Catherine’s best Christmas gift of 2015 came from her teacher who asked clssmates to write goodbye letters. Each letter reflects the personality of its writer and is sweet in its own way. She has treasured each message, reading one per night since our arrival. Catherine recently opened the last one, providing the opportunity to commemorate with a photo. Thanks, Mrs. Stegehuis!
In this family, homework (almost) always comes first, and both kids had work to do this morning. Catherine worked on spelling and a communities project covering family, school, and church. Mark worked on mathematics and chemistry. He awaits the correct history book.
After homework, Catherine invited twin friends Khezia and Charles for a playdate. They arrived at about 2:30 and worked through Lego, Scrabble, and Monkey in the Middle. Mark joined for Scrabble, serving as referee and scorekeeper. When I brought the kids home, I met parents Charles and Emma who are as lovely as their children. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to be together beyond the routines of school.
On the way home, Catherine and I stopped at the Accra Mall to have dinner, buy groceries, and top up Vodaphone and SurfLine.
It was my first time driving home from the mall in the dark. I made a rookie mistake, driving down the row of parking spaces that leads to eastbound Spintex Road; not the way home. Not a big deal, but Spintex Road has a toll, and there is no place to turn around for miles. Fortunately, I was following a motorcycle who showed that it is possible to turn left (westbound), seemingly realizing, as I did, that turning right (eastbound) would lead to many problems.
That left turn was a big mistake.
Turns out, the road is one-way going right (eastbound). The motorcycle driver didn’t care, as two-wheel vehicles drive the wrong way all the time. But a four-wheel car is another matter, and I was quickly shown the error of my ways by dozens of gesticulating taxi drivers lining the road. And two police officers, who pulled me over, demanding to see my license. Seeing I was not a Ghanian, they demanded my international driving permit, which I pulled from the glove box. Unsatisfied, they repeatedly said “And so you have offended!” and “Why did you drive the wrong way on a one-way street?" Apparently worried that I was completely clueless, they climbed into the back seats (Catherine and I were in the front) to “help,” saying “We show you the way home. We are here because of you!” I apologized repeatedly, insisting that I knew where to go, that my only mistake was a wrong turn in the dark, and that I could drop them wherever they wanted. As I drove, they asked twice “Don’t you have anything now to help a brother?” They told me to let them out of my car on the far side of a large truck on the onramp to the northbound road home. As I did so, I produced 20 cedis and went safely on my way.
Nobody got hurt. I didn’t get a ticket. I didn’t have to pay a toll. I didn’t have to turn around on Spintex Road. The officers chastened me. It’s a mistake I’ll make only once. And, they seemed satisfied with my donation. At age 49, did I just pay my first bribe? Or was 20 cedis the simplest route to an optimal outcome for everyone, avoiding the nightmare of the Ghanaian court system and its bureaucracy?
—Matt
