AGAINST ALL ODDS - Episode 2: Enough Trouble for a Day

 

         Mawufemor walked the entire two kilometres between the examination centre and the Ho market, where he worked and lived. The only difference this time was that the journey seemed to take longer.

        It was a Saturday, and the Ho township was bustling with activity. There were several funerals in town, drawing visitors from all over the country to pay their respects to the grieving families—some to commiserate with the bereaved families, while others, especially the men, had their own agenda. When it comes to such agendas, some sub-chiefs had previously complained on local radio stations about unscrupulous men who come to their communities on the premise of attending funerals but end up placing their beloved daughters in the family way.

     Skrr-rr-rr-rh! The simultaneous screeching tires of two vehicles and their ensuing bumper-to-bumper collision went "Gbam!"

      “Stupid fool!”  One of the drivers of the crashed vehicles retorted as he came close to Mawufemor wielding a wheel spanner.

         “You almost killed us, you twerp!” the other driver also vented as he got out to inspect the damage to his car!

        Apparently, Mawufemor had stepped clumsily onto the road, into the path of a Chevrolet Cruze 2011 model near the Civic Center, whose driver subsequently went into the lane of the approaching Chryseller with which it had collided. Reality hit him like a ton of bricks!

          “Hey, you fool…!” The Chrysler owner retorted.

         “You must pay for these damages today!”

       Both drivers were almost at arms' length from Mawufemor at this time, and the one with the wheel-spanner was about to settle his score by smacking the scoundrel in the head with the club when he abruptly came to a halt!

      "Hey, young man, what's the matter?" As Mr. Wheel-Spanner realized Mawufemor was transfixed at the spot and made no attempt to block or swerve the blow of the wheel spanner that was coming at him, he asked in a caring tone.

       "Oh, he's crying as well!" said the other motorist.

    “Let’s leave him. He might have been through hell already.” The guy with the wheel spanner solemnly whispered as they both got into their cars and sped off.

      Mawufemor just stood there, speechless at what he'd witnessed. Regardless, he praised God and continued on his way.

        Trouble was building back at the main market. It was a market day, and the marketplace was busier than usual. Then there were the shopkeepers who were yelling and swearing because their stores had been broken into!

        As Mawufemor came on the scene, one of the traders pointed to him and said, "That's him, Papa Polici."

        "What an ungrateful soul you are...!" From behind him, a woman yelled her disgust.

        "So, after everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me?" The voice went on.

        He turned and saw his benefactor, the hairdresser. Mawufemor was now more perplexed than ever. “What is going on here?” He asked!

        "Your deceased mother and father are happening here!" One of the market women smacked him in the face while violently retorting in a local Ewe dialect.

     “Gentleman, you’re under arrest for stealing! You are coming with me to the station!” The policeman finally spoke.

           “What have I stolen? Whom did I steal from?”

         Wham! Wham!! The police officer struck Mawufemor with two consecutive palm and backhand slaps to the face.

         “You will get to know when we get to the station!”

          “I d-d-didn’t s-s-s-te-al anything! I di-di-dn’t s-s-s…!”

           Pang! A market woman whacked him with a pot to the head.

           "You will rot in jail! You stupid and ungrateful soul! God will judge you!"

         Mawufemor appeared to awaken from a profound slumber. He experienced a severe headache and a sharp pain in the back of his skull. Oh, he remembered now. He passed out after being struck with the pot.

        “But where am I?” He asked himself.

        "You are where your kind belongs, you criminal!" The CID officer yelled!

        “But what did I do?” Mawufemor stammered from his dedicated cell.

       “You did your mother!” the officer angrily said. “Will you shut your criminal mouth before I displace it for you?”

           “But I need to know what I did! It is against my fundamental human right!”

            In response, the officer became enraged. Furious, he signalled two other officers, who turned up immediately.

          “Go and make sure that criminal confesses to his crime! Foolish boy!”

         As if it were a directive they had been awaiting, the two uniformed men entered Mawufemor's cell and dragged him out. They administered a few slaps whenever he resisted making him know who was in charge. They relocated him to a soundproof, soundless cell.

     One of the uniformed men exclaimed, "Hey, Mr. Man!" as he removed his uniform and singlet, revealing an impressive six-pack and well-defined biceps. "So, you decided to steal from the people who had been kind to your miserable life, right?"

       “I have stolen nothing from nobody!” Mawufemor stuttered!

       “Oh! The criminal has a mouth to speak!” The other officer teased!

        Then they began to hit him with their hands, feet, and belts!

         As the officers took a break from the beatings, one of them exclaimed, "Let's make this simple for everyone!"

       "Simply admit that you took the items, and we'll stop beating you. In addition, we will persuade the judge to reduce your sentence!"

        “Deal, or no deal?”

TO BE CONTINUED...