Life isn't a picnic

I am a young man about thirty and fit enough to marry.

Before long, I took in a wife and we moved to the city far away from our parents to live and make our own family.

As the days went by, we came to get used to married life, but the shock of living in the city hit us hard like a blow.

The cost of electricity, food and shelter skyrocketed everyday. We were forced to resort to using the candle by night.

To top it all, Joan and I lived in a home that was home to fifty other people with a toilet that was on the verge of falling down.

It was fenced with old corrugated-iron sheets which have holes around them and leave nothing to the imagination of the onlooker when one is taking his bath.

The other day when my wife was taking her bath, all the corrugated sheets nearly gave away except for one which fell down and she quickly grabbed her towel, and wrapped it around her wet body. Some of the male onlookers cursed the rest of the sheets for denying them their much awaited show. They didn't have the decency to help put the corrugated sheets back, but they stood back and watched her struggle with them.

Joan and I were most unfortunate to have neighbors who worked less and spent more. Not that it disturbed me, but yes it did since every penny they spent was mine and Joan's, and they never gave us back our money.

So clever were these people that they easily earned the favor of our landlord Kofi Owusu. They changed the money we gave them into dollars and always paid on time.

I always wonder if we were the only people they did that to.

I on the other hand paid later than they did and earned Mr. Owusu's anger who always threatened to throw us out of his house.

Each time he demanded his money I would be left gaping. They have sworn me to secrecy and threatened to kill me whenever I decided to let the cat out of the bag.

As a young boy, I was afraid of the dark and held on to my mother's hand for comfort.

Now as a young man, I am afraid of the city, but I must muster all the courage I can to survive it and most importantly, make a young wife who is totally dependent on me.

To be continued