He calculates everything in cement. I changed my iPhone and he went, “You wasted all that money to buy a phone? Do you know how many bags of cement this would have bought?”

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He makes the same comment anytime there’s something that involves money. I asked for a date and he said he didn’t have money. I told him I would pay and took him out to a beach and bought a few drinks, which he enjoyed. When the bill came and he saw it, “Eiii, these few drinks cost over GHC400? Do you know how many bags of cement these would have bought?”

He’s putting up a small building on a piece of land his father gave him, and I understand it’s hard for a gentleman to do all that alone, but I don’t understand why he wouldn’t enjoy life because of that.

On my birthday, he gave me nothing. I was sad but not surprised, looking at how many bags of cement a gift for my birthday could buy. On his birthday, I decided to surprise him. I got him a perfume and a pair of sneakers. He took the wrapped box from me as if it meant nothing.

He opened it, took out the items, and lifted them to the sun as if to check whether they were original. He asked, “How much did you buy these for?” I responded, “It’s not about the money but the thought that counts.” He retorted, “If you wanted to do something that counts, then why didn’t you give me the money? Do you know how many…”

I concluded his statement for him, “…bags of cement this could have bought?”

His building is still at the foundation level. I don’t know when he’s going to complete that building so he can stop using that phrase, and I don’t know when he’s ever going to choose me over cement. I came because of love, but it looks like cement has taken over my place. I’m the next thing when there’s no need for cement, and I’m here asking, could this be love?

—Charis

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