Abandoned Love

To what extent can one be bound by obligation? It was so close that it brought me to the altar. It is either a fairy tale or a sign of insanity to get married to the boy you started dating when you were fifteen. In our first year together as freshmen in high school, Francis James and I began dating. We went through a parent's passing, a divorce, proms, and potential pregnancy scares together as we grew up. I had a lot of love for Francis, despite the fact that I was aware that our relationship lacked any sort of passion. He was comparable to a reliable confidante and a close friend. But what about the one who completes me? I had my doubts about it. I had the preconceived notion that college would be the cause of our estrangement from one another. I had been offered a scholarship to attend the University of Port Harcourt, and I decided to take it. Francis, on the other hand, decided to remain in Niger State and attend the university there. Francis did not end up attending the same college as I did despite the fact that he tried very hard to do so. However, the University of Port Harcourt did not accept him, and I must admit that a small part of me was secretly relieved by this news. In Port Harcourt, I have the opportunity to reinvent myself and become a different person. I was sick and tired of being dull. Janet Mike; dependable daughter, straight-A student, church volunteer. On the other hand, I failed to account for Francis's dogged determination and persistence. Despite the fact that we had each other's word that we would keep our promise to call and visit regularly, Port Harcourt was a lengthy and expensive flight away. I seriously doubted that it would really take place. I was unaware that Francis had been secretly stashing away his earnings from the summer jobs he had held, with the goal of amassing sufficient funds to be able to pay me a monthly visit. And I was underwhelmed by the overall experience of my first year of college. I imagined that I would transform into a fascinating new person, surrounded by exciting new friends and opportunities for exciting new experiences at every turn. On the contrary, I came to the conclusion that I was still the same Janet Mike. Even after that, I could be relied on. I was maintaining my perfect grade point average. I continued my work as a volunteer at the local church. It eventually became more convenient to stick with what was familiar. Francis did not experience any discomfort. He was dependable, just like me. Therefore, when he suggested that I move back to Niger State after graduation and take a job in Abuja so that we could start our lives together, I agreed to do so. He suggested that I move back to Niger State after graduation and take a job in Abuja. I had a satisfactory amount of happiness for a period of three years. Everyone else looked up to us and envied our relationship. We both enjoyed our jobs and took pleasure in residing in an up-and-coming neighborhood in Niger State, which was located just outside of Abuja. We didn't argue very often, and I truly believed that Francis would be the man I would spend the rest of my life with. Because of this, I was overjoyed when he asked me to marry him on my twenty-fourth birthday by hiding a ring inside of my birthday cake. I happily accepted his proposal. My life seemed to be going in the right direction. On the other hand, as the date of the wedding drew closer and closer, I began to get the sensation that I was suffocating. We had every single detail of our life planned out before us. At a reputable financial company, Francis held the position of analyst and was well on his way to being promoted to manager. I was working as a marketing executive at an advertising agency, and we anticipated that I would continue working there for the next few years before we started a family. Then I would be a mother who stays at home with her children. I made an effort to subscribe to the vision, but as time went on, I came to the conclusion that the planned out life was not the primary source of my unhappiness. It was the person I envisioned myself devoting the rest of my life to. Francis didn't like to travel. He enjoyed lounging around the house and watching television. Our s****l life consisted of nothing more than a chaste kiss every day and an obligatory roll in the hay once every couple of weeks at the most. I was brought to tears by his boredom, and I'm sure I did the same to him. Despite this, whenever I questioned him about how satisfied he was with our relationship, he insisted that he could not be happier with us. My uncertainty increased as we moved further along in the process of planning the wedding, but it was getting harder and harder for me to consider canceling the ceremony. To make things easier for Okoye, I had already distributed the invitations. What kind of rude behavior would it be to have to decline an invitation to a wedding? Consequently, I went along with the process of selecting our wedding cake, listened to a variety of bands, and had lengthy and drawn-out conversations about which caterer to use. Right up until the night of my bachelorette party. Going to Kaduna as a group was the obvious choice, so that's what my girlfriends and I did. We gambled away our money on the slot machines, drank ourselves into oblivion, and shrieked with embarrassment and glee at the Chippendale dancers. On the very last night of our trip, my best friend Patricia and I went out to a club where we sat at a table by ourselves while the rest of our friends danced on the dance floor. She came up behind me and asked, "Can you believe you're getting married in a little under a month?" as she leaned over to speak to me. My response was a negative. It was so unbelievable to me. I didn't want to believe it. I simply couldn't spend the rest of my life being monotonous and predictable. Janet Mike. It was extremely self-centered of me. It was a terrible thing for me to do. But I was aware that by doing this, I was sparing Francis and myself from a life that would be mind-numbingly dull together. As a result, I canceled it. Francis was one of the first people I saw when I got back to our apartment after my trip to Kaduna. I sat him down in the living room. The one that we had spent months decorating together by going to estate sales and flea markets and attempting to restore pieces of furniture ourselves in order to save money on the endeavor. It brought to mind that despite the fact that our life together had been full of monotonous moments, there had also been beautiful moments. Together, we enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere. However, being comfortable was no longer sufficient for me. Francis had been shocked and devastated when I had explained the reasons why we didn't belong together, that we were no good for each other, and that our relationship was unhealthy. He was confused as to where this information was coming from. He had the impression that I had been content all these years. And while there was a portion of me that had been content, it simply wasn't enough. The coaxing and tears of Francis were not enough to sway my decision. I had already decided what to do, and I wasn't going to change my mind. I was relieved even though it was embarrassing to call off the wedding and return all of the presents that had been given. I had the impression that I had barely gotten away with it. Moving to Lagos was the next step in my plan to get away from everything. I was going to be working there as an executive assistant, and I had accepted the position. It was several steps below my position in Abuja, but I was grateful for anything that would get me out of Niger State and away from the scandal of a jilted groom. Specifically, I was grateful for anything that would get me out of Niger State. Since I had already sold my car in Niger State, I decided to take the train to Abuja instead of driving there. In Lagos, a car was unnecessary for me because all of my belongings could easily fit into two large suitcases. Since Francis and I had terminated the lease on our apartment, sold all of our furniture, and divided the proceeds, we were now homeless, and I was carrying all of my belongings with me wherever I went. It felt freeing. I was moving in with Comfort Musa, who was the daughter of a family friend who had been residing in Lagos for a few years. Comfort Musa had been in the city for some time. Comfort was an aspiring actress who always seemed to have a new roommate because most of her roommates were also actors and moved around a lot depending on where their jobs took them. After the multiple times that we had spoken on the phone, I was really looking forward to finally meeting her in person. When the train conductor announced that they were approaching Kenn Station, I couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement go through my body. At the age of twenty-five, I decided it was finally time to make a change in my life. I was going to try something new. I resolved to start a new chapter in my life and make the most of everything that Lagos had to offer. People were getting up out of their seats and rushing to exit the train before it had even come to a complete stop. As they did so, they were haphazardly pulling their suitcases down from the overhead baggage compartments. I felt a sense of resignation wash over me as I looked up at my two large, worn, and unfashionably colored burgundy suitcases. Due to the fact that I had not traveled very frequently, I did not own very much luggage. When I made the decision to move to Lagos, I purchased these suitcases at a second-hand store and then proceeded to pack them to capacity with all of my belongings.