She's Precious but only in name
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Precious is beautiful. I don't know how to describe her. She looks like a half-cast. And naturally, she had guys chasing her. Both of us are coming from not well-to-do backgrounds. We met at the university and our friendship began when we were paired on a course project. She was very brilliant and helpful as well. One thing I noticed about her was that she used her beauty to get what she wanted. She would often say “ Abena, "God didn't make me this beautiful to suffer, did He?"
I would often rebuke her for blasphemy and ask her to just be careful because there are STIs if she isn't afraid of getting pregnant.
She often took me out to eat and gave me some clothes as well until we completed university. We kept in touch. Both of us didn't get jobs after our national service.
I am engaged in an online petty trade selling clothes while she continued with her life like she'd been doing while we were in school.
She would sometimes ask me to jilt my boyfriend because she didn't think he was good enough for me. My boyfriend is trying his best even though he has a menial job. I just don't listen to her.
Sometimes, she sounded convincing, though, because it's not easy being unemployed and broke. The country is really tough. But I try my best not to pay her any attention. I'm tempted often to follow her but I remind myself that her path isn't the right way.
I was minding my business one day when Precious came to me excitedly claiming she'd finally caught a big fish and if all things went well, she was going to become a Mrs.
I was glad to hear that. I thought finally, someone will make my friend stop the prom!scuous lifestyle.
But she wouldn't mention his name nor show his picture to me when I asked. She only said he's based abroad and would come to see her in December. I only sighed.
People had said to her that no man would marry someone like her, including the men she hook£d up with. But now see, she will prove them all wrong. She felt triumphant.
I was happy for her regardless.
Indeed, the guy came, and she busied herself with him, moving from one club to the other.
I told her not to do that if she really wanted him to marry her. To my surprise, she told me that the guy believed she was naive. He was the one taking her to those places to "experience" life before they settled down.
Also, he said to her he wanted a woman whose eyes are "opened", so she's feigning innocence and acting like she doesn't like that kind of lifestyle.
She has even refused to let him touch her. As a result, he's eager to settle down with her. I didn't know she could be this cunning. "Good for her", I thought.
Mind you that up until now, she hasn't shared his photo or name with me. She only called him "babe".
I thought it was none of my business anyway. I would just focus on my small business and my not-perfect boyfriend.
One morning, my father's brother came to visit. He told my father that my cousin, who's based abroad, said he had found someone he wanted to marry. He said he met her when he came to Ghana last year for vacation and they've been in touch since then. He said she's a good girl and would like to do a traditional marriage.
My father, who is the elder, was asked by my uncle to go seek the girl's hand in marriage.
So they went and were given a list of the items for the marriage.
The date my family set for the traditional wedding was the same as Precious'.
I, therefore, told her I couldn't make it to her marriage because my cousin was also marrying on the same day.
"You never told me you had a cousin and he's even getting married. Are you sure you aren't jealous and that's why you are refusing to come to my wedding?" She asked.
I told her never have I been jealous of her, not even once. Why would I intentionally not come to her wedding, considering our friendship? I was disappointed in her for even asking me such. I left her while feeling upset.
Later that evening, she called and apologised to me and I forgave her. I even accompanied her to get some materials she wanted to use on her day.
On the day of the wedding, my family drove to the venue. When we got there, we were welcomed by the bride's family.
I heard someone call my name and wondered who it could be because I didn't know anyone there and it was my first time at the place. I later got to know it was Precious' distant relative's house.
I turned around only to see one of Precious' other friends.
"You are here. I thought you told Precious you couldn't make it because your cousin is also getting married today?" She asked me.
I replied, "Yes," and told her we had just arrived as the groom's family. Before I finished my sentence, I immediately knew it was the same marriage!
"How on earth!" I exclaimed.
Throughout the entire process, I wasn't happy. I felt deceived and my family too, especially my cousin.
Precious avoided eye contact, and she was visibly shaken. There was no need to explain anything as it was crystal clear it was my cousin, Kojo, that she got hinged with.
What was I supposed to do? How do I tell him who she really is? I've been thinking a lot about it. The ceremony has already been concluded and Kojo is head over heels in love with Precious.
I don't know if she's even safe from any STIs. I was boiling with r@ge throughout the entire process that I even refused to join the photo session.
She bombarded my phone with several calls and WhatsApp messenger, asking that we talk about it and saying that it wasn't intentional.
My parents were happy when they found out Precious was the one my cousin married and even announced at the ceremony about our friendship. They knew she was a good girl but only I knew the truth.
I declined all her attempts to have me talk about the issue with her. I worried about my cousin because he was planning to come to Ghana, register their marriage and take her with him abroad.
All of these were eating me up as I felt my cousin was being che@ted. At the same time, I told myself not to meddle in their marriage.
After all, a character is like a pregnancy. No matter how well you hide it, it will protrude itself one day.
I just left everything as they were and reduced contact with her. She always felt uneasy whenever there was a family gathering. She's scared I will tell everyone about her business.
I walked up to her and told her to make sure she was free from any STIs; otherwise, she should find a way to safeguard my cousin since they both hadn't done the do yet. I walked away after that.
A few weeks later, my phone buzzed. I checked and it was a message from her. She sent me a text that read, "I did mess around, but I didn't leave my brains out. I played it safe", and attached a PDF document. I opened it and saw she had taken STI test results, and it appeared negative.
I sighed a sigh of relief but didn't say a word to her.
Perhaps I should give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, people do change strangely. Since that day, I have discarded all my worries. I don't even know what kind of life my cousin himself was living abroad so why should I be worked up? I just went about my business.
Like Borgas, he came to Ghana in December of that year. That was almost nine months after their traditional marriage.
I paid them a visit, and we had a hearty chat, and I left.
They registered their marriage and my cousin went back abroad so he could begin the process of making her join him.
I came back from shopping at a thrift shop where I buy and resell online to meet my parents with frowned faces.
"Ah, Abena! We are very disappointed in you!" my mother said. I became confused.
"How could you hide such a thing from even us, your parents and your uncle?"
My mother continued.
My uncle asked my mother to calm down. He looked at me and asked me to take a seat. I dropped my belongings and took one stool to sit in my confused state.
He pulled out his phone and showed me pictures and videos. They were Precious' images. I covered my mouth.
The videos and pictures were Precious' nud!t!es with not one but three different men in separate videos and pictures.
I later learnt that those men were friends with my cousin. They all h00k3d up with her at one point in time when they came back from abroad and recorded her without her knowledge. It was clear she had no idea in the videos.
She h00k3d with one who then arranged with the other two to go for her when they also came back. She didn't know about this.
How did my cousin get to know about this?
He was bragging to them that he had married a godly woman, and his friends thought that he shouldn't be so sure his wife was a saint. He should remember he married her shortly after they met. The argument went on like that and he egotistically pulled out his phone and showed them her photos.
According to my uncle, my cousin's friends broke out laughing. They mocked him for marrying condemned goods. He was in denial until they pulled out the videos and showed them to him.
My cousin was broken. He cried and complained that I had che@ted him. He blamed me for keeping quiet.
My parents are now doubting that I'm probably like Precious since birds of the same feather flock together.
It's probably the reason I covered for her, they said.
I'm heartbroken. No one believes me in my family. Precious is also on the other side accusing me of telling on her even though my cousin told her his friends, the ones she sl3pt with told him.
But she is blaming me. I don't know what my mistake was.
He's asking for a divorce. Precious is already four months pregnant and my cousin is refusing to take responsibility.
But my father told him to let her give birth and have a DNA test done before he made any irrational decision. But he has to divorce her because she's nothing but a shame to our family.
I'm so heartbroken, confused and @ngry at myself for keeping quiet in the first place.
But what was I supposed to do? Is it my fault that things went south
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