He said: Hi, how are you? I will be in your city next month.

She said: Splendid! I am looking forward to seeing you again. He was an old friend from her childhood, and she had not seen him in more than two decades. It would be nice to catch up.

He said: Can I officially be your guest?

She said: Yes, you can. But she is thinking, is that a good idea? Does your wife know you plan to be the guest of a female friend who is unmarried?

He said: What is your living space like?

She said: It’s a two-bedroom flat and nothing massive like you’re used to.

He said: I can work with that. So, what will the sleeping arrangement look like?

She said: Oh, you can have my bedroom, I’ll just move into my daughter’s bedroom. It’s the usual practice when we have house guests.

He said: I don’t like uprooting my hosts from their norms.

She said: Oh, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.

He said: Would you be uncomfortable or is it the impression on your daughter? By now she knew where he was going.

She said: It’s neither. It’s that I am not available, and neither are you. Is he really proposing to come and sleep with me under my roof?

He said: True. I respect that. But how will he feel if you hosted me?

She said: I intend to host you as an old friend visiting town, and before God and man, there is nothing else in my heart, so I have no problem.

He said: If I was he I would not be comfortable with it. She had had enough; it was time to stop the foolishness

She said: Duke, I think that I am now over my initial surprise and anger and in a better frame of mind to set the record straight. When I said that I am not available, I did not say that I have a man in my life, you assumed that. When I said I am not available; I simply meant that just because I do not have a man in my life is not an indication that I want one. I am not looking for a man, and I certainly do not want one who thinks he can take advantage of my being single to have a little fun on the side while away from the wife for a few days. I am not a plaything for you or any man to amuse himself with. I am a woman who left a marriage empty-handed and by the grace of God has been able to build a decent life for herself and her daughter and I am using my story to inspire and empower other women to do same. That you would disrespect me by suggesting a fling under my roof and in front of my daughter strips you of any respect I had for you. Please do not contact me again as I do not wish to have your kind in my life as a friend or acquaintance.

Ladies, you are no man’s plaything. You are dignified women. Carry yourselves with dignity always.