Love And Other Things

In this story, we are going to be referring to the main character as Uncle L.

Just like any other normal individual, Uncle L has his own taste and spec in a partner, and for him, his kind of woman is someone he can build with generally, so when Uncle L met this particular young lady who had just rounded off youth service and was job-hunting in Abuja, he felt that she ticked the box for him. He started a relationship with her in May this year, and it was going quite well. She was unable to find a job until they started dating. He had to reach out to friends in Abuja for her, and about three of them collected her CV. Two days after, one of them reached out to him, informing him that a job was available for his girlfriend, and she took the job.

One day, she brought up the idea of saving money together as a couple, that is from August to December, and he accepted, because it felt like a good idea to him. The first month, he brought out twenty thousand naira from his salary, and she brought ten thousand naira, and it is because she earns less than he.

On the 10^th of the same month they started this “couple goals” thing, Uncle L was stranded with cash, and the money he was expecting hadn’t come, so he asked his girlfriend to borrow him five thousand naira from her transport fare. She agreed and sent him the money. On the 13^th, she started calling him, asking for the money she lent him. Uncle L was shocked.

According to his calculations, her transport fare should last for about twenty days, so why so soon? It was in that state that it struck him that they have savings together. He suggested that she took from their savings, since his expected money still hadn’t come, promising to refund as soon as he receives his money…and that was when she broke the news.

She lent the money to her younger sister.

Uncle L was livid. Why would she borrow her younger sister their money? How did her younger sister even know about the money in the first place? Besides, if her younger sister had a pressing need, wasn’t his girlfriend supposed to seek his consent first before giving it to her, because the money no longer belongs to one party, but both of them? Uncle L also had bigger plans for the money; he had hoped that she would use some of the money to book Uber for going around since she stated that she wanted a better job, and he had earlier suggested that she used her free time to submit her CVs in different organizations. She had stated as well that she needed to undergo ICAN program, so he had thought she would use some of the money for registration when they have saved up a considerable amount of money.

Anyway, she apologized, and explained that her sister is into a business which should yield returns by the end of the month, but he was very unhappy with her actions that he did not forgive her completely, because he felt that they did not achieve anything; what he had planned in mind. To him, they should set goals monthly.

At the end of the month, he asked her to collect the money from her younger sister, but by the third day of the next month, her sister did not turn up. When Uncle L saw the situation of things, he changed his mind and asked for his twenty thousand naira, saying he wanted to use it for something very important. Few hours later, she sent ten thousand naira, but he pretended as though he did not see the credit alert. Then he called her, asking for his money. She told him that she has sent ten thousand naira, but then he said that is not the total amount of his money.

Uncle L’s girlfriend started to stutter.

She eventually came clean that she was actually the one who spent the money, making it known to him that it was his own fraction of the money that she spent. Then he realized that he was the only one who saved. Again, Uncle L was pissed off; if she needed money for anything, she should have asked him, after all, he has been very supportive, especially financially.

After that, all the feelings Uncle L had for his Spec died, because he felt lied to and deceived, and all trust in her vanished. For three days, he did not take her calls, after which she came to his DM and asked for a breakup, and because he had already stopped feeling anything for her, he was not at all bothered.

A week later, she came back apologizing, but then what about the damage and distrust from Uncle L’s end? Anyway, after her persistent begging, he decided to give them another shot, and the following conversation ensued between them:

Uncle L: Why did you do that?

Her: I was stranded.

Uncle L: Why will you be stranded without letting me know? Is it possible for somebody to be suddenly stranded? How do you suddenly become stranded and spend 30k in less than six days? So if your dad gives you money to keep, will you spend it?

Her: Yes, I will spend it.

Uncle L: Then you are not disciplined.

Her: Why are you talking like that to me? How much is 20k? It’s just 20k.

Uncle L: Money I worked for in 30days you call it ‘just’?

Her: Eh, people are there dashing people 100k, 200k.

Uncle L: Oh, if that’s the case, go and look for those people who will dash you 100k and 200k.

Uncle L blocked her immediately after. Now, Uncle L is back to the single-and-searching market.