When I started my national service, Owusu was one of the few friends I made at the organisation. Unlike me, he was a permanent staff member. We got so close that everyone at our workplace said we were best friends. We didn’t really mind what they assumed. We just enjoyed each other’s company and focused on getting to know each other better.

After my national service ended, the company employed me. So Owusu and I continued to work together, except this time I was in a different unit. At this point, our friendship had blossomed into a beautiful love story. We were so in love, but we kept the nature of our relationship to ourselves. We let people continue to tag us as besties. They even encouraged us to date but we didn’t let them know that we were already there. “They don’t have to know that we are dating now,” we decided, “People ruin good things.”

Our relationship was near perfection. Owusu was everything I needed in a man. He was my dream man manifested. My heart felt full whenever we were together. And I loved him so much that it felt like my heart would burst open and overflow with our love. My parents him too. They were proud of me for bringing such a good man home. His family also loved me. They saw me as the kind of woman their son should marry and build a home with. All that was left for us to do was to save enough money and work out the perfect time to tie the knot.

I was already Mrs. Owusu in my head. We didn’t have any major fights until Kyeiwaa happened. Yes, that’s her name. She is one of our colleagues. I work with her in the same unit. We share the same office and even sit across from each other. I didn’t know she was even friends with Owusu until one evening after work when Owusu was down.

He wouldn’t sit still. Worry was etched into his face like a badly drawn tribal mark. His whole mood was unsettling. I asked him what was wrong but he didn’t want to talk at first. I kept pushing before he finally told me, “I gave my old phone to Kyeiwaa. I forgot to delete everything on it, and now she knows about us.” Still, I couldn’t find the correlation between his explanation and his anxious mood.

I asked him, “First of all, why did you give your phone to her? What’s the relationship between you two? Also, what does it matter that she knows we are dating? You are behaving as if it is the end of the world.” He explained that Kyeiwaa needed the phone for one of her relatives. It was an old phone he wasn’t using so I didn’t make a mountain out of it. However, he couldn’t give me any reason that made his worried demeanor make sense.

After that night everything changed. He introduced some strange rules into the relationship. He asked me not to call him after 8 pm. Our weekly visits stopped. We no longer met and hangout after work. This man would see me at work and walk by me without acknowledging my presence. He made it look like we were strangers. The only way I could talk to him was on the phone. Even with that, he wouldn’t answer my calls or return them. I resorted to visiting him without his consent. Every time I went to his house, he ignored me until I left.

As if his behaviour was not bad enough, Kyeiwaa started throwing shades at me at work. She would sing songs and stress on phrases like, “If a man doesn’t love you, just let him go. Don’t force yourself on him.” Words cannot describe the emotional torture I went through. Despite all of it, I was still fighting to get my Owusu back.

I was always in tears because of him. I lost weight drastically. The people who knew about the relationship kept asking what was going on. “Why is your boyfriend going all around town with another woman?” Their questions only worsened things for me.

Before all this drama started, a family friend told me about her cousin who was looking for a wife. “You will be good for him,” she said. I didn’t take her seriously but she was persistent so I asked her to give my number to him. Nana had my number but it took him three months to call. He first called in July 2016. I knew I wasn’t interested in him so I wasn’t even nice to him. I remember telling Owusu about him and we made fun of him.

Nana worked outside Accra but he was here every weekend. Anytime Nana came to Accra he asked to see me but I was so busy with Owusu that I didn’t encourage him. Somewhere in August, Nana came for a meeting close to my office and came to see me bearing birthday gifts. That was the last I saw of him until my relationship with Owusu started falling apart.

I needed a distraction from my heartbreak so I became open and nice to Nana. That was in October 2016. Nana is a man of few words so we didn’t talk much. And when he tried to see me on weekends, I gave him excuses. I was not ready to accept him fully yet. And a part of me held out hope that Owusu would come back.

Somewhere in November, Nana invited me to watch Uncle Ebo’s play with him. For the first time, I didn’t try to hide from him. I said yes. Before I went on the date, I officially ended things with Owusu. Early the next morning, he was at my house with a mouthful of apologies. “Don’t leave me,” he begged, “I will change.” My heart wanted to forgive him but my head kept reminding me of everything he put me through with Kyeiwaa.

So I went on the date with Nana. The plan was to meet him halfway but this man insisted on picking me up from home. We had a good time and went for dinner after the play ended. I liked his vibe but not in a romantic way. When he brought me home, I said thank you, and just when I was about to alight from his car he asked me to wait. He was silent for a while, and then popped the question; “Will you marry me?” I was shocked.

I looked at him from head to toe and muttered, “Are you serious? This is your second time seeing me.” He wore a serious expression when he answered, “As you can see, I am not playing. Think about it. You don’t have to give me a response right now.” Honestly, I found what he did to be an annoying and desperate move.

The next Monday I went to work hoping to see a difference between Owusu and Kyeiwaa but their bond kept growing. Her nasty attitude toward me also moved to a higher level. I was determined to resign for my sanity’s sake, but my confidant advised me not to. It was difficult but I held on.

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In the weeks that passed, Nana was determined to show me that he was serious about his proposal. When he was in Accra, it was all about me. He never left my side. He just kept filling the void in my heart that Owusu left. I don’t remember when I said yes to him, but in December 2016 he took me to Kumasi to meet his parents.

The day he took me home, Owusu came to my house to meet my absence. He begged my mum to apologise on his behalf. All she said to him was okay. The days that followed were my sunny days. As Owusu kept asking for a second chance and apologising for what he did wrong, I was busily preparing for my marriage.

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We performed the knocking rites in January and finally got married in August 2017. We are blessed with two beautiful children. My husband is the best man in the world. He is so supportive, caring, and loving. Every day I count my blessings, I count him many times. Ever since we met, he has made me a better person. Lots of blessings and opportunities keep coming our way.

Once in a while Owusu texts to check up on me. He keeps blaming himself for making me slip through his fingers. That’s his problem. I am perfectly happy with my family, especially now that we have relocated to Canada. I am forever thankful to our family friend who introduced us. I don’t even want to imagine how my life would turn out if it wasn’t for her. I am just sharing my story to let women out there know that good men still exist. And true love is love. I have seen it. I have touched it. I feel it every day.

—Blessed

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