I grew up with my paternal grandmother in a small village. I did not know my parents. My grandma did her best to fill the void my parents’ absence left in my life. She loved and protected me. She was my everything. People in the village also loved me. They treated me with special care. I believed it was because I was very beautiful and adorable. I also believed it was the reason the adults whispered every time I passed by them. My child brain thought it was my beauty that drew a lot of attention to me. Little did I know that it was because they considered my life tragic.

After primary school, I was sent to live in Accra with one of my uncles. I learned the truth about my parents from him. My mum died three months after my birth. As for my dad, he traveled and never returned. It was a well-kept secret in the village but thankfully, I was told the truth in the city.

I was very intelligent so my uncle was fond of me. Unfortunately, this did not sit well with his wife. She had two daughters who didn’t get their father’s attention the way I did. She made life difficult for me as a result of this. Despite all her attempts to break my spirit, I sailed through the hardship and gained admission to the university.

God being so good, I got financial support from relatives from both my maternal and paternal side.

I was in school but I had a lot of suitors coming to ask for my hand in marriage. Some of the men were from my own family. They wanted to marry me so I would remain in the family. They didn’t want any man to hurt me. But as it is with matters of the heart, I couldn’t accept their proposals. That’s because of Ofori. I met him in my first year in school.

At the time I was being courted by two of my suitors, Ofori was just my friend. He knew about these men so on weekends when they planned to visit me, Ofori would cease my phone and refuse to let me go and see them. We used to laugh about it but I realized at a point that he was not joking about keeping me away from these men.

“Why are you making it difficult for me to pay attention to my men?” I asked him one night. It was then he confessed, “Because I want you for myself. It’s time you know that my interest in you is more than friendship.” Of course, I liked him too. If I didn’t, I would have found all his attempts at sabotage offensive.

Ofori had nothing to his name so I shared my little with him. He appreciated my efforts by assisting me in any way he could. He was creative and innovative so he found ways and means to make money even as a student. This was something I found very admirable about him. I even grew to love him because he was determined to win at life. Along the line, he started supporting me financially as well.

We became inseparable on and off campus. We met each other’s family and were accepted by them. We were happy together. Many people envied us. Others also referred to us as, “Couple goals.” We were the standard they measured their relationships by. We went to the market together, cooked, and did our laundry together. Our sex life too was amazing. I was happy.

For the first time since I left my grandma’s care, I felt I belonged with someone. He was my family. He filled a huge part of the emptiness I always felt in my heart.

After his national service, he got a job in an oil company. He rented a place and started preparing for marriage. A year later, I finished my own service too. We didn’t drag things out. If you know who you want, you don’t waste time. So we got married shortly after I finished my service. My happiness grew fat. I looked back at everything we had been through and felt no regret in choosing him over all the others.

At first, I was worried that a younger man would hurt me but Ofori allayed my fears with his good actions.

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At the beginning of the marriage, I wasn’t working. This concerned me a great deal, but he assured me everything was going to be alright. “You don’t have to worry about working. I can take care of you, and I will. You will lack for nothing as long as I can provide it,” he promised.

Just as he promised, my husband single-handedly provided for the family. If you asked me to describe him with one word, I would say “responsible”. Another time I would say, “reliable”. Even when we had our first child and our expenses increased, he did not complain. He continued to provide for us. All the time I was searching for a job but nothing turned up. It was after we had our second child that I got a job at a school. By then we were four years into the marriage.

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My husband had not changed a little bit. He was still the sweet, caring, loving, and responsible man I married. I started earning money but he continued to do everything he was doing for us as a family. I was happier than I even was when we first got married. I would look at my husband, and our two beautiful children and think, “I grew up feeling incomplete but here I am now with a full heart and a family I call my own. I am so blessed.”

This sounds like a happy story, right? Why shouldn’t it be? After all, I got everything I ever desired; a good husband, kids, and a job. Well, before you start saying that I won at life or that I have it all, read the rest of my story.

—Mummy

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