Chapters (109)
- Part One
- ONE
- One day earlier
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- PART TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- EIGHTY-FOUR
- EIGHTY-FIVE
- EIGHTY-SIX
- EIGHTY-SEVEN
- EIGHTY-EIGHT
- EIGHTY-NINE
- NINETY
- NINETY-ONE
- NINETY-TWO
- NINETY-THREE
- NINETY-FOUR
- NINETY-FIVE
- NINETY-SIX
- NINETY-SEVEN
- NINETY-EIGHT
- NINETY-NINE
- GLOSSARY
- Acknowledgments
- Continue reading
- Part One
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
He had some cash in a crisp envelope for Bruno, who smiled and thought he would have some fun this weekend. Perhaps he might even go to Mövenpick.
When he returned to his room at Cocobod, he felt strained and tired and lay down to take a nap. He had no idea how long he had been asleep when his phone next rang.
“Ei, Nii Kwei,” he mumbled. “How be?”
For a moment Nii didn’t answer and Bruno thought the call had dropped. But then Nii spoke.
“Chaley, what’s going on?”
“Oh, everything cool. I dey take some small nap.”
“Your sister, Emma, I found out today she works for that Yemo Sowah detective agency.”
Bruno’s stomach plunged. “To be honest my brodda,” he said, “she didn’t tell me where she works.”
“Has she talked to you today?”
“No, not at all,” Bruno lied. “Chaley, what’s wrong?”
“Your sister is a detective and she was here asking me all kind of questions and now you ask me ‘what’s wrong?’”
“Nii, don’t worry. She’s not after anything bad. I don’t know where she works, but I know she wants to be a sakawa girl for sure.”
Nii was silent again for a few beats. “Watch out, Bruno. Be very careful.”
The call ended. Bruno looked at his phone screen for a moment as if that would reveal what in the name that had all been about. Then he called Emma and told her what had just occurred.
“And someone called the office a couple of hours ago and when I answered, he hung up,” Emma said. “It must have been Nii.”
Bruno was alarmed. “Sis, don’t do anything more with the American man’s case unless you let me know, okay? Sana will see my Godfather video tomorrow and from there, we can see what to do.”
Emma hesitated. “Okay. We’ll talk soon, then.”
When Bruno hung up, he was surprised to see it was already six-thirty in the evening. He was famished. He slipped on his chale-wote and went outside where the town was loud and alive. Food sellers were out in force to feed the hungry thousands. Delicious food smells mixed with car exhaust. Music from chop bars competed for people’s ears above the hubbub of humanity. Bruno felt like kenkey and crisp-fried fish with lots of fiery shito and he walked to his favorite seller over the rough, unpaved sidewalk. She had sold from the same spot for years, but nowadays one got a smaller amount of chop for almost twice the price it was when Bruno was a little boy. But the aroma from the steaming ball of kenkey still held the power to make his salivary glands contract, and he was in a hurry to get back to his room for the feast.