Denis was already planning to go abroad when he came into my life. He had already gone to the embassy twice and twice he had been bounced. He talked about it bitterly and used all his day visiting connection men trying to get them to help him. It didn’t work out for him. When we started dating, I told him, “If you want to live your life abroad, you just have to be patient. If you try to force your way, you would always waste money and be disappointed in the end.” He said, “This country is hot. I need to get away from here. I have the qualification yet no work.”

His passion got to me so I introduced him to a guy who helped a friend of mine to travel to New Zealand. After dealing with him for a month or so he came to tell me, “That your guy is very authentic. I think he can help me get there.” I said, “He can. So, let him help.”

He came around, always dreaming of when he would finally leave. He said, “I wish you would leave with me the day I leave. I don’t want our children koraa to be born here.” Apart from his desire to leave the country, his love for me was so pure. He called every day. He came to see me often. He didn’t have so much but he tried to shower me with gifts. I loved him with my all because his dreams got me excited.

One day he came around. He said, “I need money. The guy is asking me to pay him to start the process but I don’t have much.” I gave him what I had and told him to make good use of it.” He kept me informed. Sometimes I went with him to the guy who was helping us. Some days, the guy would even call me and tell me what we needed to do before he even communicated it to my Denis. We were a team trying to achieve a common goal.

After series of interviews and filling of forms, he finally got the nod to leave. By that time, he had nothing left on himself apart from his dream that he carried everywhere. I went to my mom and asked her to give me a loan. When she asked what I needed the loan for I said, “I lost all money to Mensgold and now my landlord is after me. I need money or else my things would be thrown outside.” As a caring mom, he couldn’t watch her daughter to be thrown outside so he gave me the money. I took GHC6,500 from my mom and gave it to him. I didn’t even count the money.

He was grateful. He was teary the day I gave him the money. He said, “God brought you my way and you’re my lucky charm. I’ve tried this for so long but wasn’t successful but immediately you came into the picture, look at where I am.” He was holding back his tears. I said, “It’s alright. Just be good. That’s all I want from you.”

When he got there he sent me photos of the airport. He said, “You see beauty? That’s why you have to be here with me. This is the country we deserve to live in.” I laugh and said, “Don’t be consumed by the beauty. Work hard. We have dreams to achieve.”

A month later, his calls started dwindling. He’ll call today and call again ten days later. His excuses were about work. Sometimes, he will call at dawn. If I don’t pick, I won’t hear from him again until days later. He kept talking about hardship and how rent takes everything away from him. I said, “I’m praying for you. Your heart is on this so I know you’ll be successful.” I never complained about his disappearing act. Never. But one day, he disappeared and never called again.

I kept calling his line, it never went through. His WhatsApp line never worked. I got so worried because I thought he had been arrested or something. I called his junior brother and he also confirmed that they haven’t heard from him for a while. I prayed each night for him. I even fasted for him. Asking God to keep him safe wherever he was. One month, two months, three months later I couldn’t sit still again so I went to their house and spoke to his mother.

I asked, “Mom, Denis is my friend but for a while now I haven’t heard from him. I’m worried that maybe something might have happened to him. Do you hear from him?” She asked, “Who are you that you are worried about my son?” I said, “He’s my friend.” She asked, “What kind of friend?” I said, “I was with him when he was here.” She wasn’t convinced but she said, “I spoke to him just this morning. We talk often. If you are his friend indeed, you should know his whereabouts.”

I said in my head, “So he’s ok and wouldn’t talk to me?” I told her, “When next he calls, tell him Mansa came to ask of him.” I left quietly so my heartbreak doesn’t make a sound. I kept trying his number as if I didn’t know it won’t go through. I kept sending him messages every day as if I didn’t know those messages won’t be read. I checked his social media feed all the time and the only thing I saw was the post he made when he was in Ghana.

READ ALSO: She’s Paying Me Back With Evil After Taking A Loan To Send Her Abroad

I was trying to get over him when one day my friend sent me a screenshot of a Facebook profile. She said, “I saw this profile at ‘People You May Know’ and it has your guy’s name and image and it’s even stated that he’s from Canada and lives in Canada. Check it out.” I typed the name and didn’t see the account. I used someone’s account to check it and it was there. I said, “So he created a new account and blocked me?”

I thought I’d healed but knowing what he had done brought back all the pain. I cried all day. I told my friend to send him a friend’s request so she can monitor his page. My friend sent him a request. The following day, she searched the profile and it didn’t exist. She had chopped block. That brought me the needed closure. At least, I knew where my stand was. “He talks to his mother. He has a new Facebook account. This only means one thing. He had moved on and doing everything to keep me in his past.”

I told myself never to cry over him again but I saw myself checking on him every now and then, hoping he had opened the messages I sent. One day, I took a friend’s phone, went on Facebook, and searched for his name. When I found it, I sent him this message, “This is me Mansa. You can run but you can’t run forever. One day, something will make you stop. You’ll raise your head and see me right at the point where you stopped. You think it’s for nothing that the earth rotates? Wait and see.”

He read the message and the next thing he did was to block my friend’s account. I breathed in deeply. I told myself, “I won’t do anything to him but that message he read from me would haunt him forever. I made a mistake but my mistake wasn’t because I helped him. I helped the wrong guy, that was my mistake.

–Mansa

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