“I never told you I was taking you to America!

I only agreed to your family’s condition—that the man who marries you must come from outside and marry you.”

The village was unusually quiet that afternoon. The farming season had brought many people into the fields, and the few who remained in the village moved slowly through the dusty paths, enjoying the brief calm before evening.

It was during one of those afternoons that Kofi first saw Ama.

He had come to the village because of a farming and land matter. He had not planned to stay for long. His intention was to settle the issue and return to the city. But as he walked through the village, he noticed a young woman approaching from the direction of the farm.

She was carrying a basin on her head. There was nothing artificial about the way she walked or dressed. She was simply beautiful, and something about her immediately caught his attention.

Kofi stepped aside to allow her to pass.

“Excuse me,” he said.
Ama stopped and looked at him.
“Yes?”
“I am looking for the farm near the old mango tree.”

Ama smiled.
“There are many old mango trees in this village.”

Kofi laughed.
“Then perhaps I need someone to show me the right one.”

She looked at him carefully.
“You are not from here.”
“No,” Kofi replied.
“Where do you live?”
He hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Outside.”
Ama frowned slightly.
“Outside where?”
Kofi smiled.
“Far away.”
She laughed softly and continued walking.

Kofi watched her disappear down the path.

He had come to the village for land.
He suddenly found another reason to stay.

That few days, Kofi was introduced to Ama’s family. Her parents were cautious. They knew their daughter was beautiful and knew that many men would be interested in her. They had therefore established their own expectations for whoever wanted to marry her.

Her father was direct.
“Our daughter must not be married to just anybody. The man must be responsible. He must have something to show for his life. We have always wanted her to have the opportunity to experience a different life.”

Her mother added, “We don’t want her to struggle after marriage. If the man is living outside the country and is financially stable, that will give us confidence that she will be taken care of.”

Kofi listened carefully.
“And if the man meets those conditions?” he asked.

Her father looked at him.
“Then we can talk.”
Kofi smiled.
“I understand.”
Nobody noticed how carefully he had listened.

The meetings continued. What had begun as a brief visit gradually became something more serious. Dates were discussed. Families were consulted. Arrangements were made.

Kofi insisted that the marriage should begin traditionally.

“If I am going to marry your daughter,” he told the family, “I want to do it properly. Let us follow the tradition.”

The family was pleased.
Eventually, Kofi returned to the village with two men who were introduced as members of his family. The engagement ceremony was held with music, dancing, food and celebration.

Ama was radiant.
Her mother looked at her with pride.
“You are leaving us as a girl,” she told her quietly, “but you are going to begin your own home.”

Ama smiled.
Kofi took her hand.
“Very soon,” he said, “you will see the world.”

Ama looked at him excitedly.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Where are we going?”
Kofi smiled.
“Outside.”
She laughed.
She believed she knew exactly what he meant.

After the ceremony, Kofi took Ama to Accra.

For three days they stayed in a hotel. Ama was excited, but she did not want to disturb him with too many questions.

Whenever she asked about the journey, Kofi assured her that everything was being arranged.

“I am working on your travelling documents,” he told her.

“How soon?”
“Very soon.”
On the third day, he came into the room with a smile.

“Get ready.”
Ama immediately became excited.
“Why?”
“We are travelling.”
Her face lit up.
“Today?”
“Today.”
She hurried to prepare herself.
Kofi watched her with a quiet smile.
Ama had never travelled by air before. The thought of entering an airplane for the first time filled her with a kind of excitement she could hardly contain.

When they finally left the hotel, she expected the airport.

Instead, they arrived at airport shell, where an old Ghana Airways aircraft had been converted into a drinking establishment.

Ama stopped when she saw it.
“Is that our airplane?”
Kofi smiled.
“Yes.”
She looked at the aircraft again.
She had never entered one before.
Everything about the experience was new to her.

Inside, the aircraft had been transformed into a beautiful, air-conditioned place. The seats, the interior and the atmosphere looked exactly as she imagined an airplane might look.

A waitress approached them.
Kofi leaned toward Ama.
“That is the air hostess.”
Ama quickly straightened herself.
“Good evening,” she said politely.
The waitress smiled and took their order.

Ama looked around with amazement.
“So this is how airplanes look inside?”
Kofi nodded.
“Yes.”
She was happy.
For several hours they remained there, eating, drinking and talking. Eventually, tired from the day’s excitement, they both fell asleep.

When Ama woke up, it was already evening.

Kofi gently touched her.
“Wake up.”
She opened her eyes.
“We have arrived.”
Ama sat upright.
“Already?”
“Yes.”
She looked through the window, but it was too dark for her to recognize anything.

They left the aircraft and entered a Uber.

Ama assumed that whatever country they had arrived in was somewhere beyond the darkness outside.

After some time, the Uber stopped at a residential estate.

Ama looked around.
The place was clean, quiet and well developed.

She smiled.
“This is where you live?”
Kofi nodded.
“Yes. Welcome home.”
Ama looked around with admiration.
She had never lived in an estate like this before.

To her, everything seemed to confirm what she had been told.

She had finally arrived .
Life settled into a routine.
At first, Ama expected that she would soon meet other people and begin making friends. But Kofi discouraged her from going out unnecessarily.

“You don’t know anybody here,” he would tell her. “It is better for you to stay home.” Your documents needs to complete otherwise, you can be kicked back to the village.

She accepted it.
She was new to the place.
She trusted her husband.
For the first several months, communication with her family was also limited. Whenever she wanted to speak to her parents, Kofi controlled the communication.

Eventually, she was able to use his phone to speak with them.

“How are you?” her mother asked one day.

“I am fine, Mama.”
“How is the place?”
Ama smiled.
“It is beautiful.”
“Are you outside?”
“Yes.”
Her mother was relieved.
“God has answered our prayers.”
Ama smiled.
She had no reason at that time to question it.

Years passed.
Ama became a mother.
Her first child was born, and later a second.

Her life became centred around the home and the children. She cooked, cared for the family and watched the children grow.

She rarely questioned where she was.
As far as she was concerned, she had travelled.

She had entered an airplane.
She had arrived in another country.
She was living in an estate.
Everything made sense.
Until one day, her eldest son came home from school and casually mentioned something that Ama could not ignore.

“Mummy,” he said, “the gardener said we are in Ghana.”

Ama looked at him.
“What did you say?”
“He said we are in Ghana.”
She smiled nervously.
“Who told you that?”
“The gardener.”
Ama dismissed it at first.
Children misunderstood things.
But that night, she could not stop thinking about it.

When Kofi returned home, she waited until they were alone.

“Kofi.”
“Yes?”
“Where exactly are we?”
He looked at her.
“I have told you. We are outside.”
“Outside where?”
He paused.
“Outside Accra.”
Ama stared at him.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
She said nothing more.
For several weeks, the matter disappeared.

But the question had already entered her mind.

One day, Ama went toward the gate and spoke with the security personnel.

She asked casually about the area.
The answer shocked her.
“This is Ghana,” the security man said.
Ama stared at him.
“Ghana?”
“Yes.”
“But… how?”
He looked confused.
“Madam, this is Pokuase Estate.”
She walked away slowly.
Pokuase.
Ghana.
The words kept repeating themselves in her mind.

When Kofi returned that evening, she was waiting for him.

He entered the house and immediately noticed her expression.

“What happened?”
Ama looked directly at him.
“You promised me something.”
“What did I promise?”
“You promised to take me outside.”
“I did.”
“Then why am I in Ghana?”
Kofi remained silent.
Ama stepped closer.
“All these years, where have I been?”
“You have been here.”
“Here where?”
“Accra.”
She shook her head.
“No. You told me we were outside.”
“I told you we were outside Accra.”
“But I thought you meant outside Ghana.”

Kofi smiled.
“Ghana is also .”
Ama stared at him.
“What?”
“If you live outside Ghana and come into Ghana, then Ghana is .”

For a moment she could not speak.
She remembered the day he told her to dress nicely.

She remembered the aircraft.
The air hostess.
The food.
Falling asleep.
Waking up in darkness.
The Uber.
The estate.
Her mother’s voice over the telephone.

“God has answered our prayers.”
Ama looked at Kofi again.
“So I never travelled?”
Kofi said nothing.
“You knew?”
Still nothing.
“All these years… I have been in Ghana?”

Kofi looked away.
Ama slowly sat down.
The excitement she once felt when she believed she was entering an airplane now seemed like a distant memory.

She had thought she had crossed a border.

She had thought she had entered another world.

She had told her parents that she was .

She had raised two children believing that she had begun a new life in another country.

And now she understood.
She had never left Ghana.
The airplane had never taken off.
The journey had never happened.
Only the story had travelled.
And she had believed it.
The family have searched for a man but refused to search about the man himself!

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