It was during my days as a bank teller in one of the many banks I worked at. The suit got hotter each and every day and I always felt like I would one day unintentionally strangle myself to death when putting on my tie. But I couldn’t do anything about it cos it was my identity well that is what I thought. Everyday felt the same, I swear I could tell that I pissed the exact time as the day before. Life was always the same as I wake and lay on my bed.
Now let me tell you how I saw the world on its side. It one uneventful Monday morning. The sun was quick to rise which was typical of him. Well, I didn’t really care, for what is a knife to a dead goat. So I made my way to my work place as usual, I had to pick two trotro (Ghana’s bus equivalent) to my work place. I picked my first trotro right in front of my house, it was about a thirty minutes’ drive so I had some time to think.
I spied through the window just to catch a glimpse of how the day was or will be like. You know that feeling you get when the weather changes and all that. But I saw something else which sent my mind way back to when I was in the basic school. I saw this group of boys on their way to school, there was a bit of a traffic so I heard what they were saying, it was nothing important but It sent my mind to those days when I thought the only thing I could be was a lawyer. Those day when the world smelled like progress and the sun was just as bright as it will always be. It was a joyful recollection but it got truncated when the mate said “yes, back seat” and I had to pay the fare.
I decided to continue this fantastic nostalgic recollection in the next trotro. But no this woman wouldn’t let me, and this is what happened. The mate thought the woman hadn’t paid him the fare and the woman is also saying she had paid which to me could have been solved within just five minute if the mate would re-count the money collected, but know we had to listen to about half an hour exchange of insult. Which wouldn’t have ended if I hadn’t paid for the lady. In my mind it was a good turn that deserved another so I was glad I did.
The rest of ride was filled with an awkward silence which was beneficial to my recollection. There was this one time I told my mother I will buy her a house and golf 8. And I really remembered the smile on her face it was beautiful, and there was also this one time I was with my father in his new bought car going for ride, there was this song playing in the car and I was drumming to the beat so he was like “your grandmother was like you would be a lawyer when you grow up but if it was my wish, you would drum in church to the glory of God.” I didn’t know why he said that but I think he thought he would be with me forever so that I can feed of him till I die. But it felt good I knew my father wanted me to serve the lord. But I was a bit sad for who will tell him I play the guitar now.
Work wasn’t any different from the other Mondays, hectic and a thick que to serve. I served and served till I also got served my first quarry letter. And this is what happened, a lady came to redraw money from her account, it was quite a lot, I did everything I had to do and gave her the money. But she came back later and said the money wasn’t up to what she requested to redraw. So I pointed her to the sign that read EVERY MONEY HOULD BE COUNED BEFORE LEAVING THE COUNTER, but I guess she couldn’t read and thought I gave her the finger. I was ready to leave the work place when the branch manager called for me. I went and he handed me a quarry letter and said “you have been suspended for a week” I tried to explain myself but he wasn’t ready to listen.
I thought a good turn deserves another, but no. I got into this bar that was close to my house, I had a pint, a glass then a bottle, and I felt the world whirling. “Is it the recollection of my past that has unveiled all these emotions or the bottle of dementia I had in my hand? I had to see what the world was hiding. I had to study myself, so I fell on my face so I stagger no more. But I turned my head and there it was; the world was covered in dirt, the world was confused of it corners. The world was lost in its own decisions, Where to go and who to love. So the world whirled till my stomach couldn’t take it anymore so I had to puke.
So now if you ask me what do I know about this world? I would say “well, I once saw it on its side”.
Nyameye Writes 