February 17, 2021
By: Abdul Banya Braima
Growing up in the outskirts of Freetown, especially in the extreme east had its toll on my upbringing. At a very tender age, I had hooked up with my age mates to cause all sorts of havoc in the community. We always had a set agenda throughout the week.
In broad day light, we will either be uprooting someone’s groundnut from their garden or stealing corn, sugarcane, pawpaw, apple, guava, mangoes. We upgraded to stealing chicken to cook ‘’boys cook ‘’.
I grew up rough. Around age seventeen i was almost always high on drugs, had grown dreadlocks, abandoned my schooling after my ‘O’ Level exams, lived on the street and was so unkempt in appearance.
On this fateful day, whilst taking a stroll together with my friend (Patrick) ‘’Pato in shorter form’’, down the low-cost housing Estate in kissy, i saw a sparklingly beautiful young girl seated outside the library, reading a novel. My heart pumped heavily, my eyes got widened; my tongue seemed to cling unto the roof of my mouth. I wanted to say hello beauty, but I was timid. Pato having noticed my sudden change in facial expression asked ‘’what is the matter with you? Does that lady seem like someone in your class? Imagining how rough, tattered and torn you are, do you think she will encourage your type?’’
He asked so many questions that I was unable to choose which one to answer first. ‘’ Don’t worry I told him, at least let me give it a shot. Two things are involved, it could either be a YES from her or NO i told Pato”. “Okay then, go ahead i wish you well” he said laughing while he relaxed under a mango tree nearby waiting to see me been heavily molested by the beautiful angel.
I summed up courage, properly laced my crepe, brushed by dreadlocks organized my jeans and T-shirt. A couple of seconds after, i was in face to face discussion with this beautiful damsel. “Good afternoon beautiful lady, may I please know your name? “Sure” she politely responded, “my name is Precious, what’s yours?
I could not believe my ears, the average Sierra Leonean Lady that i know so well, who will simply brush a guy in my condition, but she was an exception. Precious was indeed different. “I saw you a couple of meters off and just admired your beauty” I said. “Oh thanks for the compliment, i only hope you are not flattering me, she said” As she offered me a seat by her side. “I am Abdul, but my friends call me “D DON”.
“Okay then, I will toe the line of your friends and also call you D DON, if that’s okay by you. “It’s okay I said”.
Meanwhile, my friend Pato who was carefully waiting for terrible insults from Precious was dumb founded. I knew he was thinking why should such a descent lady allow a sufferer like me seat by her and start a conversation.
“You are not looking bad yourself, you are a handsome guy” she said. “You are the first person I have ever had that from” I told her. No lady your type had ever allowed me a minute by her side as you have done” I told her. “I admire you particularly because you look natural, no make-up, no eye lash, no hangings, no lipstick on, but you look so beautiful I expressed admiration”. “Well, I take life easy and live cool. I don’t need all that to look beautiful, I just do my best to look clean, have my hair plaited regularly, and look smart and dress decently like a lady, she said”. Wow impressive, I said. I wish I could tell you that I Love You. I summed up courage to hit the nail on its head although I knew that in her response of: striving to look clean and smart with neatly plaited hair, she was indirectly ‘blasting’ for me, but in a civilized manner.
“I sincerely avoid romantic relationships to concentrate on my studies so I cannot say YES to you, but I like you to be a friend” she said. You are a bold young guy and I like you for that” , she continued most men hardly have the courage to talk to me directly in my face as you have done about love, they always go through a mediator to tell me they are in love with me ,but you are different”.
I expressed my thanks and appreciation for her time and courtesy. I bided farewell and left with Pato who I kept waiting under the mango tree. Explaining my joy and happiness that night will be a painful elaboration of the obvious. I dreamt that night holding Precious tightly in my arms, caressing her hair whilst I serve her a hot kiss; little did I know I was rubbing Pato’s hair with, who I had spent the night. I received heavy slap from him, which jolted me back to reality.” Are you mad? He angrily shouted at me in the middle of the night.
Several other meetings continued at the same location between me and Precious. In some of our discussions, I had explained my background to her. She had on numerous occasions taken her time to mold my character, practically preached to me and invited me to her church. I listened and heard the truth and gave my life to Jesus. I became a transformed man, I quit smoking cannabis sativa, I shaved of my dreadlocks, I quit drugs and alcohol, I started reading the bible and going to church regularly. My friends could not believe my transformation anytime I preached to them.
Surprisingly, she convinced her parents to pay my “O level” fees which they did. I passed my exams with a division one and got admission to study accounting at the Fourah Bay College in 2001. In 2005 I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting first class honors. After the official graduation ceremony, I wore the full regalia on Precious and we took several pictures. With tears in my eyes I looked at her and said “Thanks for everything my Precious, you believed in me, when I failed to believe in myself. You made this day possible. My life was a lost cause, I was wretched but you injected life into my wrinkled veins. I had no hope in life, but you breathed new air into my nostrils. I will forever remain grateful” She could not hold back her tears. We hugged each other and entered the F, J Cruiser which she took from her dad’s collection of cars for my graduation. I applied and got a job with one of the leading banks in Freetown, and was living a comfortable life as a young man. On a fateful day, trekking along the Aberdeen beach, I asked her which kind of man she would like her husband to be. In her reply, “a God-fearing man, hardworking and humble; someone that has value for me and love me genuinely.’’ Do I lack any of these attributes? I asked. Before she could respond, I went on my knees with proposal ring in my hand. She said YES!!!! We go engaged and married six months later. My “homie” Pato who was my best man looked at me after the wedding and said “Sam you get luck oh” I smiled and said “it’s not luck Pato, I give all the praise to God to start with, but on the other hand, being with Precious had completely changed my life.
