How My First True Love Story Ended

Myself 🤨

The day had been long and stressful. I got back to the hostel at 6 p.m., weary from lectures. Suleiman Hall in ABU Zaria is often congested in the evenings with students trudging to their rooms, mosque, or toilet. I can't remember the date, but the hostel was as noisy as usual when I entered. The noise level was high, with music blaring from some rooms and laughter and conversation echoing down the corridors. My room was on the second floor of block F4, but that day I chose to go to my friend's room, which is on the ground floor to perform ablution and pray the Maghrib Prayer. When I walked into the room, all of the kettles were taken. I had to wait for someone before I prayed.

My phone rang as I was waiting for my turn. I answered the phone, and an unknown woman's voice on the other end greeted me. "Please, is this Adamu?" she inquired. "Yes, who is this?" I replied quickly. She went on to say that her friend gave her my phone number. But I didn't say a word after I heard that. "When are you going to class later tonight?" she inquired once again. "After Isha's prayer," I mumbled. Fortunately, she heard what I said. She pleaded with me to notify her when I was ready to leave for the class. Upon hearing that I became curious, "what's the problem, and what's your name?" Unbeknownst to me, she was my coursemate."My name is Rahma, and I would like you to assist me with one or two things in Chemistry," she explained. Okay, no worries. I'd call you when I was ready to go.

Afterward, I kept my word to her; I called her right away before heading to class, and we made plans to meet up behind the Faculty of Science Lecture Theater (FSLT II). I was the first to arrive, and I waited for her. Admittedly, I didn't bother when I was waiting for her; I was simply patient to see who she was. She ultimately arrived with her friend, Maryam (Siri), who later became my friend. I felt a thump in my chest as soon as I placed my gaze on Rahma. Her structure laced with a light brown complexion is glamorous. Her gorgeous eyes are kind, innocent, piercing, and radiant. Her beauty is magical and she is over five feet tall. Her sweet voice is comforting. She has a calm but exuberant personality. She's simply a breathtaking God's creation, the kind that embodies the woman I aspire to have. 

We exchanged pleasantries, and I led the way to the Faculty of Art, where we sat in front of the Department of History Library. But before we started, I informed her that I have only 30 minutes to volunteer because I, too, needed time to read my books, and she agreed. Without much ado, I jumped into action and taught her exactly what she requested me to do. The night was dark when she was leaving after our encounter. Therefore, without requesting me to do so, I willingly accompanied her to Ribadu Hostel, which is roughly a three to five minutes walk from where we sat. And before saying good night, we promised to meet the next day. This was the beginning of my first genuine love story that ended abruptly.

We kept meeting for 30 minutes on and on until we started meeting regularly daily. We sat next to each other in class and quickly became friends, bonding over our shared love of doing what we are doing. As the weeks passed, my friendship with her deepened and we found ourselves steadily falling in love. We spent all our free time together, going on walks, going to restaurants, and just enjoying each other's company for nearly a year. My male friends were irritated by my absence, often telling me that "na biyewa mace ko da cause."

We were inseparable and always there for each other. We were the perfect match and everyone could see it. But just when things were starting to get serious between us, she received an admission letter to a prestigious university on the other side of the country. When she informed me about it in the night, I was both delighted and sad; thrilled that she had been accepted to the top private institution in the nation, and sad that she would leave me and ABU Zaria behind. Surprisingly, I didn't cry at that moment, but I spent the night in my room crying, my roommates were astounded. It was too much for me to carry the weight of losing someone I had true feelings for. That was the first moment I realized, without a doubt, that I was in genuine love.

I was heartbroken when she left in the next two days, but I knew I had to be strong for both of us. I  promised to stay in touch and make our long-distance relationship work, no matter what. Also, I promised to visit her whenever I  could. It was a tough adjustment for me, but I knew that our bond was strong enough to weather the distance. 

We spoke via WhatsApp, calls, and video chats as the months went on after she departed, always finding a way to keep in contact despite our great distance. We had gotten closer throughout our time apart, and we were all convinced that it was going to work out. So we continued telling ourselves that everything would be OK. We saw ourselves living together as a couple.

Despite our best efforts, however, our relationship eventually fizzled out. We were just too far apart and it was too difficult to maintain a long-distance relationship. That was the time that we had to let each other go. Although we didn't say our final goodbyes, we made it plain that we would always have a special place in each other's hearts. As it stands today, we occasionally text or phone each other.

It's been over five years now, and I'm still having difficulty letting go of her in my head. Undoubtedly, I was trying to get over it, but each day it became more impossible to envision spending “quality time” with a different lady. I've been hesitant to try a new relationship since I'm unsure whether it would produce comparable sentiments. But I believe in fate and I am glad that she sojourned in my life for nearly a year. I've genuine faith and my gaze is set on the horizon, time would cure my scars. Indeed, true love does exist. But mine was cut off prematurely! 

Our story began as two strangers who quickly became friends. We surpassed the span of Chemistry tutorials and became a uniquely two love birds, much to the envy of others. It seemed hopeful that we had finally located the missing puzzles of our entire lives, but God, in his extraordinary mercy, Who knows more than we do, brought it to a fast conclusion. It was severed and couldn't reach the sacred shores of conjugal bliss.

This is my story. What is yours?