Dear GhanaWeb,

I’m a 24-year-old woman on the verge of making the biggest mistake of my life. My dad is begging me to marry a man who is even older than him.

According to my dad, he owes this man and doesn’t think he can pay back the debt. They both invested in a business together, but something unfortunate happened: my dad was duped by someone he doesn’t even know.

It was a huge amount of money involved, and my dad has become a shadow of himself. The man gave him an ultimatum, either he seizes all of my dad's properties, or I marry him to settle the debt.

Getting married to this man should not even be an option. He is six years older than my dad, how can he even suggest that?

I don’t even like him as a person, let alone love him. We don’t have enough assets for my dad to suggest hiding some and giving him the rest.

My dad owns a three-bedroom house, a company, and two cars. He asked me to use one of the cars, but how will we survive if we give everything to this man? I do some online work like forex trading, but I sometimes run into losses. We can’t rely solely on my income.

The stress from this situation has taken a toll on my dad’s health. His blood pressure has gotten worse. One day, I stepped out to get something in town, and when I returned, my dad was unconscious on the floor. I rushed him to the hospital.

The doctor advised him to rest and eat well. During a random conversation later, he became emotional. When I asked why, he started crying and begged me to grant his wish.

He asked me how I would feel if we lost everything. He told me to think about everything carefully and decide for myself. I could see the sadness and pain in his eyes. The way this man frequently visits our house makes it seem like he is enjoying what’s going on.

I’m starting to think he might know more about the situation than he is letting on.

He brings me gifts and gives me money often. I’ve kept rejecting everything, but my dad begs me to accept. I feel like the man just wants to please me, but I’m not interested in anything to do with him.

The wedding is in a week, and honestly, I don’t know what to do. This is not the future I envisioned for myself.

I want to marry a man I’m in love with, not some older stranger I can’t even imagine being with.

Should I consider my dad’s happiness and marry a man I don’t love? How will I explain to my future children that I married their father out of circumstance? I’m extremely confused and drained. What should I do now?

FG/EB



Meanwhile, watch the trailer for GhanaWeb’s upcoming documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures below: