TERO MANDEM Subtitle: From Street Boss to Saved Soul

Chapter 8 – Part 1: Deep Waters

I never meant to fall that hard.

At first, Ruby was just another beautiful face in the crowd — long curly hair, smooth caramel skin, the kind of presence that made rooms slow down when she walked in. But there was something deeper, something beyond the way her laughter danced in the air. It was the way she looked at me, like she saw through the tattoos, the rough speech, the secrets. And it scared me.

We met during one of our shows at the University of Ghana. She wasn’t like the girls who came backstage screaming our names. Nah. She just stood in the corner, arms folded, sipping malt, watching. When our set ended, she walked up to me — calm, no smiles, no games.

“You rap well,” she said. “But I can tell you’re not just about the music.”

I laughed. “What else am I about then?”

She tilted her head. “Trouble.”

I should’ve walked away. Should’ve kept it surface. But something about Ruby made me want to open up, even if just a little.

We started talking — every day, late nights on the phone, early texts, long walks around Labone and Osu. She showed me a world where the air wasn’t always heavy, where silence didn’t mean danger. She talked about books, travel, God… She even made me watch movies without guns in them. That was a first.

And I… I let her into my world bit by bit. Well, the part that looked clean. She never knew about Gavuna, the stabbings, the dirt under my fingernails. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her. She was pure — not weak, just untainted. And I couldn’t afford to stain her.

But love doesn’t care for secrets. It grows wild — and so it did.

By the third month, Ruby had met Problem and O Don. She even laughed at Biggie’s dry jokes and helped Lovelone fix up his broken headphones. I kept thinking, maybe this could work. Maybe I didn’t have to be that street guy forever.

One night, after a long studio session, she pulled me aside.

“Tero,” she said softly, “I love you.”

My chest tightened. I looked at her like she had just handed me a loaded gun.

“Don’t say that unless you mean it.”

She smiled. “I do.”

I kissed her. Not like those club kisses. This was slow. Real. The kind that makes your demons back off for a second.

That night, I told myself — I’m marrying this girl.

But deep down, I also knew that truth has a way of rising, no matter how deep you bury it.

Chapter 8 – Part 2: When Love Meets Fire

The days after Ruby said “I love you” were different.

I started thinking about things I never cared about before — savings, marriage, a clean future. She was the calm in the chaos I had built for myself. For the first time, I was writing verses that weren’t about war or betrayal. I was writing about her.

But love, real love, can’t live in a lie forever.

It started one night when Ruby was supposed to surprise me at the studio in Mataheko. But instead of the normal session, that day Gavuna had shown up with heat. We were packing product. Kul and Lovelone were in the corner rolling loud. Problem had just come in from a run — bags full of cash, hands dirty.

I didn’t even hear the door open.

“Tero?”

Her voice cut through the smoke and silence.

Heads turned.

Ruby stood there frozen. Her eyes scanned the room — the drugs, the guns, the gang. And then they landed on me.

She didn’t say a word. She turned around and walked away.

I chased after her like my life depended on it. Maybe it did.

Outside, I grabbed her wrist. “Ruby, wait—”

She pulled back hard. “Don’t touch me, Tero! Don’t you ever touch me again.”

“Let me explain—”

“Explain what? That you’re a gangster? That I fell in love with a criminal?” Her voice cracked. “All this time… you lied to me.”

I wanted to break down. But I couldn’t — not on the street.

“I did it to protect you.”

“You lied to me to protect yourself.”

She left in an Uber. No hug. No kiss. Just a shattered silence.

For two weeks, I didn’t hear from her. Nothing. Not a text. Not a like on I*. The boys tried to cheer me up — but even O Don could tell, something in me had died.

Then came the storm.

One Saturday morning, I was chilling at our corner spot when Lovelone ran in.

“Bro, you dey hear the matter?”

“What?”

“Ruby ein poppy find out. Her old man. Big lawyer for East Legon. He vex. Bro say he go destroy you.”

The air got colder.

I knew this day would come — but not like this.

The next week was hell. I had spies tell me Ruby’s father had filed reports. He wanted me arrested. He even contacted the police commissioner. MMS name started trending for the wrong reasons.

Ruby called me finally — voice shaking.

“My dad found everything. He wants me to cut ties with you… or he’ll disown me.”

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Part of me wants to run into your arms. But another part of me… is scared.”

“Ruby, I love you. And I’ll walk away from everything for you. The gang, the streets, all of it.”

She went quiet.

“You mean that?”

“I do. I’ve done madness in this life. But the only real thing I’ve ever had… is you.”

She sighed. “Then prove it.”

⸻

That night, I sat the gang down. Told them everything. Told them I wanted out.

Problem threw a bottle at the wall.

“So you wan leave because of woman?”

“This not just ‘woman,’ bro. She’s everything.”

O Don rubbed his chin. “You really love her like that?”

“More than the gang?”

I looked at all of them. “Nah. I love her enough to make the gang better. Cleaner. Bigger than crime. Bigger than the street.”

It was a gamble.

But that’s when something unexpected happened. Kul stood up.

“Then let’s change the game. Let’s go legit.”

And just like that — a new chapter began to form.

But Ruby’s dad wasn’t done.

Not even close.