Song: KiDi - Odo (😍)

**Unedited** (Because tomatoes are red)

"Are you done Elorm? You must scrub the bathroom before you eat," Dada told me just as I was about to sit down to my meal of gari and groundnut soup after thoroughly cleaning all the louvre blades in the house.
The family had eaten hours ago. I had finished cooking at five o'clock and it was seven.

"Yes Da," I said, not wanting to argue, even though the hunger pangs were making me weak.

I scrubbed the tiles and toilet till they were pearl-white, then mopped the floors and unclogged the drain. When I was done, my hands looked like they I'd swam a mile and my shoulders hurt. My food was cold when I got back to the dining area and I was too hungry to waste time starting another fire to heat it, so I ate it cold.

"Elorm, where's my machete?" Fofo asked me as soon as I was done eating.

"Are you going to the cocoa farm?" I asked, worried that he might ask me to go with him.

"That's none of your business. I asked where my machete is."

"It's in the storeroom."

I washed my plate and was about to head to my room when Dada came out of the room with Elikem, who was screaming his head off.

"Take him. He's been crying for quite a while now," she said, handing him to me.

He stopped crying as soon as he was in my arms.

"His forehead is hot," I said, feeling him up. "He has a fever."

"Boil some herbs for him."

"But we don't know what he has. What if anything I give him makes him worse?"

"Shut up and do what you're asked," she retorted and headed back to her room.

I sighed and placed him on the living room's only sofa.

"How are you?" I asked him, even though he couldn't understand. "I'm going to make sure that you don't turn out like your brothers, okay?"

I tickled his belly and he giggled. I put him on my hip and went to the back of the house. There, I placed him on a stool and got to work starting a fire. When I got the fire going, I filled a pot with water and placed some leaves in it.

"I hope you are okay baby. You're the only family I have," I said.

He smiled.

By the time I'd finished giving Elikem the herbs, it was a quarter to nine. Dada and Fofo were in their room and the boys were in theirs. Elikem was soundly asleep in his crib. The house and its surroundings were silent, minus my pounding heart.

I sneaked out of my room with sweaty palms, remembering that if I got caught, it'd be the end of my life. I took in a deep breath to muster courage.

The door was only a foot away. I walked towards it with fear eating my insides, and opened it. The cool night air slapped me in the face immediately. The first thing that came to mind was that my ancestors were trying to warn me to stay home, but I shook my head vigorously.

The sounds made by the insects made my heart thump with fear. I wondered how sounds as harmless as chirping of crickets and hooting of owls could seem so ominous.

I took a deep breath, swallowed, and took three cautious steps outside, closing the door behind me. Then, I ran for my life.

The area in which the white people settled — I assumed that that was where he lived; it was obvious since he didn't bother informing me where his house was — was developing faster than the village itself.

They already had pipes and painted walls. There were four large buildings in my line of sight, which housed six flats each. I paused for a second just to admire the amazing infrastructure.

Remembering the task at hand, I walked towards the area and noticed that it was guarded by a huge black gate and a wall, probably ten feet tall. I pondered on why they had gone to the extremes when they were going to be around for a few months.

Two intimidating looking men stood at the gates holding AK-47s. They were both white. One of them was taller than the other but they were both muscular, the shorter one being more muscular than the taller one.

"What can we do for you?" The short one asked.

"I'm here to see Uncle Jack," I said, realising that I didn't ask for the biracial boy's name. At least I could use Uncle Jack to get to him.

"Jack who?"

"Jack Woods."

"And what business do you have with him?"

"Look, I know you're just doing your jobs, but he has a nephew and he knows I'm coming, so do us both a favour and let me in."

With that, I began to walk towards the gates. Before I could even stop in front of the gates, they brought their guns together so that they created a small blockade I could easily separate with my hands, but when someone makes a blockade with guns, it's intimidating.

They looked at each other, then back at me. "Go away, little girl. We don't allow guests after nine o'clock."

They probably thought I was a prostitute. I sighed. "Is this a prison?"

"It's nine-oh-three. Come back tomorrow."

"Just call Uncle Jack. Tell him it's Elorm."

"Is he your uncle?" One of them asked.

"No," I replied. "Why does that matter?"

They looked at each other. "With all due respect, I don't think you should be visiting grown men at this time of the night," the shorter one said. "And nobody named Jack told us you would be coming, so I suggest that you leave."

"I don't care what you think I'm here to do, but when Uncle Jack finds out that you're obstructing me, you're going to be in trouble."

"Like when your parents find you, you're going to be in trouble," the tall one said, and they both laughed. "You're just a kid. He's old enough to be your father. Have some respect for yourself."

I frowned. It wasn't the first time I'd gotten the 'have some respect for yourself' talk. I wondered why. Was it my looks? Or I had 'prostitute' engraved into my forehead?

"It's none of your business what I'm doing here. Just let me in or else I'll complain to Uncle Jack. You're just security guards and you have no right to teach me about morality," I said. It didn't come out as ferociously as I expected.

"You're right, but Mr. Woods never informed us that he was having a visitor so we can't let you in. If you want to offer your services to him, you can do it tomorrow. He's probably asleep by now."

"Are you not hearing a word I'm saying? I'm here to see his nephew, but I don't know his name! I'm hoping that if you contacted Uncle Jack, he'd link me up with his nephew!"

"Young lady, please leave," the short one said, advancing menacingly.

I scowled. There was no hope reasoning with those men. I used to think that only my village people were stupid, but I realised then that stupidity applies to all people, regardless of their gender, nationality, or skin colour. I turned to the block of flats and yelled. "Uncle Jack!"

"We asked you to leave," the tall one said.

"Uncle Jack!" I yelled again, ignoring them.

The short guard put down his gun and suddenly hoisted me over his shoulder. I was so shocked that I screamed involuntarily. I screamed again, voluntarily this time, and pounded his back. "Let me go!"

The guard ignored me, of course. With me over his shoulder, he began walking away from the gates and back the way I came from when we heard his voice.

"Hey! Let her go, she's with me!"

The guard stopped and we both looked up. The biracial boy was in one of the flats of the block of flats that wasn't high up — the first floor actually — but the flats were so spacious that even on the first floor, he was above the ten-foot gate. He was poking his head out of the window, his face contorted with anger as he glared at the guard.

"Put her down," he ordered.

"S–sorry sir," he said, eyes wide. He looked at me bewilderedly as if realising that I was actually telling him the truth. He put me down as if he was in a daze.

"Let her in."

"Sure sir," the tall one said, shoved his friend away and apologised as if he was being nice to me at first. He pushed a button and the gates automatically parted, allowing me in.

I glared at them before entering. As soon as I was in, I doubted we were still in Gbevukope. There was grass everywhere except the paths. The beautiful night lights lighted up the area and every building had a nicely trimmed hedge. I imagined going home to something like that every day.

"Elorm," he said. His voice startled me.

"How did you get down here so fast?" I turned around to meet his deep dimples and charming smile.

"The perks of living on the first floor. Sorry about the security guards. I don't know why they were being so rude. I'll have them fired."

"There's no need for that," I said, preferring to forget all about the unpleasant ordeal. "Shall we?"

"Come on then."

The block was fancy inside out. Since it was so late, the doorman had retired. I reasoned that the security guards had been right when they said they weren't having any other visitors. I followed him into his flat up the very few stairs and gasped as soon as I took in the sight.

"Your flat is beautiful," I whispered in awe. The place was devoid of walls except around his room. The decor was mostly black and white, and the chandelier and white light made the place look ethereal.

"Thank you," he said, chuckling at my awestruck look. "It's a bit lonely though," he said. I must have looked at him weirdly, so he continued to explain. "I don't live with my uncle. He's not much company and he doesn't approve of everything I do."

"Care to elaborate?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not," he winked. Was he flirting?

His room was an even better sight — I knew we should avoid all forms of temptation like a bed, but the mattress looked really comfortable — it was painted green with black circles appearing here and there in a pattern. A plush black carpet covered the entire floor and a large floor–to–ceiling window was at the west side, showing the beautiful view of the estate. I stood beside one of the windows, far away from where he stood because I was shy.

"What do you want to start with?" He asked me, arranging a few books on his bedside table.

"Math. I want to start with mathematics."

He quirked an eyebrow and smiled. "You're the first person I've ever met who'd say that."

I smiled too. "I like to think that I'm different from most people."

He picked up a big book and plopped it on his bed. "Don't we all? But nobody really is. We all have good and bad inside us. Lazy and hardworking, honest and dishonest. What makes a person slightly different is which one we allow to show."

I smiled at him. He was smart. I liked smart guys.

"Come on," he patted the space beside him.

"On your bed?" I asked nervously.

He laughed. "I don't believe in intimate relations with strangers."

"Right," I pursed my lips and cautiously sat beside him. He was not the problem, I was. The human body isn't firewood. It's easy to feel aroused when you're alone in a dark room with a handsome boy and his handsome dimples.

"We're going to start with simple addition, okay?"

"Seriously? You think I don't know how to add?" I asked incredulously.

"Well, I assumed we'd have to start everything from the beginning," he said, looking apologetic.

"I know everything that has to do with basic money calculations; division, addition, subtraction, multiplication. You have to know how money works if you want to survive here."

"Really? That's nice. Since you have the proper foundation, we can get started on the hard part — at least, the part that people claim to be hard."

"And that would be?"

"You'll see," he said, grinning.

* * *

Math is much more difficult than the people on television make it seem. I stared at the worksheet he'd given me. Algebra, he called it. It looked like Chinese to me. He'd spent most of the previous night explaining it to me, but I guess I wasn't as bright as I wished I was.

It was Wednesday. The devils were at school. Dada went to the market and Fofo went to the cocoa farm. The only reason why I was home was because there was no one else who could take care of Elikem.

The angel slept peacefully in his crib whilst I stared at my worksheet, chewing on the pencil's eraser. I was so lost that I busied myself trying to pronounce the pencil's brand name; Ticonderoga.

Remembering that I had to submit my homework that night, I turned my attention back to the worksheet. The first question read; 'Given that 1: 3 = x: 21, find the value of x.'

Was I supposed to add? There was no multiplication, division, addition, or subtraction sign. Maybe it was a trick question. He'd already solved it and expected me to know.

I moved on to the second question;
0.0225 x 0.0256
0.0015 x 0.48

Now that was just rude. I guessed then that the school thing was not as easy as I imagined.

As if on cue, Elikem decided to start screaming his head off. The young angel had pooped himself. As I headed to my parents' room to grab a diaper, the door to our house suddenly burst open. It was Sara.

"What do you think you're doing here?" I asked, startled. I reminded myself to lock the door at all times.

"I saw you last night," she said. She looked as terrible as usual. Her eyes were wide and red, her nostrils flared. Her hands were fists.

"I saw you last night too."

"Don't try to play smart with me, you stupid girl!"

"You can't just barge into my house and insult me. Get out!"

Elikem stopped, and he gurgled happily, clapping his hands. Everyone likes a good fight.

"I saw you go to the white people's area. What did you go to do there?"

Thank God. I thought she knew I'd gone to see... I still didn't know his name. I'd have to ask him next time we met. "That is none of your business."

"Have you gone to look for work in other places? You never cease to amaze me. How low can you stoop?"

I smiled at her. "Sara, both you and I know that all that you say about me is lies. No one is here, why keep lying when we both know the truth?"

"What are you talking about? I only spread authentic news," she said, frowning as if genuinely confused.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here. Get out of my house before my father gets back."

"You mean until your latest conquest gets here. I'm watching you Elorm. I will find out who you're sleeping with and when I do, I'll expose you for the harlot you are."

"At least I could be a harlot if I wanted to. Get out of my house!" So saying, I shoved her out the door and banged it.

Elikem cheered for me.

"Aren't you a little angel?" I said, picking him up. I kissed him on the cheek, and he smiled at me.

I turned back to the two math problems I was faced with. Perhaps, I could ask Dzifa for help. She was the smartest child in the village, one of the only two girls whose parents allowed to be educated. I put the child down and ran to my bedroom to grab my cloth, then paused abruptly.

On second thought, I realised going to see Dzifa was a bad idea. She was rather short, with broad hips and a small waist. Coca cola shaped, they called it. It was a good thing that she didn't mingle with us ignorant children. She was very beautiful. She had permed long, black hair, almond shaped big brown eyes with full lips. A true African beauty with brains.

She was everything I'd ever wanted to be. I couldn't stand being around her because I didn't feel special. I didn't feel beautiful when I was around her and I didn't like that.

Angrily, I scrunched the sheet into a ball and tossed it inside the wastebasket. If that was what school is like, then I decided I didn't want to be in school.

The day passed by quickly. The devils returned from school and my parents returned from wherever they went to. I made dinner and stared at my brothers' homework, hoping to learn a thing or two, then bathed Elikem, cleaned the house and pretended to go to sleep.

By ten minutes after nine, I was in front of the gates. The security guards greeted me this time and allowed me in without any questions.

"Where's my homework?" The mulatto boy asked immediately I stepped into his flat.

"What?" I asked.

"My homework. The one I gave to you last night," he sat at his dining table and was glaring at me with a playful glint in his eyes.

"I was supposed to bring it today?"

"No," he said. Something in his voice made me believe that he was being sarcastic.

"Okay. I'll bring it next year then," I shrugged.

"Elorm!"

"What is your name?"

"What?"

"Your name. I don't know your name, but you know mine. That hardly seems fair," I rambled. "We've known each other for two days and I don't know your name. Are you a criminal? I know—"

"My name is Christian, but you can call me Chris."

"Christian? Why would you be called Christian? It's like being called Muslim or Buddhist."

"I could introduce you to my parents. Question them all you want," he laughed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that. I was just saying what was on my mind, I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, I know you weren't serious. Now, back to my homework, I didn't expect you to do it."

"Really?" I asked, pleased and disbelieving, then I frowned. "Then why did you give it to me? Is this whole thing a joke?"

"No. I was trying to push you off your high horse. Last night, you acted like you were Albert Einstein himself. I was trying to show you that you are a human being who needs to listen and learn. Schooling isn't magic."

"I watched television and learnt how to read and speak English," I boasted. I was angry with him. It wasn't right for him to make me feel stupid.

"I schooled for thirteen years — and some months — before I could solve a standard form question, but you were so proud that you believed you would master it in what? Two hours?"

"Well, I've been picking things up in record time since I was a child. I guess I'm not ready to face the hard things in life."

"Sit beside me," he patted the chair beside him.

I was still nervous about going too close to him. I'd never been in a closed room with dark lighting with an attractive boy, especially one that was so smart.

I sat on the chair beside him.

"I don't know how that feels like because I've never been pompous," he joked, and I frowned. "But life isn't always like that. You can't be good at everything. The sooner you get rid of that mindset, the better for you. Now, let's start with the basics."

We spent hours working on numbers. He taught me how to correctly pronounce numbers. I watched some movies and I learnt how to read numbers from there, but it turns out that some Americans don't really know how to read numbers.

For example, the number '1,500' is read 'one thousand and five hundred' but they read it as 'fifteen hundred'. I used to think that everyone who didn't live in my village was perfect. It's not nice to learn that your whole life has been a lie.

We then moved on to place and place values.

"Okay, I see why your head is so swollen. You do pick things up quickly," Chris said, just after he had finished marking my assignment sheet.

"I'm deciding to take that as a compliment."

He smiled at me. "What profession will you pursue in the future?" He asked.

"I have no idea. I want to be a scientist and discover the cure for HIV/AIDS and cancer. I also want to become a journalist and a writer. I will cover stories in areas such as this one, so that the government will see how rural dwellers like me live. Then again, I want to found companies that will span across the globe and donate to charity."

"Very ambitious. I see a bright future ahead of you," he smiled.

"Thank you. I see it too."

He laughed and took my right hand. "I want to show you something."

I nodded and let him lead me downstairs and out of the luxurious flat. At that time of the night, most of the village was asleep so there was no need for streetlights. This reduced light pollution in the area and caused the stars to shine brightly, and the night sky was filled with them. It was beautiful to watch.

"Do you see that star?" He let go of my hand and pointed to the sky. One star shone more brightly than the others.

"Wow," I whispered in superficial awe. I hated the star already. It just seemed like an attention whore to me.

"It's called Venus. It's a planet actually."

"It's beautiful," I said truthfully. Even though I hated it, I had to admit that it looked beautiful. "I've never seen anything more beautiful."

"Well I have," he said, smiling adorably at the planet/star. Was he trying to say what I thought he was trying to say? My heart thudded harder in my chest when he looked at me, his dimples pooling in his cheeks. He was so handsome.

"I should go, it's late," I said quickly, before the atmosphere could get charged. I had spent so much time on my worksheet.

"Let's go then," he said.

"No thank you. I can walk home alone."

"Do you really expect me to let you go home alone? It's nearly three o'clock."

"Yes, I do. Everybody is asleep, I'll be fine," I protested.

"Elorm, I'm not letting you walk home alone. End of discussion," he said firmly. "Let me fetch us umbrellas."

"Why do we need umbrellas?" I asked. I really didn't want him to come home with me. Perhaps, when he went to fetch the umbrellas, I could make a run for it.

"You must've been working really hard on your assignment. Didn't you hear the thunder?"

"Which thunder?" I asked.

He must've been delirious.

"Come with me. The umbrellas are in my room. I don't trust you enough to leave you here. I know you were thinking about escaping."

I laughed. It was like he read my mind. We went to his room and he grabbed the umbrellas, then we descended the few steps out of the block. I noticed that he was holding a key along with the umbrellas. Being the gentleman that he was, he didn't ask me to carry anything.

"What's that?" I asked.

"The keys to my car," he pushed a button and the car yelped to life.

"It's small."

I expected something bigger. The rich and important Ghanaians I saw on television used big black cars.

"Smaller cars are more stylish."

"Who lied to you?"

"I'm serious."

"So you drove it to Ghana from England?"

He laughed. "I took a plane from London to Accra, then I bought this car from Accra and drove it here."

"Why didn't you just drive your English car here?"

"Because I can't drive on the sea."

"Why would you need to drive on the sea?"

"England and Ghana are on different continents. Water separates them."

"So that's why people use helicopters and airplanes."

"Yes. Now will you get in?" He sounded exasperated.

"Wait. One, then why do some people in this country use helicopters when they aren't even going to other countries? And two, why did you have to take umbrellas when we're taking your car?"

"One, rich people and the media use helicopters to get to places faster and two, it's not a convertible. It doesn't have a roof so if it starts to rain, we'll have to use the umbrellas."

"And here I was thinking that people who made cars were smart. Do you have a helicopter we can use?"

He laughed. "You're hilarious. Stop being stubborn and get in."

"It's a sport car," I added.

"So?"

"I've seen them on television. I don't want to ride in them. They always get destroyed in Fast and Furious."

For some reason, he burst out laughing. "Fast and Furious is fictitious. Just get in, I promise that it won't bite."

I glared at him.

He laughed. Being the gentleman that he was, Chris held open the door for me while I got in. I didn't know whether he was trying to show off, but the door of the car went all the way up. I pretended not to be awed because I didn't want to look ignorant.

He smiled at me. "I hope you don't mind a little speed."

* * *

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