Short story: Think twice
As Ewurabena lay on a hospital bed with bruises all over her body and her face swollen beyond recognition, she wished she had thought twice before taking that dangerous route.
“Where will I even get the money to pay for my hospital bills? Poor mum; I thought I was helping you, but I have ended up adding to your woes. I have nobody to blame but myself and my extended family for my predicament. I thought the path I chose would solve all our family problems but now I realise it was a wrong choice.”
As she sobbed under the sheets she had used to cover her face, she recalled the comfortable lifestyle her family used to have. Her late father, a successful businessman, was so wealthy that they lived in a very big house with a fleet of cars and servants at their beck and call. Both Ewurabena and her younger sister, Ewura Esi, attended the best schools in the country.
Mr Kudjoe, their father, was not an old man, therefore, he did not find it necessary to prepare a will. As a result, his untimely death brought untold hardship to his children and their mother, Auntie Adwoa. She resigned from her job many years ago in order to be able to raise the children properly.
After Mr Kudjoe’s death, his extended family took advantage of the absence of a will and took over all his property. They even went to the extent of ejecting Auntie Adwoa and her two teenage daughters from their home. With no place to live, they moved from one family member to another until they eventually ended up in a small single room apartment that Auntie Adwoa managed to rent.
To make things worse for them, the family members refused to remit Auntie Adwoa and the girls. They were also not prepared to finance the children’s education. In the end, both Ewurabena and Ewura Esi dropped out of school. With no hope in sight, they resorted to selling iced water in order to support themselves as well as their mother who had fallen ill due to the maltreatment she had endured at the hands of her husband’s extended family.
One day, while Ewurabena was selling iced water at her usual spot, she met an elderly man who expressed interest in her. She initially ignored the man’s proposal. The man, however, began to give her expensive gifts and huge sums of money to win her over. Aware of the financial crisis they faced and the meagre income from the iced water sales, she eventually gave in to the man’s persistent requests.
She was so overwhelmed by her suitor’s generosity that she concluded that he was the solution to all their financial problems. In no time, their relationship became so serious that Ewurabena stopped selling the iced water and became dependent on her suitor.
All that while, Ewurabena had ignored the fact that the man was married. One day, the unfortunate happened — the man’s wife, who had got wind of the relationship eventually traced Ewurabena to her house and gave her a sound beating in the full glare of her neighbours. Humiliated and bruised, she fainted and that was how Ewurabena ended up in the hospital.
While lying on the hospital bed thinking about her plight, she prayed to God to give her another chance. She promised to use her experience to educate young girls not to get involved with men simply because of the financial difficulties they face.
By Grace Awurabena Fosu/Junior Graphic/Ghana
Debest Academy,
Dansoman, Accra.
