Somewhere in December last year, a strange number texted me. The content of the message implied that whoever sent the text was trying to reconnect with a long-lost friend. I knew it wasn’t me because it was a foreign number. I didn’t know anyone who lived abroad with that area code. I know fraudsters also did these kinds of things. They would text you with a foreign number pretending to be an old friend or a relative. If you engage them, you would be signing up to be conned. I was sure this was one of such messages. So I just ignored the message.

For some reason, the person didn’t take being ignored so well. He repeatedly sent messages asking about how the person was doing among other things. It was when he said, “Whatever it is, let me hear from you. It’s been so long, my friend,” that I finally cracked. 

I was moved because it sounded like he really needed to talk to his friend. I didn’t want him to keep texting me thinking I was his friend. I decided to put an end to his misery and reply to his message. I told him, “I am sorry but this is a wrong number. Kindly check the number you are trying to reach and see if you mixed them up.” He expressed disappointment that I was not the person he was looking for.

He was also thankful for the way I spoke to him. “You seem like a decent young woman. Can we be friends?” I was not eager to be his friend but I also didn’t mind. I said yes because he seemed like a nice person. He told me about himself and the one thing that stood out was his age. He is about sixty years old. 

Because of his age, I saw him as a father figure. As time went on, he developed a habit of telling me how his day went. He would give me detailed reports, including what he ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It didn’t interest me much to know these things but I always engaged him because I found it funny to know the daily life of a sixty-year-old man.

A couple of months later, we were having a conversation when I mentioned that I would be going to my hometown for a vacation. To my surprise, he sent me GHC500 and said, “Use it for your transportation.” I wasn’t expecting it at all. Money never came to mind when I spoke to him, you know. I let him know how much it meant to me that he did that. The next morning I woke up and sent him another message thanking him profusely for his kind gesture. “I am happy to help,” he responded.

READ ALSO: He Listed Three Reasons Why He Can’t Marry Me But Now He Is Back With A Proposal

I thought that money was a one-time thing but no. It continued. He sent money when I didn’t even ask for it. I would wake up in the morning to a Momo alert and a message, “I sent you something for the week.” Soon enough I got used to receiving money from him. I even began to expect it.

It didn’t take long before I graduated to asking for it whenever I was in need. Every time I asked, he gave freely. He didn’t act in a way that made me feel there were strings attached. It made me happy that there was a man out there looking after me without any expectations. At first, I thought it was because he saw me as a daughter or something of the sort.

However, things began to change when he started sending me videos that talked about love and its related subjects. I was playing ignorance until one day he directly addressed the subject. He said he loved me. Never have I ever felt such shame and fear in my life. Shame because I realized that all along I had a sugar daddy and didn’t even know it. Something that went against my personal values and ethics.

I Found Him In Church Cheating Instead Of Praying


My fear has to do with karma. What if someday I get married and we grow old and there is a young girl somewhere spending my husband’s money? Karma would have caught up with me, right? That thought scares me. And this fear has been heightened now that he says he’s coming to Ghana for a family gathering. He is making plans to come and see me. He says things like “I’ll make you happy when I come,” and “You will miss me when I go back,” among other things. 

My heartbeat has increased exponentially because my brain is imagining a lot of things that I don’t want to happen. I was enjoying the benefits but now that he wants to collect payment, I am not ready to give it. I could just cut him off and be free but that’s the downside. The money he sends me fills a lot of potholes in my life. That’s why when I think about letting him go my brain tells me, “But what about the money? We need it.” The question is, do I have to offer my womanhood as a price for his generosity? I wish I could find a way around this and get what I want without giving him what he wants. What do I do?

— Laila

This story you just read was sent to us by someone just like you. We know you have a story too. Email it to us at [email protected]. You can also drop your number and we will call you so you tell us your story.

#SB