Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Street(side) Manners in the City of Accra

You must not take it with a grain of salt – Maya was present at this misadventure too! A ‘big lawyer’ and a young lady hanging out at Melting Moments. It is a neat bistro at Labone, sublime at nightfall, lit in ochre, not too brightly or too softly. While sitting tight for our fancy frittatas, we took the time to delight in the gloaming crowd.

She was a middle-aged white woman. She bumped into the disarrayed metal furniture, bleeding from the nose and mouth. She froze at the mirror on the wall on seeing the blood in her girlish face. First the blood was there, streaming, drip-dropping in the wash basin. Then, it was all gone! Sorry, that was on the Hallmark channel which we were watching –frittatas yet to come :-)

The lawyer’s lady was in a forgettable top and a flair, fawn, sparsely sequined skirt. It was long, but scant excuse for her to sit with her spindly legs splayed wide apart, her back bent and her lips almost lapping the platter on the tiny-top, high-leg table. I craned my neck half-expecting to see dog biscuits in the dainty china.

We struggled between the devil of the horror flick on TV, and the deep blue sea of the barrister’s Brummagem. A thin, pretty waitress whizzes by, and the hateful Hoyden raises her head. What next? “Ssssssssssssssssssss!” The hissing caught the waitress’s attention (wouldn’t it?), but it also startled everybody else.

They herd out noisily through the french window, to the mini car park. So, he drives the big, chartreuse Honda Accord glittering beside Maxine. Cool! He showily beeps it open, and flings his door outward, not caring. It catches my poor car on the flank with a grating sound. Horrified I am, but I remain timid in my seat. I’ve had enough of them!

5 comments:

  1. nicely written
    Just perfect
    Like the way you use the words
    It creates perfect images !
    kudos.

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  2. Thank you, Kwansema. Will be sure to check out your blog. :-)

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  3. Nana Yaw, I can't stop laughing as I read your perfect description of the evening (thankfully, I've had my lunch so the memory of her bushness can't put me off another meal!).

    As for Maxine, I feel your pain, actually, check out what I am about to write and you'll understand how much I feel it...

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  4. Well, Maya, I've not had lunch yet, so I have to throw my mental quick-oblivion switch. About your coming post, my breath is bated.

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  5. The post is up, but it doesn't capture the rage I felt in the dream, woke up with my heart racing and it was only yesterday i looked and thought, I do have a nice car, then i remembered the dream!

    ReplyDelete

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