“There is no need for an apology, Mr. James,” was my neighbor’s reply. “Yes, there is because I’m not supposed to be that careless,” I responded. She sat down on the concrete ledge encircling the house, which had been recently constructed by the proprietress to protect the foundation of the building and which now served not only as a convenient seat but also a path on which to walk if one wanted to avoid the weeds, shrubbery, and prickles that were vigorously sprouting and growing around the base of the building. “Ms. Agnes, I hate to even raise this subject because this is not something that gives me any pleasure to talk about, but are you ever going to take any responsibility for your portion of the water bill?” “But I don’t know how much I’m supposed to pay,” She complained. “I did show you the receipt,” I reminded her, “and asked you how long it would take for you to refund me your portion of the bill?” She clearly remembered all of that, but still insisted that we never came to any agreement on exactly how much she should pay. Most normal people would have concluded that, since there were only two residents living here, her portion of the bill would be at least 50% of the total expense.
Soon, she confessed to me that she was locked out of her apartment next door. “But how did that happen?” I wondered. “I don’t know, Mr. James. Apparently, the key doesn’t work anymore,” was her reply. She then requested the locksmith’s telephone number. I went inside my apartment and found the small hard-covered book where I had recorded all vital information. After a careful and painstaking search, I found his name and number, gave it to her, and she called him. Ms. Agnes then confessed that she was hungry since she hadn’t eaten since morning. I invited her into my apartment and gave her an apple and a ripe banana. Both of which she ate promptly. She refused to accept anything else because she had no desire to irritate her acidic stomach. We chatted for some time because the locksmith didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get there. Once again, she advised me that she wanted a child. She was only 30 and was wrestling with a litany of financial and emotional issues. She began by stating that her boyfriend, who had been her partner for many years, was refusing to marry her. She went on to say that she was having a lot of trouble conceiving. Presently, she was visiting the city of Kumasi, where she was under the supervision of a gynaecologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. The medical condition from which she was suffering.
Symptoms of PCOS often start around the time of the first menstrual period. Sometimes symptoms develop later after you have had periods for a while.
The symptoms of PCOS vary. A diagnosis of PCOS is made when you have at least two of these:
- Irregular periods. Having few menstrual periods or having periods that aren’t regular are common signs of PCOS. So is having periods that last for many days or longer than is typical for a period. For example, you might have fewer than nine periods a year. And those periods may occur more than 35 days apart. You may have trouble getting pregnant.
- Too much androgen. High levels of the hormone androgen may result in excess facial and body hair. This is called hirsutism. Sometimes, severe acne and male-pattern baldness can happen, too.
- Polycystic ovaries. Your ovaries might be bigger. Many follicles containing immature eggs may develop around the edge of the ovary. The ovaries might not work the way they should. MAYO CLINIC: Polycistic Ovary Syndrome
Most people have everyday problems that are subject to time, place, or circumstance. Sometimes, however, we run into people whose problems can only be described as chronic and profound. Because there is no easy human solution. That was the nature of my neighbor’s conundrum. The issues that we were having with water, the gates, and the locks were symptomatic of her psychosocial history. Because of her medical condition, she couldn’t get pregnant, and it wasn’t for want of trying. Although a wall separated our apartments, I frequently heard her groaning in sexual ecstasy and pleasure, and if she had more than two young men trying to impregnate her womb, then the others were unknown to me. It wasn’t only the female voice and the emotions it betrayed that were revealing. The shrieking of the bed as it tried to bear up under the violent pressure it was subjected to spoke volumes. To date, she has spent 250,000.00 GHS in a desperate attempt to ameliorate her medical dilemma, and as far as I could see, there was no logical end in sight.
Although the locksmith came and left, he was unable to rectify the problem with her door. Apparently, she needed a new entrance lock. The one that he had installed about eight months earlier just wasn’t working anymore. Many of the mechanical items purchased in Ghana seem to have a pre-imposed time limitation. I was experiencing similar problems with the faucets in my kitchen and bathroom sinks, as well as with the shower units. Maybe the fact that they were all made in China was a major contributing factor. I was almost afraid to call my plumber because I knew he would need to fix several items in my apartment, including the flushing mechanism in my toilet and bowl. Although the landlords collect rent promptly in this country, don’t call them if any maintenance is needed in your living quarters. All such expenses are borne by the tenant. If all the above issues were the full extent of my neighbor’s problems, most people would conclude that indeed she had a handful. But apparently they weren’t. Ms. Agnes started to complain that an Okada had been stolen from beside her apartment, where she had regularly parked it. “But how could that happen?” I wondered out vocally, “Both gates are routinely locked. You are the only other person on this property who has a key for the large entrance gates, through which alone the Okada can pass. Therefore, how do you explain such a mishap?” Her silence was so loud it was almost deafening. Either this story was an outright fib, or whoever took that Okada had a lot of help from Ms. Agnes.
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