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
“Ei!” Akosua exclaimed. “My one and only daughter! What a miracle to hear from you. It’s been so long.”
“Less than a week, Mama.”
“It seems like longer. But anyway, how are you?”
“I’m good, and you?”
“By God’s grace, you know. We are managing. How is work?”
Sitting at her desk and speaking in Twi, Emma conversed with her mother for a while about the usual stuff: money problems (despite the stipend Emma sent her mother via mobile money every couple of weeks), the transgressions of this or that family member, and so on. When Emma wrapped up the conversation, fifteen minutes had passed, and it was about time to go home. As she packed up, a call came in from someone she had quite forgotten about: Courage, the SWAT guy.
THIRTY-SEVEN
THIRTY-SEVEN
May 20
Emma had requested Wednesday morning off to attend the Autism Center’s event honoring its most important patron, Mrs. Josephine Akrofi. Emma arrived at 5 a.m. to help clean and decorate. There was sweeping, dusting, and scrubbing to be done. Auntie Rose, unsurprisingly, had arrived before everyone else. With some trial and error, Emma, Rose, and the other staff managed to suspend the welcome banner across the courtyard, but professionals took care of setting up the guest seating and the dais. Then it was time to dress the children up with the best combinations of donated clothing and whatever their parents could provide.
Kojo was restless this morning and rocking incessantly. He didn’t want to wear a new outfit. He wanted only his regular Mickey Mouse T-shirt, which was badly soiled. Just as Emma was about to give up, Kojo agreed to don his red-and-white checkered button-down shirt and black pants.
“You look so smart, young man,” Emma said, kissing Kojo on his forehead, then laughing as the boy wiped her kiss away. Shows of affection were not his style, but he was difficult to resist. People only wished they could engage the gaze of his soft, big brown eyes, but Kojo avoided any visual contact whatsoever.
Families of the center’s children, their friends, and supporters were in attendance. Most were seated by the time Josephine Akrofi arrived just before eleven with an entourage of assistants and two officers—one male, the other female. A handful of media people materialized as well. Auntie Rose met them all at the front gate, shook hands all around and brought them in, where Emma and the other volunteers waited in a neat row beside one another. In person, Mrs. Akrofi seemed larger than life. Tall and well-built, she carried herself with such flair in a scarlet outfit by Woodin.
Emma, who hadn’t been present at the last visit, was meeting the Akrofis for the first time. Introducing her to the dignitaries, Auntie Rose described Emma as “amazing with the kids.”