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Shylock landlords/landladies
HOW are we all doing today? Don't tell me it is bad until you hear someone's story. Life can be as bad as it can be but keep your head high and keep walking tall because the moment you let your face fall and your shoulders droop, the powers that be will be having a ball.
The minute you stop believing in yourselves, your dreams are over. Ask God for guidance and protection all the time. Do not let sin impede your blessings from God Almighty. Let's keep asking Him for forgiveness.
Folks, i told you I won't be writing to you anymore until I heard from Eunice and Abraham Quartey, Francis Jabialu and Simon Soloye.
Finally! Someone has replied my letters. Thank you guys for not only reading my letters and replying but reading good old African Echo. I am sure Isaac Amo-Kyereme will be pleased too. Keep the letters coming folks, you are my new best friends. Maybe someday when all is well, we can come together and hang out at MANJARO or GOLD COAST for a little drink-up.
Anyway, I will make today's as brief as possible because I am working on a book I am writing. I pray I get a publisher as soon as I put my pen down. My book is called MEMOIRS OF AN AFRICAN IMMIGRANT.
I have no trouble finding an editor because I know Isaac Amo- Kyereme will be there for me. Now where were we? Ok, I am just writing about a landlady who is giving her tenants so much grief.
This bleachedskinned elderly woman from Ghana has been resident in this country for three decades and over. After years of investing all her money in buying creams and soaps full of hydroquinone and accumulating horrendous clothing and shoes, she has suddenly realised that her life is almost over and all she has is a sleazy two bedroom council estate and a poxy African grocery shop where one can get miserable looking, ill-packaged and poor quality rubbish from wherever they came from.
Talk about Mercy Cream, Alata samina, foul-smelling fish which are spawning worms and fleas. It cannot be that bad though because mind you, thanks to UNITY LINK or EXPRESS FUNDS, she is a money transfer agent. Yeah whatever.
She goes home reeking of salt fish and stale sweat. However, thanks to some desperate car company, she has been able to buy on credit a brand new Vauxhall. Thanks to the Home Office she has managed to land herself a British Passport although she cannot read or write her own name. Every sycophant calls her 'auntie or mama' so she feels she is on top of the world.
Folks let me tell you what one wise man once said, "Little things please little minds." Who can blame this woman if she maltreats her tenants? Let us get down to the very basics, shall we? From the hinterlands where this woman crept from, we have no idea. In the village of 'Fabewoso' where she resided before her big brother who resided here in the sixty's brought her to England, folks, there was no electricity.
She used to wake up at dawn everyday, grab her basket and head for the bushes in search of colanuts. Her virgin hair had probably not tasted Dark & Lovely before. Her only body moisturizer was good old shea butter which is a good thing. Her only source of antiperspirant was lime. And, folks, years of feeding on cassava and hot pepper had left her looking as emaciated as boiled as'kontomire' (spinach). God willing, straight from the village, only stopping in Accra for two nights, she makes it finally to the 'Promised Land'.
She soon becomes exposed to certain luxuries. I don't even want to go into datails or I might end up using certain adjectival phrases I am not supposed to use. Today she owns a flat and has tenants whose immigration situation is shaky so she is capitalising on that and making their lives a living hell. Dare oppose her and she will show you she is illiterate but numerate and she can dial 999 and send you on the next available flight to Africa.
To all tenants who are screaming in silence for injustices meted out to you by inconsiderate, selfish landlords, suffer no more. Speak your minds and watch what the spineless ones can do afterwards. It is all mouth and empty threats! To landlords who are selfish, shame on you! If you understand the words 'nemesis' and 'waterloo', you will back down and get off people's backs.
On the other hand, some Landlords are kind and considerate. There are not many of them but I know a few. Uncle John of UNCLE JOHN'S BAKERY, West Green Road, is an excellent landlord and so is Mrs Doris Nortey of Battersea. They have hearts of gold and God bless them.
That is all folks, if you care to reply, catch me at ashiapearl@yahoo.co.uk
I will like to say thank you to my cousin Godfried Adjepong of East Ham for his tremendous support in my difficult times even in his own difficult times. God bless you all.
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