TILL BANKRUPTCY DO US PART

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'Twas just a casual stroll around Adiebeba. Walked past Melcom Plus, now to Royal Park. Something melodious was in the air. And then a compelling silhouette distracting my blind side.Turned out to be a crowd, made up of everyday folk, whiling away the weekend at Echoes Pub. Ladies carrying bright futures behind them, men with protruding ''beer-bellies'', alpha males with the abs and cute looks, united on the dance floor by a hi-life band i will describe as only fit for playing for the gods!
Curious as the cat, i drew nigh. Such a great time they were having. Bottles all around, plates full of barbecue filling all tables and an obviously ecstatic crowd, both seated and standing to make it an even more beautiful sight. Is this the bitter Ghana they had been complaining about? I asked myself. I started doing the math, calculating how much the average person is spending that night. But why was i even doing this? Calculating how much people are spending. Ain't i supposed to be minding my own business? Well probably because i was broke myself, i thought everyone was. Misery indeed loves company!!
But then something struck me. The music they were dancing to. Kofi B's ''Bantama Kwasi Boakye'' This song qualifies as the opening song for a "Kingdom Secrets To Financial Breakthrough" seminar in your favourite Charismatic Church. The lyrics of the song, literally telling listeners not to spend so much on drinks and parties, develop a culture of savings and avoid wanton spending to impress others was to me, a kinda weird choice for a people doing exactly what the song is preaching against. Never mind, they were enjoying it all the same. The band must have a wicked sense of humor!
As i stood there enjoying the lyrics of the song, i suddenly found myself taking excursions in my mind. Roll back to 2008. Fresh from high school, young, energetic and ready to get myself dirty, gathering all the experiences i can. On evenings after work, (And come to think of it, i was just a messenger at a Microfinance company) i would take young student nurses on a ride in my good ol'  1984 Mercedes 300D to the nearest pub and spend as much as i can on them. To the few i had feelings for, i never even mustered the courage to tell them. Fast forward to 2014, six years on, most of them are married with kids. I found myself biting my fingers.
What a bad investment i made!
Like most folks at the pub, i was only enjoying the moments. To hell with the future! I never even paused to think of how much cumulatively i would be spending a year in such unwarranted fashion. Former South African President P. W. Botha was right after all.  Most Africans don't plan our lives beyond a day. But you can't blame a man who is neck-deep into the fun of the moment. Just allow him. Only when he gets broke will he get back to his senses. My elder cousin and namesake Bediako Opuni-Mensah once told me that when a man goes bankrupt, there are two things involved. He either gets wise or remember his debtors. In my case, it was the former.
I watched as people danced away their sorrows and pain, only for them to resurface the next morning when the deceivingly soothing effects of alcohol was long, and of course with their money too. So here i was, thinking people will wise up and just cut down on unnecessary spending and fun as the lyrics of the song called for, but again, it's just me and my wet dreams.
Some things don't just go, until bankruptcy do us part!!!