Two Mistakes Ago

Chapter 14

"Let me at least answer my phone?" I begged the cop.

"Alright lady. But do remember I have all the time in the world on top of my head".

I ignored his sarcasm and picked my phone.

"Where in this world are YOU!?! Sheila Annang!" She spat out. I found it very unusual for my aunt to behave like that. We hadn't spoken to each other in ages and this is how she welcomes me? Well its my aunt Mara so I shouldn't be too surprised.

"A-unt-Aunt..I'm sleeping. Can erm- Can we...like talk later...?" I stammered and hung up before she could hear the noise coming from DNA.

"Sheila!!!!!!!"

I heard her call again. I felt the environment was playing tricks on me. I cut the line myself so why did it feel like she was still shouting. The phone started belling one more time.

"Oh Aunt! This is not the right time to call I'm trying to catch my sleep" I lied again, cursing Daniel and his bitchy girlfriend under my breath.

"Okay. Well done! Stay indoors! It is very good. That way you won't end up in the middle of nowhere exchanging words with a policeman," she said.

"Alright, Aunt...Oh no!..What!? What...!? What are you talking about??" I said completely at sea. I didn't even understand her at first as my concentration was on the cop who was signalling me to end the call and follow him. But now realisation dawned on me. Was Aunt some kind of fetish priestess? Why would she say something like that?

"Look behind you Sheila and applaud yourself!"

I turned to see my aunt standing there with her traveler. Her stern eyes directly staring at my little black dress. My heart missed a beat. This time, I was convinced all of this was a nasty dream. I just had to wake up and go to work. Unfortunately, it was no dream at all. This was actually happening live and coloured.

"So I'm stuck in the middle of my journey to Accra! I decide to pass the night here in Hotel d'Elmina and look who I see standing in front of a night club talking to the police in a skimpy dress!!?" She said. "I am extremely fortunate! My niece...."

"Aunt, we would talk about that later! Please go with Elorm to my house.  He's my housemate. You don't need to sleep in a hotel if you are stranded. You know I live in Elmina."

"Yea..how can I forget?! I didn't want to come and ruin your supposed "sleep", she said drawing commas in the air. "And where would you be as I go away with your demon-like housemate?"

Elorm rolled his eyes at Aunt Mara. I knew this was how my life was going to end. Aunt is already hating and the white girl had already 'downloaded' the entire story into Aunt's ears, telling her I was being arrested. Aunt was very furious but I convinced her that everything would be fine. She finally agreed to go home with Elorm as I was marched to the station.

The ever patient policeman asked me to sit behind the counter. The inspector was dealing with a serious armed robbery case so I was totally ignored. For about an hour I sat behind the counter like some fugitive with no one attending to me. I was dozing off already when Daniel entered.

"Babes! What's going here? Why did you report Sheila?" He asked in a concerned tone. "These people would just stretch the case and torture her for no reason. You would also be stressing yourself. I think you should drop the charges and return home. Your husband is on his way remember?"

"Fine! This entire place is horrible! And I'm dropping the charges only because you say so. You made my night..until this dumb ass came to ruin it...but hey, its not a big deal. Let me drop the charges and scram out of here. Looks like these incompetent policemen are busy and I have a flight to catch," she said.

"Alright. Thanks baby, you are the best!!," He said.

I said nothing the entire time. I just stared at them going through all the processes till I was finally free. The white girl exited immediately after she dropped the charges. I saw her hopping into a van with a white man and two white girls. Obviously, she was not even a girl, she was a married woman with kids. I wonder what she was doing with Daniel in that horrible place. I started walking out of the police station. I felt like a lost puppy in the rain. It was around 1:30 am. I was so upset. I was totally floored by this one. Aunt Mara living in my house as I am talking now with the idiotic Elorm and all this policeman wahala. I didn't like the home I was returning to - obviously Aunt would ask me tons of unanswerable questions. I was also afraid of the dark plus I wasn't too sure of my way. I didn't know where to turn next so I just sat in the middle of the street, wailing uncontrollably.

"Sheila, no Sheila please get up dear", he said.

"Dear? Me? Dear??," I scoffed. "You are the worst!!! I am an idiot to think we are friends just because we work together. I came here just because I wanted to see you. I just wanted to see the fun and "unprofessional" side of you one more time. I missed yo-..." I stopped myself before I said anything silly.

"Sheila, look, I am sorry. I was wrong to have yelled at you so rudely. Its just that I was infuriated when I learnt that you were living with that..that..Elorm!! He's a scary bastard! You are a smart woman and you should have known better. Why are you living with him. He might..he might well...he's a player!" He said sitting down beside me on the empty street.

"Okay, fine. Let's assume you reacted like that today because you realised I was living with Elorm. Can you explain why you have been avoiding me and ignoring me all this time? Where did I go wrong?" I asked.

"You didn't go wrong anywhere. I wasn't prepared when you came. I don't know if you are my woman crush everyday or you are just an everyday pretty girl. I mean you're not the prettiest girl I've seen but there's just something different about you. I know this might sound clichéd but it's the truth. What's worst of all is that you came without warning and you're like some kind of difficult puzzle I can't solve. I've dealt neatly with several hot girls but your case is just too much. I just have to avoid you. You are -you-you are amazing. It's like I need time to classify you. You are a different kind of specimen"

"Wonderful, now you are speaking in parables and thanks so much for objectifying me. I am a specimen to you. You seriously think you have the right to experiment with everyone you meet?" I asked.

"No, girls. I am that kind of guy who loves to experiment with women. I am not a player though. I never play these girls. I actually build relationships with them. Sometimes we stay together for two months, or three months. I just pamper them and spoil them with love, then I sit back and watch how they find means and ways to survive when I suddenly breakup with them. I build their hopes so high and crush them myself within a twinkle of an eye. You know, I think of myself as a teacher. I teach these girls to be strong and not to put all their trust in men, as men can fail them at any time."

"Daniel. What you are telling me is not even funny so I won't ask if you are joking or not? Are you being serious? Is that what you actually do? You go around hurting girls?"

He said nothing. He just asked me to follow him home. His house, for the second time. Well, maybe coming to DNA tonight was not as bad as it seemed at first.