Heels: how high?
Nii Friday and I were on for a hospital review on Wednesday. I therefore had need to make available in a bottle or bottles, some breast milk.
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I personally don’t like milking my babies in public. So I try to express and freeze my milk when such outings are upcoming, or show up.
I was busily pumping out breast milk on Tuesday afternoon when I heard a knock on my door. Without waiting for an answer, the person entered with excitement. “Antie Ablah ooooo … congrats congrats congrats”, then she hugged me from behind.
In the process, she threw my breast pump out of gear. “Shhhh, you will wake baby up”, I cautioned. Shrill-voiced Abena!
She was the last person I was expecting as a visitor on a Tuesday afternoon. Her kind of work doesn’t allow her to have a social life. She works from Monday to Saturday. But I know for a fact that the money is good. What could a young girl of 25 years ask for?
With the aid of loans given by the institution she works for, she has a car of her own, and has applied for a mortgage to purchase an estate house.
“Abena who let you off the hook in broad day light?” And although she wore her neatly made brown skirt suit, I still asked, “no work today?”
Smiling, she told me she had come to see one of her clients whose office was not too far from my area. Then she asked where baby was; whether we had had the naming ceremony, what his name was, when we were going to resume church… oh Abena can quiz!
I had barely answered all her questions when I saw her enter my kitchen. Next, she opened the fridge and then asked loudly, “eigh, only sobolo? Antie Ablah why? Does it give breast milk? The driver is waiting for me oooo. Let me hurry … oh won’t I see baby?”
Then I heard her pop open, a bottled of the factory-corked sobolo. Seriously, some of these sobolo producers have taken the business to another level oo. This brand in my fridge is neatly labeled, bottled and sealed with a metal cork.
Smoothly dark, tall, plump and intelligent young Abena. I used to live with them (she, her siblings and parents) when I lived in Madina; we were cotenants. But they moved out about two years before I did, after her parents completed their house at Amrahia.
She is such a sweet girl who used to visit me a lot in my apartment. She would discuss her personal issues with me. I never understood why she wouldn’t do same with her mother. I never deterred her from approaching me though, and that, I know, has shaped her life. Those pieces of advice, she tells me, have been of immense help to her.
Walking on my floor tiles, between the kitchen and the living room where I sat, all I could hear was “ka … ka … ka … ka…” Those were the rhythm of Abena’s heels. As she drew close, I took a second look at the noisy footwear. They were like stilts.
“Abena, why? How are you able to walk in these all day? Aren’t these like five inches tall? Eigh why are you punishing your calves like that?” And indeed, her calves were stressed. One could see how bunched up the muscles of her legs became with each step.
With her glass of sobolo in hand, she sipped a bit, and then grinning, said, “Antie Ablah paaa, you don’t seem to know what time it is. These are new trendy shoes I bought from a boutique at Dzorwulu; the designer is Christian Louboutin. I don’t joke with them at all. They’re very comfortable”. “Abena, they are nice … but this high?” I asked. She only smiled and said, “Antie you’re colo. If you’re complaining about mine, then you should see how high some of my colleagues at work’s heels are. We have every reason to look trendy and smart oooo. That’s why”. “Really?” I asked. I was simply stunned; couldn’t utter anything further. I watched her twist with dancing – the radio was playing one of Kojo Antwi’s hits. I modestly looked on with admiration as her dancing steps exhibited the shiny, red-lacquered soles of her shoes.
She looked so confident and had control over the grip of her Louboutins. With her kind permission, I was able to take her feet out of the stilts and props, to give you a pictorial shot of the shoes. She willingly took the photo herself and promised to Whatsapp it to me. And she did! That’s what is showing in this column today.
As she plucked them off her feet to grant my request, she said, “Antie, the way we dress can make us look credible or not in the eyes of our clients ooo. You see, we live in a visual world where we are easily judged by our appearance.
In my institution, we’re very particular about our reputation and image. Those two qualities, if you have them, you’re done!”
“Antie what’s your size now? Are they still seven?” She asked. “Abena what do you need that for?” I responded with a question. “I want to get you a pair. They are very comfortable. You can wear them to work or church when you wean Nii”.
“Me? Louboutins? Eish. My dear, I would rather you give me that money to spend than to use it to buy me these which can easily make me topple over”. My way of talking made her laugh.
“Oh Antie Ablah, when will you change? You can walk in them. You only need to practice wearing them at home. That’s all”. I shall definitely get you a pair.
Suddenly, she remembered she had to return to the office. Bringing out a white envelope from her handbag, she placed it by my side, sipped the rest of her drink and said, “Antie I will come again okay. I need to introduce your son-in-law to you soon”. Before I could ask her any question, she had rushed out of the door. I was so grateful for her visit.
How do these young girls manage to walk, work, and run in these high heels? It’s a secret I must find out.
