Forget the past and move on

By Kemi Dayo-Aiyetan

TO think that this incident occurred three years ago! But, to Kelvin, the wound in his heart is still as fresh as when it happened. “In fact, I’m not ready to forget what happened now or ever,” he says, bitterly. At 34, he is single, and it seems he is not ready for any relationship and does not see any good in any woman.

“I sponsored my girlfriend of over eight years to the university and now I regret everything,” Kelvin recollects. “That was the mistake I made. Agatha must have met another younger person when she went to have her youth service and she became withdrawn. She would not call and anytime I did, she would hardly talk.
“When I discovered that she was seeing another man, she denied it, but told me that I was too old for her. So, I was too old when I helped her through school? I was too old when I helped her family members? I reported Agatha to her parents and they scolded her. Though she turned a new leaf, I knew her heart had left me. I tried all I could to get her back to me but to no avail.
“She finally dumped me for the younger man. Her parents could have forced her, but she was already pregnant and she refused an abortion. That was three years ago and I heard she has two kids now. I must confess that I don’t have an iota of respect for any woman and I don’t even know if I would get married.”
And Helen is probably in the same shoes. She is 35 and just had heartbreak a year ago. “I still don’t believe I would suffer this after all I did for Ben. We had been engaged and he had even chosen a date for our wedding. He was caring, loving and very generous. Suddenly, he said he did not like my fat body and insisted on a pregnancy before we got married. I promised to lose weight, but, on the pregnancy stuff, I stopped taking contraceptives but I never got pregnant,” she says.
“After six months of unsuccessful search, Ben called off the relationship. I almost went mad. I was on admission for a week. My mother thought I was dying and cried. I heard he is now married but where do I go from here? How many men would come for my hand in marriage? I am scared and even pray that Ben comes back.”
Frank and Frances were undergraduates and from the outset, they planned to get married. “But, recently, Frances came to me and called off the affair. Her reasons were: ‘It would take a longer time to get married since we would be in the labour market at the same time,’” he says.
“Aside from that, she said she discovered she no longer loved me. I thought this was a joke, but she stopped calling or even picking my calls. I begged her and even sent my friends to her but her answer remained the same. I must confess that I am dying and I went to check my last semester result and I failed some of my major courses. I could not read! My appetite for food dropped and if not careful, I could end up in the hospital for trauma treatment. Frances is my life and I don’t think I can live without her.