A watched pot does not boil, an African proverb says - the December I had been craving for had set in soonest than I had thought. The KNUST had released his provisional admission list around the 20th of the said month and the freshers were to finish up all payments of fees and course registration latest by the 4th of January, the very next year. Expectations were to come to fruition and behold, I had been granted admission to read my first-choice programme, petroleum engineering. I won't say I was caught in bliss for having been admitted and most especially, getting my first choice. I was just obsessed about the close deadline in getting those fees paid. The warning on the admission letter about the deadline was so bold and official and it dared not be downplayed with - Your admission will be forfeited immediately if you refuse to pay the academic fees before or on the 4th of January, 2021. Torgbe who was to pay the fee had become nonchalant and was inclined that I had been given a scholarship to cover it. I told him that was the year I completed when my benefactors tried to fetch one for me but unlikely, ended up on the rock because I didn't buy any of the forms. No matter how I explained things to him, he wouldn't just listen.
I could not sit down and watch the grass grow under my feet. With a little prayer, I sent my admission letter to Mr Ebo Sey via WhatsApp, reached him online, and told him my fate. The latter moved with pity, told me to meet Mr Obeng at my secondary school and that he had spoken with him and Mr Abbey Nii Ashong, the then president of the Accra Academy Old Boys' Association (AAOBA). I could not wait any more. Per the direction of Mr Ebo Sey, I had met Mr Obeng and was shocked having been told the former had been transferred to the Presbyterian Boys Senior High School, Legon. The Accra Academy was on vacation then but Mr Obeng was in the school together with his quiz boys and preparing them for the national contest.
Within one and a half weeks, checks were prepared for me and one other guy, Jim Clifford who was facing a similar challenge. Jim Clifford was one of the quiz boys in my days but was in form two by then. "Agbesi and Jim, these checks are from the Old Boys' Association to help you guys secure your admission. This is not a scholarship. I repeat, this is not a scholarship. You know how the pandemic had turned down everything. When you get there, keep your heads down and please, apply for one or two scholarships to cater for the subsequent semesters. Congrats!", the president of the association emphasized after which we expressed our gratitude and took a deep breath.
Mr Obeng and Mr Ebo Sey had been shoulders I cried on and I have always told them God will continue to bless them. By January, 3, I had gone to pay the academic fees and consequently registered for my courses. Matthew had completed the same university two months ago and I was told I was going to be in the same room with Innocent. Torgbe as usual was going to pay for the room. Freshers were to leave home on the 10th of January while continuing students, a week later but Innocent was to leave with me on that 10th for my sake.
At the dawn of the day before our departure, Torgbe had handed us the accommodation fee but that was half of the pay. "Please, tell the room manager to keep this for now and that I shall send him the rest some other time. He is a human being too and that he will understand.", he said, with a bold face. How on earth could someone we hardly knew and had no rapport with confer such sympathy on us? The amount wasn't even enough to rent any cut-price hostel. Having known that, Innocent and I had decided on one of those slummy dwellings that were cheaper than the normal hostels. Such were commonly called 'homestels' in the city. That was not the end of the drama. The achy discourse was preceded by the unleashing of a feud he had had with Mum on matters concerning our education. Innocent too received his own teensy of insults for refusing to join his factory while they were on vacation. Need Innocent be blamed for his intentions of never stepping foot at that factory? How could he work there once more after sacrificing his two years at home in working there but in the end, had to struggle to pay his fees? Matthew's new room was run like a courtroom that dawn but none of us including Mum said a word. Like the rest, I was not too surprised with his attitude because he had even done worse than that on several occasions. This became intense especially when any of us would be taking money from him for school. Nonetheless, I always felt that Torgbe was a good man and was inclined in believing that such weird attitudes from him sometimes were one of his weaknesses. They may be unnatural too, I thought and God is the only one to deliver us from these tribulations.