Immediately I entered the premises and saw the queue I was shocked. The first question that came to my mind was, “All of these people have to audition before it gets to my turn?” I wanted to go home. There was a program I had to attend in the evening. I didn’t want to spend the whole day there and miss that program. I was thinking; “Should I go or I should stay?” Finally, I decided to stay. 

I was wearing a face mask for two reasons; It was 2020 and Covid was a thing. I was protecting myself from covid and was also hiding from people who might know me. I didn’t want the news to get out there that I was on Date Rush even before it comes on TV. While seated and waiting for my turn, a gentleman came to sit next to me. You could see from his demeanour that he was also shocked about the numbers. He had a call and he started talking. I heard him say, “Charley, the crowd is not easy ooo. Today, I’ll leave here at midnight.” I didn’t hear what the person on the other side said but the guy responded, “Yes they are all coming for the program. I’m not the only lonely man on earth after all.” 

After he hang up the call, he asked me for a pen and I gave it to him. Later he asked me, “You’ve been here for long?” I nodded my head and turned away. He asked again, “Does the queue moves faster or it’s just like this since you came?” I answered, “I don’t think they’ve started. It’s been like this since I came.” He said, “Wow, then it’s going to be forever here.” I smiled under the mask but unfortunately, he didn’t see it. We went quiet. Once in a while, someone will come in and give announcements and people will do what they were asked to do.

I was sitting there thinking about my next move when this guy tapped on my shoulder. He said, “I’ll be back very soon. Guard my spot. I come after you, let everyone know that.” I took a critical look at him this time. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a ‘Dior’ inscription. I call myself tall but he was taller. He had muscles like someone who wakes up in the morning and spends all his day at the gym. I like his shoe but I didn’t like his belt. It looked old and was almost giving up. “How much does a belt cost that men don’t buy a lot of it? They all have one belt and they wear it until it gives up on them before they buy another one.”

When he came back I’d moved forward a bit but he was still not impressed. He said, “All this while you’re still here? I thought by now you’ll be the next person to enter.” I smiled again. He was missing a lot of smiles because of my mask. He sat down and started asking questions. There were three guys in front of me who were busily talking to each other but none of them said a word to me so I was happy this one was talking to me. He was helping me while away time and the conversation wasn’t that intrusive so I could engage him. He asked me, “Are you from Accra here or you are one of those people who travelled from far away just to be here?”

I removed my mask before I answered, “I’m in Accra here. I live in Labone so I didn’t have to travel far to be here.” Once he saw my face his demeanour changed. You could see he was very happy to see all of me. He started acting like the Lord of his territory, asking question after question. We laughed a lot. By the time we realized we were far gone into the conversation. When I got up, he guarded my spot and when he did, I did the same too. He asked my name and I said, “Comfort.” I asked his name and he said, “George.” Hours later, it was my turn. I went in and I came back to see him. He was like, “How did it go? Did you do well? What questions did they ask you?” 

I told him, “Don’t worry, you’re next so you’ll get to know very soon.” He asked for my number and I quickly gave it to him.” I left before he went in. I don’t know but something about the audition killed my interest in the show. I was sloppy because I was tense. It all came falling down when they asked me to dance. Yes I can move my body to a rhythm but the kind of dance people do on the show, I couldn’t do it. My sloppiness showed and I couldn’t wait to leave the audition. When I was leaving, I knew I wasn’t going to come back again even if I had a call. 

In the evening I had a call. He said, “This is George, the guy….” I concluded, “Yeah, George. How did it go? Did you do well?” He answered, “I think I did but the dancing part diɛ it’s only God.” I laughed. “If you don’t know how to dance then what are you going to do on the show? You want to embarrass yourself on national television?” We talked for over an hour. We had met only a few hours ago but we talked as if we knew each other for a very long time. The calls never stopped. When he couldn’t call, he texted. I got to know he worked with an estate firm and he was into facility management. I asked him, “You manage all these big facilities and you couldn’t manage a simple relationship?” He burst out laughing. He said, “She didn’t like me that much. I was the only one who was interested in the relationship so when I stopped watering it, she left us to die.” 

I told him about my past too. About Fiifi who left me because I wasn’t in his class any longer. I told him about my job as a personal assistant and told him about my life in general. One day he called to ask me, “Have you been called?” I answered, “Called for what?”  “Date Rush, have you forgotten?” He said. I answered,  “No I haven’t but I don’t think I’ll go even if they call me. I’ve lost interest. The courage that pushed me to register has left me.” I asked if he had been called and he said yes. That was a few days after the audition. He told me, “But I’m not going. I found you and that’s enough. Maybe, I came there so we’ll meet. I want to take my chances with you and see how it goes.” I asked, “George, is that a proposal?” He answered, “You can take it like that…We are both looking for love so why not?” 

“Go to the show. You’ll meet a lot of options. You’re a nice guy so the lights will stay on for you. They’ll all turn on their rush for you.”

“What about you? If we meet on the show, will your rush stay on for me?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about other women. Those who’ll come on the show.”

“I told you I’m not going, so tell me something.”

I said, “Unfortunately, this is not the show so you’ll give me time to think about it. We met not too long ago. Even if we met on the show and we ended up together, I still would have needed some time before something could build between us. Let’s give it some yards. I’m your facility now. Let’s see how you’ll manage me.”

It was a yes but not a complete yes and I was happy he understood me. We met days later. He came to my neighbourhood and we talked. He was looking like a man in love, looking at how he dressed and how he carried himself all evening. He wore a t-shirt over khaki trousers. He tucked in his shirt exposing his ancient belt. There was some truth in his demeanour so I trusted his words. I got carried away and decided to go all in and see where the tides will carry us. 

I visited his place in Santa Maria and I loved what I saw. It looked like a place for a man who understands how to utilize space. It was a small place but everything was where it was supposed to be. I asked him, “You arranged your place like this because I was coming here? You guys are like that. Your rooms only take shape when there’s a woman coming around. He laughed at the truth in my question and said, “Well, I did one or two clean up but it’s always like this here.” 

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That day we kissed. That same day he promised he’ll marry me if I give him the chance. “I’m thirty-three years old. What am I waiting for? Yes, I was waiting for a woman. You’re here now so there’s nothing else to wait for.” I told him the same thing. I was being careful. “If everything goes the way it’s going, I won’t have any problem settling down with you but you guys change quickly so let’s see.” 

That was in early 2021. We’ll close from work and meet in town, chill and go our separate ways. There were days I don’t close early. He’ll come and hang around until I close so he’ll take me away. Soon, my colleagues got to know him so whenever he came around, they gave him a chair at the reception and entertained him until I came down to see him. There’s an elderly woman in my office, Auntie Julie. One afternoon at lunch she asked if George would be coming around and I said yes. She told me, “Marry him. He’s a good person. I used to see this when I was growing up. Young men pursuing their love interest after being with them this long isn’t usual these days. He comes here every day to take you home. In today’s world that men see you today and find another woman tomorrow? Don’t lose him. He’s a good man.”

I took him home to meet my parents. It’s like three hour journey from Accra. We went there one Saturday and came the next day. When he spoke to my dad he spoke about marriage. He said, “I’m here today because very soon, I’ll come and perform all the rites so she’ll be my wife. Please advise her to say yes when the time comes. If I delay then she’s the reason for the delay.” My dad told him, “You can bypass her and come and do the marriage rite without her. I’ll accept it.” There was a burst of laughter. They were having fun while I was there asking myself what I did to deserve a man like him. 

We are not yet married but a lot has been done so far. We’ve done the knocking and we’ve started getting our things ready for marriage. There’s a huge project he’s in charge of and it’s outside town. He goes for weeks and comes for a few days and goes back. We are both patiently waiting for him to complete that project so we can get married afterwards. We don’t want to spend a day apart after marriage. All we want to do is stay in each other’s shadow and bask in the love we find in each other. 

He Left Me Because I Was Raised By A Single Mother–Beads Media

When I haven’t seen him in weeks he would call me and say, “Hey, is your rush still on for me?” I’ll say something like, “I’m turning it off if I don’t see you this weekend.” If I’m not going to see him, he’ll plead with me to keep my rush on because; “You’re the one I’m taking home no matter what.” 

I love where we are now as a couple. His absence teaches me a lesson in patience. When he’s around, I learn to appreciate his presence. I’m learning to live without him while keeping my rush on but when he’s around, it feels like a new love we are experiencing. I’m grateful for whatever carried me to that audition that day and I’m grateful he chose me even before the show started. When we end up married, we’ll always remember where it started and be grateful for where we are going. 

–Comfort

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