got admission to study PhD Economics at the University of Delaware where my sister’s hubby, Prof Busby Attoh-Okine, was a professor in the Civil Engineering Department. As I commenced my program in Spring 2001, instead of Fall 2000, I was not eligible for a merit based financial aid for that academic year. Fortunately, Prof Busby came to my rescue by offering me a research assistant role at his department that made me qualify for a tuition waiver. That was a life saver! Living with Sista Becks and her family for that spring semester and the summer holidays made us connect way more than I had imagined. On her off nights, we would stay up late at night just chit-chatting with our “Mickeys.” Sista Becks became my guardian, my closest buddy, confidant, and mother figure. Despite our closeness, she demonstrated tough love and taught me two valuable lessons: a sense of responsibility and not to have a sense of entitlement. On the lesson on responsibility, Sista Becks wanted me to build my credit history, so she guaranteed that I would get access to a credit card during my early months in the US. It didn’t take long for her to frequently see packages by the front door of her home when she returned fromwork in the mornings. As a Registered Nurse (RN) back then, she usually worked night shifts. I have always loved fashion and felt like I had a significant wardrobe deficit that desperately needed to be resolved. So, with my new buddy, my credit card, I was kind of getting addicted to online shopping. One fine afternoon, I was in a queue to make payment for clothes I had purchased at Macy’s in Newark, Delaware. I gave my credit card to the attendant only for the transaction to be rejected multiple times. The embarrassing part was that there were a couple of young ladies on campus right behind me waiting “patiently” to be attended to. It took a while for it to dawn on me that my sister may have put a hold on my credit card. I was initially livid from the embarrassment, but after some introspection, I understood why she took that action. We had a constructive discussion later, and we agreed that a sizable percentage of my monthly stipend would go directly to her for safekeeping, considering my penchant for shopping. Not surprisingly, by the end of that Summer, I had moved out of her house and into my own apartment, as well as purchased my first used car and a sound system! That’s Sista Becks right there: kind to a fault, but she won’t tolerate nonsense! Sista Becks and Joe Bee 25
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