Forgetting You
**About four years ago **
"Hello... Massa Karim... hello... can you hear me?...damn this network! " Brian stammered into his phone. The torrential downpour drummed on the roof of his Hyundai Elantra as he sat in with all its windows tightly shut. This was to prevent the rain from coming in to drench him. The fact that his car had decided to break down aggravated him very much.
"Hello... Ahaaa Massa Karim... It is I... Yes... my car broke down in the middle of the Hilla road... " Brian explained to the party at the other end of the call when he had finally been able to hear him clearly.
"...of course Sir... I'll send someone over," Massa Karim affirmed avidly. He was almost about to close the autoshop just a while ago when Sandra entered. The rain had started just a while after Sandra 's arrival. They'd been catching up when the phone had began to ring.
"Ayitey!... Armah!... Jojo!..., " he called out like a Soprano singer in a church choir. "Eish... These guys have left already, " he sighed when none of the people he had called responded.
"Don't worry Papa, I will go," Sandra offered cheerily.
"Are you sure?...You just returned from school and besides it's raining...quite heavily too if I might add... I don't want you to ruin your clothes ooo," Massa Karim replied while unconsciously biting his fingernails.
"O how Papa? " Sandra said smiling. "I'll just change into one of the overalls and put on a sweatshirt ," she added.
She saw the uneasy look in Papa Karim's eyes when she was pulling the tow-truck out. She smiled to herself. Papa Karim could be so overprotective sometimes.
Papa Karim looked on as Sandra drove away, his face beaming with pride. It seemed like only yesterday that he used to put her on his laps and let her practice driving in his old "Tico."
He wished Mr and Mrs Korangteng were here to see the lovely lady their daughter had grown up to become.
Brian was running out of patience. When was the person Massa Karim had sent going to be there?
He had to meet a client in an hour and did not like running late. He decided to call again.
"Hello... Massa Karim...I'm still waiting ooo... "
"Oh sorry Sir, I'm sorry to keep you... she drove the tow-truck out a few minutes ago, the person I've sent and I'm sure she'll be there in a jiffy... please sit tight "
"wait ...did you just say she?... and tow-truck?... I don't need my car towed... I just need it fixed...hello..." the call ended before Brian could get the rest of his complaint in. He saw the tow-truck with the embossed letters, "K & K Autoshop" approaching towards him. The rain was almost letting up. His watch beeped to alert him that it was six o'clock. He cursed in his head for he was already late to the meeting he had.
"Hi, you called about your car? " Sandra said when she had parked the truck diametrically opposite his.
"I did. I don't really know what's wrong with it. The guy I have check it up every morning before I take it out said it was fine and it was for a bit till it broke down some hours ago," Brian responded.
"Well, the guy, " Sandra said while air-coating "has been ripping you off. "
"What? "
" Your engine cooler is broken and don't even get me started on the valves," Sandra remarked upon opening up the bonnet and checking.
" Are you sure? "
" Am I sure?... Sir, if I were a man would you ask me that? " Sandra replied.
Her lips twitching as Brian stood there confused. "It's just that I just gave you a professional assessment of your vehicle and you questioned my abilities. It's because I'm a woman right?" Sandra added, very livid. She hated the patriarchal system in the country and how women were constantly subjected to its two-faced tyranny. The double standards society expected women to adhere to, lately had been ticking her off.
Brian didn't know what to say in response to that accusation. A part of him felt he had wronged the lady by asking the question. The lawyer in him stubbornly justified that he was right in questioning the assessment.
"Can you fix it? " he blurted out ignoring Sandra 's outburst to her disgust.
"I sure can, but not here. I'll have to take it back to the shop with me," Sandra replied in the strictest tone. She had formed an opinion about the man in front of her and it was not in his favour. She took off the gloves she wore and proceeded to start the tow-truck.
" Look, it's getting late and I have a meeting to get to. I would call an Uber but it would take forever to get here. Could I hitch a ride with you instead ? Miss.... "
"Koranteng... Sandra Koranteng and the correct phrase is 'may I' and of course the answer is a big fat No! " Sandra said as she backed the truck into the street.
"I'll pay you," Brian shouted as Sandra braked. She needed the money.
"Exactly where are you going? "
" Britania Hotel... Right of the Adenta road,"
"That will cost you, " Sandra smirked.
"How does ¢ 50 cedis sound? " Brian offered.
"Make it a hundred and you got yourself a deal. "
"What?! are you insane ?"
"Have a nice life Mr. Brian, " Sandra said as she started the truck again.
"Okay... Okay... You have yourself a deal. Here's half the money. You get half when we get there."
Sandra took the money and Brian boarded the truck. They drove in silence till they arrived at Brian's destination. He handed the rest of the money off to her and warned he was going to call and complain to Master Karim in the morning. Sandra let out a mirthless laugh.
"Till our paths cross again, " she said mockingly and drove the truck off....
***The Present ***
They had both been hired at the law firm after successfully passing a highly competitive selection interview. They and eighteen others. Today was their first day of work and they'd been asked to report at exactly 8 o'clock in the morning.
" You know I got up at 4 am right? " Sandra replied smiling.
"Well then I'm glad you didn't wake me up, " Leticia acknowledged laughing. It was 7.59 am and at exactly 8.00, all twenty new associates were ushered into the firm's huge conference room.
"Good morning !" Mrs. Fremah, a senior partner at the firm cheerfully greeted them. That was the first and only time they were going to see her smile to them. Mrs. Fremah was like a stern all girls high school Headmistress, a strict disciplinarian and very prim and proper. After a very short welcome address, the associates were all divided into four groups of five to be handed over to designated partners at the firm. Sandra 's group got a Mr. B. Tachie -Menson who they were to meet in conference room six.
Sandra and her group hurried to the conference room and sat down to wait for their mentor. He came in very well dressed, pushing a cart of case files and wearing a smug smile on his face.
Sandra 's eyes widened with recognition and shock as his smile turned into a lilting laugh.
"Sandra Koranteng, so our paths have crossed again! "....(to be continued)
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