mother had gone to the United Kingdom (UK) as a university student, and my dad joined her later. It seemed to me that my father was always learning. Later, I found out he was a law student who made ends meet by practising as a psychiatric nurse. Ours was a happy home; I remember Dad playing with us and performing magic tricks. He would also take me when he went to place his bets at the betting shop because he said I brought him luck. I still remember our little council flat in Clapham, London – 16 Elmhurst Mansions, Edgeley Road, a two-bedroom flat that housed all three children, my parents, and the numerous aunties who would visit, on and off. Especially Aunty Betty, who was studying nursing at the time, and Aunty Agnes, who would come fromGhana bringing many things, including what we called the “stinking fish.” My parents were always entertaining, with my mom being a very warm person and my dad being the joker in the family. School started when I was five years old at Haselrigge School, Clapham, which I didn’t like much. Then, Mummy got me into St. Mary’s Roman Catholic School, where I had a blast. My big brother Anthony picked me up from school, and later my younger sister and he warmed our dinner as Mummy worked. Snap! Snap! Imaginary photos with my brother and sister. “C-h-e-e-s-e!” I yelled. My sister struck a pose, a big grin on her face, and my brother froze, looking silly with a smile and a hand in the air. We burst into laughter. “Wait!” I shouted. “I need a better shot.” I ran across the street, pretending to take a picture, and then... BAM! I got hit, and the driver didn’t stop. “She’s been hit!” my aunt, the student nurse, yelled from the window. My parents rushed down the stairs, and I was taken off to the hospital with a broken femur. I was only seven, but I had a great time, as the nurses loved me. Dad joked that without that accident, I could have been a great athlete. Maybe he was right because all my children later became athletes. My mother later welcomed twins into our family, bringing our total to five children – Anthony, Kim, Lulu, and the new additions, Herbert and James. Caring for all five of us was indeed a significant challenge for my mother. With my father constantly occupied with work and studies, my mother ultimately decided to relocate the family to Ghana. 5 The Birthday Journal
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