I moved from Ghana to Canada a while ago. I wanted to live in a new environment, and further my education. Of course, I looked forward to tapping into all the opportunities around me. Like most people, all I wanted was a better life for myself. It was only when I moved to Canada that I realized living abroad is not as rosy as it seems.

I spent the first two months of my stay here living with a good Samaritan who took it upon themselves to take me in. After two months, I decided to move out and face my fate. Unlike back home, I couldn’t risk overstaying my welcome. That’s why I was out as soon as I got my first job. It was a restaurant job but I was still excited about it. Before I got it, I had sent out about fifty resumes and heard nothing back. I was even beginning to get depressed.

After work, my boss decided to drop everyone off at home because it snowed that day. I lived further away from the other girls so I was the last person he dropped off. We started having a conversation when it was left with the two of us in the car. “Which places have you visited since you moved to the city?” he asked. I shrugged, “I haven’t gone anywhere. I am in school, and the assignments are so demanding that I haven’t had time for a social life.” I didn’t expect it but when he offered to show me around town, I accepted it.

My boss is a very handsome man who looks younger than his age. He is always neatly dressed. That aside, he is kind-hearted, very respectable, and a complete gentleman. He knows how to treat and talk to people in a way that makes them feel special. He is black but not a Ghanaian.

He showed me a lot of beautiful places that night and we had deep conversations about our lives. I enjoyed his company so much. The next day he offered to pick me up to work, and I did not hesitate to say yes. My first week at work was pleasant because of him. Even when I was no longer new, he continued to text me day and night, to check up on me and keep me company. Then he would pick me up for work and drop me off.

Our closeness stirred up romantic feelings in me. He felt it too. Within a month, we started seeing each other. It all happened so fast. That’s how love works, I suppose. You can’t control when it happens. We only hope for the best when it does.

He was so caring and kind to me. “Look at how much this man makes me happy. If I knew I was going to meet him, I would have moved to Canada earlier,” I thought. During the Christmas holidays that year, I was with him. Yes, I know we were moving so fast but can you blame us? We were in love.

While I was at his place, I noticed he had an extra room that wasn’t in use. My roommates were Indians who also happened to be strict vegetarians. I eat meat so sometimes we clashed over food choices. It made my stay at my apartment uncomfortable. That’s why I saw Ben’s extra room as a solution to my problem.

Although he was already my boss and my boyfriend, I convinced him to be my landlord as well. “Your place is cheaper and more peaceful than my apartment. Why don’t you rent out your extra room to me?” I asked him. He agreed and I moved in on the 15th of the next month.

I worried that if we moved in together, it would suffocate our love but it rather gave it more life. We had a lot of fun. I cooked for him whenever I had the time, and I always enjoyed doing it. We did many crazy things together. It wasn’t easy combining work, and school but I made it look as simple as ABC. I even took on more roles at the workplace.

I helped Ben with the restaurant. I was working in the kitchen, running errands though I don’t drive, and providing courier services. I was doing more than I was getting paid for. That’s because, this time, I did them as a girlfriend supporting her man. When I realized how much I was investing, I asked him why he wasn’t married but had kids. “Do you have any intentions of settling down?” I didn’t want to do wife duties for a man who wouldn’t wife me.

He told me everything about his life. “Of course, I want to get married. I have just been waiting to meet a beautiful African princess like you.” A spark ignited in my heart when he said this. We became so close after we had this conversation. He introduced me to his close friends but not his family members or any of his employees. When I asked him about it he said, “I am a private person so I don’t open up my life to just anyone.” This was his family we were talking about. I believed he knew them best so if he didn’t want them involved in our relationship then I had to be understanding.

During the winter season, business became very slow. He needed financial assistance to keep the restaurant running. I had a good credit score, while his card had maxed out. So he suggested that I take another master card to help him out. “I will pay the bills every month,” he promised. I thought about the fact that he helped me pay my school fees when I delayed payment. Besides, we were already living together. “If I can help things run smoothly, why not?” I said as I agreed to get the card.

At some point, I considered switching schools. That’s because my fees were expensive, and I wasn’t earning enough to cover the cost. I also didn’t want to bother my parents to send me money for fees. I looked into two schools close to where I lived. One was cheaper and it came with a post-graduate work permit but an initial deposit of $10000. The second school was a bit more expensive. Although the payment plan was flexible, it had no PGWP.

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There was no way I could afford that initial deposit the cheaper school required. When I discussed it with Ben he said he would do anything to help me. “Even if I have to marry you to sponsor you with permanent residence, I will do it so that you can choose the school with the flexible payment plan.” It wasn’t a bad idea. We were already cohabitating, doing what married couples do. So why not take it a step further and actually get married?

We planned to have a small ceremony; just the two of us and a handful of witnesses. “We will have the proper wedding later,” we both agreed. “I have a one-year visa with no means of extending it. This marriage will give me the security I need to chase my dreams here,” I said as I convinced my parents to agree to the marriage. They did.

I Discovered He Had Another Woman But I Couldn’t Leave Him

Just as our relationship moved fast, our marriage did too. We were in our sixth month together as a couple at the time we were getting married. It was a sweet and beautiful affair. I couldn’t believe it. Sure, it was a marriage of convenience but it was also every bit a marriage of my dreams. I had, after all, gotten married to the man I love. All those years I spent in Ghana experiencing one heartbreak after the other, only to be swept off my feet and wifed by a wonderful man less than one year of my stay abroad.

By all standards, I should be living in marital bliss, right? Well, it was after our marriage that all the fire turned to ash. I will bring you the rest of my story soon.

—Jess

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