ADVENTURES OF KOJO
ADVENTURES OF KOJO
Kojo adjusted his tuxedo a bit and sighed heavily as his face spread into an ocean of smile. He was content with the man he saw in the mirror; an image he had been clamouring his manliness to create for himself. An image which previously seemed a tad too fictitious and blemished from the realm of fantasies. He wore a white long sleeve and matched it with a pair of black trousers and a pair of black shoes. His black tuxedo was the marital icing on the cake. He screamed elegance and breathed of it. Whoever had the opportunity to see him, was beguiled by his charming and elegant look. It was time he took to the aisle and married the woman of his dreams. As he set out to go, a thought borne from his repugnant past seized a moment on his mind:
Kojo was born in the country: a place called Tarkwa. It was one of the few places which had the blessing of nature but had been abused by the tender mercies and compassions of the educationally affluent in the society. There was a horde of mineral deposits but those so-called 'literates' had their claws fixed on them. All the monies realized from those industries ran directly into their pockets. They sat in their offices, tossing coins from one side of their table to the other, smoking shisha at their hearts' content, occasionally running their hands through their expensive beards and doing nothing which could be equated to productivity. But in the end, they would be credited with insane amounts which begged loads of questions that nobody had the temerity to ask.
Emanating from a family of four which fed off its financially appalling history, succeeding in life was more than a herculean task for him. A task which many had failed woefully. He had the entire family on his young shoulders at age 14.
So he had dropped out of school so that he could work extra hours and earn enough money to feed his dying family. He had worked as an apprentice at a shoe - making shop for two years and so at the age of 16, he thought it was high time he left the country in search of greener pastures in the city.
Kojo ran away from home leaving behind a few ounces he made in his last days at work. He also left a note behind which he hoped would calm the storm while he worked in the city for a much larger boat.
Kojo's first stint at being successful in the city was a job at a coffee shop which paid him less than he had hoped for. He could barely afford three- square meal a day. Occasionally he would look himself in the mirror and feel disgusted and disappointed.
"This isn't who I want to be," he would shout it angrily at the mirror and duck off.
He stopped working for the coffee shop and took up the job of a salesman at a drug firm. It was like nothing he had seen before but he had decided to adapt to every situation.
Kojo worked in the company of three other sales personel: two young men and a girl. The guys treated him like a pile of dirt dug from the most putrefying pit of nature while the girl treated him with a feminine touch which left his heart jolting and shuddering away from his body. Selorm was the girl's name. Her beauty was none that he had beheld before. She had the makings of an extraterrestrial creature : heavenly eyes and curves which sent every man's heart throbbing with lust. Kojo had once shared the fantasy that he was walking the aisle with Selorm so he kept an eagle's eye on her daily activities as though she was his little pet: an irreplaceable pet. He protected her from bad company and made sure she never lost her magical smile.
In spite of all the romance, Kojo never let down his guard at work and always worked to his master's satisfaction. Master Bates as he was called, was so pleased with Kojo's dedication that he would occasionally slip some monies into his pocket without his colleagues realising. Kojo had found a happy home and was content with where he was. He had seen the girl of his dreams and was making enough money.
"What could possibly go wrong? " he would ask himself as he basked in doxologies.
While he sat in his room smiling like a goon, little did he know that his colleagues at work had developed cold feelings towards him.
Apparently Master Bates had spread the news of Kojo's dedication to his other colleagues at work. He also spoke ill of Kojo's colleagues.
"Oh those lazy bones! Their obstinacy makes me want to spew, " he would curse as he spoke of them as though they weren't human.
"Oh but Kojo! Ah Kojo! That kid is a blessing from mother earth. Ah! How I wish I had laid with his mother! Ah he is nothing like the imps I have at home! God bless him." He would shower such gratifying words on Kojo.
Quickly Kojo's popularity in the drug firm spread like bushfire in the harmattan season. He was then appointed as the assistant director of operations. He saw to it that things were in place and that operations were done as planned. His earlier colleagues were now his subordinates. As he looked himself in the mirror he was pleased with the man he'd become. The man he had created for himself : a loving and a hardworking man. The very man he had envisioned himself to be.
On one tale - twisting night Kojo had closed very late from work so he walked on the road to his apartment alone. After bypassing a few shops and ducking off into a meandering road which was a few metres away from his apartment, two masked guys seized him from behind, forced him into a black Van and made off with him. As they hassled and tussled with him, some files from his bag fell onto the ground together with his phone.
The next morning the police were informed of Kojo's untimely and sudden disappearance. Posters were pasted all over the city, the major news and radio stations broadcasted the news of Kojo's disappearance. A bounty was put on the kidnappers while a reward was placed for whoever had any information relating to Kojo's disappearance.
Days passed like a barrage of angry panthers yet there was no substantial news regarding Kojo's disappearance. Absolutely nought for the police to work with. Master Bates, Selorm and Kojo's family were at the heart of the heat. His mother would occasionally retreat to a corner and cry her eyes out. Tears shrivelled her until her eyes became bulky. Selorm had quickly lost weight and her eyes looked tired from nights of insomnia. Master Bates suffered no less than a similar fate as he put the brakes on activities at work in commiseration of Kojo.
"We are sorry Sir. At the moment there is no substantial lead for us to work with. All we have is a mobile phone and a few files which leave us with nothing concrete. But I promise you, my team will work round-the-clock to make sure the perpetrators of this ungodly act are brought to book. " the Head of the CID announced to Master Bates amidst regrets. Master Bates was a wealthy well-respected man so it was no surprise that sooner rather than later the police would find Kojo.
However in every sense of optimism there is a minute degree of fear which dreads us. The same miniscule fear ate into master Bates. He feared losing the young man he saw as a son. He feared losing him forever and that unsettled him.
As he toiled in his grievous muses something struck him like lightening. Yes his phone! Quickly he ran back to the CID's office. Without devoting time to formality he started talking, " His phone! Yes his phone," running his trembling hands willy-nilly on the table as though it was his, " Yes his phone! Some months ago I thought it wise to keep tabs on all my workers so I had a tracker fixed on their suits. It was synced with their phones so that wherever they were we'd know. I don't understand much of the sophistication but I know that you can use that to track his whereabouts. Please get the phone!" Master Bates shouted as smiles found their way back onto his face.
"That's a very great news but Sir I beg of you to calm down. We will get the phone and get working right away!" The Head announced as he hurriedly walked out of the office.
Police sirens blew the heavy air into shreds as the music of triumph played in Kojo's ears. He knew the time had come for him to go home. He had seen the faces of those who had kidnapped him : Yes they were his former colleagues at work.
No sooner had the kidnappers heard the smell of the policemen than the policemen burrowed their way into the room where Kojo was being held hostage. They freed him and apprehended his oppressors.
He looked straight into their eyes and said to them, " Whatever you have in this world be content with it. For you do not know what other people do not have. If you had any idea how terribly some people are forced to live everyday, you would leap into the sky and kiss your stars a gratifying thank you. Be content with what you have. All the best friends. "
Kojo was safely delivered to Master Bates, Selorm and his family who had waited anxiously for him. Selorm leaned into a comforting hug with Kojo as Master Bates watched in amazement. That was the moment he thought it would be amazing if they got married. Kojo was reluctant to the idea but eventually he found out his love for Selorm was genuine. He therefore agreed to marry her. That brings us to the well accomplished man , Kojo, who walked off majestically to walk the aisle with his bride.
Instead of doing what normalcy suggested, Kojo decided to speak words which were created by his own intelligence. As he spoke the following words, he looked into the bride's godly eyes.
" My love, on this day I pledge my undying and unceasing love and loyalty to you. I do not promise that I'll be there in times of sickness, I promise that there will never be sickness. I do not promise things I cannot do, I promise you the whole of me and a man you will never find in any other person. I am grateful to the Sovereign Lord for blessing me with a woman of your calibre. I deem it an esteemed pleasure and indeed a great responsibility to keep you as mine forever. One tht I will forever cherish till death do us part. "
After the overseer said the mighty words, Kojo leaned into a soothing kiss with Selorm amidst thunderous applause. A huge crowd of envious eyes stared keenly at the couple as they made their way to an all-white Limousine parked outside the church house. Kojo turned around, gave his parents and master Bates a comfortable hug and then waved to the crowd.
He then slid into the car as the crowd applauded in reverence of the successful man Kojo had become.
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