Daddy

       The majority of people who stayed or even visited my hostel said it was definitely one of the best in the region. My boys also claimed that if there were a prize for the best hostel manager, I would be a perennial contender. To be completely honest, I had no idea what I had done differently, but there was something special about my hostel that made it stand out. All I can say is that I loved, cared for, and treated every resident like a family member. Many people questioned how the hostel came to be, namely how a family home changed into a hostel for 28 students. I never had time to tell the whole story, primarily due to my hectic schedule. Well, here is the full story!!!!

      We occupied a compound home in Madina. One residence belonged to my Father, the other to my Uncle. My Uncle's place was a four-bedroom house, while my Dad's was a two-bedroom house. My Uncle and his family moved to Obuasi in the first few months of 2018. My Uncle wanted to rent his home out. My Dad decided to rent the place because he felt it would be nice for us to have a bigger space—this choice was undoubtedly embraced and supported by the entire family. We were supposed to move there in July. We were very thrilled. Everyone would have their own space. My Mom would get a more oversized kitchen, my Dad would get a modest room for an office and a library for his numerous books, and the children will have their spaces. 

     When we were kids, all four slept in the same room. The modest room we were in contained two bunk beds. As we grew older, the boys had to give the girls the room, forcing us to sleep in the parlor. It was delightful though. Since it was allegedly our room, we were free to turn off the television whenever we chose, especially in the evenings. Free SMS services were very popular in Ghana at the time. I believe that occurred in 2011. From 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., everyone could send free SMS. After 9, we would sack everyone from the hall as though we were getting ready for bed. We would switch off the light when everyone left and start messaging our friends. I remember we would receive mind-blowing good night messages, read them to each other, laugh, and make crazy expressions all night. We did sometimes create mind-blowing ones too. We would spend the whole night saying things like, "Oh my God, you should be a poet," "Love is in the air," "Like wow," "My brother, you have to marry this girl, oh yes, you have to, " just look at that." There were more, but I'm sure you get the picture now. I miss those times so much.

     Let's get to today's story. The previous paragraphs were meant to explain the family's excitement when my Dad made the decision.

      One evening in June, the rain began to fall hard. We did have a few leaky areas in the roof, so whenever it rained, we had to put bowls there. On that day, the lights went out as well. That wasn't surprising because it typically occurs during heavy rains. After an hour, we discovered the ceiling leaking from unidentified places. We assumed that was happening since the rain was slightly more severe. After a while, the leakages became more than we could handle. Our house was becoming flooded. We had to use buckets and brooms to clear the water; it was frightening. My Dad, Mom, Uncle, Brother, and I were the only ones at home on that particular day. We spent the better part of an hour removing water from the house, but the house still appeared to be flooded.

      At one point, a section of the ceiling fell off and we saw the sky. Oh, yes, the sky. Where was the roof? we had no idea. The raindrops fell from the sky directly into our chambers. The home's wiring was also visible to us. The thought of the rain passing by the electrical wires and into our house was terrifying. I'm pleased that we had lights out that day because I can only imagine what may have occurred if we hadn't. My Father urged us to move some valuable items above waist level, leave the area, go to my Uncle's house, spend the night there and pray that the rain stops falling. After doing that, we headed to my Uncle's place to sleep. We all slept on the floor that night because we could not move anything. That evening, I distinctly recall thinking, "Oh my God, our house is flooding, and we can do nothing about it."

      We went to sleep, hoping the rain would end soon. I'm unsure when the rain stopped, but it wasn't raining when I woke up. We realized half our roof had been lifted over the other half. How that happened, I have no idea. The following week, we carefully packed our belongings and moved them to "our new rented apartment" at my Uncle's home. Our sole request to God then was financial support to repair our roof and rent out our tiny two-bedroom flat. My WASSCE results had just been released, and I was applying to the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA). My elder brother and kid sister were all in School. I prayed that money would be made available for my tuition.

      One morning, after morning prayers, my Dad said he wanted to discuss something with us. He said, "I've been thinking about our situation and want to renovate our house into a small hostel." At that moment, my brother, sister, and I all turned to look at my mother's face because we knew her facial expression would properly represent all our thoughts. We asked my Father if he had the resources to partake in such a project (at that point, my Mom was still silent). That morning, we just didn't know how our two-bedroom apartment with just one washroom would be able to house students in a hostel. He explained that he would borrow money if he needed to.  

    When my Mom broke her silence, the first thing she said was, "Ei Daddy," and she gave an expression that said, "You never cease to amaze me." All we did that morning was list the tasks we needed to complete and estimate their cost: beds, extension to the house, additional bathrooms, and wardrobes. Even though we hired a carpenter to hoist the raised part of the roof back into place, we still had a lot of work to do. "Wow, this is going to cost a lot of money," we told ourselves. Deep down within me, I felt my Dad was just in over his head, but I was hopeful that it would succeed because I knew it would benefit us all.

       After the meeting, it was like my mother was repeating the words of my Dad in her head and responding to those words out loud. In the kitchen, just from nowhere, you will hear, "Where are we going to get money to build a hostel?". She was speaking to the children, but she'll say in such a way that wherever my Dad was, he'll hear. She kept on with this for a while, maybe for days. While watching TV, my Mom will say, "Hmmmm," then you will ask yourself, why is this woman saying Hmmm? What is on this TV station that will make her say "hmmm"? That's where you will realize she is still thinking about her husband's decision. Sometimes, my Dad would go over to my Mom, tap her shoulder, and say, "Aunty Alice, don't worry; God will do it."

      It is suggested that we take our time before deciding who we will marry. Many people disregard this guidance and proclaim that "Love overcomes everything." What my mother was doing was getting on my nerves (even though she wasn't doing it to me), but my Dad wasn't upset about it. He did not see her behavior as that of a nagging wife but rather as that of a worried wife who could not fathom, at that moment, how they would raise the necessary funds for the project. He preferred to encourage her. My people, Love is not enough. Spend quality time with your girlfriend and boyfriend to properly understand the person before you promise to stay with each other for life.

      After running the hostel for two years, my mother complained that we weren't giving her a share of the proceeds. I asked what she needed the money for, and she did not provide any tangible reason. I told my Dad that we shouldn't give my Mom the money she requested. At that time, my Dad and I were in charge of all financial decisions involving the hostel. My Dad explained that he understood where I was coming from, but he did not like how she was complaining and that our Mom had sacrificed a lot, so we give her the money to make her feel comfortable. Not that I didn't care about my mother, but once I started working as a hostel manager, I had to think like a business person to get my Father to give me the authority to make choices.