The Iced Water Seller – Chapter One

Araba sat in her black Mercedes behind the driver on her way to town. She was slim and dark in complexion with natural hair that had been wrapped in a twist with a piece of Kente cloth. She had given up putting chemicals in her hair a long time ago and now had beautiful thick hair which people complimented her on whenever they met her for the first time. She wore beads around her neck with matching earrings and bracelet. She had white even teeth and clear sparkling eyes. She really looked after herself.

The weather was hot, sticky and annoying but she was lucky, the car was air conditioned. Her driver, Akwesi had been driving for her for over a year now and knew her likes and dislikes and she hated traffic, so he always found short cuts which took them a bit longer but gave a smoother ride. This day, their short cut was blocked by a truck carrying sacks of charcoal that had lost its load. Open sacks and black soot were scattered all over the place.

These trucks usually had their loads piled even higher than the truck itself and usually had some charcoal-boys balancing on top of them with no thought of danger. The load had become entangled in some overhead cables, which luckily were not electrical. Akwesi tried to reverse out of the narrow road but other cars also had the same idea and chose to use this short cut as well. They all ended up locked in one after the other. There was no way out but to wait. All we could hear was “beep beep” “hoot hoot”, “move that truck!”, “fools!”, “overload!”

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Charle” shouted the other drivers in Pidgin English “make you remove your load quick, aba! “The road no be for you”

“Aaah” Araba sighed to herself looking around and realising that they just had to stay until the road was cleared, she picked up the daily newspaper to read.

Suddenly a teenage girl selling chilled water sealed in 500 gram plastic bags came up to the car calling out “Yes, Ice, Iced water, pure iced water”. She dragged on the word ice and it sounded like a hissing snake. Normally the sellers avoided fancy cars with rolled up windows because “these rich don’t buy from the street” but this girl, did not know the rules. Maybe she was new on the job or just ignorant of the street rules. Akwesi got irritated by the girl and glanced in his rear view mirror to see what Madam Araba’s reaction was but she was only concentrating on her reading. Akwesi said “Excuse me Madam, I am going to check the road”, Araba nodded and replied “Sometimes short cuts become long cuts” and she smiled to herself.

Akwesi got out, smoothed his trousers and shirt and looked towards the iced water seller, “Hey you, iced water girl, move from the car aba!” he shouted across to the girl. She stood there looking at the car and admiring the woman inside so did not hear Akwesi properly. “I say, hey you girl, move” Araba raised her head just in time to see Akwesi push the girl away from the car. Unfortunately an ice cream seller was cycling by ringing his bell “ting a ling, poorpii poorpii” and the girl tripped against his bicycle and fell into the gutter behind her.

”Aw! Aw! My leg ooh my leg, my ice water ooo, all my water is spoilt” she wailed. People started to gather round shouting and helped the girl up. “Foolish man” ‘kwasea’ they shouted “shame on you”. Araba got out of the car and there was silence, while the bystanders waited to see what she would say or do.

“Akwesi” she said “help the girl up, there was no need to push her”.”She went towards the girl and asked her name. “My name is Sisi Yaa” she said while sobbing, “My Auntie will kill me now that all my water is spoilt, oh I am dead”,

Araba asked “What about your leg, Isn’t it more important than the water?”

“Oh my leg will be ok” she said “but my water, ooo my water” she wailed.

“Come, we will take you to the clinic and I’ll pay for your water”.

“Madam”, an older lady came forward and said “I will come with her, after all I am her Auntie’s friend and I want to know where you are taking her, you can’t trust people these days.”

“Akwesi”, Araba said raising her voice, and at that moment Akwesi knew she was angry with him. “Sheeeea me wu oooooo, asem aba” he said to himself, “asem a to me” I have caused big problem ooo. “Akwesi, help the girl into the car and put her head pan into the boot”.

The girl sat on the back seat of the car and the Auntie’s friend sat in front with the driver. The Auntie’s friend said “Madam, my name is Pat, Sister Pat” and she perched herself in the front. Araba chuckled to herself, it sounded like she had said, “My name is Bond, James Bond”.

The scattered charcoal had been swept aside and now irate drivers were blowing their car horns for them to move. “Beep beep” “beep” they hooted. Araba got back into the car and took out her mobile phone to make a call to her best friend Maggie.

“Hi Maggie, it’s me, I am going to be very late for the meeting so start without me. I know you can handle it. I’ll explain when we meet”.

“Akwesi, take us to Dr. Peter’s clinic” Araba said. After Sisi Yaa sat in the car, her eyes opened wide and her mouth dropped open, what a car! The seats were soft and clean and the inside of the car so cool, the dashboard had all these green and red fluorescent lights showing and there was cool music playing and TV screens behind the driver and front passenger’s seats She had never seen the inside of such a car let alone sat in one. It smelt like roses as well.

“So Sisi Yaa, do you go to school? How old are you?” “Madam”, she said “I am sixteen years old and I am in Junior High School. I would have finished by now but sometimes my Auntie refuses to pay my fees or give money for my exams so I have repeated my class three times. During the evenings and holidays I sell water for my Auntie. If I don’t sell I won’t get my fees paid and other things for school”.

“What about studies? What subjects do you like? Do you have any special interests?” Araba asked showing a lot of interest. ”I like science, but I am not allowed to join in the extra studies class because my Auntie says she cannot pay the teacher’s charges”.

There was silence while the music played in the background “I wish I was rich like her” Sisi Yaa muttered under her breath. They drove into the clinic’s car park. Araba and Sister Pat, the Auntie’s friend helped Sisi Yaa out of the car. She limped in pain.”Adjey” she said when she had to bend her knee.

“You stay here” she said to Akwesi, “you’ve caused enough problems for today and while we are inside I want you to do something for me”. She spoke to him and then they went inside and Araba spoke to the receptionist who seemed to know her and within five minutes they were in the doctor’s office. The doctor looked at Sisi Yaa’s leg, felt around her knee and asked several questions and sent her for an x-ray. When the results came back there were no broken bones, just a few scratches and a deep cut. He gave Araba a prescription for the pain and antibiotics and the nurse bandaged her wound to keep it clean.

“Just go to the injection room for an anti-tetanus shot before you leave and come back in two days time for a change of dressing and a check-up and don’t get the bandage wet young girl” the doctor said.

“Thanks Peter” Araba said as they walked out of the room “I hope to see you at the next highlife dance evening” “Sure, this time I won’t miss it” said the doctor, “Oh Peter, you always say that” she said, “I know duty calls at strange times but you have to relax sometimes and meet new people. It’s always home, patients, lectures and home again. This time I won’t let you give any excuses, I will come and pick you up” They laughed together. After all the bills were paid and medicines bought from the dispensary Araba said “Sisi Yaa, let me drop you and Auntie Pat off home now and meet your Auntie to explain” Sisi Yaa said quickly “Madam, she will punish me when you are gone I know, and her iced water money, Oh I am in trouble” she lamented. Araba replied “I will pay for the water, don’t worry, OK and I will make sure you don’t get into trouble”. They all got back into the car.

“Madam” said Auntie Pat from the front seat of the car “What about something for me and my time? I accompanied you to make sure Sisi Yaa was ok”. Araba looked at her, thinking to herself that this woman didn’t even care about the girl and just wanted to feel important and get some money off her. Auntie Pat had taken off her slippers and was rubbing her feet on the carpet enjoying the soft woollen feel. If the windows were not rolled up she would have had her arm out the window like a “car owner”.

“Don’t worry; you will be taken care of”. In silence they drove towards Okponglo where Sisi Yaa said she lived. “Driver, Auntie Pat said “this music is good please turn the volume up small”. Akwesi turned to Madam Araba and she nodded with a funny look on her face.

Sisi Yaa said, “Thank you for helping me Madam. Araba asked “Do these accidents happen often?

“Yes Madam, but other people are not like you. They just tell us to go to the clinic when we get hurt, give us money and then they drive off. Many of the girls take the money and just buy something cheap from the walking medicine sellers vendors in the market to treat their wounds and spend the rest of the money on things that they fancy. They call it their “Cocoa Season.”

“It is dangerous for young girls to be swerving in and out of this Accra traffic hawking you know” Araba said.

“If I don’t do it I won’t get any food to eat or school fees paid so I have to come out every day”, Sisi Yaa replied.

“Hey, Sis Yaa”, said Auntie Pat, “Don’t say bad things about your Auntie Caro, she has sacrificed a lot for you.”

“Auntie Pat, she didn’t say anything bad” said Araba. She turned to Sisi Yaa and asked, “Where are your parents?”

“They are dead. I was told they died when I was very small. Many years ago Auntie Caro came and asked my Auntie Mansa, with whom I was living, if she could help the family by taking care of one of the children in the house and also send the person to school in Accra, there were six of us in the house, her children and some other relatives she was caring for and Auntie Mansa was struggling alone. They chose me because the others were too young to leave and I was hardworking and good in school”, she paused.

“I thought I was coming to live with Auntie Caro and go to a good school. After I got here I found out that I had to sell in the street every day before or after school, and I can’t go back to the village because Auntie Caro gave my Auntie Mansa money to buy things in return for me coming to Accra. How will she be able to pay her back if I leave now?” Auntie Mansa is always praising Auntie Caro and telling me to be a good girl because of all that is being done for me”.TO BE CONTINUED…….

(c) Mariska Araba Taylor Darko 2014