If you haven’t read the first part of this story, here’s the link. Kindly read it before starting this one.

I’m a hard girl. I hardly open up to people to come into my life. Not that I don’t like people. I love it when I’m around people and I love it when I see people but my space is a sacred place for me. I learned very early in life that friends can unmake you. Men can mess up with your life. Even your siblings can put you on the edge of a blade. So, I’d always been careful with people. When my dad died, the only person I had left in my life was my mother. She became everything to me; my friend, my confidant, my ‘konkonsa’ partner, and my guardian. Though annoying sometimes, she had never done me wrong.

After the incident with ‘Eric’, she said, “How did we let our guard down like that?” I told her, “We didn’t let our guard down. We trusted and we lost. It’s another learning opportunity for us.” I was playing hard in the presence of my mom but whenever I was alone, I thought of it deeply and everything made me sad. “How could he do that to me? I opened my heart to him. I was kind to him so why could he pay me back the way he did?”

We started as friends. Honestly, the way he came into my life and the way he was always there to help, if he told me at any point that he had a girlfriend and was looking for assistance for his wedding, I would have gladly helped. Because he was a good guy. Way before he proposed to me, he was doing everything right and I was overly excited to have him around. He didn’t need to be my boyfriend before I could help him?

So, I sat down and started counting my loss. In all, he took GHC12,570 from me and my mother. He took my heart away and broke it into pieces. He shattered the foundation of my trust. He gave me another impression of the length some men would go to get what they want. I told myself, “Currently we are in the police station trying to recover the money but how do I recover my broken heart and the shattered trust? Who will right the wrong impression he had put in my mind concerning men? How do I mend so I could love again?”

One morning, my mother walked in. She asked, “Have you called him already or I should call him?” I asked, “Who?” She said, “It’s time for him to bring the second installment. Have you forgotten so soon?” I said, “No I haven’t. I will call later today.”

Since the issue started, he had never spoken to me. My mom calls him but when I have to talk to him, I had to go through his wife. He didn’t have the courage to face me so he was always avoiding my call until his wife told me to call her instead. When I called her that day, she said, “I will plead with you to give us some time. It’s hard for us currently. My husband had been sick since all this brouhaha. Kindly be patient with us.” I asked, “So when should I call again?” She said, “Can you give us two more weeks?” I said, “No problem.”

Before the two weeks were due, she called me. She was almost in tears. She said, “I couldn’t raise the money. The truth is, my husband owes a lot of people and they are all after him so every little money we receive, we give it to people.” I asked her, “So what should I tell my mother?” She said, “Tell her something for me. I’m your sister. Forget about my husband and consider me instead.” I said, “My mother is a reasonable person but please don’t keep postponing payment else she would be angry.” Then before we hang up the call she said, “Bernice, you still haven’t told me what really happened that made you caused the arrest of my husband?”

She had been asking me that question a lot and each time she asked I told her to speak to her husband. I said, “He’s your husband and you can demand the truth from him. Ask him let him tell you.” She responded, “He doesn’t say anything. He said he owes you money for a long time that’s why you caused his arrest but I doubt his answers.”

So that day, I asked her the question I’d been meaning to ask her husband. “Your husband was living in this town before he got married to you. What was he doing here?” She said, “It’s his insurance job that sent him there. He said there was a good number of opportunities there so he was spending the weekdays there to market to people.” I said, “But when I was looking for him, I went to the offices of all the insurance companies here and they said they didn’t know him.” She said, “The company he works with isn’t there ooo. It’s here in Accra but he traveled there for more clients. He was doing it with two of his colleagues.”

So, the trick got revealed.  She insisted to know the truth so I told her everything. “You remember what my mother told you at the police station? We didn’t even know his real name because he told us he’s Eric. He had bad intentions right from the beginning.” When I finished telling her my story she screamed on the phone, “What! Are you sure of what you’re saying?” I responded, “Ask him if he’ll tell you any version apart from what I’d told you.” I could feel the vibration of her surprise through the phone. She kept repeating, “That’s serious…” until the conversation ended.

What happened between them afterward, I don’t know. One morning, my mother told me Eric had paid the second installment and is asking me to stop talking to his wife. I said, “If he paid the money earlier, I wouldn’t be calling his wife.”

Days later, her wife called me. I didn’t pick. The money had been paid and I didn’t know what she was going to talk about. She called again and again and even called at dawn. When I didn’t pick, she sent me a message, “Please pick the call, I need to talk to you. It’s very urgent.” I called back. She said, “Apart from what you told me, I’ve been hearing a lot of other stories about him. He’s not telling the truth so I’ve packed to my parents’ house. But can you help me and tell my parents what you told me? I’ve told them and they don’t believe me. They say you could be an angry ex who is trying to destroy our beautiful marriage. I think I’ve made a mistake. I think I didn’t pay attention to so many things.” I said, “I have nothing to say. They are your parents, deal with them the way you want. I’m here for my money and after that, I will be gone without a trace.”

They are having their own troubles but I don’t care. I have my troubles too. I have so many things I’m dealing with currently. Before I opened up to Eric, there was this guy who was pursuing me left, right, center. I said no to him every day but he came back every day with a renewed strength. Months ago, I decided to give him a chance. I told my mom about it and she said, “Again? You don’t learn, do you?”

READ ALSO: Our Wedding is Next Weekend But My Mother Says No!

Now I’m scared to open up and love again. My mom is scared for me too but who can we blame? Nobody but the one who decided to shut the door behind him after entering that same door. He’s struggling to pay us. He is always sick and always being chased by other people he owes. That’s not my concern. He’s left with GHC4,300 to pay. We are not leaving a penny with him. The only thing we can give him now is patience. When he talks to my mother she listens to him and gives him more time.

The two of us haven’t talked since the incident. He doesn’t have the courage and I don’t have the heart to tolerate his nonsense so we are staying far apart from each other. The day he makes the final payment, that day I will finally tell him what’s on my heart but until then, he’s going to pay every penny he owes us.

–Bernice

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