He walked me to my house that evening. When I was about to go inside he said, “Won’t you tell me anything?” I said, “We’ve said it all. There’s nothing more to say.” He asked, “Not even good night or anything?” I said, “Good night Joseph. I will see you again very soon.” He said, “That’s too dry.” I asked, “How do I add moisture to a ‘good night’ to make it wet?” He giggled. He said, “You know what I’m saying. Stop playing the innocence game with me.” I said, “Good night sweetheart. See you again very soon.” I blew him kisses in the air. He laughed and turned toward the main street where we came from. He said, “Be a woman. Make a decision before the morning comes. Sleep tight.”

Joseph had proposed to me and was waiting for a response. I told him to give me some time to think about it. I really needed that time and more space away from him to make a good decision. I had come out of a bitter breakup not too long ago and was healing from it. I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes I made in that previous relationship so I asked him to give me time and space to think about things. He didn’t give me the space. He was always around me. He didn’t give me the time. He was always asking me for a response. We lived not too far from each other so every evening, he would come around, we will take a walk and then he would walk me back home.

He asked about my response again and I said, “Tell me. What do you see in me that you want to be in a relationship with me?” He said a lot of things. To me they were shallow but there was some sort of genuineness to the shallowness. He didn’t know what to say but he was trying hard to come up with reasons that made sense. In the end, I made a decision based on my feelings for him and not based on the answers he gave me that day. I told him, “Great. I will be your girlfriend but I’m a very sensitive person. When something goes wrong, I will bring your attention to it immediately. Please, when that day comes, don’t tell me I’m a nagging girlfriend. It’s who I am and I want you to know before everything starts.” He said, “Don’t worry. I understand.”

He lived in the USA for a very long time before he was brought back to Ghana by his parents. A move he always complained about. You talk with him for a minute and he would bring his life in the US into the conversation. I brought his attention to it one day. I said, “Why don’t you let it go. You’re here now. You need to grow from the past.” He said, “I’m sorry about that but I made all my memories there that’s why it keeps coming back.”

Anytime he spoke about the US, there was one particular name that came up. Melvin. 

“Melvin this..” and “Melvin that.”

So I asked who Melvin was. He said, “He’s a cousin from my father’s side. We lived in the same area and went to the same school back in the USA. When my parents decided to come and settle in Ghana, I lived with Melvin and his family until my parents finally brought me back to Ghana. Melvin will come to Ghana very soon and I’ll introduce you to him.” Apart from that attitude of talking about the US all the time, everything was fine between us. I saw him every day and he brought this kind of happy vibe anytime I was with him. He doesn’t have a job. His parents have money so he doesn’t lack. I wanted him to be his own man so I brought job search into the question one day.

He said, “My parents say I shouldn’t worry they’ll find me something very soon. I’m waiting for them. They will surely do.” Six months after dating, he was still in the house not working. I had to question my future with a man like that—a man who doesn’t see the urgency in building his own life without relying on his parents. So each time we met, I asked him what he had done recently toward finding a job. He’ll give me a lot of history and a lot of people his parents had directed him to. He’ll then say, “Just relax. I will be in the office very soon.”

Melvin came to Ghana and as he promised, we went to see him. Immediately I saw him I knew he was the kind of guy that would bring trouble. Maybe I judged him based on his appearance. He had a lot of tattoos and piercings. He spoke with a heavy slur and had the mannerisms of Tupac in his heydays. I wasn’t comfortable around him and I made it known to Joseph. He said, “Chill, he’s a cool dude. You Ghanaians always judge people who look like that but they are the true ones. Just relax.” 

I didn’t want to meet him again, to be honest, but he came around often so I had no option but to meet him. One day I was in Joseph’s hall when Melvin came around. There were a lot of empty chairs there but this guy came to sit right next to me, breathing on my neck. Joseph was outside there with his father. Melvin said, “You’re one beautiful girl.” I said, “Thank you.” He said, “You don’t need to thank me for telling you the obvious truth.” I smiled. He placed his large palm over mine and said, I wish you were mine.” I said, ”Huh?” He repeated his statement. I said, “You’re joking right?” He said, “No I ain’t joking.” That silly slang. 

I pulled away from him. I said, “That’s too bad. I already have someone. That someone is your cousin.” He said, “No problem. I can share with him.” He stared deep into my eyes while saying that. I asked, “You can share what?” He said, “You. You can be my girlfriend and also be his girlfriend. I don’t mind.” I’d had enough so I got up and started leaving. I met Joseph right at the door. He asked where I was going and I said, “It’s time to go home.” Like he always does, he walked me to the house. While on our way I told him everything Melvin said. He laughed. He said, “Don’t mind him. He can pull a joke like that just to freak you out.” I said, “It wasn’t a joke. I saw it in his eyes. He was serious about it.” He said, “I know him since we were kids. He pulls crazier jokes than this. Don’t take him seriously.”  I said, ”Then tell him I don’t enjoy jokes like that. He should take me out of his jokes.”

One night around 11pm Joseph called me. He said, “Come around very quickly.” I asked, “Is anything the issue?” He said, “Naaa just come around and see something.” Before the call, he told me he was attending a party with Melvin. They wanted me to go with them and I declined. I was surprised he was back early. I thought something was wrong. I rushed to his place and met Melvin in the hall. He was only in his boxer shorts. He saw me and didn’t do anything to cover up. I asked where Joseph was and he said he was in the bedroom. I went in there and he was also lying on the bed, in his boxer shorts. I asked him, “What’s wrong with you guys?” He tapped on the bed, signaling me to sit down. I sat on it and he wrapped his hand around my neck.

He said, “I’m going to ask you for a favor. It’s kind of crazy but I hope you say yes.” I said, “If it’s something I can do, I won’t shake my head so go ahead.” He was struggling to push out his words. He was stammering. You could see it wasn’t easy for him to say what he wanted to say. I pushed him to say it. He said, “I want you to sleep with us—Melvin and I.” “Sleep? As in sleep between you two?” He was quiet. He said, “I don’t know how to make you understand but you get what I mean.” Before I could say anything, Melvin also entered the room. I was sandwiched between two tall guys who were both in their boxers. I was sleeping when he called. I wasn’t so intentional about what I wore. I only put on a straight dress and rushed to his place.

Melvin placed his large palms over mine. He said, “There’s no way we can hurt you. You’re too beautiful to be manhandled. We will treat you like an egg in a crate. You won’t even know it’s happening. Just relax and watch us do our thing.” My heart started beating faster. I started shaking. I was looking at the face of Joseph but he turned away from me like he was scared to face his own guilt. I placed my other palm on top of Melvin’s large palm. I asked, “But why do you want to do that? Boyhood Fantasy?” His dull eyes came alive. Joseph turned to look at me again. I winked at him. 

Melvin said, “Yeah, it’s some kind of fantasy we’ve nurtured since we were young. It can only happen between us and a girl we love. We love you. We really do and if you make this dream come through, you’ll be amazed at the kind of things I will personally do for you. You know I’m a citizen of the US right? I will take you there if you want to.” Joseph sat there, looking pensive. Like he wasn’t happy about what was about to happen. I told them, “Don’t worry. I’m scared a little but I want to trust you guys to be gentle with me.” They both chorused, “Don’t worry.” I said, “Let me use the bathroom first.”

Immediately I entered the bath, I heard them giggling. Like they were happy about something. I came out of the bath, rushed toward the exit door, quickly remove the key, and stepped out. That was when I heard Joseph’s voice asking if I was locking the door. By the time they realized, I had locked them on the inside and I was out running. From his house to my house would be about 700 meters but I finished it within nine seconds. I didn’t even sleep in my room that night. I knocked on my mother’s door and went to sleep in there with her. 

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It was when I was lying next to my mother that I realized I had left my phone there. I didn’t care. I was safe. That was what mattered to me. The next morning he came around with my phone. Immediately he saw me, he knelt down and started begging me to forgive him. I took my phone and walked away. Days later a call came through. Immediately I heard the slang I knew who it was. He said, “This is Melvin. I feel like an animal right now. I didn’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the alcohol we took. Please don’t hold it against my man. It was the alcohol, we’ve never behaved like that.” I said, “I’m alright and I’m happy I’m never going to deal with you guys again. Just leave me alone.”

Joseph comes around every now and then. He comes to beg me for forgiveness but behind his action, I see a certain fear. He’s scared I may bring the police into the issue. He’s begging not for me to take him back but for me not to make a case out of it. I don’t intend to. I’m only happy for the courage and calm that came over me at that moment. I don’t know where that idea came from. I acted as though I was being led by an invisible hand—a hand of someone who loved me too much to see me suffer that fate. I’m grateful for my escape. I hope they never get the chance to do it to anybody’s daughter. 

–Olivia 

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