Four months ago I did a lab test in one of the medical facilities in Accra. After the test, I had to wait for a while for the results. I was seated on one of the chairs dozing off when the gentleman who did the test came to tap on my shoulder. He said, “If you live around you can go home, rest, and come later in the day for the results or if you have something to do, you can go ahead and do it and come back later.” He took my number; “I will give you a call when the results are ready.”

I left the facility knowing very well that I wasn’t coming back that very day. He called in the evening around 4pm that the result was ready. I told him, “I would come for it tomorrow. Where I am now, if I decide to come there, you’ll be closed by the time I get there.” He said, “You can still come. We close in the evening.” I said, “Ok then, I’m on my way.”

I didn’t go. I was there the next morning. I didn’t see the gentleman around so I called his phone. He said, “I would be there shortly so you wait for me.” Ten minutes later he was there. He gave me the results and I left the facility. Two days later, he called me. He asked, “I thought you would come back again.” I asked, “Was I supposed to come back?” He said, “I thought you’ll come and say hi to me.” I said, “Oh, that one? Don’t worry, anytime I’m around the vicinity, I’ll pass by and say hello.”

We became friends. He’ll look at my status and send his comments. When I also bumped into his status, I sent him a comment. He called. We talked. I called sometime and we talked. We had become friends. One day, I was at the office when I received a lunch delivery. He called; “I hope you enjoy the meal.” I said, “Awww that’s very thoughtful of you.” He took it upon himself to send me lunch every afternoon. I’ll eat and give him a review. He’ll ask me; “Yeah or naah?” I will say something like, “It’s just an Ok food but I wouldn’t like to eat it again.” 

One day he said, “You sound like someone who knows how to cook. Why don’t you cook something and invite me over?” So one Sunday afternoon, I prepared rice balls and palm nut soup and invited him. He ate while we talked. From all indications, he was enjoying the food. He asked, “Did you cook it yourself?” I said, “I called the angels from heaven to deliver it to me.” We both laughed while we teased each other.

A week afterward, he became my boyfriend. 

He came around my house whenever he closed from work. When he wasn’t too tired, he’ll drive us to the next restaurants for us to get food. He looked into my eyes and told me I was the most beautiful girl he had ever dated. I asked him one day, “The day you took my number. Was it your intention to make me your girlfriend?” He answered, “You looked miserable when you were dozing off in the chair. I thought of making things easier for you. I fell for you the next morning when you came around.” I asked, “What made you fall for me?” He said, “You carry a certain grace I haven’t found in a woman. The way you talk and the way you make jokes out of things.”

I fell deeper that day looking at him speak from the depth of his soul. That day, he didn’t go home. He spent the night at my place. Emotions took over. We succumbed to the will of our flesh. That night, he said, “I will do everything possible to own you forever.” I said, “Don’t beat yourself up. You don’t have to prove anything. I chose you and it’s you I would love to settle down with.”

One afternoon, I went to visit him in his house. Immediately he saw me, he asked, “Where’s your mask?” I joked, “If I wore one, how would you kiss me?” He said, “Naaa, this is not an issue to joke with. When I realized he was serious about it, I pulled a box of nose masks from my bag and showed it to him; “I have it. The Uber driver had his mask on so I didn’t think my life would be in danger.” The visit turned awkward. He didn’t talk to me the way he used to. I asked if he was still angry. He said, “Never worry.”

He didn’t laugh and he didn’t talk much until I left his place. 

When I got home, I called him but he didn’t pick. I called again in an hour’s time and he still didn’t pick. I sent him a message; “I hope you’re alright? You’ve not answered my calls.” He responded almost immediately, “I’m not alright. What you did today was dangerous.” I thought he was blowing the whole thing out of proportion. I said, “Dear, you’re being too hard on me for something this little. I’ve already explained things to you. You should understand me. I’ve even apologized. What else do you want me to do?”

He said, “If you can’t take something as little as wearing a mask seriously, how can you handle a whole relationship leading to marriage? How can you? The way I am, I take things seriously and I want a woman who also takes things seriously but you, you joke with everything including your own health.”

I’d met this guy on several occasions and at different places. Not once did I see him wearing one. All the times he came to my house, he never wore one so I was at a loss. I asked him, “Is this a new resolution? Because I’m lost. You’ve never done anything to indicate that wearing a mask was important to you so why now?”

He stopped chatting. 

I called, he didn’t pick. I called again and he didn’t pick. The next morning, he sent a message; “I can clearly see that both of us believe in different things when it comes to safety. It’s not pride and I’m not angry. It’s about the most important things in life and I can’t overlook them. It’s better we both go our separate ways. Thank you for everything”

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I should have been angry or sad or brokenhearted but guess what…after reading the message, I burst out laughing. I didn’t even think he was worthy of a response so I left the message hanging. In the afternoon, he texted again, “You don’t have anything to say?” I still didn’t respond. Then he called. He called again and again. I didn’t pick. He came to Whatsapp; “So you’re online and wouldn’t respond to my messages? It’s obvious you didn’t take us seriously.” I still didn’t respond.

The next day he called with another line. When I picked, he asked, “So you’re intentionally ignoring me?” I asked, “Please who is this?” He breathed heavily and hang up the call. Going through a silly breakup like this was hard. I wasn’t going to make it any harder on myself by responding to silly messages and calls. We dated for four months and I never did him any wrong but he walked away and was expecting me to dignify him with a response?

I didn’t.

Guess what…He’s been in my DM for the past month asking me for a second chance. Just yesterday, he posted me on his status asking that I give him a second chance. I didn’t watch it but he sent me a screenshot when he realized that I wasn’t going to watch his status. I told him, “Send me a screenshot of people who viewed the status.” He didn’t read my message until hours later when he came to respond, “It’s gone off my status now.” 

He had spoken to everyone telling them to plead on his behalf but I tell them, “If he’s the only man on earth, I will choose to date a tree than to date him.

—Sadia

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