My girlfriend has a tattoo. She had it when she was twenty-six in memorial to the death of her twin sister. It’s a flower bearing the name of her sister. She has two others but those once are hidden in intimate places. I took her home to meet my parents. They welcomed her and interacted nicely with her. When we left, my mom called to say, “Naaa, she can’t be the one. Bring another one home. This one has no morals.”

When my dad took the phone, he said, “I’m retweeting what your mom said. Bring another woman home. This one won’t take you anywhere.”

This person they say won’t take me anywhere is ahead of me in life, to be honest. She has a better job, a better apartment and owns a car I can only dream of having. Regardless of all these, she’s down to earth and kisses the ground I walk.

The annoying thing, my parents accepted everything she sent to them that day; foodstuffs, fabrics, money etc and said thank you yet they don’t like her.

They invited me to a family meeting where my elder brothers were asked to advise me. Even my younger sister was allowed to talk to me anyhow. I don’t mean to disrespect my parents but the thing is, they can’t change my mind. As for my elder brothers, they’ve been here longer than me without a single tattoo on their skins yet they can’t hold a torch to this lady’s achievement in life.

We have time, a year or two ahead of us before marriage. I pray they change their mind if not they might have to cast me out of the family for marrying a woman I want to marry. The problem is my girlfriend. Immediately she senses any hint of resistance from my parents, she will walk away. I don’t want that to happen.

Should I keep my parents’ opinion of her from her until further notice or I should discuss it with her now and see her reaction? I wouldn’t want her to discover it herself and I wouldn’t be the one to tell her. What should I do?

— Frimpong

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