Hushed Echoes

Whenever he walked, his kneecap would give a sharp pain making him to feel uncomfortable, It was very obvious that he had returned to square one, now that he did not know a single person that could give him a helping hand.

He had thought that he was going to keep his body and soul together with the job he secured as a washerman, since things did not go the way he had planned it, then there was a need for him to start all over again. But how? he wondered.

It started to rain very heavily, such that he had to take a shelter at a nearby shop for the rain to abate, he concluded in his mind that he would have to pass the night under a bridge. With the hunger that was raging in his stomach, begging was definitely the only way out.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He began to look into the faces of the people around the shop, those he felt sure that when he begged, they would not refuse to give him something, at least the little that would take care of his feeding for that evening, instead of having to die of hunger.

He was still looking when a woman emerged from the shop with some bags of provisions in her hands, the woman walked passed him. He wanted to beg the woman for money, but something told him she was not going to respond positively.

The woman soon got to where her car was parked with the bags of provision on her right hand and an umbrella on her left hand, she opened the car, dropped the bags and cranked the ignition.

The car refused to start, seeing this marco ran to her under the rain and offered to help her push the car with all the strength he could gather.

Five minutes after started pushing, the engine roared to life, the woman was impressed, she gestured through the window that he should come.

“Thank you very much” she picked up her purse. “Take this fifty cedis”.

Marco collected the fifty naira note and was very happy that at least with that, dinner was guaranteed for him, however, he was so much intoxicated by the euphoria of the fifty naira note gift that he became impetuous, thanking her profusely.

“Thank you very much ma, I’m very grateful, but ma, I don’t know if you can help me, iam looking for a job and very desperate about it.”

“What kind of a job are you looking for?” the woman asked, trying to use her handkerchief to clean the water on the steering.

“Any Job, any kind of job ma. I can do anything.”

“Okay! I am in need of a houseboy, if you are capable you can come along with me” she said smugly.

Richard thought for a second about it, houseboy was too low for his standard, he could have preferred working as a security man to being an ordinary houseboy.

But in his mind, half bread is better than none, It was better for him to accept that than wait endlessly for a better one that would never come, He concluded that a bird in hand was better than two in the forest.

“Okay ma! I will do it” marco said with a tearful eyes.

“What about your people? I may have to know them before i bring you into my house, at least, someone has to stand for you as guarantor.”

“That’s true ma. But I’m all alone here in Accra, I only have my mother back home, I have come to accra to look for jobs, i would be glad if you could help me” marco pleaded tearfully.

The woman looked at home pitifully and shook her head, she thought of asking him some other question but changed her mind, marco could have been one of those sensible youths who really want to do well in life but have no opportunity.

At last, she spoke, “take this card..” the woman handed him a card which she brought from her purse, ” meet me at the exact location on this card by 10am tomorrow” she was about driving off when Marco spoke again.