I kept in touch with Ms. Comfort and occasionally visited her at her workplace. Where the only staff assisting her were family members. I discovered from my WhatsApp conversations with her that she was suffering from a Mild Mood Disorder. Consequently, I tried cheering her up with some happy foods such as Sardines, Ripe Bananas, and Chocolate Ice Cream. From the very commencement of our friendship, Ms. Comfort advised me that she needed an expensive wig, clothes, shoes, and underwear. Such a demand raised many red flags in my mind because I had run into such entanglements before, and I knew exactly what this meant. This kind of behaviour was typical of romantic ‘hit and run scam artists.’ Accordingly, I avoided giving her any expensive gifts, although occasionally I would give her some cosmetics. Immediately after receiving the cosmetics, Ms. Comfort messaged me on WhatsApp to say, “You know what, I really love you.” Was this an attempt on her part to condition and reinforce my behaviour in that regard?
During one of our many conversations, I mentioned a previous girlfriend who never came to my house. Still, she expected me to lavish expensive gifts and money upon her indefinitely, without reciprocating in any way. I further advised her that I dropped that girl unceremoniously, following the good counsel of my friends. Especially since I suspected that she was a Paranoid Schizophrenic. For some strange reason, Ms. Comfort became emotionally upset at this revelation and even shed tears, complaining that, “You shouldn’t have said that, and I have nothing further to say.” Most of the girls I had befriended in the past invariably offered me something in return for my acts of generosity and consideration. They would either say, “Mr. James, do you want sex?” Or they would offer to clean my apartment, cook for me, or iron my clothes. Not so with Ms. Comfort, who offered me nothing in return for my kindness. It finally dawned on me that she had visited my home to assess my financial worth and determine if I had the means to finance her grandiose ambitions.
“Life is full of surprises,” as the saying goes. Some of them, however, turn out to be downright shocks. During her second visit to my home, Ms. Comfort finally revealed that she was suffering from Sickle Cell Anemia, something that I suspected after she appeared to be physically stressed by ironing only three shirts for me. All of this occurred after I fed her with toasted whole wheat bread, scrambled eggs, and curried baked beans. I found this unexpected physical phenomenon strange, given that I had observed her at work, where she seemed energetic and strong on those occasions. This manifestation could have been feigned and was probably designed to discourage me from expecting her to shoulder any responsibilities. Although her complexion is as black as soot, which in no way detracts from her physical beauty and charms. I noticed that at the time of her visit to my home, she was dressed in black. I had witnessed such appearances before, but the girls involved were white and admitted to me after questioning them that they were witches. Furthermore, people that I know with a complexion as dark as night prefer to wear light colours.
I prayed for Ms. Comfort before she left my home, and while doing so, I held both of her hands. I was confident that she would be healed of her disease. I had prayed for several other people in the past, and they were all healed through the Spirit’s intervention. Let God be praised. Accordingly, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that my prayers on Ms. Comfort’s behalf would achieve a similar outcome. My new friend had completed nursing school and was a candidate for a Bachelor of Nursing degree. However, she had to proceed to Sunyani, the Regional Capital of the Bono Region, to sit her final examinations. After arriving there and lodging at the prearranged facility, she messaged me to say that she had to pay an invigilation fee of six hundred cedis (600.00 GHS). I asked her if she could authenticate such a transaction with an official receipt. She replied that they didn’t issue receipts. All of this sounded like make-believe to me, and I immediately suspected that she was attempting to scam me. I had been brutally scammed before by some Ghanaians who claimed that they were about to ship me some gold while I was residing in the USA. I had learned a costly lesson on that occasion, and I was not about to repeat it. Deceiving others and financially exploiting them seems to be an intricate part of Ghanaian culture. I advised Ms. Comfort that unless the expense could be verified with a receipt, I wouldn’t be able to assist her.
After Ms. Comfort returned from Sunyani, she advised me that she had to attend an upcoming church convocation and needed some pocket money. At that time, I suggested to her that I had observed that, unlike most of my past female friends, she did nothing for me. “What do you mean?” She demanded. “You do absolutely nothing for me, and in five months, you have only visited my home twice, and most of the times that I’ve invited you to my house, you claim that you are busy,” I asserted. She seemed to be moved to tears. “But I came to your house and I tried my best, and this is how you thank me.” Her histrionics were well-timed. But I was not impressed. “I know what this is all about,” she lamented, “You are saying those things because I haven’t given you my body.” “We have known each other now for five months,” I contended, “During that period, have I ever asked you for sex at any time?” I inquired. “No, you have not,” she replied, but that is where this conversation is headed.” Obviously, she was acutely uncomfortable with the subject under discussion and was desperately trying to shift the conversation to terrain where she would be more relaxed.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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