Coming Fall 2011
A story about love, oil, politics and the machinations of scheming mothers! Quarterfinalist in the 2011 Amazon/Penguin Breakthrough Novel Award.
Published by Kente...who else?
Excerpt from Chapter 6
Maggie called Ceci’s Nigerian cell phone number and had to leave a message; she was probably turning off her phone since she’d be charged for cell phone roaming while in Canada. She tried the Holiday Inn in Mississauga where her sister was staying for her two-week immigration fact-finding trip to Canada.
“Hello?” said a white voice. Must be the receptionist at the Front Desk.
Margaret put on her best British accent.
“Yes, Hallo. I was wondering if you could put me through to Rm 202…Cecilia Akinyemi, spelled A-K-I-N-Y-E-M-I.
“Please hold”.
She did and the front desk put her through to Ceci’s room. After the sixth ring, just as she was about to hang up, Ceci took the call.
“Hello?”
Margaret reverted to her Ghanaian accented English with all its ooms, aahs, ei’s and ohhh’s.
“Ei, what are you doing that you can’t pick up your phone eh?”
“I was in the bathroom. These days, when I laugh small, things start coming out of me” Ceci replied laughing.
“Hmmm….ei, call me back ohhh, I don’t have money to be calling you long distance in the white man’s land. You’re the one spending dollars there so call me right back. I have something serious to discuss with you”. Maggie hung up without waiting for Ceci’s response.
Aunty Ceci took out her fat phone book and as she opened the pages, a dozen and one loose pages came undone along with a pen, a hairpin, some receipts from the African Caribbean grocery store and a toothpick. She sucked in her teeth in exasperation, ignored the errant items and proceeded to dial the number on her phone. As she did so, she recited the number loudly, like someone else needed to hear to whom she was making the call.
“011 233 24 987 3254”
And then she waited.
“Hello?”
A voice on the other end came on, excited.
“Ceci?
“Yes, it’s me. So how are you Maggie?”
“We’re good ohhh…everyone is fine. You know, the rains have been very bad this year…they’ve hardly fallen so yams and plantains are very expensive now”.“Ahhhh…this is why I want to move to Canada and you don’t agree eh? See – here, food prices don’t go up or down just because it snowed too much or it didn’t snow at all. Here, there is something called taxes and that’s what makes food prices go up!”
“Shut your big mouth you impudent child”, Maggie joked.
“Ok, I’ll shut up…but you are the one who said I should call to discuss something with you. I have some news… that’s why I’m glad you called. But if you’re going to do paa paa, then I will hang up. I have plenty of important things to do with my time ohhhh!”
They bantered back and forth like this but it was typical. The two sisters, despite being four years apart had so much in common and still genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. They spoke every couple of days when Ceci was in Nigeria but since coming to Canada to spend the summer scouting around for immigration opportunities, their conversations had had to be more spaced apart. Coupled with the bad phone lines in Ghana, conversations about important topics tended to be relegated to a time when Maggie would be in an office and could rely on the stability of the Ghanaian land lines.
“So, you have news for me?” Maggie inquired.
“I don’t know if you want to hear it ohhh?’
“Why wouldn’t I want to hear it?” Maggie asked apprehensively.
“Well, how shall I put this…it seems something is wrong in Sarah and Philip’s marriage.” Ceci said cautiously.
“Wrong? In the marriage? What do you think it is? Is it because of the baby they can’t have? Or is one of them having an affair?”
“I don’t know,” Ceci said softly.
“But you have to find out so we can help them!” Maggie pressed.
“But what if they don’t want our help eh?”
“What kind of foolish talk is that? How can they not want our help? Have you forgotten where we come from? We gave them our blessing for their marriage and this means we are part of it. If something goes wrong inside the marriage, it is our duty to help them fix it.”
There was silence as Ceci tried to digest what her older sister was saying.
“I understand what you are saying but Maggie, you have to realize it’s not the same thing as if Sarah had married a Ghanaian. Have you forgotten that Philip is white?”
“And what does that have to do with anything? Have you seen him eat fufu with his fingers? Have you seen him wear traditional cloth, wrapping it around his loins as if he is going to sit in front of a set of talking drums? Have you seen him greet elders? My sister… that man may look white on the outside but I tell you his soul is African. And I explained to him very strongly, at the wedding, that this is how Africans are. We will be in your business now that you are family so this way of keeping to oneself…what do they call it in the West – individualism – that is practiced so religiously where he comes from will not fly with us”
Another big sigh from Ceci who felt that she was losing the battle.
“Then let us give them some time first ok? Something has definitely happened that they are dealing with, so we have to give them the space. Hopefully, they will have the courage to share and then we can help.”
“I’m booking a flight to Toronto”, Margaret declared to her sister’s astonishment.
“You’re booking a flight where?”
“You heard me. I said I’m coming over there. You’ve only been there a week and listen to you! All your normal sensibilities have flown out the window…I’m going to have to come and give you some – you’ve lost all of yours!”
Ceci gave up and decided to talk about something else.
“Maggie, guess what?”
“You’re trying to change the subject aren’t you? Doesn’t matter, tell me what’s on your mind”.
“I went to watch something called ice hockey,” Ceci said laughingly.
“Yes I know hockey…but since when did they start playing it on ice?”
“I have no idea but it seems it’s very popular here and even very little children wake up at five in the morning to go and practice eh?”
“Heaven help them – they have so much food to eat and clothes to wear that they have to wake up that early to go and slide on ice?”
Ceci laughed so hard she started convulsing, tears coursing down her face.
“Philip is a coach for one of those teams so we went to watch a championship game. That man is really good with children eh?”
Maggie grunted.
“That’s why we have to step in. A man that good cannot be left alone. Sarah needs to be reminded how to treat a man well and her mother is just the right person to do that reminding. Expect me by the end of the month!”
With that, she hung up.
Leopard - Now don't you want to read this?
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