The broken nose in heaven

"Oh boys, what did happen to you? Both of you look so poorly?" was God coming out of his answer session to address the concerns of all people around the world believers and nonbelievers. He took a seat on the brightest of all the clouds in heaven. For them to see him he turned his spirit clothes and dressed himself like a human being.

John humbled himself before God even his clutches made it hard for him to kneel down before his maker. His cloud to move around heaven was dark grey a shadow of sorrow over his people on earth. He looked over his right shoulder and saw Nana on his cloud making it up to him to stand before his maker as well. The cloud Nana was placed on was slightly darker yet the differences between the two clouds were not that significant. Nana had serious problems breathing freely as his nose was broken multiple times and the cracks would simply not heal.

"Yes my Lord," explained John himself, "my nose indeed grew that long after I promised my people that anyone responsible for the Melcom and Circle disasters would be held accountable but no one ever stood before a judge. The promised compensation for the victims and their families...oh Lord, I beg...have mercy on me. Things like that can easily slip under the carpet and never be found again. In the heat of the moment...I mean, you know what I am saying!"

"Komenda Sugar Factory!" shouted Nana laughing from his cloud over to John holding his big belly so as not to lose weight carefully taken on at lavish banquets at taxpayers' expense in the skies and on the ground.

"One district one factory!" got John equally angry. He added: " E-levy will create eleven million jobs!" He turned his back to Nana the man he knew so well from many private behind-the-scene encounters. Sailing under different logos did they join hands in their basic strategies.

"Airbus and bus branding scandal," whispered Nana getting closer to God to find favor from him.

John saw the dirty tricks Nana wanted to play on him. To go behind his back because he started to build a national cathedral for God was unacceptable. He came forcefully out to say with irony in his voice:" Accra is the cleanest city in Africa and the Cedis got arrested to serve time in prison."

"You behave like naughty toddlers, not like adults who were mandated to rule over my people my beloved Ghanaians," was God very angry with both of them. If he could have shown emotions, God would have looked like a deep-red Burkina Faso tomato. "I hear tomatoes in Ghana come from your northern neighbor or as tomato paste Gino from China."

"Sorry my Lord," felt Nana critical eyes of the Almighty on him weighing heavily, "but I broke my back when I slipped on the slime I had previously poured out at the election campaign for which I had raised more debts for the future generations. After all, to win elections and manipulate election results I needed funds from the international community. To care about how to pay back the debts...sorry, but was it my business or the business of my successor?"

"Nana...come on," turned John to him stretching out his right hand to greet his successor, "I did the same and saw nothing wrong with it. Yes...it is true that sixty years after independence we still asked annually a bank consortium to give us loans and keep our cocoa industry up and running with CPC Ltd. in Tema unable to generate profit or getting only ten percent of the oil revenues from our oil field, saw ghost names on the pay list of our state, were ignorant of the twenty thousand slaves on Lake Volta, the high level of corruption in Ghana or that Ghana was a hub for illegal drugs and galamsey. Yes, what do you think about how I lost half of my right arm?"

"You lost it when you had to sign the orders to make things right in Ghana. Your mind dropped your hand and off it went from your body. Never seen again. Your lips took over the job of your hand and blasted the ears of Ghanaians full of stories of miracles and wonders, John," said God unshaken as always.

Nana jumped up and down on his cloud saying: "There you have it, John. There you have it by authority of the word."

"You...you...you, " grasped John for air trying to find the proper insults before the ears of the Lord. " You are an old fool. Continuing is your great weakness. You employed one hundred thirty-five ministers many of them friends or family while Germany had only forty-five at that time including Deputy Ministers. There you have it! There you have it!" John touched his long Pinocchio nose for it to turn red all of a sudden yet not surprisingly.

"Lord...oh Lord...do you see what John is trying to do?" was Nana outraged jumping up and down and in circles on his cloud ready to release its water. "The blame for having destroyed mother Ghana he wants to put entirely on me. Both of us very well know democracy is not made for our people but for us, the new elite to be pushed by this white man's system into power and loot the country. Yes, surely we all have failed our people but for certain never let our family and friends down. They all enjoy a happy life."

John felt insulted: " But it is not fair what Nana implies. Yes, the oversized bottom of my wife in Africa is an issue of discussion. And yes, when she speaks not clever words leave her mouth. But oh Lord, this is nature and I love her so much. Never feel ashamed to present her in public. I equally am not ashamed that I came to power by manipulation of the election results. Never, what for?"

Nana tried to push his cloud closer to God and shouted: "Do I feel ashamed of the election manipulation that brought me to power? Of course, never! He should go to hell."

The wind of change started to emerge and blow. A miracle lift came up to their level. The door opened. He stepped out, looked around, and asked: "I was called to appear before you?"

God started to say: "Devil, go and take them to your place and let them find rest in perfect peace. I assure you they will not have a dance around your campfire. I just have no use for them anymore up here."

And the Devil did as it was asked of him.