Since they had different classes in the afternoon, Renny separated from her friends and headed for her lecture room. Ewe, Edi, and Nandi still had a lecture together, so they bid goodbye to Renny and vowed to catch up in the evening.
In the evening, Renny, Ewe, and Nandi met at the university gate, but Edi had an appointment to play football with his colleagues, so he couldn't join them.
"Are you still using Uber to and from home, Renny?" Ewe asked as they exited the university gate.
"Yes, is there a problem?" Renny inquired.
"Of course, there is a problem! Uber is too expensive! It's better to use public you transport or Trotros, especially for us broke university students!" Ewe passionately expressed as she held a book to her chest defensively. Renny was amused by her actions.
"How much is the Uber guy charging you?" Nandi inquired.
"¢40," Renny replied as she gauged their reactions.
"¢40! That's too much! I assessed the distance the last time I visited your home; it wasn't that far! It's at most ¢10!" Ewe exclaimed.
"Let's wait for that scamming Uber guy! We must teach him a lesson and demand a refund!" Ewe added.
"It's okay; no need to cause a scene. At most, I will take your advice and start taking public transport," Renny explained.
"That's not okay, though. That guy clearly took advantage of you; his company might not even know what he is doing. It's better to get his details so he doesn't scam another person," Nandi said.
As they were in the middle of the conversation, a car approached them and parked beside them. A middle-aged, slim man with a hat came out of it and approached them.
"Madam Renny! I am here to pick you up!" the man excitedly said.
"Is that the Uber driver?" Ewe asked.
"Yes, but no..." Renny replied, but her statement was cut off midway as Nandi and Ewe cornered the man and started arguing in Twi, a language Renny hadn't grasped yet.
"Mr. Man, you are so shameless; you are giving Ghana a bad name!" Ewe remarked. The man angrily pointed at her forehead as he continued to argue in Twi once again.
"Madam Renny, let's go. Don't listen to these foolish girls," the man said as he abruptly approached Renny, pulling her hand. Renny immediately tried to free her hand from his grasp, but the man couldn't budge as he was strong.
"Let her go, or I will call the police!" Nandi commanded.
"Call it! Call it! I am Ghanaian, is she? Who will the police arrest? Call the police!" the man suddenly shouted angrily.
Ewe was so enraged by him that her eyes turned red with anger.
"I am no longer going. Also, from today onwards, don't come to pick me up; I will be taking public transport," Renny said as she calmly looked at the Uber driver.
"Refund the money you owe her too; you clearly illegally got money from her," Nandi added.
"I called the police," Ewe said, holding her phone to her ear.
"Refund what, you foolish girls? Who will marry you, talking to men like that! Pah!" the Uber driver cursed as he ran off toward the car and hurriedly drove away.
Ewe and Nandi awkwardly looked at Renny, who appeared to be calm.
"No need to involve the police; such things happen in America too," Renny comforted them.
"I didn't call the police; I was just angry at that shameless guy. Not all Uber drivers in Ghana are like this guy; he needs to be reported to his company and lose his job for this," Ewe said.
"Are you really okay, Renny?" Nandi inquired.
"I am okay; I promise you," Renny said.
"Also, don't listen to his statements. Ghana is your home if you want to stay," Nandi added.
"I didn't take his words to heart; such people are in every country. There is nothing you can do about that. So, are we taking public transport or trotro?" Renny inquired.
"Let's take public transport. Mine and Nandi's rentals are not far, and the bus will also stop on the way to your apartment. Trotro will take forever to be full for us to go, which is exhausting," Ewe said.
"Okay, public transport it is then," Renny said as she smiled at the two. Nandi and Ewe finally relaxed after seeing that Renny wasn't affected by the Uber driver's words.
Renny could see their expressions very well she was happy to see that they weren't frustrated by the actions of the middle aged Uber driver from before. They were the first people who made her feel welcome in her very first month in Ghana. She could see that they were not just doing it to gain benefits like other people she had met.
When she first arrived in Ghana, she didn't know anyone apart from the man who rented her an apartment. He was an African American man who had left America to settle in Ghana, so he filled her in on the ins and outs of the country.
Because of her accent, people would immediately assume that she was a tourist and would immediately hike the prices of goods she wanted to buy. So, she learned to silently point at things in the market; that way, the prices would always be consistent with local prices.
Actually, she wanted to buy a car, as she already had a driving permit back in America. She had sold her car and had money to buy a new one in Ghana, but most of the university students didn't use cars to drive to and from school. She didn't want to stand out.
Also, her apartment wasn't that far from the university, so buying a car would be a waste of gas and money. Renny thought as they walked towards the corner where buses met passengers.
"Hm? It might rain tonight," Nandi commented.
Renny looked up at the bright sky and wondered how she could tell.
Ewe laughed at her bewilderment.
"Nandi's predictions about the weather are always right. I also couldn't get used to it at first, but she is always accurate. Let's get on the bus and arrive home early since it's going to rain tonight!" Ewe said as she climbed onto the bus.
"Really? You can tell it's going to rain?" Renny inquired as she looked at Nandi.
"I don't know; it's just a habit from childhood. I kind of can tell; I don't know how," Nandi helplessly shrugged as they stepped on the bus and sat down.
"How is the weather like in America?" Ewe asked after they had comfortably taken their seats.
"The weather depends on the seasons, but I prefer summer, when the sun is up. It's when most schools are on break, and people go to the beaches and have get-togethers with friends," Renny said.
"Well, it's always summer in Ghana," Ewe commented with a smile.
"It can be cloudy, rainy, and sunny in Ghana; winter is, however, out of the question here," Nandi commented.
"So, summer!" Ewe asserted. Renny helplessly smiled; she always thought that it would be lonely if she traveled to Africa alone, but she always wanted to go. Her mother also wanted to go back; that was her wish, and she brought her back.
She wasn't lonely; she made friends that she didn't have back home. Her depression also seemed to have reduced much, plus it was always summer, Renny thought as she smiled, looking outside the bus.