From Pasta to Pigfoot (40 page)

‘Rocky! You made it!' Tottering in impossibly high heels and wearing a very short, fitted metallic tunic, Clarissa launched herself at Rocky, who was forced to move his arm away from Faye to avoid toppling over. After a prolonged and suffocating hug, she finally released him and stepped back a few inches.

‘I'm so glad you're here! You
are
staying to see me in the next show, aren't you?' She tossed her hair and pouted prettily.

‘Actually, Faye and I just came to drop Stuart off and take a quick look at Baaba's designs,' Rocky said. He
stepped back to put more space between them. ‘But I'm sure you'll be fantastic, as usual,' he said with a smile. Clarissa glanced at Faye and gave her a perfunctory nod in greeting before turning back to her preferred target.

‘What do you think of my make-up?' she asked, angling her neck upward to give him a closer look. ‘We're supposed to be space age robots,' she giggled.

More like spaced out
, was Faye's immediate thought, and she watched in irritation as Clarissa continued to grip Rocky's arm tightly while talking ten to the dozen. Her attention was momentarily distracted by a tall man approaching them. As he drew nearer, she realised it was Sonny.

He sauntered up to them, greeting Amma and Baaba before turning to Faye and kissing her warmly on both cheeks.

‘Hello, stranger.' His smile was so cheeky that she couldn't help but smile back. He looked over to where Clarissa had dragged Rocky to greet a slim older woman wearing a fitted red trouser suit.

‘It looks like Clarissa and her mother have got Rocky cornered over there,' he said, looking at Faye through narrowed eyes. She refused to take the bait and stared back at him steadily.

‘How have you been, Sonny?'

He shrugged carelessly, taking one of her hands in his strong grip before she could protest. ‘I've really missed you, you know.' He stroked her hand and resisted her efforts to pull it away. ‘I don't understand why you suddenly became so distant. I thought we were friends.'

‘Faye, are you ready to go?' Rocky said sharply, suddenly appearing at her side, with Clarissa right behind him. The expression on his face was cold as he took in the sight of her hand in Sonny's. Tugging her hand away from Sonny's unrepentant grip, Faye turned to Rocky and nodded. She felt a sudden rush of annoyance at his attitude, especially after his display of tolerant affection towards Clarissa, who now smiled maliciously at her, and she turned back to Sonny with a warm smile.

‘I'm leaving in a couple of days; so if I don't see you before I go, I suppose this is goodbye.'

Paying no heed to the glower on Rocky's face, Sonny smiled back, his expression mischievous. ‘Don't worry,' he said. ‘You'll see me before you go.'

Clarissa had been watching the interchange through narrowed eyes and she suddenly excused herself on the pretext that she needed to freshen up her make-up before the next show.

Rocky's arm propelled Faye forward and cut short any further conversation with Sonny. With a brief wave of farewell to Amma and Baaba, she turned to follow Rocky. Stuart had been admiring Baaba's designs and as Faye and Rocky walked away, he cursed quietly, slapped his forehead and called Rocky back.

‘Hey, Rock old man, I completely forgot,' he said, his tone apologetic. At Rocky's enquiring look, he went on quickly. ‘Günter and Manfred have changed their flight and are leaving tomorrow. They want to meet with us tonight to tie up the details on the financing deal.'

Rocky's face clouded over in irritation as he stared at
Stuart. His boss looked back at him with a bland smile, undaunted by the mutinous look on the other man's face.

‘Since Amidu's not around, can you pick me up from the house at seven o'clock?' Stuart turned his attention back to the clothes stand and looked admiringly at a batik shirt from Baaba's collection.

Rocky sighed deeply, glancing down at Faye in obvious frustration at the latest turn of events. He tried again. ‘Stuart, I have other plans for this evening. Can't we do this tomorrow morning?'

‘Nothing doing, old chap,' his boss answered cheerily. ‘They're leaving on the morning flight back to Hamburg. Look, I'm sorry about the short notice, but I think you will be very happy if we can close this deal tonight.'

Rocky looked at him, puzzled, but it was clear that Stuart had no intention of elaborating further.

He shrugged and turned back to Faye. ‘I'm really sorry,' he sighed and shook his head in resignation. ‘I wanted to take you out tonight, but it looks like that's going to be impossible now.'

Acutely disappointed at missing the opportunity of spending the evening with him, Faye forced herself to smile. ‘It's okay.' She looked up into his troubled features. ‘There's nothing you can do about it, so don't worry.'

They left the exhibition hall without any further discussion and were soon back in the car. For a few minutes, the only sound was the music blaring from the car radio as they drove back in the direction of Labone.

‘Shall we get something to eat? You must be hungry,' Rocky said eventually. As if on cue, her stomach gave an
audible rumble. They looked at each other and laughed, dissipating the tension that had been building up since they left the hall. Rocky turned in the direction of Osu and before long they were sitting in a quiet restaurant enjoying a late and very welcome lunch. Refuelled by the meal, Faye chattered blithely, sharing her experiences in Ntriso with Rocky who listened intently, his eyes widening at her account of the visit to the cemetery.

‘That must have been really emotional. I don't think I would have been able to handle it so well.'

‘Why? Are you that afraid of losing control of your emotions?' Faye asked lightly, pleating the white cotton napkin she had used between her fingers.

‘Isn't everybody?'

Faye looked at him closely, but his expression gave no clue as to what he was thinking. ‘No, I don't think so,' she said carefully. ‘I used to want to suppress my emotions and just keep other people happy, but I've realised now that it really doesn't work.'

He looked at her enquiringly and she continued slowly. ‘You remember I told you about my ex-boyfriend Michael?'

Rocky nodded.

‘Well, most of the time I was with him, I was really anxious about whether I was good enough or culturally acceptable.' She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. ‘It's taken some time but I realise that I was trying to be good enough for him at the expense of how I felt about myself. I put up with a lot of stuff because I was avoiding the need to deal with my feelings about who I really was and what I want for myself.'

Rocky extricated the crumpled napkin from between her fingers and held her hand lightly.

‘So now you give in to your emotions without any fear?' He looked at her curiously. Faye looked down at her hand cupped between his and felt the familiar frisson that ran through her whenever he touched her.

‘Well, I think I
am
more honest with myself about how I feel than I used to be.' She shrugged lightly. ‘But it's going to take a lot longer for me to undo my old habits completely.'

‘And where does Sonny fit into your emotional honesty?' Rocky asked suddenly. Faye stared at him blankly, completely thrown by the change of subject.

‘What do you mean?' she asked, bewildered.

Rocky released her hand and leaned back in his seat, not taking his eyes off her face. ‘From what I saw earlier today, there definitely seems to be some emotional connection between you and him,' he said evenly.

Faye shook her head in exasperation. ‘Sonny is nothing more than an acquaintance. He took me out once, but that's it.'

‘So why would he think there's more to your relationship than that?' Rocky continued relentlessly. ‘According to Clarissa, he's crazy about you.'

Faye snorted inelegantly, unable to believe that Rocky would pay any attention to observations from Clarissa, of all people.

‘Sonny's crazy about any girl he hasn't been through yet,' she replied bluntly. ‘You saw him at the party – did
that
tell you he was crazy about me?'

‘Faye, I think you've been around long enough to know that a man can flirt with someone else and still want you.' Rocky still sounded unconvinced.

‘Well, all I know is that
he
doesn't mean anything to
me
,' she retorted.

The waiter approached with the bill and Rocky paid it quickly before helping her from her chair. The weather was cooler and they walked around Osu, peering into shop windows and laughing at some of the outrageous designs on show. They wandered into a tiny boutique, almost hidden away from the main road and, at Faye's insistence, Rocky bought a stylish silk tie in a black geometric design. As he was about to hand over the money, he spotted a delicate gold and bead bracelet in the display case at the counter and asked the assistant to add it to his purchase.

When they eventually made it back to the car, he started the engine to cool the heated interior and then turned towards her. Removing the bracelet from its tiny gift box, he reached for her hand and solemnly clasped the pretty trinket around her slender wrist.

‘This is to say thank you for spending today with me.' He looked at the bracelet in satisfaction, before adding softly. ‘And to say I'm sorry I can't spend tonight with you.' Leaning forward, he kissed her gently before releasing her hand.

Faye gazed at her wrist, her eyes misting over as she tried to focus on the bracelet.

‘It's beautiful, Rocky,' she said softly. ‘Thank you.'

He nodded silently before putting the car into gear and heading for home.

19

Cultural Closure

‘Faye, telephone!'

Faye scrambled to her feet from the lounger where she had been enjoying the warm afternoon breeze on the veranda, and dashed inside. Auntie Amelia was in the hallway holding out the house phone and she smiled indulgently as Faye rushed in barefoot, her long slim legs exposed by her tiny shorts.

‘It's your father,' she said, as she passed her the handset.

‘Dad?' Faye seized the phone in excitement. ‘Dad, is that you?' She moved to the nearby armchair and sat down. After a few minutes of conversation, she said goodbye and replaced the receiver before walking through to the living room in search of her aunt. She found her lying on the couch engrossed in a thick book that she put down when she heard Faye walk in.

‘Have you finished your call already?' She gestured to Faye to sit down next to her.

‘Yes, I've given him my flight details for tomorrow
night so he can meet me at the airport in the morning,' she replied. ‘It was so good to hear his voice! I love it here, but it will be great to see Dad and William again.'

Auntie Amelia took off her reading glasses and looked at Faye closely, her expression amused.

‘You know, my dear, correct me if you think I'm wrong, but you seem so much more…' she paused, searching for the word she wanted. ‘So much more
confident
than when you first arrived.'

Faye sat thoughtfully for a few moments and then nodded.

‘Yes, I think you're right. I've only been in Ghana for three weeks, but it feels so much longer. And I
am
much more confident now that I know more about my country and my culture.'

‘And about yourself?'

The question was asked gently and Faye smiled ruefully and nodded again. ‘Yes, and about myself.'

Auntie Amelia's eyes were still fixed on Faye. ‘What are your plans when you get back to London, Faye?' she asked, fingering her glasses thoughtfully.

‘Well, I'm due back at work on Thursday.' Faye looked slightly puzzled by the question.

‘Yes, but what are your
real
plans for yourself?' the older woman said insistently. ‘Do you want to continue working forever as a secretary?'

Faye shrugged helplessly. ‘Now you sound like Dad,' she grimaced. ‘I know I don't want to carry on doing the same job for ever, but I've never really been sure that I can do anything else particularly well.' She shrugged again. ‘I
suppose I've just been marking time with my job – and probably did the same with my ex-boyfriend – because I don't have the guts to try for something better. I guess it's been a case of living down to my own expectations.'

Auntie Amelia folded her glasses carefully and laid them on the side table by her book.

‘You remember what I once told you about finding your passion?'

Faye nodded and she continued. ‘Well, if I remember correctly, I was talking about Amma at the time. You are like another daughter to me, so I will give you the same advice. First, look for what you love, for what excites you. Don't worry about whether or not you can do it perfectly; just start doing it and your passion will take over.'

Faye sat in silence, trying to absorb what she had heard and to make sense of it in her own mind. Impulsively she scooted over to the older woman and hugged her, resting her head against her for a moment. Auntie Amelia held her closely for a short while before raising her chin with gentle fingers and looking into her eyes.

‘Your mother would have been very proud of you, my dear' she said gently. ‘I know I am.'

‘Thank you – I'll try and justify your confidence in me. Now as I'm leaving tomorrow, I'm going back to the veranda for my last afternoon of doing nothing,' she added mischievously. Straightening the tiny cropped T-shirt she was wearing, she blew a kiss at Auntie Amelia and headed straight back to her favourite spot.

Stretched out on the wicker lounger with her eyes closed, she was dreaming of all the things she could do
with her life when she heard the door to the veranda slide open. She squealed with shock as a pair of hands suddenly seized her bare midriff, tickling her heated flesh mercilessly.

Her eyes flew open and she gazed up in disbelief at Sonny, who stood grinning down at her, his hands still resting on her stomach.

‘What the
hell
do you think you're doing?' she asked furiously, trying fruitlessly to sit up. Pushing his hands away, she finally managed to get herself upright before asking the question again.

Sonny shrugged and sat down uninvited next to her. She shuffled along the lounger, trying to put some space between them.

‘Well, you said you were leaving tomorrow, so I thought I'd come by and see you.' He looked sheepish as she continued to glare coldly at him. Having recovered her composure, she relaxed a little and gave him a small smile.

‘Well, you didn't have to scare the life out of me, did you?' she asked mildly, not stirred in the least by his hangdog expression.

‘I'm sorry,' he said, trying to sound contrite. Then he looked into her eyes suggestively. ‘But I just couldn't resist it when I saw you lying there looking so inviting.' She made no comment except to glare at him again and he hastily changed the subject.

‘You missed a good show the other day,' he remarked, fingering the medallion dangling from his chain. ‘Clarissa was actually pretty impressive.'

He laughed at her look of scepticism. ‘Okay, so I know
she's not exactly your best friend, but she
is
a good model. And,' he added more seriously, ‘she's also tough – she usually gets what she wants.'

‘Is that a warning?' Faye asked lightly, trying to dismiss the small knot of dread that had started to form in her stomach.

Sonny hesitated for a moment. ‘No, it's the truth.' She looked at him, eyebrows raised, and for a moment he remained silent. Then shrugging as if he had no other choice, he looked across at Faye.

‘Where do you think Rocky was two nights ago, and last night?' he asked. Faye stared back at him in bewilderment.

‘He and Stuart took some clients to dinner on Saturday night, and he was working late at the office last night. He had to finish a report for work that he needed to send off this morning,' she said.

‘So, I suppose he didn't tell you that the dinner was at Clarissa's mother's restaurant, did he?' Sonny asked, his expression challenging.

Faye paused for a moment, the knot of dread growing bigger and pulling tighter. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Sonny. ‘So what if that's where they went? What difference does it make? It was a
business
dinner.'

‘So why was Clarissa with them, then?' Sonny countered swiftly. ‘And why was Rocky with her last night?'

Faye looked back at him silently, her expressive features betraying her uncertainty in the face of the bombshell he had dropped. Her mind raced as she tried to think of all the possible reasons why Rocky hadn't told her about taking Clarissa to dinner on the night of the fashion
show. She remembered his apparent regret at having to cancel his proposed outing with her and she shook her head doubtfully as she tried to reconcile the two things. Rocky had spent most of the previous day at the office, finishing the paperwork for the deal he and Stuart had been working on, and she had seen him only briefly when he came by the house late in the afternoon to pick up some documents he had left in his room.

Now, as she looked at Sonny smiling at her in undisguised triumph, she felt her new-found confidence waver and her old insecurities start to rear their ugly heads. Sensing her distress, he moved closer to her, putting his arm around her comfortingly and pressing her head gently on to his shoulder. Fighting back the tears, she was too distraught to pay attention to his hand rubbing her shoulder and continuing down slowly to stroke her skin where the tiny T-shirt had left her back exposed.

‘Faye! Where are you? I've got some news for—' The deep voice coming from within the house came to an abrupt stop as Rocky appeared in the doorway of the veranda. Faye looked up in bemusement to see Rocky standing stock still, an expression of frozen disbelief on his face as he took in the sight of her, barely dressed and in Sonny's arms. As she watched in horror, his expression changed to one of utter contempt and without uttering another word, he turned on his heel and strode back inside.

‘Rocky!' Her heart pounding, Faye pushed Sonny away and rushed into the house. She ran frantically from room to room in search of him and then outside when she heard the familiar sound of his car's powerful engine. As she
raced out to the driveway, she saw the car turning out of the gate onto the main road, leaving only loose chippings of gravel in its wake.

Faye watched the back of the car disappear down the road and promptly burst into tears. She was sobbing so hard that she didn't hear Sonny coming up behind her.

‘Faye?' He raised his hand tentatively to comfort her and she slapped it away furiously.

‘Haven't you done enough already?' she cried angrily, hot tears coursing down her face. ‘Just go,
please
!'

With that, she turned around and rushed back inside the house and up to her room. Every time she calmed herself down, she remembered the expression on Rocky's face and dissolved into tears yet again.

A loud knock at the door made her sit up sharply, hoping against hope that Rocky had come back.

‘Come in,' she said, her voice hoarse from crying. Wiping her swollen eyes, she swung her legs down from the bed, ready to get up. But before she could move, Amma burst in, whooping loudly and barely able to contain herself. Too excited to notice Faye's condition, she jumped onto the bed, her long braids flying.

‘Have you heard? Mama's just told me about Rocky,' she said. ‘Isn't it just too amazing?' Unable to sit still, she jumped up again and twirled around the room.

‘I'll miss him terribly, but I'm so glad for him!'

She turned to Faye, who was sitting dumbfounded on the edge of the bed and grinned with excitement. ‘I told you a lot can happen in three days, didn't I? You must be thrilled!'

As Faye continued to stare at her in complete bewilderment, Amma stopped her dancing and peered closely at her friend. Her smile faded as she took in the tear stains on Faye's cheeks and the eyes clearly swollen from crying. Exclaiming in concern, she sat down on the bed next to her.

‘What's wrong?' She stared at her in consternation. ‘Oh Faye, what's happened?' Amma's sympathy brought forth a fresh flood of tears and it was a few minutes before Faye was able to haltingly explain what had happened on the veranda.

Amma listened in silence, putting a sympathetic arm around Faye after she had finished speaking. With a deep sigh, the younger girl shook her head slowly before sitting back to look at Faye.

‘Oh dear, what a mess,' she said soberly. ‘But Faye, don't pay any attention to what Sonny said. Clarissa overhead Stuart telling Baaba that they would be at her mother's restaurant that evening and she just showed up there. Rocky told me about it yesterday – he asked her to leave and she stormed off, really upset at him.'

‘But why didn't he say anything to me about it?' Faye wailed, resorting to wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as her handkerchief was now totally soaked.

Amma hesitated for a moment before answering. ‘I don't know, but since he made such a fuss about Sonny chasing after you, he probably didn't want you to think he had any interest in Clarissa. He's been really patient with her because he felt guilty about ending things and he's not the type to humiliate anyone. But he's had enough of her
antics and he went to see her last night to warn her that she needed to accept that their relationship is over and that he's tired of her attempts to try and get him back.'

Faye stared at her in despair, another wave of tears welling up in her eyes. ‘Oh Amma, I can't believe this – what am I going to do?'

Amma sighed again. ‘Look, don't worry.' She tried to inject some conviction into her voice. ‘Just give him some time to calm down and then you can explain what happened. I'm sure he'll understand.'

Faye shook her head in misery. Then a thought struck her and she looked up at her friend. ‘What did you mean just now about you'll miss him and I must be so thrilled? What's happened?'

Amma squirmed uncomfortably before running her hands through her braids helplessly. ‘Well, I suppose it's quite ironic really, given what's just happened, but Rocky found out today that he's being promoted to a Managing Director position.'

Faye still looked puzzled. ‘Well, that's great news; he's worked really hard for this. But why does that mean you'll miss him?'

Amma grinned. ‘We-ell… the new job is based in London.'

Faye sat bolt upright in shock. ‘What!' Her voice was so hoarse, she could barely get the word out. Clearing her throat, she stared in disbelief as Amma hugged herself with glee. ‘You're kidding, right?'

The younger girl shook her head and Faye ran her hands through her hair, her brain spinning as she took in
the import of the words she had just heard. The extent of the damage caused by the scene on the veranda hit her afresh and she stared at Amma in horror.

‘Oh my God,' she whispered. ‘
That's
what he came back to tell me. And to find Sonny of all people sitting there pawing me…' She jumped off the bed and started pacing up and down the room in agitation.

‘Amma, you've got to do something!' Literally wringing her hands, she turned to her friend in desperation. ‘Promise me, talk to him and tell him what happened – he'll believe you.
Please!
'

Feeling desperately sorry for Faye, Amma nodded helplessly. ‘Okay, calm down,' she said, trying to sound soothing. ‘I promise I'll speak to him as soon as he gets home, okay?'