I never bothered to call him. What would I have to tell him on the phone, anyway? “Do you miss me, darling? Or do you miss our son Ayomah?” He knew that he would come to see Ayomah off. He was going abroad. I needed to see him face to face anyway, to look into his eyes to see if I saw any remorse, any sign of regret or shame. The bell is ringing. Ayomah is on the phone. Before I even ask who’s on the line, I open the door. Mr. Ambrose Alhassan, also known as Mr. AA, is trying to hug me.

“Hello, Maryam, where is Ayomah?” He asks.

He’s in his bedroom. I say. I walk with him into the kitchen to turn off the stove. I hear him say as he walks in.

“You will be safe wherever you travel.”

“Excuse me, Mr. AA. I have a lot to do right now before Ayomah leaves.” After thinking twice, I open the door. I hear him enter the room. Feel that he is standing behind me. As I turn back to him, I notice that Mr. AA looks tired. He looks much older than sixty-five. I see why people often mistake him for my father. But at the moment he looks pitiful. Like a hungry stray dog. But I don’t feel sorry for him one bit, because he’s not a stray. He is the man who left me for another woman for no reason.

“I’ll go to church with you tomorrow to meet Pastor Ofori.”

“What did you say?”

“I wish to meet Pastor Ofori, for advice. For my behavior. To stop him. So I will never leave you again. I didn’t mean to do what I have done.”

“Are you coming to fire Ayomah or are you coming to stay with me.” I say.

“I can’t leave this house again.” He says.

You’ll have to do it when I report to the police. I say.

“Please no, Maryam. I beg you please don’t. It could destroy my reputation. The reputation I’ve worked so hard to build.”

“What reputation? Your reputation for being addicted to fast women and fast cars. You should have thought about your reputation before you left me for the third time. You only need me when you’re in trouble or broke.”

“I thought so”.

“Oh, you thought about it, and your brain gave you the go-ahead, is that right?”

“No. I mean, I wasn’t thinking when I used to do everything I did. That’s the whole problem now.”

“What the hell would make you do what you did? Aren’t you a practicing Muslim who is supposed to know better?”

“I dont know.”

“And then keep doing it?”

“Maryam, I honestly don’t know.”

“Think about it for a moment! If you don’t know, who the hell does?”

“Hey! Are you dating an American now?”

“What did you just say?”

“I mean, do you have an American boyfriend now?”

“I guess so.”

“Oh really!”

“You are jealous?”

“I’m not jealous. I’m just asking.” He simply shakes his head.

“You have an appetite for foreign men. By the way, where is that American?

He’s coming today to see Ayomah off.

“What? To fire my son. Are you crazy?”

“No, it is rather you who is crazy.”

“I’m going to wait and see who this guy is.”

“Surely you will know him. He is a true lover. He is not your type.”

“Do not bother me more”. He says.

“I’m not afraid to disturb you in daylight.”

“I know. But I keep hoping you won’t. Look, Maryam, what I did to her in the past is despicable and I want you to help me.”

I cross my arms, wishing they were baseball bats, so I punched him in the face.

“I know the magnitude of what I have done to you. It was wrong and I can promise you it will never happen again.” He says.

“Oh, so you expect me to believe you that way?”

“Yes.”

“Let me ask you something, Mr. AA. Did you do this to your other women too?”

“Yeah, but I’m not going back to any of them anymore.”

“Oh, so you want to come live with me again?

“Yes.”

I try to stop the tears, but I can’t control it. I wish this was all just a bad dream, and when the alarm goes off, it’s over. I loved this man very much, but right now, I don’t love any part of him. It used to make me feel protected and safe. Every time he came back to me after being dumped by his other women, he took it back. Not this time again. All I want right now is for him to leave Ayomah and me alone.