Love To LIVE

 In 2009, while I was a PA, I developed a philosophy through a case I got involved in. I saw a very healthy 26 year old man, without any underlying issues like blood pressure or hypertension, die of heartbreak within 30 minutes. He had met the love of his life in LASU area, the lady was a Ghanaian lady, but she was born and raised in Satellite Town, Lagos. She and this man met in the neighborhood as teenagers and fell in love. The love was very strong, His father tried to separate them because he felt he would most likely get the lady pregnant, and he didn’t want him doing anything to affect his education. Her parents tried too. Both parents were members of the same landlord association. Her parents moved her to Ghana, she found her way back to Lagos within six months.
 His father sponsored him to school in the USA. He got her pregnant before he left, she kept his baby. He got to the USA and worked hard to send her money to complete her first degree and also care for herself and the baby. He spent only six years in the USA before traveling back to Nigeria to marry her and start the process of returning to the USA with her. Throughout her pregnancy and delivery to the conclusion of her education, she lived with his parents. They were not legally married yet, but everybody knew their love was hot like lava. If she falls ill, he falls ill. If she calls his name, or just mentions it in a sentence, her phone will ring, and he will be the one on the other side of the line. It was a Romeo and Juliet reincarnation. Their love was a bold statement of hope and love to all of us who were young and aspiring to get married one day. Nobody knew this lady had it in her or even had the opportunity to talk to any other man. She met someone in LASU, a young lecturer, and she was sleeping with him by the side. She left no trail or evidence. It was as if she was living another life altogether that nobody could even suspect.

Her man completed his education in the USA, secured a job, and a full-time scholarship for his PhD. He never dated or looked at another lady. His love and life was this babe. He arrived in Lagos a day earlier than planned. He called his babe, and her lover picked up the call. She had gone to have a romp with this lecturer one last time before her wedding. She was not expecting him or anyone else to call. He called and a man picked the call he heard her voice in the background saying “Why are you picking my calls, that is unacceptable” The man who picked up the call said “Relax, I thought it was my phone” She picked the call and said Hello He called her name and said “Who is that” She panicked and started stammering.

 He dropped the call, took a cab to Magodo instead of Satellite town, booked a hotel room, cried all day and all night. The hotel management sensed something was awry and called the hospital when they noticed no activity from his room by the next morning. They found him gasping for breath, they rushed him to the hospital. His family and friends were called. The church where I was working got involved. They found nothing wrong with him physically. He didn’t attempt suicide. He didn’t eat or drink anything. He just lost the will to live. By midday of the following day, his parents and this girlfriend arrived. As soon as he saw her, he screamed on the top of his voice and died. I mean, DEAD! The rest of the story was pieced together after his death. I told myself that day, I don’t want this kind of love. I prayed earnestly to my God. My love, all my love, will be on God. I have always loved Jesus, but I increased my love for Him deliberately after that incident. There are many reasons to die. There are even many good reasons to die early. To die like that for me is not one of them. I will never die for anybody’s love, and nobody should die for my love. I love to live, and I want those who love me to love that way too. I shared this with my sons when they started getting attention from girls.
 Love to live, Don’t love to die .
Human love is not worth dying for.
 -GSW-