The mood at the Robertson Villa was one of sorrow and grief.
Amakye Dede’s ‘Sansakroma‘ was being played through the speakers; in addition to other mournful local tunes.
Ama’s relatives were soaked in tears; wearing black clothes like the rest of her friends who had come to the Robertson Villa to mourn her loss.
On the compound, a colourful pull-up banner of the deceased, Ama Robertson, was nonchalantly flagging.
The more Ama’s mother saw her daughter’s beautiful face on the banner, the more she rolled on the floor, weeping.
It was the eve of Christmas, and instead of the usual celebrations in the home of the Robertson’s, there was crying and anguish.
Ahead of Christmas, the Robertson’s normally invest a lot of efforts into painting their home and giving it a sparkling outlook.
This time around, the compound was decorated with red and black ribbons, indicating serious business – the death of Ama Robertson, the 26 years old accountant.
But how did this tragedy occur?
Ama and Nathan had been dating since their days in the university. The two lovebirds came into contact with each other during an orientation programme, which was being organised for newly admitted students (freshers).
At the said orientation, hundreds of freshers filled the auditorium with excitement; amidst hearty conversations and exchanges.
But when Ama walked to the front to take the seat, her beauty grabbed the attention of almost everybody in the auditorium.
Her skin tone was unique and her physique was alluring. It was therefore no surprise that she managed to catch a lot of eyeballs with her beauty and glow.
Many of the boys in the auditorium subsequently made attempts to befriend her after the programme, but her looks intimated many of her admirers, causing them to back off.
Amongst the hundreds of eyes she attracted on that day, it was only Nathan who managed to strike a conversation with her.
What started as a casual rapport soon developed into a close friendship, until the two finally ended up as lovers in level 200.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Nathan and Ama started experiencing some challenges after the two had finished school and completed their national service.
Despite the strong affection that existed between the two of them, Ama started questioning the future of the relationship.
Yes, she was madly in love Nathan, but his unemployment status started bothering her mind.
Her apprehensions were further heightened when her friends started advising her to ditch Nathan, who didn’t look like he had any prospects.
According to Ama’s advisers, there was no need being loyal to a jobless man all in the name of love.
In one of the numerous counselling sessions ‘imposed’ on her by her friends, Esther insisted that Ama was wasting away her beauty by staying with Nathan.
In her opinion, Ama would be better off if she welcomed the advances of the rich men who approached her on a daily basis.
These suggestions were fed to Ama on a frequently, until she finally started heeding to them.
Soon, she started growing cold shoulders towards Nathan, including a snobbish attitude whenever Nathan called her.
Then came her doom. It was ten days to Christmas and her friends Esther and Sheila were flaunting the money they had gathered ahead of the celebrations. In a regular chat between the trio, Ama became very distraught.
Her worry was that unlike her two other friends, she didn’t have enough to celebrate the Christmas. This got her disturbed, while Esther and Sheila were bubbly.
But soon, Sheila turned to Ama with a suggestion to help her out of her misery. She suggested that one of her foreign friends who was new in Ghana, needed somebody to take him around town; explaining that given Ama’s chatty nature, she might be of great service.
Initially, the suggestion did not appeal to her, but after Esther elaborated on the benefits she stood to derive from driving around town with a rich foreigner, Ama was elated and settled for the ‘bait’.
After all, Nathan didn’t have any alternative plans for the Christmas, and her heart was yearning to catch some fun like the rest of her friends.
The day finally came, and Ama was poised to meet her date and play her role as a ‘tour guide’.
As usual, she was adorned in a beautiful outfit, which revealed her inviting physique. When her mother saw her leaving the house, she teased, “Nathan has gotten a very beautiful wife; have fun”.
But Ama replied sharply and said, “Well, today is a different ball game altogether”.
Before her mother could seek any explanations, she stormed out of the house after hearing the honking of the black Jeep outside the window.
In the Jeep was a bald middle-aged man, who was looking sharp in his bright orange Lacoste. His gestures were like that of a fine gentleman and before long, the two were already exchanging pleasantries and off they went!
It was a date which was coloured with a lot of fun and excitement, and Ama wished for more! She had the time of her life in the company of Maxwell, her new friend.
The two had a great time together, and when it was time to return, they had difficulties saying their final goodbyes.
Staring at each other, they hugged and finally got in Maxwell’s car. That hug turned Ama’s last.
Immediately after the two had fastened their seat belts, three men on motorbike suddenly came from nowhere and pulled out guns, ordering both Maxwell and Ama to step out of the vehicle.
The three men were furious, and without any hesitation, one of them shot a bullet into Maxwell’s leg. He yelled in pain, crying for help, but to no avail.
At this point, Ama was left shivering, with her heart in her mouth. She was completely traumatised and had no idea where the assailants came from and for what reasons.
“So you are the reason this useless man (pointing to Maxwell), left his wife and kids abroad to come to Ghana, right?”
At this point, Ama was completely stupefied; not knowing which response to give. Before she could utter a word, a bullet drove through her chest.
Sensing a looming police presence soon, the marauders jumped unto their motorbikes and sped off, leaving behind a bleeding Maxwell and a dead Ama.
By the time the police arrived, Maxwell had collapsed, while Ama was immersed in a pool of her blood, dead.
The killers were however, chased and arrested, and upon interrogation, it became apparent that they had been contracted to ‘teach Maxwell a lesson’ and kill any girl he had come to Ghana to flirt with. The contractor was his wife in Germany. And that was how Ama lost her life!
When Nathan was briefed, the poor boy wept like a baby.
At her one week celebration at the Robertson Villa, tears kept flowing and the wailing did not end, but none could bring her back. Her friends Esther and Sheila could not show up. A young lover had died because of her momentary cravings.
Dear friends, December is here, and we are bound to have a lot of plans for the Christmas festivities.
Some of these plans will require additional resources to bring them into reality. However, this should not let us thread on roads that can lead to our doom.
From now till the end of the year, many people will be tempted to do a number of things just to have money. But in all things, let’s be guided.
For the ladies, it is important to note that just like Maxwell, many travelers who will enter Ghana, may have questionable backgrounds despite their lofty appeals.
For the men, caution must be a watchword as well, so that nobody ends up like Ama!
May we all celebrate with discretion and be content in all our dealings. Happy New Month folks, and may this fiction guide our endeavours.
The author of this piece is a writer, a corporate MC and a broadcast journalist currently with The Multimedia Group. He goes by the name Paa Kwesi Schandorf, and you can reach him on (+233) 273141821 or derrick.ayirebi-acquah@myjoyonline.com.
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