He had a reputation for being addicted to fast women and fast cars; now her head is gray and she is fragile

I never bothered to call him. Anyway, what would I have to say to him on the phone? “Do you miss me darling? Or do you miss our son Ayomah?” He only knew that he would come to fire Ayomah. I was going abroad. I needed to see him face to face anyway, look him in the eye to see if I see any remorse, any sign of regret or shame. The bell is ringing. Ayomah is on the phone. Before even asking you to know who is on the line, I open the door. Mr. Ambrose Alhassan, also known as Mr. AA, is trying to hug me.

“Hello Maryam, where is Ayomah?” He asks.

“He is in his room”. I say. I walk past him into the kitchen to turn off the stove. I hear him say when he comes in.

“You will be safe wherever you travel.”

“Save me, Mister AA. I have a lot to do right now before Ayomah leaves.” After thinking twice, I open the door. I hear him enter the living room. I feel him standing behind me. When I turn to look at him, I notice that Mr. AA looks tired. He looks much older than sixty-five. I see why people often mistake him for my father. But at the moment it seems regrettable. Like a hungry stray dog. But I don’t feel sorry for him one bit, because he’s not a stray dog. He’s the man who left me for another woman for no reason.

“I will go to church with you tomorrow to meet Pastor Ofori.”

“What did you say?”

“I wish to meet with Pastor Ofori, for advice. For my behavior. To stop him. So I will never leave you again. I did not want to do what I did.”

“Are you coming to fire Ayomah or are you coming to stay with me?” I say.

“I can’t get out of this house again.” He says.

“You’ll have to do it when I report to the police.” I say.

“Please don’t do it, Maryam. Please don’t do it. It could destroy my reputation. The reputation I’ve worked so hard to build.”

“What reputation? Your reputation for being addicted to fast women and fast cars. You should have thought about your reputation before leaving me for the third time. You only need me when you’re in trouble or broke.”

“I thought so”.

“Oh, you thought about it, and your brain gave you the go-ahead, right?”

“No. I mean, I wasn’t thinking when I used to do everything I did. That’s the whole problem now.”

“What the hell would force you to do what you did? Aren’t you a practicing Muslim who is supposed to know better?”

“I dont know.”

“And then keep doing it?”

“Maryam, I honestly don’t know.”

“Think about it for a moment! If you don’t know, who the hell does?”

“Hey! Are you dating an American?”

“What did you just say?”

“I mean, do you have an American boyfriend now?”

“I guess so.”

“Oh really!”

“You are jealous?”

“I’m not jealous. I’m just asking.” He just shakes his head.

“You have an appetite for foreign men. By the way, where is that American?

“He will come today to see Ayomah off.”

“What? To fire my son. Is he crazy?”

“No, you are the one who is crazy.”

“I’ll wait to see who this guy is.”

“You will surely meet him. He’s a true lover. He’s not your type.”

“Do not bother me more.” He says.

“I am not afraid to spoil the daylight for you.”

“I know. But I keep hoping you won’t. Look. Maryam, what I did to her in the past is despicable and I want you to help me.”

I cross my arms, wishing they were baseball bats, so I punch him in the face.

“I know the magnitude of what I’ve done to you. It was wrong, and I can promise you that it will never happen again.” He says.

“So you expect me to believe you like that?”

“Yes.”

“Let me ask you something, Mr. AA. Did you do this to your other women too?”

“Yes, but I’m not going back to any of them anymore.”

“Oh, so you want to come live with me again?

“Yes.”

I try to stop the tears, but I can’t control it. I wish this was all just a bad dream, and when the alarm bell rings, it will all be over. I loved this man very much, but right now, I don’t love any part of him. It used to make me feel protected and safe. Every time he came back to me after being abandoned by his other women, I accepted him back. Not this time again. All I want now is for you to leave Ayomah and me alone.