Her name is ........ yep I know her name, her full name. I have heard it so many times when I finally decide to pick up an unknown number after dodging the calls that show her caller identification numbers I have come to store on my phone over and over again.
I have about eight of her numbers and for a while that saved me from speaking to her. Well that was only until she got a new number of course.
It all started in 2009, When I newly entered into the industry I granted an interview with a popular newspaper in Ghana where I was asked who my role model was at the time and I mentioned Angelina Jolie. Little did I know that Angelina Jolie was going to get me into trouble?
My phone rang early January 2010 and it was the voice of a woman, possibly in her late 20s or early 30s. Her voice was coarse and suspicious. Innocently I said 'Hello' and this marked the beginning of the terror. 'Am I speaking to Babiee Dappah?' she asked. 'Yes’ I replied without a hint of fear. 'How are you?' She asked again. 'I am fine thank you. Whom am I speaking to?' I asked. 'This is... I admire you and I think you are the most sexiest girl I have ever seen. You are charming and extremely sexy, how can I meet you? I know you like Jolie. I can introduce you to her; she is a very good friend' she said.
The first thing that came to my mind was huh! Who ever said I wanted to meet Jolie? I tried to imagine the voice I was hearing over the phone talk to Jolie, and laughed ...... naaa not a good match. Don't think Jolie will know this one, I thought jokingly in my head. And at the same time I was wondering how on earth a lady would use such tone in talking to a fellow lady like her.
To be honest I cannot remember the whole conversation but I remember trying to get off the phone as fast as possible by saying 'ok thank you thank you'. And since that day this lady has been calling my phone non-stop. At first I thought it was just a fan, just someone that liked and appreciated me (which I am always completely grateful for). But I knew something was wrong when she called me twice a day everyday for one week, asking me to come for different events. Today she was launching her foundation; tomorrow it was a fashion line. How many events can a woman have in one week? I asked myself. And then I thought, this is definitely not normal.
Dodging her calls, she started calling forcefully. My phone rang thirty times in a day continuously (And nope, I am not exaggerating). This was it, this was the beginning of my paranoia
It became so bad that one-day she decided to show up at the Golden Tulip hotel. I had an event to attend that day with a Nigerian friend and I have no idea how she knew I was going to be there. As I entered the gallery I remember seeing this person wearing a pair of glasses, sitting down and staring at me like she had just seen a ghost. I walked in wondering who that was and just then, I received her call. Luckily I had saved that very number she was calling me with that day, amongst other numbers she owned that I had saved. As usual I did not pick, but she sent me a text message that read, 'I am at the Golden tulip reception waiting for you'. I shrunk on my seat and immediately alerted my Nigerian friend who accompanied me that day.
He immediately went out to my rescue and would you believe this? The lady had to be forced out by the security officers because she refused to leave till she saw me.
Well luckily that was the first and last time I set my eyes on her. Since then her calls began to fluctuate from three times a week, to once a month. Then just when I think she is gone into thin air, after 3months, she begins to call again everyday for the next six weeks. I will scream, 'Please never call me again' and even tell my male friends to act as my boyfriend or even my husband, yet she was persistent, Saying things like ’lets travel out and get married we can adopt kids. Babiee when are we seeing? We need to be together'. Now if this was a boyfriend, won't every woman feel loved and adored? (Like she actually calls), but this was a total stranger calling every month in every year until early this year when I stopped hearing from her, I even changed my phone number a couple of times, but somehow, she still got that number.
Early this year she called once or twice and I totally ignored them. Little did I know what Sunday the l9th of February had in store for me?
I decided to attend church with my sister that wonderful morning. We had arrived a little late and made an entrance to the front row of the Church (which were the only seats available), Just as the service was over, I made my exit out of the Church. Unfortunately for me, this lady had been seating on the row right next to that exit. Did she know that was my preferred way out of the Church? I am not sure if she did, but I still wonder why she was not sitting on any of the other two exits of at that church.
She got up right in front of me and said ‘hello Babiee my name is... .... it’s been a while. I have been waiting to give you something. Take this letter'. I froze and almost had a heart attack when she said her name; a name I had heard being introduced to me a thousand times over the phone. I started walking the fastest way I could and she caught up with me. My sister, who was walking ahead of me, was already long gone. She did not even bother to check if I was behind her because she knows how fast a walker I am as well. Frightened, I was desperate for her to come to my rescue. I finally found her and she kept following and sneaking up on us until we entered our car and drove away; and believe me, we did this as fast as we could. No jokes. Even my sister was in shock. I mean we had seen this in the movies but I never imagined it becoming my reality.
On Wednesday she called me again and I just could not help it but to ask what to do on Facebook. Some people said I should file a complaint with the police, some said it’s an obsessive compulsion disorder and that I should play safe, while some offered to ’organize for her' (hilarious). Well my family and I are trying to handle this and we will see how it goes. I hope she is reading this and realizing how much damage she is causing?
Stalkers are actually real ( But not a woman to woman affair for Christ sake). I love my fans and I am humbled when people reach out to me about how much I inspire them but this is just extreme. Please don’t get me wrong, call me, text me, tweet me and become my best friend on Facebook, I love and appreciate the gestures. Just don’t become THE STALKER.
Source:Highstreetmail
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