In a poignant narrative of love, longing, and the tumultuous journey of self-discovery, meet Serwaa a young woman whose pursuit of a brighter future leads her down a path of regret, heartache, and unexpected twists. After turning down a marriage pro...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
*****
"I need to leave, Layla. I won't cry about this anymore. I've been embarrassed enough," I said, feeling trapped in a world of illusions where I was the one continuously hurting myself.
Layla interrupted my thoughts, asking wearily, "Where will you be going?"
I took a deep breath, realizing I never planned on returning to the city. "I hate Accra, Layla. It's brought me nothing but pain. I feel stupid and despondent."
Layla tried to reason with me, "You can't achieve anything by running away from your problems, Serwaa. You came here to make it, remember?"
"Yeah, well, Accra hasn't exactly been kind to me," I replied, my throat dry from crying.
Layla's words embarrassed and confused me. I couldn't meet her eyes, but I'd made up my mind. "I'm going back to my village. I can't deal with this Bianca, Henry, and Kofi mess."
"I'll be back soon, Layla," I promised, hugging her tightly, though I didn't want to get emotional. Feeling her tears on my shoulder left me even more depressed.
"Where will you stay?" she asked, tears in her eyes.
"It's my village, Layla. I'll find a place," I assured her.
She embraced me again, her emotions mixing with mine. Deep down, I wept, but I refused to let my tears show. For once, I needed to be strong.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
*****
Henry's rudeness still stung, his yelling and name-calling making me feel so small and dirty. He wouldn't listen to me; all I wanted was to make things right, but he just pushed me aside and walked out on Layla and me.
I didn't even care if I was at fault. I was ready to tell him everything, to accept my mistakes. I already felt guilty enough; I didn't need him to rub my face in it. Forgiving him for treating me like that seemed impossible.
I stared out the window, hiding my tears as the driver pulled away. I missed Layla terribly. I didn't mean to lie to her, but if I hadn't, she wouldn't have let me leave.
