Franklin

Thank you for sharing this powerful story with us. Could you tell us about what inspired you to write it? I chose this topic because this is something that has happened to me in my life and I know that it happens to other people too. Someone proposed to me that he loves me and I didn’t feel the same. He showed me money so that I would have lust for it and agree to have a romantic relationship with him. Through that experience, I decided to write this story to advise people, especially young men and women, that lust shouldn’t guide you to do something that you don’t like or to do something that doesn’t come from the bottom of your heart. Whenever you do something because of lust, not because you like it, know that there is a negative consequence. I hope people will benefit from hearing this story. What messages do you hope your readers will take away from your story? I hope my readers will learn how to say no to things they don’t want, resist bad influences and make choices that are good for them so they won’t regret their decisions later in life. What, from your perspective, is the point of storytelling? Why do we tell stories, what do they do for us, and what purpose do they serve? Storytelling helps us to share, connect and learn from each other over experiences, ideas and events through spoken word or written text. Stories also inspire, teach, heal and bring people together, making our experiences more meaningful and relatable. Storytelling helps connect with others and feel less alone. Did your story change over the course of your participation in the storytelling workshops? How? Over the workshops, my story changed a lot. At first it was a basic and emotional account of what happened. But through the workshops I learned to add more details that made my story more interesting. I learned to tell my story more clearly and to describe things so that the reader could picture them. I became more confident in sharing my personal story. I’m proud of how my story turned out. How does your story offer an alternative path, point of view, or way forward? How does it speak to the possibility of an otherwise? My story shares a powerful lesson that saying no to what is wrong can mean saying yes to a brighter future. It shows that you don’t have to give in to temptation or pressure, even when money is involved. Most importantly, it highlights that love shouldn’t be tied to money, and that making choices that align with your values is crucial. My hope is that readers will be inspired to think carefully about the choices they make.

I was coming home from football training one brisk January evening when I met a tall, brown man with dreadlocks on his head. He was wearing a white shirt and a jacket. He spoke in a high voice, like a woman, but anyone could tell that he was only pretending because of the deep bass of his voice. He greeted me and introduced himself. He said that his name was Kelly, and that he was gay. Kelly was very open to me about the fact that he was a gay because he knew that I had already recognized him through his dressing and his voice. I also introduced myself, and after speaking for a while, I asked Kelly what made him become gay? Kelly laughed at me and told me that he was born this way. He said he didn’t think any person could change himself to become gay. I told Kelly that I know a lot of men, some of them my friends, who are now gay, but they were not before. A lot of men have become gay, specifically in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, because they heard that gay people were being supported and relocated to Sweden. Kelly listened to my story. Then he told me that despite my observations, there are people who are born with homosexual feelings. I listened to Kelly’s thoughts very carefully and I came to understand his perspective. Then I asked Kelly why he had called me and stopped me. He said this was not his first time seeing me. “I have been seeing you passing here and I have been really attracted to you and the way you behave,” he said. “You are a very polite boy,” he added. I asked him how long he had been watching me and learning that I’m a well behaved and polite boy. “I have known you for a long time,” he said, “I have been studying the way you are. And I realized that you are a polite boy.” I thanked him for the compliment and told him that I should go home. He said no, he had not finished. The reason why he had called me was that he wanted to be in a romantic relationship with me, he revealed. And if I agreed, he said, he would take charge of me. Then he showed me a bundle of money. As I looked at the bundle, my heart started having lust for the money, and I started hearing a voice in my heart telling me that I shouldn’t skip that money. But I heard another voice telling me that love doesn’t cost money. So I started fighting with the two voices in my heart and I eventually defeated the voice of lust. I told Kelly I was not ready to be in a romantic relationship with him and I went home running. When I reached home, I was very quiet. My mother asked, “Franklin why are you so quiet today? What is the problem?” I told her, “I don’t have any problem. I’m just wondering how I performed in the exam and our results are soon coming,” I lied. My mummy said, “are you not sure on how you performed?” “I’m very sure that I will pass, but I can’t miss the fear,” I told her. I did not tell my parents or my friends what happened to me because I feared if I told them they would force me to go and report Kelly to the police. I never wanted this. Kelly once told me that he lives alone and he doesn’t have relatives nearby. I thought if I reported him he would be imprisoned and have no one to take care of him. That is what made me have mercy upon Kelly. After three months, when I had forgotten about the incident, I saw Kelly on the way to the library. He called to me, “Franklin, come!” I approached him. “How are you Franklin? Long time. Where have you been? I have been really missing you.” “I’m just around bro, and I’m fine.” “I had been seeing you passing here every day, but since we last had a conversation, I no longer see you passing this way again,” he said. “That day we had a conversation,” I began to explain, “you proposed to me that you love me, and you said you would take charge of me if I agreed, and you showed me a bundle of money. I honestly don’t want to be in a romantic relationship with you, but if you kept on showing money I was afraid I would agree because of lust for the money. That is why I no longer pass this way, because I fear I will agree to what I don’t want.” “There is a proverb that says prevention is better than cure,” I told him. Kelly laughed at me and asked why I don’t want to be in a romantic relationship with him? I told him that I’m still a student and I’m first focusing on my studies, and I continued on my way to the library. I went to the library thinking that now Kelly will never persuade me again to be in a romantic relationship with him because I was very open to him about my feelings. The following day, early in the morning at 7:00 AM, when I was in a running marathon, I heard a voice calling me from behind.: “Franklin, Franklin.” I looked to see that it was Kelly calling me. I didn’t say anything. I kept on with my marathon. When I reached home I was very stressed and scared. I was asking myself what Kelly wanted from me. I avoided traveling the way I used to travel because of him. I was very clear that I didn’t want to be in a romantic relationship with him, but he didn’t stop following me. I felt scared and insecure because he didn’t listen to my request. I decided to