I failed my maths when I wrote my WASSCE. In order to further my education I had to rewrite the paper. Things were not financially good at home so I resorted to petty trading to save enough money to register for Nov/Dec. It took four years for me to be ready to write the exams. God being so good, I passed the maths this time around.
The next step was for me to buy tertiary school forms but times were hard. I wasn’t even sure I would be able to afford school fees so I started looking for a job. However, my mum had enough faith for the two of us, “You’ve spent enough time at home already. So you have to go to school by hook or crook. I will do my best to get you the admission fees, and let’s trust God to take care of the rest as we go along.” And so with my grades and my mother’s determination I enrolled in the university.
In school, we had free wifi. I made good use of it by spending a lot of time on the Internet. One of the things I enjoyed doing online was watching East Legon girls in their beautiful houses. I asked myself, “Why can’t I be one of those girls? I am as beautiful as they are. What do they have that I don’t have? I believe I also deserve a good life.” What even made my situation more miserable was when my sister won the lottery.
The money she won was the kind that turned her life around and altered her lifestyle. She started wearing Peruvian hair, designer clothes, and handbags. She was the first to buy any product on the market. I needed money to cater for myself in school but she wouldn’t help me out. She would eat at fancy restaurants while I went to bed on an empty stomach. I don’t know what I ever did to my sister but she delighted in rubbing her success in my face and made it seem like I was wasting my time going to school.
I felt like I was going through hell to get an education. My mother tried but her strength failed sometimes. I became so frustrated that when I met a married man who expressed interest in me, I gave him my number. He had built a beautiful house for himself and his family. He had a very new and nice car too. I was enticed by his possessions but I am a Christian. I did not have the conscience to date someone’s husband just so he would provide for my needs.
However, I was in dire need of GHC500. I wanted to use the money as capital for a business on campus so I wouldn’t have to struggle to eat. I decided to ask the married man for the money and he agreed to give it to me. All he wanted in return was for me to follow him to a guesthouse so he would have his pound of flesh first. I agreed to go with him but I was scared. So I went to God and prayed, “Dear God, I don’t want to take money from this married man. Please make a way for me to get the money. If you did it for my sister, you can surely do it for me too. Amen!” After my prayer, I switched off my phone so the man wouldn’t reach me.
I waited for God to provide the money through another means but it never happened. While I was waiting, this married man was lurking in the shadows, hoping I would finally sleep with him for GHC500. He called me at least three times a week, whispering sweet nothings into my ears. “You have such a nice body,” he would say, “If you give yourself to me, you won’t lack for anything.” His offer was tempting. I felt I was close to tasting a fraction of the lives of the East Legon Queens I so much admired. The only thing was that I couldn’t do what it would take to secure the money and all the benefits of that lifestyle.
For six months I waited on God but nothing happened. I said no to the man several times until he said, “It’s okay, we can be friends.” As an appreciation of our friendship, he gave me GHC230. It may not sound like much but for someone in my situation, it meant the world to me. I tried to put the money into savings for the business I wanted to start, but my needs were many. I ended up using the money and going completely broke. As time went on, things became worse for me.
Out of desperation I called this man and asked him for money. Within a wink of an eye, he was at a guest house waiting for me to come and meet him. I did not like what was going to happen between us but a girl must survive. I didn’t let my reservations register in the shuperu we had. I was nice throughout, and I even enjoyed a bit of it. Immediately after the deed was done, he received a call from the hospital he works at. He told me he would give me the money later. That was the end. He blocked my number, and I haven’t heard from him since then. I know where he works but I decided not to bother myself to go and look for him.
I was disappointed in myself for thinking I could trade my body for money and it would work out. I found out the hard way that being the kind of girl who sleeps with men for money is not as easy as it seems. Thankfully, God came through for me in the end. A friend of mine gave me GHC2000 to keep for him. And with his permission, I used the money as capital to start a business. Now I have made enough money to keep the business going without my friend’s money. It turned out God was making a way for me all the while I was waiting. If only I was patient, I wouldn’t have fallen prey to somebody’s husband. I deeply regret my actions, and it is my prayer that God forgives me.
–– Ruth
