According to my mother, my father died mysteriously just two months after I was born. So I was often regarded by my family as bad luck. My mother did her best for me but things became more difficult for us when she got married and started having other children. My stepfather never hid his dislike for me, but there wasn’t much anyone could do about it. After all, he took care of me whenever he could, so that’s something to appreciate him for. We were able to make things work as a family until I got to JHS. That was when my dreams of becoming a nurse were cut short. I was withdrawn from school so that my younger siblings could stay in school. I was crushed by this but I was only a child. I didn’t have the power to make things work in my favour.

I was always sad when I saw my siblings going to school. And the only way I could express my sadness was through songs. I love singing. No matter my mood, music always had a way of reaching into my being and giving me comfort. So I sang all the time and it was one of the things that made life make sense to me. Soon enough I started singing in church. The church singers recognized my talent and helped me polish it. As I grew older, I became relevant in the singing ministry. I could sing and people would feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. It was always a wonder to experience my ministration. The thing that was my comfort became the gift that took me places. I got invitations to programs and sang before great men of God, and big congregations.

In 2014, I was invited to a program to sing. After my ministration, I met one of the singers of the program and one of the pastors who were present. The two of them took an interest in me. I didn’t have friends or any form of social life so I welcomed them into my life. We talked and vibed and kept in touch. On Valentine’s day of that same year, Kim, my new friend invited me out for a girls’ night. I was bored at home so I accepted her invitation. We went to a restaurant in East Legon, where we met five other girls. She said they were her friends. These girls were beautiful. I’m not talking about ordinary beauty. The kind of beauty that can be defined as otherworldly. The one who seemed to be the leader of the clique had these bluish eyes. I couldn’t stare directly at her face.

Although they possessed that kind of beauty, they were very down to earth. They took an interest in my life and kept giving me attention. One of the girls asked, “What do you do for a living?” I sighed heavily and said, “I am currently searching for a job. I didn’t complete JHS so it’s difficult for any decent job offers to come my way.” The ladies all beamed with smiles and assured me, “Don’t worry anymore. We will help you get something lucrative. We will even give you a place to stay.” I was sceptical about their promises. I had heard all of it before. Besides I had just met these girls. I believed they were lying. However, at the end of the night, they took my number and promised to call me.

True to their words, their leader called me the next day. She said, “Serena, we have a place for you to live. If you accept it, we will help you get a job that will fetch you good money.” It was strange to receive such an offer from a group of girls I had just met but it also felt like an answered prayer. I was unemployed and living at home with my mother and siblings. Things were difficult at home. My family often ate and left me out. I only got money to eat after I went to sing at a church event. The insults I received from home for being jobless also didn’t help me feel at home. So yes, I accepted the offer the girls made me. They helped me move into their house and settled me in. I had just met them but there was something about them that made me trust everything they told me. It was like a pull I couldn’t resist.

I didn’t use to drink alcohol but when the girls opened a bottle of wine and gave me some, I drank it. I didn’t want to do it but I also couldn’t say no to them. I remember one night, the leader of the clique, Siri, gave me a lot of alcohol to drink. I was so drunk that I passed out. When I woke up, we were both in bed together, wrapped in each other’s bodies. I didn’t remember what happened but I knew something sexual had gone on. I asked her, “What happened?” She just smiled at me and said, “We drank a little too much and ended up having some fun. Don’t you remember?” I shook my head. She then said, “If the thought of us doing it makes you uncomfortable then I promise it won’t happen again.” And truly, it never happened again.

However, I became constantly horny after that encounter. I craved shuperu like the way a pregnant woman would have food cravings. It was so bad, but I was too embarrassed to say anything to the girls. They also didn’t say anything to me. They just asked that we go meet some friends and have some drinks. That was when everything began. I was introduced to a man who was very touchy with me. And because of how I was feeling already, I welcomed his advances. At the end of the night, I ended up in bed with the man. Then the next morning he gave me money. It was more money than I had ever seen in my entire life. I became confused but he insisted I take it. When I went home to the girls, they asked me, “Did he pay you?” I said, “He gave me money but why is that a payment?” That was when Siri said, “Serena, you are not a child. Think about it. You met a man you don’t know, you slept with him, and he gave you money. What does that mean?”

I was aghast, “It means he mistook me for a prostitute. How can he think like that?” I felt filthy. I wanted to scourge his touch out of my system. Siri calmly watched me react to the information. When I finished she said, “He thought that way about you because it’s true. We are prostitutes, and now you are one of us.” I rejected it. I told her I wouldn’t do such a thing. I prayed to God for forgiveness. I even went to church that Sunday and sang to the glory of God. I planned to move out of the house and cut off the girls. But the moment I stepped foot into the house, I became extremely turned on. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t tell them I want to move out. I just wanted to state my primal need. In the evening they got dressed to go out and I went with them. The next morning I woke up in another strange man’s bed and he gave me money for my service. I cried on my way home. I knew I didn’t want what was going on but it was like I had fallen down a rabbit hole. I couldn’t stop. I just kept going.

I would share myself with strangers throughout the week and then go to church on Sunday to sing. I was making money but my soul was miserable. My friend, Kim, who introduced me to the girls was also in the same profession. She told me it would get easier. The pastor I met her with at the church event, Kyle, started talking to me. He would call me and ask to see me. But I always declined his invitations. One day I was home with the girls when he showed up with flowers and a promise ring. He said, “This is the reason I keep asking to see you. I fell in love with you the first day I heard you sing, and I will not rest until I make you my wife. I know the lifestyle you have started living, but I don’t care. Let me marry you and take you away from all this.” The only thing I said in response was, “Who showed you where I live? You should go, this is not a good time.” I watched his face contort in disappointment but I didn’t care.

Kyle didn’t give up on me. He called me almost every day to preach to me and remind me that he loves me. But by then, my conscience was seared. I no longer felt guilty for what I was doing. I was making money and I was looking good. I even met pastors while I was out on the field. They would invite me to their church to sing but have shuperu with me in their office before I mount the stage to sing for their congregation. After which they would pay me for both my services. I no longer went to church to sing to please God but to rather keep up appearances. One day my pastor came to visit me where I lived with the girls. He took one look at them and said, “This is why there is something different about you. These girls don’t have good spirits. Stop walking with them, they will drag you to hell.”

When Siri heard it she said, “Yes we don’t have good spirits. But we can help you grow your church. We help a lot of pastors. So just say the word.” My pastor got angry and it turned into an altercation. When he left I started thinking, “What does he mean by they don’t have good spirits? And what does Siri mean by they help pastors grow their churches?” I also recalled that anytime I don’t go anywhere, they would give me alcohol to drink and then leave the house at midnight. I started wondering why they were always out at midnight, even on days we didn’t work. And I wondered why they got me drunk before leaving.

So one day when they gave me the alcohol I didn’t drink it. I pretended I was drunk and passed out, and watched them leave. I followed them in a taxi. And we ended up at the beach. There were so many cars parked there. Some of the cars belong to some of the pastors who were our clients. The taxi parked from a distance while we watched them. The pastors had black pieces of cloth tied around their waists, and the girls had red pieces of cloth tied around their chests. All of them were holding pots and saying some incantations. With horror, we saw them walk toward the sea. At that point, the taxi driver said, “Madam, I am afraid of what I am seeing. I am leaving before anyone sees me.” I was scared too, so we left.

The next morning Siri cornered me. She said, “I know you saw us last night. I could feel you at the beach. I like you so I won’t hurt you, but if you speak of what you saw with anyone, I will destroy you. I have tried to complete your initiation process by calling out your spirit to be one with us, but it hasn’t worked. Someone is always praying for you and blocking my summons. If you want to meet bigger men and make more money than you are doing, tell your people to stop praying for you. If not, you won’t earn much money.” Shock! Terror! Those were my feelings. I couldn’t speak. All I wanted to do was to escape whatever evil clutches I had found myself in. I started praying for God to give me the strength to walk away. And by God’s grace, I left. That was in 2016.

READ MORE: This Drama Is Sponsored By My Ex, My Parents And The Man I Kissed When Pregnant

Sadly, when I left the girls I was still doing the work they introduced me to. Pastor Kyle tried to reach out to me several times to help me but I shut him down. When he found out that I had gone rogue and was working alone, he knew it was just a matter of time before I would come around. So he increased his efforts. He preached to me every time we spoke until I finally decided to give up my sinful life and turn back to God. I rededicated my life to Christ and began a new journey. When I felt better about myself, I gave Pastor Kyle a chance. He didn’t waste time at all with the marriage preparations. I was shocked that a man of God, who knew about my past was willing to overlook it and marry me. I was also very thankful to God for giving me a second chance at loving him. My life was taking shape and the traces of my past life were gone. I no longer drank alcohol and I no longer smoked. The strong desire to sleep with random men for money had subsided. I felt ready to start a new chapter.

By the end of 2016, I had launched into a new life. I was no longer Serena, the prostitute. I was Mrs Serena, the wife of Pastor Kyle. This time I sang in the church to glorify God, and not to keep up appearances. My life was a dream come true. I found love and happiness in someone who adored me. Everything was so beautiful. I believe this is the part of the story that ends with “… and they lived happily ever after.” Well, this part of my story is just the beginning of another ups and downs. Let’s end it here for now. I will be back with part two.

–Serena

Do you have any relationship experience to share? Email it to [email protected]

NOTE: NO PART OF THIS CONTENT CAN BE REPUBLISHED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT THE EXPLICIT CONSENT OF THE EDITORS OF THIS BLOG

#SB