One of my workers didn’t have a place to lay her head. After having one or two conversations with her, I decided to accommodate her. I brought her home and didn’t even tell my grandmother, who owns the business. Mind you, I live in my grandmother’s house, so she was the only person I spoke to about it. I welcomed Julia into the house freely. “Feel free. This is your house. Please, don’t be shy.”

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She has been in the house for months, and I just want to say that if a person decides to be unkind, it is because we have ungrateful people in this world. Since Julia came into this house, not once have I asked her to contribute to the electricity bills or food. I feed her three times daily. I pay for her fare every time we take a ride to work together.

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Then one day, I didn’t have enough cash to pay for our fares, not even my own. So, I asked her to pay. As soon as she handed the money to the mate, she squeezed her face. We got to the workplace, and she carried that expression throughout the day. It happened again some time later. I was short of money, so I asked this lady to pay for my fare. Again, she didn’t speak to me for the whole day. I didn’t get the attitude. I have been paying her transport fare for the last three to four months. Sometimes, she orders an Uber over the weekend to work, and I pay for it.

I have never once asked her to contribute to anything in the house. When she first came, what she used to do was wake up in the morning, sweep, and then I would prepare breakfast. I would dish out her food, dish out mine, and we would go to work. Some days, she would do my laundry.

One time, she travelled to her hometown, and I was calling her to ask whether she wanted me to keep a plate of food for her. She didn’t pick up. By the time she called back and I returned her call, the food was finished. I told her on the phone, and I could hear her voice change. When she returned from the village, she didn’t speak to me. I went to ask her why, and she burst into tears, saying that she thought I was upset with her because she hadn’t washed my bedsheets before travelling.

Why would I be upset with you when I personally called to ask whether I should keep food for you? If I had a problem with you, why would I have bothered calling?

She is someone who, sometimes, you can be speaking to, and she won’t mind you. It’s not that you have offended her or said anything wrong, but all of a sudden, she will start frowning and stop talking to you.

Well, I didn’t mind because I called this upon myself. I am even afraid to ask her questions, lest it switches her off. Just recently, we were at work, and I wanted to ask her something, but a third party was there, so I couldn’t go straight to the point. I had to use a different topic to approach her. She refused to answer my questions. It was the lady who prompted her, “Is your sister not speaking to you?” Even then, she only shook her head in response to my question. I thought to myself, “Okay, maybe she’s in her feelings again.”

When she came home that evening, I was in the kitchen. She didn’t talk to me. The following morning, as usual, I prepared breakfast, dished out her portion and mine, and she took hers to work.

At this point, I started asking myself why I was putting myself through all this.

This is someone who came into my home because she had nowhere to stay. I took it upon myself to accommodate her for nine solid months. I have provided food, drinking water, electricity, and virtually everything she needs.

There have even been occasions when the water wasn’t flowing, and I would fetch water and carry it to her room to fill her buckets. Not once has she voluntarily offered to contribute towards anything in the house. She has never said, “Today, the electricity is running low. Let me contribute GH₵20 or GH₵50 towards buying credit.”

I do almost everything around the house, too. I make the food and generally take care of the household chores. Occasionally, she offers to wash my clothes or does the dishes, but I would say that about 90% of the time, I do everything myself. Is it worth it, or is it about time I sent her packing?

—Annete

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