Annette played nervously with the hem of her skirt and glanced occasionally at her lawyer. They had decided a few days ago that it would be Annette’s best interest if she found somewhere more permanent to live, and more specifically not with her council. She was hesitant to call Sophia, but she had no one else to turn to. To her relief, Sophia came to pick her up right away without hesitation. Now it was time for her to focus on proving her innocence.
Lydia clicked through some files on her laptop, pensively rubbing her chin every so often. Finally, she leaned back in her chair and smiled at Annette.
“I think we’re ready to go to …

Cecelia waited nervously for her daughter to arrive in a taxi. She had been cooking since morning, and most of the food was settling at room temperature now. Most of the money that she earned had gone towards educating and clothing her daughter, and it had never occurred to her that she might buy a microwave. It seemed like an unnecessary expense – until now. Her daughter was returning from abrochi and she was going to be greeted with cold food! There was nothing for it now. She went to the window and waited.
When a red and yellow taxi pulled up to their small home, Cecelia’s heart leapt. She dashed to the road’s edge and …

Afosua and Gertrude wrapped up their proposal and recommendation to the Deutsch Tech group. Though the men didn’t say so, it was a resounding success, judging from the smiles and chatter that filled the board room. All that was left for the women to do was to get their findings back to Phillips & Boakye so that they could proceed.
Lucas Gottlieb approached Afosua from behind and cleared his throat. She stopped packing her briefcase and turned to face him.
“Excellent job, Ms. Gyemfi,” he said commending her. “I’m pleased to see your team was able to stay focused.”
“Yes,” she smiled patronizingly. “That was why we are here, after all.”
“I wonder…if I might take you to dinner? …

Lucas stood and asked Afosua to join him at the bar. She dutifully followed him.
“Your colleague is very pretty.”
“Gertrude? Yes, I suppose she is.”
“I hope she is not equally naïve.”
Afosua glanced back at Lucas. She had been watching Gertrude and Carsten get cozier and cozier, slowly excluding the other two men from their conversation.
“And what would she have to be wary of? I’m not sure why her naivety would come into question.”
Lucas shifted his weight on the stool he was sitting one and traced his finger against the dark oak surface of the bar.
“I’ve seen this before,” he confided. “With Carsten, I mean. He’s indiscriminate. Clients; contracts; it doesn’t matter the business relationship. He finds …

Thursday came far faster than Gertrude had counted on. Her heart was pounding as the flight to Frankfurt was called. She and Afosua had spent the last three days pouring over strategy, but she still felt nervous and unprepared. She prayed that she wouldn’t sabotage the venture with her inexperience. Her mother had come to see her off, and waved goodbye with tears in her eyes. The two of them had never been apart. Gertrude had never been to boarding school, never had her own apartment, and never been away from home. She was extremely proud of her daughter and would miss her terribly.
Unfamiliar with customs procedures, Gertrude followed Afosua’s lead. She placed her suitcases …

Tony  tapped his foot on the restaurant  floor until Afosua arrived. She sounded so intense on the phone…more agitated than normal. He was looking forward to seeing her, but wondered what could possibly have set her on edge so badly. Perhaps she was having regrets about the last time they were together.
A few moments later she walked into the door and hurried to his table. He stood and pulled out a chair for her, unsure if he should hug her or shake her hand. Her skin was dewy and she looked flushed, as though she were feverish. He sat in the chair next to her and took her hands.
“Are you alright?” he asked with sincere …

Lydia Oppong went to the trunk of her car and pulled out a simple batik dress and a pair of flip flips and stuffed them into a plastic bag. She strode confidently into the jail and approached the warden’s desk.
“I’m here to see my client,” she said addressing a sleepy looking man in a dark blue uniform. “Can you lead me to her?”
The warden looked her up and down slowly before speaking. He motioned at a lurking lieutenant near the exit door.
“Aboagye!”
“Yessah!”
“Bring the half-caste girl. Her lawyer is here.”
“Yessah!”
Lydia sauntered over to a wooden bench and sat, not waiting to be offered a seat. She was the type of woman who made herself comfortable, no …

The phone rang early on Monday morning, snapping Afosua into reality.
“Afosua?”
“Yes?”
“This is Sophia Ike.”
“The designer?”
“Yes.”
Why was Sophia Ike calling her so early on a week day? How had she gotten her number?
“Annette and I are…good friends,” explained Sophia. “She’s mentioned you to me on several occasions. I sent you a text message yesterday to tell you about her arrest.”
“Yes!” said Afosua excitedly. “I did receive it yesterday. I was too overwhelmed to give you a call back, I’m sorry.”
It had all seemed like a bad dream the day before. Now Afosua had to face that her friend was in real danger.
“I figured that the two of you were close,” continued Sophia. “Have you seen the …

Gertrude sat at her dining room table admiring her newly procured passport. She cradled it in her hands so that it would not make contact with the linoleum table cloth, as though it might sully it. She was giddy with the thought of leaving the country for the first time.
Her mother brought her a plate of food. The chicken breast was cut into slender rectangles and lay delicately on top of the piping hot jollof rice. Her mother sat opposite her, watching her daughter eat with admiration.
“I’m so proud of you, davi,” said her mother. “I never dreamed that my child would grow up to be so important.”
“I’m just a secretary, Ma,” Gertrude said sullenly.
Her …

Auntie Grace called for her driver to come around pick the ladies up.
“We are going to the site,” she informed him.
“Yes, madam,” he responded mechanically. Samuel had been Auntie Grace’s driver for over 15 years, and Afosua had never heard him say more than those two words in that time. She thought it was an odd relationship to have with someone who was responsible for doing something as personal as driving one to their destinations. She concluded that Samuel had been privy to Auntie Grace’s more clandestine destinations in those times, and wanting to keep his job and good standing, resorted to speak as little as possible.
With each mile, Dumbai became more and more remote …