The man who brought her was of no strange face, I had met him twice. He was the father of two little girls who were under my care in going to and returning from school. The Dansoa Bruce. They had similitude in their facial appearances. So even before the headmaster had introduced her, I knew she was another of the Dansoa Bruces. More to her first day at Naraguta Grammar school, was her foreigness to the Tarkwa township. Her father called for assistance from any one of us who stayed at Tamso or its environs, to map her back home after school. Knowing their house very well, I volunteered to deliver that service. I took another look at the new girl and she was just as different as Lucifer’s first day on earth.
It was usual of anybody to invaginate on first day at a new school but the situation was adverse with Abeam Dansoa Bruce, so she was introduced. She easily diffused every of her fragrance across the class, answered as many questions as was asked, hit, laughed, smiled, frowned and even jumped from desk to desk. She, in no time had our English Master calling her an 'Extrovert'. She walked and talked like a baby doll ( obroni ba).
Abeam was our first female mate with unshaven hair, she had it not too long though and truth be told, her hair was almost always dirty except on Mondays when she had it neatly braided or trimmed and clipped.
On our way home after school, I asked where her two younger siblings were and she had to repeat herself thrice before I could understand they were in Accra and schooling and that she had also come from Accra to be with her parents.
As our days in school grew from Mondays to Fridays, so did our friendship. She soon became the most challenging girl in class; she rubbed shoulders with the big boys, of them included myself. She was extremely intelligent and unparrelled in her excellence at all ten subjects. Whiles some of us scored 35% in French, 41% in Fante, sometimes worse in Pre-Vocational Skills and 90s in the rest, she was maintaining an average of 75% in all ten subjects. Before time could label her, she had long earned herself some recognition and admiration from teachers and friends.
When we were nearing our BECE, our school hours were extended and we were closing as late as 6pm. Each of our academic days ended with an exercise called 'semi circle', this was a pedantic game in which our English Master assembled us in a semi circle and asked us questions in turns. One day, during semi circle, Abeam stood next to me, I had the armpit of my uniform torn, so when I had raised my hand up for relief, she managed to see my armpit and teased me for no growing any crotch hair. I felt belittled and wondered if she was older than me.
After our BECE, Abeam visited me in the evenings in my house, she lived in a 'self-contained house' and could only steal herself out at the absence of her parents. I lived in a 'compound house' with no gates and I could be like MTN. In those evenings, we went taking the air and talking. If by unplanned means we got to a dark corner, we stood there for few little kisses and sped off into the winds. Those moments were the best we could ever treat ourselves to.
Few Weeks after completion, Abeam enrolled in a computer school with Linda, a girl who lived in my neighborhood and I also started selling my mother's doughnuts( boflots). One afternoon, I was returning from the fire service office where my boflots were most bought and whiles struggling to climb the hill which links Tarkwa N'aboso to Umat basic school, with my glass sieve on my head, I heard a tinny voice call "boflot wura", I turned and it was Abeam. She had closed from her computer class. This time she didn't tease me but had a tete a tete with me until she branched to the station for a car. I quickly rushed to my mother's shop and dropped the sieve. I kept weeping within. My Mum questioned why I wore that sad face but I answered in silence. There and then, I knew I had shamefaced myself in the sight of Abeam. How on earth could I ever get closer again to my lover? So I shielded myself from her, I avoided her area and never passed the road where she was most likely to be seen.
Years took us to our separate secondary schools. Whiles in Ghana Secondary Technical School, I wrote Abeam a love letter which never was replied. We never saw each other again until after high school when I met her briefly. To this day, I have always wished to meet her, to stand her a man and still take her on those walks, I still long to kiss shortly in the dark.
Most surprisingly, I logged into facebook this morning to read a wisdom impregnated post from a lady called Bernice Bruce and when I viewed the profile, lo and behold it was my Abeam. I must meet this lady and give her a big hug. I have learned to say I still love you in big hugs Sisi Bruce.
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