I was selling in my mother’s shop when he walked in with his friend. I did not pay much attention to him until he looked at me and said, “I like your smile.” Those words echoed in my heart long after he was gone. I looked forward to seeing him again the next day but he never showed up. I did not see him in the days that followed either. Soon enough, school reopened and I left for school. The entire time I was in school I thought about this mystery guy who spoke fondly of my smile.
That very term I was appointed as the chaplain prefect. So I gave my heart to the things of God and forgot about everything else. My colleagues in school wouldn’t even let me stray just a little so it all worked out. Then school vacated and I came home. I thought I wouldn’t see my mystery guy again until he showed up at our shop one day. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him, and I could not stop myself from showering him with smiles. I found out his name is Akwasi.
Akwasi asked me to be his girlfriend but due to my position in school, I could not say yes. I told him, “To whom much is given much is expected. I am currently the chaplain prefect of my school, so it’s important that I live an exemplary life.” Akwasi responded, “What if I wait for you to complete school? Will it be acceptable for us to be together then?” I nodded, and he smiled.
With this in mind, I went about my duties in school and waited for time to pass quickly so I could be with my man. The day I was handing over my position to my successor I said to myself, “I have fought a good fight. I have finished my race. Now I get to go home and be in love.” Two months after I went home, he also finished his thesis defense and came home. I was so happy to finally see him again that when he asked me to go to a guesthouse with him, I agreed.
He said we were just going to talk but we didn’t do much talking. We ended up having shuperu that day. I was nineteen, and he was my first. He couldn’t believe it. “Eii Afia, I didn’t know you were a virgin.” I felt so proud of myself when he praised me. In retrospect, I realize that I was foolish to hand over my womanly pride on a silver platter like that. But can you blame me? I was a lovestruck teenager.
After that first encounter, I got pregnant. There was no room for an unplanned pregnancy in my life. I had to go to the university and chase my dreams. Motherhood was not in the books at all, so we got rid of the pregnancy. After that was settled, Akwasi became distant. Our conversations were ridden with questions. Questions like, “Akwasi, why didn’t you call me back? Did you see my call?” “Babe, did I do something wrong? Why do you ignore me?” “Akwasi, what is all this? Don’t you want me anymore?” These questions persisted for seven months.
When I could not take it anymore I went through his phone. What I found in there beat my expectations. Akwasi was dating seven other girls called Afia. One of them was someone he had told me was his ex. I was so shocked. To think that every time he posts “I love you, Afia.” Or “Afia, I miss you. I wish you were here.” He was not referring to only me. He makes such posts to address eight girls called Afia. I confronted him and he apologized immensely. What could I have done? He was my first love. I didn’t know any better at the time. So I gave Akwasi a second chance and we started afresh.
While we were working on rebuilding our trust, it came up that Akwasi’s ex, Afia, was pregnant with his child. I asked him how it happened and he said, “You don’t have to worry. This happened before you found out about her. The only thing between us now is the child. I swear it.” I was not happy about it but I chose to stay with him through it all.
Along the line, Afia miscarried the pregnancy. I sympathized with her but I also looked forward to us leaving everything in the past. As I planned for us to forge ahead, Akwasi got involved with Afia again. The next thing I knew, she was pregnant for him again. His sisters took the pregnant girl’s side and they would all gang up and insult me. It occurred to me at that point that Akwasi brought nothing but chaos into my life. I decided to choose my peace of mind and walk away from him.
I am not going to lie; I cursed him when I left him. I did not leave his sisters out. How can JHS dropouts insult an undergraduate because of love? They were not the ones who betrayed me but I cursed them too. I prayed and told God that they will never be happy in life. And I am happy to announce that the curse is working on Akwasi’s life. Things are not working for him. He is living a miserable life and I do not regret it one bit that I am the one who cursed him so.
As for his sisters, I am yet to see the curses manifest in their lives but it will happen. They will all have a taste of what their brother did to me. It’s just a matter of time before they all gnash their teeth in anguish for the pain and ridicule they unleashed upon me.
Don’t think that I am a bitter woman who is stuck on her ex, no. I have moved on. Eight months after Akwasi, I found myself in a friends-with-benefits situationship. Things were going well until the guy wanted to have a serious relationship with me. I would have given him a chance but he has trust issues. I don’t know who hurt him but I refused to allow him to bleed on me. After my experience with Akwasi, I have vowed not to allow any man born of a woman to stress my life. So I cut off the guy.
I am single now but I am in a better place. I am in love with myself, and I am experiencing peace and joy. I am not saying no to love from men, far from it. I know that if I meet a man worthy of me, I will give him a chance. After all, I am the prize. Win me if you can.
– Afia
