The sky over the town had turned the color of a bruised plum. In Ghana, when the afternoon heat suddenly drops and the dragonflies fly low, you know a heavy downpour is coming.
Fourteen-year-old Samantha was walking home from her first semester classes at the Senior High. Her new checkered uniform was crisp, and her white socks were pulled high. She was trying to reach the junction before the clouds broke, but she wasn't fast enough.
The rain started like a wall of water. Within seconds, the red dust of the roadside turned into a slippery, orange clay.
"Oh, not today," Samantha muttered. She held her heavy Business Accounting textbooks close to her chest to keep them dry.
As she tried to jump over a large puddle near the market road, her foot slipped. She went down hard on one knee. The sharp pain was followed by the sight of a long brown stain on her neat school skirt. She sat there in the mud, the rain soaking through her white shirt. She felt like crying.
Suddenly, the heavy sound of rain on her head stopped. She looked up and saw a large, colorful umbrella.
Standing over her was a woman with a very calm face. She wore a simple, elegant African print dress. As she leaned down to help Samantha, a scent drifted toward her. It wasn't the smell of the rain or the earth.It was lavender.
Samantha froze. Her heart began to beat fast. That was the exact smell of the soap her mother used to buy. It was the smell of her mother's Sunday headwrap and the dried flowers she kept in her Bible. For a second, Samantha felt like she was six years old again, safe in her mother's arms.
"Oh, abaayewa (little girl), don't cry," the woman said. Her voice was soft, like a quiet song. "The mud will wash away. Are you hurt?"
"You... you smell like my Mom," Samantha whispered. She didn't mean to say it, but the words just came out.
The woman's eyes became very soft and kind. She didn't laugh. She just tucked a wet braid behind Samantha's ear. "Is that so? Then your mother must have loved beautiful things. My name is Sarah."
Sarah helped Samantha up and led her to a small, neat blue car parked by the road. Inside the car, the lavender smell was even stronger. It felt like a warm hug.
"I have a small sewing shop near the central market," Sarah explained as she drove.
"My Daddy is Joseph," Samantha said, rubbing her cold arms with a towel Sarah gave her. "He has the two stores and the cocoa farms."
Sarah smiled. "Ah, the hardworking Mr. Joseph. I see him every Saturday. He is a very serious man."
"He is lonely," Samantha said. She felt she could trust Sarah because of that familiar smell.
When they pulled into the driveway of the bungalow, Joseph was already on the porch. He looked very worried. When he saw a strange car and his daughter stepping out covered in mud, he rushed down the steps into the rain.
"Samantha! What happened?" he cried.
"I fell, Daddy. Auntie Sarah helped me."
Joseph stopped. He reached out to take Samantha's bag, and as he did, he caught the scent coming from the car and from Sarah's clothes. He went very still. He looked at Sarah, and then at Samantha. He recognized that smell too. It was the scent of the woman he had lost.
"Thank you," Joseph finally said. His voice was very soft. "Please, come inside. Let me give you some tea to say thank you."
Sarah shook her head gently and smiled. "No, Mr. Joseph. It late. But perhaps... I will see you at the market on Saturday?"
"At the market?" Joseph asked confused... Are you a customer?? He added...
Not really,just happens to see you there anytime I come to the market to get thread for my work...Sarah said
Okay...then we might see there this weekend... Joseph said.
Sure...and have a great night beautiful Samantha and Mr. Joseph...she said whilst heading to her car
Same to you Aunty Sarah,hope to see you anytime soon... Samantha said
Hopefully dear...Sarah said as she enters into her car and started the engine.
As the blue car drove away, the scent of lavender stayed on the porch. Samantha looked at her father. He was staring at the road with a look of peace she hadn't seen in years.
"She smells just like her, Daddy," Samantha whispered.
Joseph nodded slowly, his eyes misting over. "I know, my star. I know."