Monday 8 July 2013

The Rise & Fall: Charlotte - Part 1



It had already been about 1 month or less (if I’m correct) that I had started attending the church, I was slowly changing in terms of no longer having the sleepless nights or the suicidal thoughts. Prior to coming to the church I had battled for about 5 years to get over an ex-boyfriend, it took this long because I held on to the ‘’hope’’ that he was the one. There were times when I wanted this person so much even though deep down I knew he was no good for me, but I kept ‘’wishing’, ‘hoping’, because for me, he represented my ‘’life-line’’, without him for me there was no point of living- so out of this idea, came along the thoughts of suicide. I remember the first challenge of faith I took part in while in the church was regarding my love-life, because that was what brought me there in the first place. I didn’t quite understand this challenge, my mind at that time understood it as ‘’God would give you whatever you WISHED for’’. So my greatest wish at that time was to be with my ex-partner, who at that time was in Canada, and I was in the UK.

My request was to go and see him & finally for us to be together (what an illusion I had), funny to say a week after I presented my challenge to God, I was given a financial condition that allowed me to go to Canada, that same week I booked my flight & hotel and I informed my ex-partner that I was on my way to see him. He was excited which in a way for me I translated it as, he wants us to be together and this encouraged me more to pursue this ‘illusion of mine, also he had informed me that he had broken up with a girl he was 'temporarily dating' prior to me arriving because he wanted us to be together (one of the biggest lies I fell for).

I informed my then Pastor a day before of my travel plans, I just told him I was going on holiday, he prayed for me, but for some strange reason I noticed a concerned look on his face…but I didn’t pay attention to it, all he said was, ‘’Make sure you come back’’ – little did he know, I was not planning to come back - (to the church that is). Not that anything was wrong with the church…NO NOT AT ALL – For me I got what I had asked God for, so I thought to myself, why keep coming…

A few days later, I landed in Canada, with so much excitement, on the plane I was full of ‘’butterflies in my stomach’’, I was going to meet my ‘soul-mate’, after so long being apart, it ‘’felt’’ so right, yet deep down, I had this sinking feeling that it wasn’t going to be as I had ‘wished it would be’.

MISTAKE NUMBER 1 – The warning signs that he wasn’t the one…

He didn’t pick me up at the airport, he was at a party, even though he knew the day & time I would land in the country, he didn’t make arrangements to at least welcome me, I was confused at an airport with hundreds of people around me, that was the first argument I had with him, after I made so much effort to travel to see him, he didn’t even make the slightest effort to welcome me. Luckily a taxi driver came to me and asked ‘’Ma’am do you need a ride to your hotel…’’, reluctantly I answered, ‘Yes, please…’’

I arrived at my hotel, it was so unwelcoming unlike the pictures I saw on the internet, disappointment number 2, but I brushed it off…

MISTAKE NUMBER 2- The warning signs that he wasn’t the one…

He arrived close to 1am the next day to welcome me; mind you it had been almost 5 hrs since I had landed in the country, he was drunk, looked messy (he didn’t even make the effort to look smart just for me), the biggest turn off for me was, he looked fat (nothing of whom he was when I last saw him)…..TO BE CONTINUED


This is Charlotte Banda who will be sharing her story with the hope of helping other girls...

 

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