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| When tradition meets the heart's true desire — a young woman watches helplessly as her future is negotiated in her family's living room. Sometimes the hardest battles are fought in silence |
- SUMMARY
- Part 1: The Ghetto Symphony
- Part 2: The Seed of Trouble
- Part 3: The Sugar Daddy’s Proposal
- Part Three: The Sugar Daddy’s Proposal
Part Three: The Sugar Daddy’s Proposal
The night was heavy, and Abrefi’s heart still heavier. She sat under the mango tree with Blessing Agyakowaa, her closest friend, the one voice she trusted when the world grew too loud. The whispers of pregnancy had already begun to circle, but Blessing wanted the truth from Abrefi’s own lips.
“Abrefi,” Blessing said softly, “you dey hide something from me. Tell me, how did this happen?”
Abrefi’s eyes filled with tears. She hesitated, then spoke in a trembling voice.
“Blessing… the day I told you that I won't be available in class "no" .... hmmm.... I sneaked to Kwadwo’s place, and we were talking and watching movie, hmmm.... just vibing. I thought it was just fun, just love. One night became too long. We laughed, we played, and then i started feeling like my body was ... like was.... doing me something bi....
ah what thing? Blessing asked, just stop crying mmmm, that is nothing wrong okay, just playing with a male friend de3, 3ny3 hweee, she added.
She continued Bleh, you don't know what you're saying, Bleh!!! Kwadwo touched me…
Touch you, how? See if He touched you inappropriately its harassment ooooo girl, I would k!ll that son of a Beeeooo!!! Blessing said firmly - showing support to her best friend. As naive as she is, Blessing still doesn't get the tide of the conversation.
Bleh not thatooo, I..... I gave in. you WHAT!!! how possible giiiiirl?
Well see, it's okay let's say okay I.... I.... get it okay so let's say its past and gone okay, let's move on, make sure it doesn't happen again please gurl. Blessing Didn't know this is a huge blunder.
Bleh like he actually entered and I did not say no, we.... we.... We didn’t protect ourselves. It wasn’t once, it wasn’t twice. I lost count. And now, here I am.”
Blessing held her hand, squeezing it gently.
“Ei, Abrefi. You are my sister. Mistakes happen. Love can be sweet like honey, but it can sting like bees. Don’t drown in shame. You are not the first, and you won’t be the last. But you must be strong.”
Abrefi sobbed. “Blessing, I feel guilty. I feel foolish. I thought love was freedom, but now I feel trapped.”
Blessing wiped her tears. “Ɔdɔ yɛ dɛ, na ɛyɛ yaw. Love is sweet, but it is pain. Still, pain can teach. You must rise from this. Don’t let people’s gossip kill your spirit. You are more than this mistake.”
Their dialogue was heavy with oxymorons — innocence and guilt, freedom and prison, sweetness and bitterness. The ghetto orchestra played faintly in the background: trotro horns, laughter, gossip. Life went on, but for Abrefi, everything had changed.
At home, her parents were already restless. Mr. and Mrs. Kotor sat in their small living room, faces clouded with worry. The zinc roof rattled with the wind, echoing their confusion.
“Abena,” her mother said, “we sacrificed everything for your education. Now this?”
Her father sighed deeply. “Enjoyment? Enjoyment that brings shame? You have brought us pain.”
Before the family could recover, another storm arrived — dressed in flamboyant agbada, dripping with perfume, and carrying promises. Mr. Bediako, the Sugar Daddy.
He entered with exaggerated politeness.
“Good evening, my elders. I come with respect. I come with proposal.”
Mrs. Kotor frowned. “Proposal? What kind of proposal?”
Mr. Bediako adjusted his gold wristwatch, his voice smooth.
“I have seen your daughter. She is beautiful, intelligent. I want her hand in marriage. I will take care of her, of you, of this family. No more struggle. I will pay her fees, buy her car, even build you a new house.”
Abrefi’s heart raced. She wanted to scream, to refuse, but the weight of her pregnancy pressed her down. Her parents exchanged glances — torn between poverty and promise.
Her mother whispered, “At least he is responsible. He can take care of the child.”
Her father muttered, “But is this love? Or is this transaction?”
Abrefi found her voice, trembling but firm.
“Mr. Bediako, love is not bought like tomatoes at Makola. I don’t want this marriage.”
The room fell silent. Mr. Bediako chuckled, shaking his head.
“Abrefi, you are young. You don’t understand. Love without money is like soup without salt. You will learn.”
Her friends reacted differently when they heard the news. Blessing Agyakowaa was furious.
“Abrefi, how can you even consider this? Marriage to a man old enough to be your father? This is not redemption, it is prison.”
Rohi Otubea added in Ga:
“Girl, you dey sell your freedom. Money dey sweet, but chain dey bitter.”
Comfort Quainoo cried quietly, holding Abrefi’s hand.
“You deserve better. Don’t let desperation blind you.”
But Portia Asamoah smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Ei, you people dey talk too much. Abrefi, grab this chance. Sugar daddy go change your life. Forget love, chop enjoyment.”
The oxymoron of counsel was clear: wisdom versus temptation, dignity versus glamour.
Meanwhile, in the ghetto, Kwadwo Kurantse heard the rumours. His humour cracked under the weight of reality. Sitting with his loyal friends, Sampson Kwao and Amos Asare, he vented.
“Kurantse,” Sampson said, “you for fight. Abrefi dey lost. If you love her, show her you be man. Not clown.”
Amos added, “Expose this Sugar Daddy. He dey hide behind money. Investigate him. Show Abrefi the truth.”
But the bad friends — Daniel Owusu (Law) and Justice — laughed at him.
“Ei Kurantse, you dey dream. Sugar daddy dey chop life. You dey here dey crack jokes. Forget the girl. Hustle hard, scam small, chop quick.”
Kurantse shook his head, his voice heavy with irony.
“Me deɛ, life be like trotro. Some dey pay full fare, some dey dodge mate. But all we dey go Circle. Abrefi dey go Circle of pain. I for stop am.”
That night, Abrefi sat alone, staring at the ceiling. Her parents leaned towards acceptance, Portia’s words echoed in her mind, and Mr. Bediako’s promises glittered like gold. Yet her heart whispered something different.
She remembered Blessing’s counsel, her tears, her comfort. She remembered Kurantse’s laughter, his resilience. She whispered in Akan:
“Ɔdɔ yɛ dɛ, na ɛyɛ yaw. But maybe yaw can heal.”
The suspense thickened. Would she accept Mr. Bediako’s proposal to escape poverty, or resist and face the storm alone?
The ghetto orchestra played on — trotro horns, gossip, laughter — but beneath its rhythm was a darker melody. Kurantse prepared to investigate Mr. Bediako, determined to expose his hypocrisy. Abrefi wrestled with her choices, torn between duty and desire.
The Sugar Daddy’s proposal was more than marriage; it was a test of love, dignity, and survival. And as the night deepened, the stage was set for confrontation.
SUMMARY
📖 Story Outline: “Kurantse & Kotor: Love in the Shadows”
Part 1: The Ghetto Symphony
- Introduce Kwadwo Kurantse, a hustler from the ghetto, full of street wisdom and comic one-liners.
- His world is painted with oxymorons: “rich in poverty, free in chains.”
- Enter Abena Abrefi Kotor, the pretty schoolgirl with dreams bigger than her textbooks.
- Humorous banter between them sets the tone, sprinkled with Akan proverbs and Ga slang.
- Suspense begins as Abrefi’s friends pressure her into “living fast” — the investigative undertone hints at peer influence and hidden dangers.
Part 2: The Seed of Trouble
- Flashbacks of Abrefi’s innocent childhood contrast with her present teenage pregnancy dilemma.
- Dialogue-heavy scenes with her friends, full of puns and irony: “Ɛyɛ enjoyment anaa entrapment?”
- Investigative narration explores how societal pressures, gossip, and lack of guidance shape her choices.
- Kurantse reacts with humour masking pain, dropping witty lines like: “Me deɛ, life be like kenkey — hard outside, soft inside.”
- Suspense builds as rumours spread in the community.
Part 3: The Sugar Daddy’s Proposal
- A wealthy “Sugar Daddy” arrives at Abrefi’s parents’ home, dressed in exaggerated flamboyance.
- Humorous oxymorons: “old but youthful, generous but greedy.”
- Abrefi refuses at first, her dialogues sharp and poetic: “Love is not bought like tomatoes at Makola.”
- Parents are torn between poverty and promise.
- Suspense rises as Abrefi reluctantly accepts, setting the stage for conflict.
Source: Societal Vibz Creative Desk