Chapter 1.5. New beginnings-New places

I am certain rumors were going to fly saying I had gotten pregnant prematurely, since that seemed to be the reason most girls couldn’t continue with their education. Serwaa, Afua, and I made a pact to rise above that status quo, and I am poised to follow it through till the end. The thought of these rumors going around bothered me for days, but I eventually got over them. Uncle Ato Kwamena was still not back from his travels. Obroni, whose name I am told is Florence, tells us Uncle Ato is working in a place called Ostia, after which he has a brief meeting in Italy; he is expected to return in 3 weeks at least.
Florence has been nice to us since our rival. Unlike the women in Asempa, Florence prefers to be addressed on a first-name basis, not aunty, ma, sister, or any of the indigenous titles we give to our elders in Asempa. It took me some time to adjust, but after a week, I had gotten used to it.
Uncle Ato got back from his trip a week after the predicted date by his wife, Florence, with many goodies for everyone, including Nana and me.
The second night after his arrival, we had a family meeting, excluding Antoine, who was fast asleep because he had school the following morning. At the meeting, it was discussed that I was to stay with Uncle Ato and his wife until I was fit to start a life on my own, in a nutshell, I was not going back to Asempa.