I needed a skipping rope. I had talked about it so much E, my daughter, was also on a look out for one for me. The plan was to buy one over the weekend.
On our ride home, this coincidence I believed was truly God sent, happened, especially when I had never seen a roadside hawker selling skipping ropes. It was too good to be true, when E shouted,
“Mum he is selling skipping ropes.”
I really could not believe my luck.
I quickly beckoned him over and asked how much it cost.
“Fifteen Ghana cedis,” he said.
I would normally have bargained, but this time I knew how much this was going to be part of my regime, so I happily paid for my find and stashed it in my bag. We drove off when the traffic light changed.
I was amazed and even remembered exactly what the hawker looked like. A frail elderly man perhaps shrunk by the heat of the sun, bent over a bit, in his oversized, faded blue gingham shirt. He was also donning a black top hat similar to the magician’s. The skin on his face folded and dark like worn leather, possibly caused by thinking. He inspected the car to see who and why. He must have wondered who would be using the rope and why it was so needed. I guess he saw how elated the buyer was and felt satisfied he had gotten rid of one of his wares. I wonder if he ever thinks of the impact of his wares.
The satisfied buyer could not wait to show off. I wanted E, to know that I meant business.
The following morning, I started off gently, twenty skips, then another twenty. The target was one hundred a day. I managed that in tens until I got to the bitter end. I should have known as when I got to forty, I felt a pain in my knee, which I totally ignored. That is when I remembered the pain in my knee that surfaced over a year ago, with visits to the hospital and after some minor treatment had disappeared.
I showed off that I had managed the one hundred skips and this was going to be my daily routine. A few hours later, I started to limp! The excitement of skipping may not be such a good idea. This left me feeling deflated, leaving me thinking about my other options.
GIFTS 
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