Chapter 1- Jack

“Put your phone away and eat your breakfast,” his mom ordered as she slid a plate across the table to him.  Jack looked up from his phone to see his mother in a tailored business suit, the up-turned collar made her look powerful.  “I’m riding into school with you today," she said, "I have a meeting with the principal and the president of the school board.  We’re going to see to it that your school finally gets that pool we’ve all been hoping for.”

Jack put down his phone, picked up his fork, and jabbed into one of the pieces of fried plantain before scooping up a heap of black-eyed peas, the sauce of tomatoes and palm oil gave the beans a red tint.  “Thanks Abena, your red-red is the best!” Jack said to the woman standing in front of the kitchen sink, drying her hands on her apron’s bright swirls of pink and yellow and green, her hair tied in thick, tight braids that were then wrapped up and stacked on top of her head.

“Anything for you, boss,” she said with a smile.

“Mom, when is dad getting back?”

“He should fly in tonight, do you want to ride with Eddie to the airport to pick him up?  It may be your only chance to see him.  He has an important meeting in Lagos tomorrow evening, so he’ll be flying out again right away.”

It seemed like Jack’s dad was at home less and less these days.  Why did we move halfway around the world for dad’s job, when he’s never here anyway? Jack wondered to himself.  “Yeah, I’ll go to the airport,” he said as took another bite of breakfast.

“Good.  He’ll be glad about that,” mom said.  Then, “Hurry up, you know how the traffic is in Accra.”  She grabbed her purse and headed toward the black Land Rover that was already running in the driveway.

Jack stuffed one more huge bite of red-red into his mouth and took a swig of the fresh squeezed orange juice as he stood up.  His body was already moving toward the door, but his head was stuck over the plate wanting more of Abena’s delicious food.

Jack slid through the backdoor of the SUV, his backpack hanging off one shoulder.  “Morning, Eddie,” he said to the driver as they pulled through the gate that secured their home from the outside world and nudged their way into the chaotic traffic.

Jack quickly pulled out his phone and began swiping between apps.  He finally settled on a mindless game in which he had to navigate a little bird through a quickly changing maze of walls.  He put his earbuds in and adjusted the volume to high as Eddie navigated the crowded Accra streets.