What My Father Gave Me, When the World Gave Him Nothing | by Cecil Bruce Doku | Inspiring Story #219

I remember the woven basket. The big silver bowl we used for both washing and cooking. A single bucket. A few spoons.

That was all we had when my father and I lived in a kiosk behind the old Hong Kong Cinema in Nyamekye, Accra.

Growing Up With a Father Who Had Nothing—But Gave Everything

We didn’t have much, but I never felt like I lacked anything. 

I’d go to school with money in my pocket, thanks to my dad. On special days, when everyone brought food from home, I had no one to cook for me. Instead, my father gave me money based on how well I did in class. Most times, I ended up buying food and drinks for some of my friends too.

My father always reminded me: “Make sure you do good today.” And when I came home, his first question was, “Did you do good today?”

That’s who he was. Even after his legs stopped working, after his body changed and people turned away, he never stopped encouraging me and others.

He had been strong and able once. But then, one night, he lay beside my mother and complained of pain in his waist. No doctors could explain it. His legs slowly began to shrink. He believed someone close to the family had cast a spell on him. Whether it was superstition or something else, he felt it best to leave. 

Kindness That Didn’t Make Sense to Others, But He Gave Anyway

Even though he couldn’t do much, my father found ways to work. He worked for the owner of the kiosk.  He sold fishing nets. And when he wasn’t doing that, he’d preach to market women. No matter how little he had, he always shared it.   

Every time we went to town and my father saw those begging for money, my dad would give me some money to change and share with all the beggars - a cripple giving another cripple money!

When it was time to head home, he’d buy toffees and biscuits to give to all the kids in the neighborhood. He had his favorites; the ones he liked were like his bodyguards because they paved the way for him because the other kids might push him aside.

Some neighbours didn’t understand. They warned their children to stay away. "How can a cripple do all this?" they’d say. But my father kept giving anyway.

I still remember the night we were thrown out of the kiosk. It had just rained. I carried the woven basket, my school bag, and a few other things. A kind waakye seller gave us shelter for a while, but even there, the children who followed my father made too much noise. Eventually, he returned to the family house.

A Father’s Love That Still Shapes the Way I Live

He made sure I stayed in school. I was never sent home for unpaid fees. And when he wanted to move me from private to government school, I resisted. He didn’t argue. He just said, “If you go, I’ll give you three times the money I give you now.”

I thought this deal was better than Ronaldo moving to Al Nassr!

And he was right. That’s where I met the friends I still have today.

My father never begged. He taught me to be self-reliant.  He took me to the airport for the first time in 1999 to see Queen Elizabeth when she came to Ghana. He also took me to the zoo and Osu Castle. We didn’t have much, but he gave me the world.

Today, I live with my own family, and he lives about 40 minutes away. His legs are completely gone, but his spirit, his kindness, has never changed. He still gives away what he can. He still believes that what you give into the universe, you’ll get back in return.

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy.  May you continue to live long.

All my life, I have only one wish: to see you walk. I don’t know if that will ever be a dream come true, but who knows?   I'll keep hoping it does.