This is so true. With my boyfriend, weāve had little spats here and there, and some of them have gotten a bit intense, but never disrespectful. One thing Iāve realized is that even if we have to sit on the phone in silence, heās not hanging up. And even if we need to get off the phone for a bit, I can rest assured heās going to call me back. Heās the kind of person who genuinely canāt fall asleep knowing my feelings are hurtāand because he matters too, that his feelings are hurt. We always talk things through.
The last loser I was dating? I wish I had recognized this much earlier. He could tear my heart apart and still go to sleep comfortably. That part was devastating. I used to send long texts or voice notes explaining how he hurt my feelings, and reasonably, youād think that would warrant a phone callābecause at that point, forget texting, call me so we can talk. But no. It wasnāt important to him. He would just fall asleep. And it wasnāt because of exhaustion or genuine fatigue, nor would he make it a priority to call me the next day to talk things through.
Of course, people do fall asleep when theyāre tired. But I firmly believe that when something truly matters to you, your nervous system and your heart donāt let you rest easily. You may fall asleep, but it wonāt be peaceful, because the weight of it lingers. I used to tell him that all the time. I told Onyi repeatedly that I didnāt think our issues mattered to himābecause if they did, he would want to talk things out, want to resolve them, want to close the rift between us, and want to show that he cared about my feelings.
What astonished me most was how often I found myself asking, āDo you even like me?ā And honestly, if you ever have to ask that question, the answer is no. When someone likes youāwhen they careāyou feel it. Thereās no doubt. Thatās exactly how I feel with my current boyfriend. But with that man from Austin, I was always questioning. All those nights he didnāt call or text while my heart ached from the silence should have been the sign I needed to walk away.
Around this time last year, I was in Nigeria, painfully texting a man who didnāt want anything to do with meāand he knew that. I wish I could go back and not only hug myself, but truly shake myself. As much as I feel compassion for who I was, I still donāt understand why I accepted that kind of treatment. What hurt even more was that we were both in Nigeria, on the same time zone, yet nothing changed. Just like when we were both in Texas, Iād text him good morning and not hear back until the evening. Different location, same person. Meanwhile, he had no problem watching my stories obsessively.
Iām writing all of this as reflection. Iām happy I moved on. I just got off a group FaceTime call sharing how easy and peaceful it was to tell my parents about my boyfriend. I donāt think people understand how much safety and security it takes for me to feel comfortable doing that. Thatās exactly how he makes me feel.
If only I had known, while I was heartbroken this time last year, that just one year later Iād be a happy woman in a loving, healthy relationshipāone I truly deserve.