The Red Apples (Part 5)

With her eyes, Gladys Awuso followed her elderly friend for a long time. In her soul, he sat next to her biological father a man slim in appearance packed with knowledge and wisdom beyond imagination. She had come to the conclusion family of adults is by choice of members with family blood in the background never only based on the DNA of an ancestral lineage. As confusing as it had seen to her first the words of the Bible reminded her of what had been to decided about. Family as a group giving comfort is not needed unless seen as needed.

"I truly love him to the moon and back," said Gladys Awuso returning back behind the stall. "These days everything is so technical. Human touches are seldom, so, so rare. I mean this does not have to be relationships like as humans shared caves watching at least hearing neighbors making love to each other...not that extreme. Just the golden middle of the emotional emptiness of today and the time communication was celebrated as a great human achievement, something in between. Sorry, my mind was somewhere else," she excused herself to the unknown customer before her who came to buy apples. She handed him over three red apples instead of three green apples as wanted. "I simply can't get red apples...," she paused for a moment of reflection," anymore out of my mind. They seem to follow me anywhere. So, here please, your three green apples." The customer wanted to know since when apples started to grow in Ghana. " Very good point, Sir. Normally Ghanaians got their apples only from South Africa or outside African countries but with so many other things climate change and new hybrids do we now...I guess...I guess for almost thirty years grow apples here." She replied to the unknown man: "It is not a great business though but I like to meet interesting people familiar faces or total strangers."

Caren and Joshua Odhiambo hugged their father on his return home. Both were about to leave home shortly Caren to get married off and Joshua heading to the USA to lecture at a provincial College on African politics and its progress. Traditional marriage was a matter of the past performed for students and tourists only no more relevant in daily life. Oliver Odhiambo raised his children as a single parent. His wife had died more than ten years ago during a brain tumor operation that tragically went wrong. The operating robot for a few fatal seconds lost power when restarting began missed the right spot to conclude a successful operation.

Dinner was served by Mary Yeboah, the housemade helping the family with cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Besides being employed to work was she the good soul behind the scenes. For her, this family was more than a work it was a mission.

"I guess the people will get the shock of their lives," ended Joshua Odhiambo his meal, walked over the the couch bought just over a month ago laughing.

Caren Odhiambo joined him having biscuits and chocolate by her side on a small plate: "What do you mean, brother?"

Oliver Odhiambo came back from the toilet to join them. "I also love to hear."

"When I think of the time the Portuguese came to the Gold Coast late fifteen century to start exploiting our gold and other natural resources...and when I imagine that they bribed our ancestral chiefs with pearls and mirrors to get their will bringing to us the system of corruption they later complained so much about...," was his laughter a blend of sarcasm and putting shame on others. His eyes looked around the living room with pride.

"At the Berlin Congo Conference late nineteen century the Europeans divided systematically Africa into hemispheres of their interests and their interests only. And when the time came they forced their values like democracy onto African nations unwanted never asked for it they complained about illegal migration to Europe centuries later. They were blind to see that they had brought this mess onto themselves through their politics...wrong politics from the start," added Oliver Odhiambo to his son's comments.