Since 2023, by divine revelation, I have discovered that drinking goat’s milk daily would benefit my health immensely. Initially, even after making many inquiries and traveling to the Village of Nsoatre, I ran into one disappointment after another since I could not obtain any. Finally, I had to travel to the USA to purchase that commodity at The WALMART Supermarket in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The benefit was immediate because once I started consuming the milk daily, the swelling I had been experiencing in both legs disappeared. After returning to Ghana, I contacted a merchant in Accra who sent me some goat milk powder. I only obtained that product from her once. She had to import it from abroad and was experiencing foreign exchange challenges. Finally, I was able to get the real McCoy. A friend living in the Village of Drobo introduced me to an acquaintance who obtained goat’s milk from a shepherd. I purchased 5 liters of milk weekly, paying 50.00 GHS per liter until I discovered he was adulterating the milk with water. Nor was such intelligence complex. All I had to do was taste the milk because the flavor was markedly different, and so was the color. That kind of behavior is so typical of young Ghanaians. Those who seem incapable of passing up an opportunity to scam a foreigner.
Just the process of traveling to Drobo is a challenge in itself. All the taxi drivers charge 25.00 GHS (US$1.80) for the 45-minute one-way trip. However, not all the vehicles (despite their appearance) are roadworthy. The road from Berekum to the village of Jinijini is pretty decent. But once entrance is made to that intervening Village, everyone feels and notices the difference. First, the dust is profuse and blinding this time of the year. Second, the public thoroughfare is only a lowly dirt road. As if that was not bad enough, there are many sleeping policemen, at least fifteen treacherously positioned across the road for the entire journey. Once the driver begins to negotiate the crossing of the sleeping policemen, it is the point at which all the passengers in the vehicle become painfully aware of the full extent of the vehicle’s defectiveness. Not only is there a sudden depression of the automobile’s body, but also a failure of the shock absorbers. This is evidenced by the screeching sound as the car floor scrapes the upper surface of the sleeping obstacle. Which is invariably the trunk of a tree covered by a dirt mound. Not all of the taxis are in such a deplorable condition. The fact that operators rip their passengers off by deploying poorly maintained vehicles is a scam.
I asked one of my hardworking neighbors about her sister, who worked for me for a short period in 2023. She had to stop coming to my house because of an extremely painful affliction. She was suffering from Gastroesophageal reflux disease. I was given her number and called her to inquire about her welfare. She informed me that her mother had recently died. I was saddened by this bad news and advised her that if she needed any help, she should just let me know. The following day, she called to notify me that her family was preparing for her mother’s funeral and that any help that I could afford would be welcomed. Solomon says:
“A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth; Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 (NKJV).
The Apostle Paul counsels us to:
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.” Romans 12:15-16 (NKJV).
I subsequently informed her that I had some money for her, and when she arrived at my home, I gave her 600.00 GHS (US$36.00). That’s a lot of money in Ghana nowadays. Political ineptitude and corruption have ravaged the economy of this third-world country in the last four years. She was extremely grateful for my generosity. However, waves of depression were sweeping over her, and she needed to be pampered and comforted, which was understandable. She requested money to purchase a wig and funds required to travel to her village, Nkwankwanta, amongst other things. Where the funeral rites for her mother would be performed. Before leaving for that remote village, she contacted me to ask, “Mr. James, do you want sex? If you wish to have sex, then please let me know.” Maybe her offer was designed to maximize the benefits she wanted to swindle out of me and deceive me into thinking she cared for me. However, since her pathological issues were preponderant, I instinctively knew that any such entanglement would be transitory and mercurial at best. I had observed her carefully in the past. She would sit in front of the mirror for long periods, admiring her face and caressing her hair’s locks. Occasionally, she posted videos of herself in the profile window of her phone. Pretending to perform as a pop star when, in reality, she can’t even sing. Periodically, she would glance admiringly at her golden-coloured bag and golden-coloured shoes. Drawing the attention of observers to her attire in an apparent attempt to increase their admiration of her.
It would be blatantly clear to any sensible person that Ms. Joyce was intoxicated and enamored of herself. Although she is 23 years of age and very beautiful, her behavior is far from normal. Accordingly, she was incapable of having a normal relationship with anyone because she was exhibiting all the signs of a person suffering from a Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Her abnormal love of self affected everything she did and influenced her interpersonal relationships. Oftentimes, she repeated, “Mr. James, I love you so much.” She advised me that she was doing much better health-wise and requested that I reinstate her in her original job. I concurred. She desperately needed a break, and I complied with her request since I could afford one. Unsurprisingly, she couldn’t show up for work promptly at any time. Even though she made an attempt to do the job, she was never thorough. She seemed to vigorously occupy herself with cleaning my apartment. But when she was done, all the signs of a poorly completed assignment were staring me in the face. The furniture remained undusted, there were cobwebs on the ceiling, and the beds were never swept underneath. The front verandah was neither swept nor mopped. There was dust covering the two water barrels on my back porch. Eventually, after she received all the financial goodies she felt she needed, she vanished like a spirit. I was neither shocked nor disappointed by her conduct. Because my past clinical experience had shielded me against her whims and abnormalities. But as the saying goes, “We live to learn.”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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