Children of the Street - [41]
25
At the pit latrine near the railway station, Tedamm paid his twenty-pesewa fee, took the few sheets of wiping paper the custodian handed him, entered, took care of business, and emerged in under seven minutes feeling a trifle lighter.
He joined his boys Antwi and Ofosu waiting for him around the corner. They began their prowl, up to mischief of any kind-a small boy to beat up, a girl to harass or have sex with, someone to steal from. It was only nine o’clock at night. There was still plenty of time and a good selection of innocent people to pick from.
First they walked along Okai Kwei Road and then up Kwame Nkrumah Avenue to the CMB area, where there were a lot of girls to look at. From there, they went searching for their akpeteshie supplier on Tudu Road, where the pavement was already filling up with rows of homeless people for the night.
Watching commercial trucks loading and unloading merchandise, Tedamm and his boys shared the akpeteshie they had just bought. Bitter and powerful, it shot to their brains like the flame of a blowtorch.
“Chaley, they say somebody killed Ebenezer,” Antwi said. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes, I heard,” Ofosu said. “Maybe he annoyed somebody.” Giggling, he looked pointedly at Tedamm, who stared back at him for a moment before delivering a resounding slap to the side of his head. Ofosu jumped back, clutching his face and squealing like a wounded piglet.
“Don’t talk shit,” Tedamm snapped.
Something caught his attention up the street. “There’s that girl Comfort I told you about,” he said, pointing with his chin. She was walking toward them, but then she crossed the road. “Let’s go and get her.”
They caught up with her, surrounding her like a pack of dogs. Tedamm told her he loved her beautiful copper color and her big buttocks. She laughed and tossed her head. Tedamm put his arm around her, and they all walked along Tudu Road together. “Have some akpeteshie,” Tedamm said. “Come on, it’s good for you.”
She took a sip and spat it out. The three boys laughed at her.
“Take some more,” Tedamm said, bringing the bottle to her lips. Some of it ran down her chin.
“I know somewhere we can go,” Tedamm said, winking at his boys.
He took Comfort’s hand as Antwi and Ofosu followed behind them. Someone was walking straight toward them. In the poor light of the street, it took Tedamm a moment to realize it was Issa. He kept coming without moving aside to give them any space to go by. He locked eyes with Tedamm as they got closer. They stopped two meters apart. Issa glanced at Ofosu, Antwi, and Comfort before coming back to Tedamm.
“So now you are happy that Ebenezer is dead.”
“What are you talking about?” Tedamm said.
“You killed him because he wouldn’t let you have his territory.”
“Kwasea,” Tedamm said. “Don’t waste my time.”
“You wait. You’ll be sorry.”
Issa kept his eyes on Tedamm as he went around him. As Issa walked away, Tedamm laughed at him, calling out insults until he was out of sight.
“Come on,” he said to the others. “Let’s go.”
He turned up a narrow alley between Jabs Electric and the Ghana Commercial Bank building. On the other side, there was a short, unpaved road with a Vodafone kiosk and a brick wall at the end of it in a cul-de-sac. Apart from faint light from the ATM, it was pitch dark.
Antwi sat on a concrete block, and Ofosu knelt while Tedamm sat with his back against the wall with Comfort reclining against him. He fed her more akpeteshie. The drunker she got, the more he was able to expose her breasts and fondle them. He waited until Comfort became completely incoherent. They stretched her out on the ground, pulling up her skirt and tearing her flimsy underwear. Antwi and Ofosu held Comfort’s legs apart. More than ready, Tedamm lowered his trousers to his thighs. She let out a shriek as he forced his way like a battering ram. He pressed his hand hard over her mouth and face. Her nose began to bleed all over his hand as she struggled. Tedamm felt a rush of excitement. Each thrust knocked the breath out of her.
They heard the sound of a car’s tires as it turned into the cul-de-sac, and then headlights appeared.
“Someone coming!” Antwi said.
“Hold her!” Tedamm gasped. He couldn’t stop now. The lava had begun to flow. Antwi bolted. Ofosu followed. The volcano erupted.
Breathing hard, Tedamm yanked up his trousers. He swung around. The car was stationary, the beams of the headlights trained on him. Blinded, Tedamm couldn’t make out what kind of vehicle it was, but it wasn’t a small car, for sure. The door opened, and someone, a man, stepped out and stood in front of the left headlight.
“Who are you?” Tedamm shouted.
The man, his face in shadow, didn’t move. Tedamm, suddenly afraid, turned and fled.
26
A little past ten o’clock, Dawson and Chikata found Mosquito hanging around the outside of the railway station.
“How are you?” Dawson asked him. The boy looked nervous.
“I’m fine. Let’s go to my base.”
They crossed Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and walked along Knutsford Avenue. People were still awake, but many were already asleep on the pavement.
