A lot of people judge others before meeting them. Take Raphael Saibu for example. In the summer of 2001, at the age of eighteen, Raphael moved to the City of Ottawa, Ontario, from his hometown of Elmina, Ghana, in pursuit of a better life. He studied commerce at Carleton University, and later earn his MBA from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa. Nowadays, Raphael is a tier one manager with the Canada Revenue Agency, with a staff of nine people who answer to him. Achieving a high rank in the Canadian Government isn't easy for foreign-born black men, but Raphael Saibu isn't the type to give up easily.
The hardiness and creativity that Ghanaians are known for definitely exists within Raphael Saibu. The brother achieved success, and along the way, he found happiness as well. Raphael married a beautiful lady named Dr. Lara Van Aartsen, the mother of his two biracial sons, Hans and Willem. The family resides on a forty-acre farm in the moneyed Stitsville area, just outside metropolitan Ottawa. They've got money and aren't afraid to let the world know it. This had a lot of tongues wagging in the Ghanaian Canadian community.
Folks in the African Diaspora have grown accustomed to successful black men marrying outside their race. What they don't know is that Raphael met Lara on the very first week he arrived in the City of Ottawa. The two of them met in the lobby of Catholic Charities, an organization which lends a helping hand to immigrants. Raphael was looking for things like a work permit and chafing at the bit at the rooming house where he stayed. Lara was an international student in the Pre-Med Program at Ottawa University who was looking to do some volunteer work. Fate brought them together.
"Good morning, ma'am, I am here to learn how to get a work permit, can you help me?" Raphael asked the tall, blonde-haired young woman seated behind the desk. Lara Van Aartsen, a native of metropolitan Rotterdam in the Netherlands, looked at the tall, large, dark-skinned African man as he approached her desk. In spite of the summer heat, he wore a gray suit, white silk shirt and tie. There was something frank and urgent about his demeanor. This was Lara's first week as a volunteer coordinator at Catholic Charities, but she would do her best to help the newcomer...
"Hello, sir, I am Lara, I believe I can help you," the young woman replied. Raphael seemed relieved to hear these words from the young lady, whose name tag read Lara. Beckoning for him to follow her, Lara led Raphael to a computer where she showed him a map of Ottawa, and how to go about applying for a work permit. Raphael, who brought his immigration papers and ID just in case, was thrilled to be shown the process. Lara had been very helpful. When Raphael left the rooming house located in the East End of Ottawa, he was determined to get his bearings and get things done instead of being a burden to the State.
"Thank you very much, Lara," Raphael said, and the young woman grinned, and then handed him her business card. Raphael pocketed it, and then printed the information and forms he would need before leaving the premises. The Office of Catholic Charities helped a lot of immigrants, refugees and other newcomers to Canada. A lot of these people came from Third World Countries. The main function of the office was to provide information, and that's all Raphael needed that day. Well, almost all, at any rate.
"You're very welcome, Raphael, let me know how it goes," Lara said, and she shook his hand and wished him good luck in Dutch-accented English. Raphael smiled and exited the office with a bunch of printed papers which he tucked into his briefcase. The tall, sturdy Ghanaian newcomer looked like an old-fashioned lawyer more than anything else. Raphael headed to City Hall, where he got the ball rolling on his work permit application. He also made an Ontario Provincial ID Card, which had his picture, name and address on it. Anything to help a brother get around without carrying his immigration papers everywhere.
After getting his work permit, Raphael began working at Loblaw's Supermarket. He got out of the rooming house and rented a basement apartment in the Nepean area in the West End of Ottawa. Raphael proudly sent some money to his parents, Elias and Mariam Saibu, back in Ghana via Western Union the day he got his first paycheck. He deposited the rest in an account he created with the Royal Bank of Canada. Feeling good, Raphael went for a walk around town. He was doing alright, but he was alone. He had no friends, or family, anywhere in Canada. What's a lonely brother to do?
Raphael decided to give Lara a call, and surely enough, the young Dutchwoman answered on the first ring. Raphael shared the details of his journey with Lara, who smiled while listening to him on the phone. Like a lot of the foreigners Lara knew, Raphael was determined and hard working. The Ghanaian brother was even talking about saving some money for school, and considered Carleton University a possible choice. Raphael hadn't called Lara just to blather about his adventures in the City of Ottawa. Nope, the Ghanaian brother had something else in mind for the lovely Lara...
"Please have coffee with me," Raphael asked, and on the other line, Lara went silent. The Office of Catholic Charities didn't exactly encourage staff, or volunteers, to get involved with clients, but Lara had a good feeling about Raphael so she accepted. The way the young Dutchwoman figured it, sitting down with a new male acquaintance was harmless enough. Lara had an on-again, off-again relationship going on with Hans Von Gerlach, a German fellow she met in the international students club at the University of Ottawa.
"Sure, Raphael, let's meet at the Tim Horton's close to Parliament Hill," Lara suggested, and Raphael happily acquiesced. They bantered a bit before saying goodbye. Raphael lay on his bed, smiling. He had a date with the tall, gorgeous Dutchwoman from the office. As for Lara, she lay in bed, wondering about what she'd done. Was meeting with Raphael okay since she was still seeing Hans? Lara called her best friend, a young Vietnamese student named Valerie Nguyen, to ask her for advice.
"Come on, Lara, having coffee with a new friend is no big deal," Valerie Nguyen said reassuringly, and Lara chuckled softly on the other line. The two young women bantered for a bit, talking about how hard life could be for international students like themselves at the University of Ottawa. Lara thanked Valerie and wished her goodnight. As soon as Valerie hung up, she burst out laughing. The sultry, curvy and dark-haired young Vietnamese woman rested her head against the chest of a tall, blond-haired and blue-eyed, athletic white male.
"You're perfect," Hans Von Gerlach, Lara's erstwhile boyfriend, said to Valerie Nguyen before kissing her. Valerie kissed Hans back, and the two of them began making love. For the past few months, Lara's boyfriend and her best friend had been carrying on an affair. Fate and a little comeuppance would serve Valerie and Hans right, though. Their little charade would be exposed soon enough. Lara was devastated and would need a lot of comforting, which a certain tall African gentleman would provide. Of course, let's not get ahead of ourselves...
"You look lovely," Raphael said to Lara, as they met at Tim Horton's. Dressed in a red silk shirt, and blue silk pants, Raphael looked like an office worker. Lara wore a pink turtleneck shirt and blue jeans. It was late August, and while it wasn't cold yet, it wasn't exactly hot. Lara blushed as Raphael pulled her chair for her and only sat down after she did. For a man from distant West Africa, Raphael had the manners of an old-fashioned European gentleman. Lara remembered her grandfather, Dieter Van Aartsen, always pulling a chair for her grandmother Adele and all the ladies in the family.
