Trotro leaks
A friend’s boyfriend almost called their relation quits because he couldn’t trust that she wasn’t spending the night in another man’s house; that her cell phone wasn’t in the custody of another man; and that she indeed was a good Christian. The cause?
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This friend’s fiancé went on trek in the Brong Ahafo Region for three weeks. Each time he called her after work, late hours, a man by name Lenrie would pick the call. This went on for about three days. Apparently, he was not getting through to her line during the daytime. Each time he succeeded to reach her number during the day, the line would be muffled so he wouldn’t even hear a thing. “Ablah, it was very frustrating”, he said.
If it wasn’t for the fact that this gentleman trusted my friend to a certain degree, he wouldn’t have believed that there was no other man in the picture, and that it was a network problem causing them trouble. Why should mobile phone networks challenges cause such a great mishap? Eh?
As for me, I am planning to abandon my reliance on the telecom company whose services I have subscribed to for the past many years. Agh, “soso wahala!” If it’s not an issue with call dropping, it would be one of call breaking; or interruptions; or network congestion. And I pay so much for their services; at least 15Ghc of phone credits per week. I know others do same. So why can’t this company simply give us good reception on their network?
I am kind of running out of patience. I asked for advice on a desirable switch to a particular mobile network; a competitor of the company I was planning to leave, but my friend Pearl said to me, “Ablah, I have been their client since 2005. The devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know. Please stick to where you belong. They are no better”. But this kind of “devil” I know is torment incarnate!
Fancy this – I picked up my phone during mid morning yesterday to call Naa Atswei’s school to explain a few things to her teacher; she was not available for such a discussion at the rush hour period I’d dropped Naa. The dialed number rang for about three times, and then just when I thought Teacher Diana had picked the call, I heard first, a man’s voice, then a woman’s. “Hello, hello …” I said, a bit confused. There was no response from both speakers. Then I immediately knew what that was all about – my line had intercepted that of two others whose dialogue was in Ga.
The dialogue went... “Hoh, can’t you see all the fowls and goats walking and skipping around freely?” Not many people could buy fowls and goats this Christmas ooo. Not many. I hope this year will be better than last year because things were really rough for us”, I heard the man say. That statement was what made me unethically stay on the line to listen to some more of the seemingly interesting conversation. That goats and fowls were walking and skipping around freely after such a festive season? That was news enough!
The shrill-voiced lady at the other end of the line laughed awhile and said, “Very true! I have sighted a few hen coops and goat pens by the road side still brimming with their content. You find the same scenario in the markets oo. What at all is happening? Eh? I couldn’t even order a piece of cake for the family. It’s really tough!” Then she paused for a while, as if to swallow saliva and said, “but seriously, if you are broke, then we are all in trouble”.
The man who sounded a bit nasal, laughed sarcastically, cleared his throat, and then said, “Florence, paaa. Even obloni waawu, common obloni waawu, I couldn’t buy for the kids. “… Oh, we were in the same soup then … and this hamper cancellation directive did not help matters. At least we would have received one or two hampers filled with corned beef and other stuff but chale, nil, nil, nil,” said the lady, then she laughed.
“Hoh, you can say that again”, the man said. “The hampers did not come, but at least the givers should have translated the baskets of goods into cash? Eh?” Then the lady went like, “ei, but the hampers translating into cash wouldn’t have been an easy thing to do oo. At least with the hamper, a giver could part with Ghc50.00 and have a good-looking hamper anyone would appreciate. But can you give your boss Ghc50.00 as his Christmas gift. It would sound insulting. At least one would have to dash not less than GHc100.00 in an envelope to call for good appreciation. Or?”
“Anyemi”, said the lady, “Mike’s job has become basaa so as schools are reopening this week, my salary is what is going to fend for them ooo. Sometimes I feel like backing out of this marriage”, she continued. “Florence, I keep telling you to be patient; hold on. Better days will come. He will soon find another job. Unfortunately, I am in no position to send you anything right now. The kids are also reopening next week and we have to sew Rebecca a set of uniforms. Times are really hard but God will see us through”.
The lady, having mentioned a marital issue, sounded as though she either wanted to give more information to the man, or to seek wise counsel. “let me cut the line. I am in a troro. When I alight, I will flash you so you call me. Mike is really worrying me kpakpa”. Then she heaved a heavy sigh. I was very surprised to know she had been chatting freely all that while in her status as a passenger in a trotro. And she was so audible, any passenger seated within a radius of fifteen inches would hear everything she was saying. Girls kasa!
When the line went quiet, I kept thinking to myself, whose conversations have been tapped in the way I had been privy to the duo’s discussion? What topics have fallen prey to unsuspecting dialers and listeners? How sure could I be that there wouldn’t be anyone listening to an intimate or private phone chat I would be having in the future? Or had anyone already listened to a dialogue I may have had in times past. Oh, these network problems! I am switching and fast shall be my switch!
