The Devil Has His Money

Episode 3

” What will happen now?” I asked.

We were almost home now walking through the dark bush paths that leads to our house. The night creatures were out by this time, their screeching sounds filled the air. Albert suddenly stopped walking and stood as if he was Pondering over the question I just asked him.

” Let’s go to Mensah’ s place. We would spend the night there” he resumed walking again and I hurried along like a puppy.

” I don’t think we should go to his place, Nma ( Mother) will be worried and my exams starts tomorrow so I have to revise tonight”. I said hoping he would believed me but he laughed and looked at me.

” What’s this Kojo? trying to ditch your own brother? You know you can go home if you want to”

” No am not trying to ditch you, I just thought Nma will be worried”

” Yes she would, but she won’t have to worry about burying her husband if we spend the night at Mensah’ s place” he said

My stomach growled then and we both laughed. Albert has this kind of laughter that makes you want to laugh and I laughed harder. For a moment I forgot that I had, had only one meal today, I forgot about my poor mother laying in pain at home, I forgot that the police was looking for my brother. As for my father only God knows what had become of him, I put cousin Mensah out of my mind too because we would soon find out if he was sent to jail or fined by the king.

We continued joking and laughing until we got to Mensah’ s compound. We opened the rusty zinc gate and entered. The entire compound was lit up by the electric bulb in front of Mami ‘ s room.

Mensah’ s father unlike mine had used cement blocks to build the four separate rooms in the compound, although the rooms were not painted it was stilll like a palace compared to mine. Mami, a little fair lady who was Mensah’ s mother sat on a stool in the compound.

” Bonsoir Mami ” we both chorused.

” Akwabaa ( welcome) what are you doing here so late? Oh! You came to see your cousin, he’s writhing in pain in his room. I can’t say he doesn’t deserve it, if only he had taken my advice to learn a trade he won’t be in the condition he is now ” she said hurriedly.

Mami is always in a hurrry, the speed at which she talks and does things makes you wonder if she’s a spirit. Although she has been in Togo for years she occasionally slips in her Ghanian language when speaking Ewe ( Togolese Language)

” What happened to him? Is he sick?” Albert asked. He hurried away not waiting for answer.

My eyes romed the compound, searching, while my heartbeat suddenly changed tune. I couldn’t see her, where is she? I wonder.

” I see you are looking for your wife, Ama is in her room” Mami said with a knowing twinkle in her eyes.

I blushed and looked at my feet. This Mami, she has eagle eyes because they never miss a thing. Ama is 14 years old but she is tall for her age, she has big b0s0ms too, she is light skinned like her mother. She has a little gap between her upper front tooth and when she smiles it’s like I have died and gone to heaven.

But she’s too proud and rude, nobody in my village can rival her bad mouth, I hope to tame her and marry her someday. When I become rich, I can have anything I want including the beautiful sassy Ama, money makes the world go round, even kings and presidents would pay homage to me! My only dream in life is to have money, lots of it.

Its a good thing cousins marry in my country else I would have been forced to abduct her when the time comes, now is not the time, right now am only fifteen years old and am hungry.

” Ehen Mami what did you say?”

I was so deep in thought I didn’t hear what she said until she tugged on my hand.

” I said go meet your brothers inside, I will send a bowl of Konkonte ( Amala) and soup to you ” Mami stood up .

I went into Mensah’ s room, he la!d on his matresss, his face was swollen, his eyes were shut, his head was shaved with something…..obviously a broken bottle. He looked like something i saw in a horror movie I once watched at a friend’ s house. Albert sat beside him on the bed, he looked up when I entered. His eyes were filled with anger, he wanted to know why i didn’t tell him the thief being beaten was our cousin, I knew he would have tried to help cousin Mensah there and then and risk endergering his own life. I know am a selfish boy.

” Bonsoir Efo (bro) Mensah, what happened to you?” I asked to throw my brother off, so he won’t know that I already knew what happened to him.

” let him be Kojo, and you will keep your mouth shut too! ” Albert growled at me.

I was glad to keep my mouth shut. Ama came in just then with a bowl of Konkonte ( Amala) and light soup, I could see big chunks of meat in the soup. My mouth watered. Is this another stolen food? am i not hastening my own death by eating something that was stolen?

Ama didn’t even greet us, she put the bowl infront of us and left. My stomach refused to cooperate with me, despite my misgiving I dived into the food with my bro.

---

” You must be brave! We are not only doing this for ourselves but for our country too! Even after I am gone you must not give up the good fight!”

I closed my eyes and drew my wrapper over my head. My eyes were closed but my ears were at attention. What is the midnight whispering about? Efo Albert and Mensah are upto something.

Efo Mensah continued ” See what happened to my Bella….my beautiful Bella, I sent her to the uni in Lome. I did every job I could to keep her in school but the bastard went there under the pretext of helping the students, he only went there to pick girls. He saw my Bella…he wanted her! tell me Albert which man would see my Bella and not want her? ” he started crying like a baby.

I closed my eyes real tight. I never heard or seen a grown man cry before.

” Charley be calm….you have to be calm ” Albert tried to soothe him.

” The pig! The uncircumcised pig wanted my Bella! Bella… Bella is a good girl! She said no! but she paid dearly for it. He sent his armies to her town, they destroyed their farmland, torched her family house to the ground, nobody survived! He had Bella ‘ s head cut off, her body was left by the roadside for birds of the sky to feast on! “

I wanted to puke. Who is this mad man?

” We are being treated like slaves in our own father’ s land! our people are suffering, our women are no longer safe! Our girls are being carted off to be sex slaves! the masses are voiceless! No jobs for the youths! We must put a stop to this injustice! ” Albert said passionately.

I never knew this Albert, I thought I knew my brother so well but twice today have been proved wrong. I wonder what was going on, maybe I will play my little game again when we go back home so i could get some information. Who is this mad man they want to fight?

” You must promise me bro! That you and the others won’t give up! No matter what happens! ” Mensah said between clenched teeth.

Others? There were others too? I snored loudly like a train, I wanted them to think I was sound asleep and dead to the world.

” We won’t give up! Not ever! but you have to stop hitting the farms of people from his tribe, they are as much of a victim as we are. ” my ever so sensible brother said and I silently agreed with him.

” No! Albert! they are all the same! I won’t stop! As soon as I leave this bed I will burn down their farms…..let them feel the pains Bella and her family went through! Won’t stop!” Mensah was agitated now.

Albert calmed him down, he started reciting a melodious strange hymn and Mensah joined him. Their voices filled the air and slowly the hymn lulled me to sleep but it wasn’t a peaceful one