bag it was in wasn’t the sturdiest and they dropped with some of the sachets bursting. The lady quite upset puffed up her chest in the event she would have to fight this woman to replace the broken sachets. Another store owner would pick up the ones that could be salvaged and maybe replace the broken ones or maybe say, they broke off of the premises so you have to repurchase what was broke (well it’s like 10p a sachet, hardly going to break the bank). Or simply say it’s not her problem (remember we live by the caveat emptor rule in this country whether it be a house or a bottle of guinness). This dear lady simply replaced all of them in a stronger bag this time and then after they left picked up the salvageable sachets.

She has never cheated me, even out of 1 pesewa. A few weeks ago she actually undercharged us, I was sitting here when the boys came and they ordered and one left, so in her calculation when we left she forgot to add his drink. She mentioned it to me the following evening and I offered to pay but she said we were there almost everyday and she knows when we can we give her a little extra so I shouldn’t worry. This lady, is a single parent with three or four kids, and lives by moderate means yet she doesn’t screw up her face, non-judgemental, I come here I drink my gin and take my fags and she doesn’t look at me like I make a living by hiring out parts of my anatomy. She doesn’t complain, opens her store everyday and makes her money. She even has a little generator for when the lights go out, which is more than me who wears a suit and sits in an air conditioned office. In my view when we celebrate International Woman’s day, and remembering Strong Black women it is ladies like this that should be highlighted alongside your Oprah’s and your Hilary Clintons, she doesn’t have a million dollars in the bank but she works and walks with the same dignity as those ladies we see on the TV.

Well anyway, the fufu I had this afternoon has digested now. My mum has sensitized me to always want something sweet after fufu so I’m off to look for some ripe plantain to chop before getting myself ready for work. Speaking of work, did I mention that man child boss couldn’t get a replacement for my Nigerian colleague so he has taken to doing the job himself as everyone else refused. I have a feeling the job is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, still no word on my move but I hope my move doesn’t get declined because there is no replacement. Only God can help with this one…