I am a young lady in my mid-twenties. I have some morals and virtues I hold dear to my heart. I am determined that no matter what happens, I will not bend my rules for anything or anyone. Growing up was not easy for me. I didn’t experience parental love. I believe that’s because I was born out of wedlock. All my life, my mother had to work hard to take care of me so she was barely around.

In her absence, my grandmother made sure I had adult supervision at all times. What I experienced from both women was more of duty than love. Regardless, I believe I turned out well. I have always been brilliant and smart. So out of all the grandchildren, my grandmother liked me the most. We are not a rich family. We are not poor either. My grandmother and mother made sure they provided our basic necessities.

I used to help my grandmother bake and sell bread but unfortunately, she got sick and was asked not to be close to fire anymore. She thought I was too young to handle the business so after I completed SHS, she called me early in the morning on my eighteenth birthday and said, “I have taken care of you till now. You know my condition so I can no longer provide for you. Now you will have to do that by yourself so get a job.”

As the obedient child I am, I did get a job as a shop attendant. I was at work one fateful morning when two men walked in. One of the men was in his late 20’s and the other one looked like he was in his early 40’s. I turned on my customer service charm and was very receptive to them.

The next day at work, one of these two men returned to the shop. This time around he didn’t have company. “My name is George,” he introduced himself. I smiled politely and answered, “Good morning Mr. George, how may I assist you today?” He paused for a minute before saying, “Actually, I didn’t come here to buy anything. I came to see you.” I was confused. I wondered if there was a problem with the items he bought the previous day.

“I hope there’s no problem, Mr. George.”

“Oh, not at all! I am here because you made an impression on me. You’re beautiful, smart, and well-spoken. How come you’re not in school?”

“Thank you, sir, I just completed SHS this year so I am working to save money for further studies.”

He advised me to apply to some short courses while I waited for my results but I reminded him that it all comes down to money. “What if I tell you I will sponsor your education so you will stop working?” He asked. I wasn’t expecting him to say this to me so I was very shocked.

I told him I couldn’t make such a life-changing decision without the approval of my grandmother and my mother. “Will you repeat what you just said to me to them?” I asked him. He said he would do it so we exchanged contacts and promised to be in touch.

When I got home I told my mother and grandma what transpired between Mr. George and me. They were curious about him. They didn’t want us to misunderstand his intentions so they asked me to bring him home as soon as possible.

I called him and true to his word, he came home to meet my folks. They asked him about his intentions and he said “I have experienced life and it was so difficult after the death of my father. I had to be on the streets fending for myself and because of those awful experiences, I promised to help anyone who needed help if I made it in life. That’s why I’m offering your daughter my assistance. I am married with two children so I am not looking for a wife. I just want to help her.” He seemed honorable.

My people thanked him and he gave me a phone and an amount of GHC2000 before he left. He said he was going to be out of the country for a while so I should use the money to take care of myself in his absence. He asked me to quit my job and he would send me more money at the end of the month.

So Mr. George became the father I never had. He provided my needs and always advised me to take my studies seriously.

My results were released but I didn’t pass all the papers I wrote. I had to rewrite some of the subjects to better my chances of gaining admission to the university.

In the first week of December that year, he came to see me at home. He was in the company of the man I met him with at the shop while I was still working there.

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In January of the next year, I told Mr. George I would like to better my results so I could apply to the university. He even suggested I attend a remedial school. “It will help better your papers than if you study on your own,” he said. He then asked me to make inquiries about where I would want to attend the classes and let him know the cost.

I did and he paid the money for me to start the classes. I felt happy and loved because he lavished me with gifts. I started calling him Dad considering our age difference. He gave me the fatherly love I never knew so it just felt right to call him my dad. He didn’t complain about it at first but after a while, he started saying it made him feel old.

I Didn’t Tell Anybody Because I Enjoyed It

Once in a while, Mr. George would invite me to his house for a visit. I wouldn’t have had a problem with it if he lived with his wife. However, this man lived alone. How could I in good conscience visit a married man who lived alone without the knowledge of his wife? I remember telling him, “If you want me to visit you then you have to let your wife know about me. That is the only way it will feel right to me.”

He said he was helping me with no strings attached so why was he keeping it a secret from his wife? He brushed aside my concerns and expected me to get over it. Because of this, I also turned down his request to visit him anytime he brought it up. In the end, he realized I wouldn’t budge so he started giving me excuses when I needed something. That’s how he slowly disappeared from my life.

Years have passed and I don’t regret losing all the financial assistance he was offering me. If his heart was as clean and as pure as he made it seem then he shouldn’t have had any problems telling his wife about me.

—Avril

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