The Goodbye

It was dawn and check with the time was three O’clock. It was the beginning of the last quarter of the night and the moon was still luminous and large as life, as it journeys slowly to the west to rest. Life was still dead in the small community of Lomnava lying in the plains of Afram Plains, except the shrill noises from some nocturnal insects and the occasionally croaking of frogs in the pockets of bushes around.

In the sand were long shadows of Koo Emma and Enyonam legibly drawn from the full moon which was quite strange because the only waakye seller who is noted by all community members to be the first to wake up before anyone else was still cozying in her bed or mat perhaps… 

Had Koo Emma being strong willed enough, the two party would not have been there by now, but there they were, in the harmattan morning and getting drenched by the dew and feeling cold by the seconds, despite their numerous cloths they both had on. It was about the fifth time he had come back after waving Enyonam ‘good-bye’. He just did not have the will to leave her presence. It was even more difficult, because, it will also be the last time they were an item. It was over between them.

Leaning against the unpainted picket gate which was almost as tall the size of her at about 5’6" was Enyonam who has resolved not to make any attempt at stopping him from leaving her life but to cry her hearts out. Her solace would be time, because it is the antidote to every situation. She survived it when she lost her mother. She did not even know that she could survive from the painful loss unscathed. Maybe losing her dear ones was her portion.

She did not lose her father. He simply has never been there and has never counted, and now it was Koo Emma leaving her life for good because he claims it was for their good. How can you love someone and stop loving them, she thought, as her sobs, mixed with the dew sends shivers down her spine.

True love has no format, so it came to pass that Koo Emma and Enyonam met one sunny afternoon some two years ago in the market square and fell in love at once. When love arrests you, you avail yourself to its trial, so yes, they succumbed. They began the knowing-me-knowing-you phase and the disclosure session was revealing than they both expected. They both have been posted to the town after their National Service, to begin their lives as substantive employees even though at different times but the chemistry and the eventual companionship they both offered each other was the right motivation they both needed to make their stay in the community Grande.

Enyonam’s first year was uneventful because he could not find anyone to relate to, so it was all work and other assignments taken from the local parish just to get her busy and going. It was the only way to kill boredom until Koo Emma arrived with the same city style she was used to. They began dating and her life had sprung back. They had two places of abode, sometimes they stayed over at her place and other times at Koo Emma’s two bedroom place. All of a sudden, Lomnava became the most fun place on the face of the planet. How love can be illusive.

One thing led to another and with the passage of time, all Enyonam did was to live Koo Emma. Her world now practically revolved around him and it was becoming difficult for Koo Emma to do other things apart from his official work. And while they were at it, Enyonam has forgotten her flock of youngsters she taught at the Sunday school and her Secretarial role she played in the youth wing of the church. She stopped attending Choir practice and only attended Church when she liked.

Talk of her sudden change was all over town and it was debilitating for Koo Emma to be named as the change agent. He figured that much, but how could he be the one to be the negative influence on the poor girl? Maybe he has being selfish for taking her away from everyone. He should have known that, practically being with her all the time was tantamount to the relegation of her core engagements. Consequently, after sleepless nights of long and disturbing thoughts, he resolved that the greater good of the community should always paramount over individual good and desires.

He loved Enyonam without a doubt and has made her the centre of his life. Enyonam has become his source of happiness but that certainly is a loss to the whole community who draws inspiration from her life and what she does for the community. He has to let go so that Enyonam could continue being the one-in-a-million she was for the community before his arrival, however, his problem was how to still live in the same community and not see Enyonam.

He has to save himself and Enyonam somehow because they can’t live their lives loving all day like modern day Romeo and Juliet. Their career lives were suffering and the Community needed Enyonam more than he needed her in his life. He has to go away as soon as possible.

After several meetings with the Pastor and Elders of the church who appeared more concerned than the rest of the community, an arrangement was made for Koo Emma to start work in the next two villages which were all unknown to Enyonam until that fateful moonlit night.

He realized no amount of words carefully put together will soothe Enyonam's bruised heart and there was no way he was rescinding on his carefully thought decision, so he said the needful 'goodbye', turned around and got absorbed in the dark forever.