File photo of an unhappy couple
Dear Ghanaweb,
I fell in love with my childhood friend during our senior high years. Living nearby, our families naturally became friends, though they were unaware of our romantic feelings.
Taking advantage of our proximity, we began dating, and our bond deepened to the point of becoming inseparable.
After graduating, we moved to different cities; I went to Kumasi, and she relocated to Takoradi.
Despite the distance, we always found ways to meet.
As the years passed, we both completed our tertiary education and started working, achieving financial stability.
We decided it was time to inform our parents about our relationship, commit to each other, and consider starting a family.
That’s when the trouble began. Both families opposed our union due to our differing religious backgrounds: my parents wanted me to marry a Muslim girl, while hers wished for her to find a Christian partner.
This created a significant challenge. We parted ways two years ago, but I since haven’t found anyone else who evokes the same feelings in me as she does.
I opted to stay single if I couldn’t be with her, but my mother encouraged me to marry and even introduced a woman of her choice.
To please her, I began dating this woman; she was kind and pleasant, but I couldn’t see her as a replacement for my first love.
My mother insisted we marry quickly, and I reluctantly agreed, even though I knew I didn’t have feelings for her.
My decision was solely to satisfy my mother.
Two weeks before the wedding, my ex-girlfriend showed up at my workplace, insisting we meet to discuss something urgent. I was thrilled to see her after two years, despite our phone conversations.
During our talk, she expressed that she couldn’t live without me and was willing to do whatever it took to be together again, but I didn’t want her to change her faith.
Now, she’s adamantly proposing that we elope and live together.
I genuinely want to spend my life with her, but doing so would betray the woman my mother chose for me. What should I do?
MKA/EB
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