The Underground Man - Part 17

“It is about my future!”

“And you need me for that?”

“Yes, only you can help me. So, please come on Sunday to me and I will explain the situation to you.”

“Do I need to prepare anything beforehand?”

“No, all that you need is what you already have. Otherwise I would not have asked you for your help.”

“In that case…as you are my sister, I will come over.”

Cake and coffee stood on the glass table, brown textile couch standing around. From the pub below voices pushed their way up as few drunken men played cards. Music from the juke box had stopped. Some guest were sitting outside along Friedrich-Ebert Damm, a busy noisy street not suitable for small children. The rent was affordable for Irena, her husband and newly born baby girl. Irena had married the man from Itzehoe, tall, handsome, a simple character with no ambition in life to reach anywhere but a passion to be with his friends rather than to be a father figure to his children.

“So, here is my plan”, started Irena to explain. “I want a Boutique”, she paused and waited for her sister`s reaction. “In fact, I want a chain of Boutiques all over the country.”

Anna was not surprised as it was the time to open sun studios or fashion shops by many. Irena had worked as a fashion model for her former boson the catwalk and in studios, so it did not came to her as a surprise at all that Irena had opted for a Boutique.

“And…how can I help you?” asked Anna holding he sister`s daughter in her arms. She loved the baby girl dreaming of her own soon.

Irena said coming closer to her sister: “But you are such a clever girl. You know what is needed for that. I have no idea for a name of the shop, do not know anything about book-keeping, legal issues, logistics, marketing and all that stuff.”

“But I am at University not for business studies”, mentioned Anna being puzzled.

“You are so clever, when you want to help me….I am sure you can come up with a good plan!”

Anna kept quiet, looked onto the baby, smiled, heard loud cheers from the pub below, someone must have won, and decided: “Ok, as you are my sister, I will see what I can do. But”, did Anna quickly add, “I cannot promise anything.”

Irena was sure: “As long as you seriously try, you will end up with a good plan!”

Anna read the WhatsApp message she had received during the night from Joe: “The situation in Ghana is seriously going down. Everyone in the country knows the truth, but outsiders only know what selected media outlets allow them to hear. The economy is in very bad shape, people kill people too much. All parties are the same. No matter what you believe in, any Politician is promising anything and fails. Loud voices making does not help Ghana, only positive results do. We must get away from the mentality to follow only one party or to die when that one is not in power. A good friend of mine, a movie director that had made the movie `Kukesi`, told me just now, arm robbers came to his house, took him everything, tried to poison him and if life is not more cruel, his wife left him with their two children. When a man is in serious trouble and his wife leaves him, you know, that woman is useless or she had allowed the devil to use her or both. Many fake believers open their heart to the devil. When the devil has used the human, he turns away and leave the person empty ready for his downfall. God is never like that. He is faithful all the time, just be patient and wait on him. What I simply do not understand, why God made us Blacks like that, having a poor and wicked mind? I know we are black because of the sun protection. We have big noses, flat noses, but for that I do not know the reason why. As all human brains are the same kind of computer with chemical roads, the difference in us Blacks compared to Whites are too different on all levels of education and intellectual achievements. The world most famous Philosophers and Composers of classical music and plays are all Whites. Today used inventions of products and services were all very mostly born by a white mind. Yes, it is so very true family problems is it that God gave us Blacks the mentality of poverty and the Whites a better mind for him to dominate us…but why? When I find that out…the Whites better run far…I am telling you! Blessed day!”

“Let me see it”, forced Irena to see the long expected paper.

It had taken Anna six good months to come up with her first ever business plan as it was her goal to become a Professor for Political Sciences, one of the few females in that position, it had taken her so long missing routine. It took very intensive thinking and research to come up with a good suggestion for her sister. She used publically available information for her plan. From logistics, to marketing and human resources aspects, all were touched and presented.

Irena was happy, her heart jumping to see the proposed name, logo and outline of the shop design saying: „You really have done a great job, sister. I knew it! I simply knew that you would come up with a great concept that will make me rich and famous. From now on I know I will always be in good and professional hands.”

Anna took slice of cake, homemade, cut it into smaller pieces and enjoyed it. The little baby girl was sleeping peacefully on the couch in the round corner. As usual the man of the house was below in the pub playing cards. He did not cheat on his wife with ladies, but with time spend away from the young family.

While Anna looked at the baby girl, Irena proclaimed:” You know so well that I do not understand so many things about business. Even writing in a correct way in German language is a problem to me. Patience and strategic thinking are not brothers and sisters to me but…” was Irena posing before her being proud of herself. “I have found a place, a school in Amsinckstraße. I went there to get more information. For free I can go to school three times a week for two years. Then I will know all I need to rune my own shop…any than one more and another one…so I will be rich and famous one day. What do you think?”

Anna answered swallowing down the piece of cake in her mouth: “It is all your own life! I have nothing to say but to wish you all the best.”

“And the good thing is”, jumped Irena like a JoJo puppet around the living room, all painted in dark green, decorated with heavy, dark brown furniture and stereo equipment state of the art, “for my baby I have got someone to look after while I am at school.”

….to be continued