Fausty and I lived in the same neighborhood and attended the same Junior high school. We were in the same class for two years but we never talked to each other. I saw myself as someone inferior to her so I never got close to her. She was the daughter of a banker and while I was the son of a nobody. I didn’t even have what it took to be her friend.

After our BECE, my results were bad so I had to repeat JHS 3 and rewrite the exams. While I was doing this she went straight to SHS. She is from a Christian home so she joined SU (Scripture Union) when she went to school. By then I was an SU executive in my JHS. She was not in the boarding house so I still got the opportunity to see her from time to time.

From what I observed about her life, she didn’t have the freedom to make friends. She moved from her house to school, church, and the market. Those were the only places she went to. I had no romantic interest in her but I was curious enough about her to watch her.

God being so good, I gained admission to high school the next year. We were in the same school again, except this time around she was my senior. I joined a few religious groups on campus and realized she was also a member of those groups. I was very gifted spiritually so most of the people in the groups often came to me for counseling. One of those people was Fausty.

After so many years, I finally got the chance to talk to her but it had nothing to do with friendship. We were not even acquaintances. The only thing we talked about pertained to spiritual affairs.

Along the line, it was announced that the third-year students would write their WASSCE alongside the fourth-year students. Because of this, our classes were combined. This brought me closer to Fausty. Now we had more than spiritual affairs in common. We had WASSCE to prepare for. We formed some form of friendship but we never brought love or romantic interests into any of our conversations.

On our last day on campus, she approached me with a dream she had. She asked me to help her make meaning of it. We spent some time discussing the dream, and through that, we formed a bond. Before we said goodbye we exchanged contacts. I didn’t know if she was going to keep in touch with me but I hoped she would.

I was happy that the bond I felt between us was not a fluke. We became friends despite the differences in our social status. I was happy to spend time talking to her. And I know how much my presence in her life meant to her as well. The closer we got the stronger we felt about each other. We didn’t need a vision or divine revelation to know that we were in love.

Fausty and I discussed our feelings and decided to be a couple. We are both Christians so we laid down some ground rules. “We are in the world but we are not of the world. There will be no fornication in this relationship,” she said. “Of course not. We won’t even kiss,” I added. “Everything we do will be to the glory of God,” we agreed.

We had a plan to build a good future for ourselves. We would pursue careers while we do ministry work, and then we would get married and continue to do ministry work.

The first step to achieving our plans was to move to the city. Our move to Accra gave us the opportunity to see each other from time to time. And our love for each other was so strong that it was hard to stick to our rules. However, we did not allow our flesh to win over our spirit.

As time went on, Fausty gained admission to the university. While she was pursuing a degree, I was working as a trotro mate (bus conductor) for my brother. I too was hoping to gain admission to further my education but that never happened. I started to feel inferior to her again. I wondered if there were men in the shadows trying to snatch her from me.

The only thing that helped me keep my insecurities in check was the trust I had for her. So instead of worrying myself, I asked her if she had people approaching her on campus. And she opened up to me about all the pressures she faced and the strategies she adopted to overcome them. I felt so happy that although I had nothing, Fausty was faithful to me.

I was there one morning when she sent me GHC100. “What’s the money for?” I called to ask her. She answered, “Bishop, security forms are out so go and buy some. I bought the forms, and her father used his influence to help me get enlisted in the Police Service. This is how I became an officer of the law.

Her family didn’t know we were dating but they took me in and treated me like one of them. Her father became my Godfather. One time he called my dad and said to him, “Bishop is now my son.” With all this acceptance, the future we planned was as bright as the morning star.

I believe Fausty was the woman fashioned out of my ribs. She was my support system in everything I did. And I wanted more than anything to be her rock. However, some of us are more sinners than saints. I messed up so big that only a time machine can fix my mistake.

I allowed my libido to lead me into temptation. I went out and had shuperu outside our relationship. I did it only once and I felt so bad after it happened that I couldn’t face myself. For weeks, I was ridden with guilt. No matter how hard I prayed, I didn’t feel I was whole enough. A part of me wanted to tell Fausty what happened but I knew it would break her heart and I would lose her. I couldn’t stand for any of those things to happen so I kept quiet.

Unfortunately, my silence didn’t last forever. The girl I had the shuperu with got pregnant. She hid it for five months. Her family dragged me to hell and back for putting their daughter in the family way. I went to several family meetings in an attempt to handle things properly. In the end, the girl’s mother insisted that she has to move in with me. It was during the Covid-19 era, and I had to accommodate both the pregnant lady and her mother. All this while I kept Fausty in the dark. I acted as if I didn’t just crash our hopes and dreams for the future. And she trusted me so much that she never suspected a thing.

After a few months, I decided to break the news to her. “Is this some mean prank you are trying to pull on me?” That was the first thing she said. When I showed her that I was serious she went silent. I knew she hadn’t hung up because I heard her heart breaking on the other end. I couldn’t talk as my own heart was bleeding in my chest.

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The heavy silence between us broke when she started sniffing, and then she started sobbing. There were no words. She just cried until she hung up. To date, I pray that God forgives me for the tears she shed and the pain I caused her.

She didn’t talk to me for the next few days, and I perfectly understood her. I couldn’t say sorry enough. When she eventually called me she told me, “I trusted you more than anyone in this world and you hurt me. It’s not going to be easy to heal from this betrayal but I will heal. I just want you to know that you can still achieve your dreams. Take good care of yourself and your family. Be strong and never give up.” Even after everything I did, she still wanted me to do well. I have never been worthy of her.

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Time has passed and our lives have changed. I am trapped in a marriage with a woman I don’t love because of one slip-up. The woman I love is unmarried and unemployed. We were together for seven years and I am the only one who benefited from the relationship. All she got out of it was heartbreak.

I have tried to exploit all my connections to get her a job but I haven’t gotten anything so far. I won’t give up though. I will keep trying until I am able to repay her kindness somehow. I also pray that her next relationship will be with someone worthy of her.

—Bishop 

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