Short story: Think twice

As Ewurabena lay on a hospital bed with bruises all over her body and her face swollen beyond recognition, she wished she had  thought twice before  taking that dangerous route.
“Where will I even get the money to pay for my hospital bills? Poor mum;  I thought  I was helping you, but I have ended up adding to your woes. I have nobody to blame but myself and my extended family for my predicament. I  thought the path I chose would solve all our family problems but  now I realise it was a wrong choice.”

As she sobbed under the sheets she had used to cover her face, she recalled the comfortable lifestyle her family used to have. Her late father, a successful businessman, was so wealthy that they lived in a very big house with a fleet of cars  and servants at their beck and call. Both Ewurabena and her younger sister, Ewura Esi, attended the best schools in the country.

Mr Kudjoe, their  father, was not an old man, therefore, he did not find it necessary to prepare a will.  As a result, his untimely death brought untold hardship to  his children and their mother, Auntie Adwoa. She resigned from her job many years ago in order to be able to raise the children properly.

After Mr Kudjoe’s death, his extended family took advantage of the absence of a will and took over all his property. They even went  to the extent of  ejecting Auntie Adwoa and her two teenage daughters from their home. With no place to live, they moved  from one family member to another until they eventually ended up in a small single room apartment that Auntie Adwoa managed to rent.

To make things worse for them, the family members refused to remit  Auntie Adwoa and the girls. They were also not prepared to finance the children’s education. In the end, both  Ewurabena and Ewura Esi dropped out of  school.   With no hope in sight, they resorted to selling  iced water in order to support themselves  as well as their mother who had fallen ill due to the maltreatment  she had endured  at the hands of her husband’s extended family.

One day, while Ewurabena was selling iced water at her usual spot, she met an elderly man who expressed interest in her. She initially ignored the man’s proposal. The man, however, began to give her expensive gifts and huge sums of money to win her over. Aware of the financial crisis they faced and the meagre  income from the iced water sales,  she eventually gave in to the man’s persistent requests.

She was so overwhelmed  by her suitor’s generosity that she  concluded that he  was the solution to all their financial problems.  In no time, their relationship became so serious that Ewurabena  stopped selling the iced water and became dependent on her suitor.

All that while, Ewurabena had ignored the fact that  the man was  married.  One day, the unfortunate happened —  the man’s wife, who had got wind of the relationship eventually traced Ewurabena to her house and   gave  her a sound beating in the full glare of her neighbours.  Humiliated and bruised, she fainted and  that was how Ewurabena ended up in the hospital.

While lying  on the hospital bed thinking about her plight, she prayed to God to give her another chance. She promised to use her experience to educate young girls not to get involved  with men  simply because of the financial difficulties they face.


By Grace Awurabena Fosu/Junior Graphic/Ghana

Debest Academy,

Dansoman, Accra.