May the sixth sense kick in

 Sometimes I do believe people who claim there’s a sixth sense in every human being. Apparently, this is the sense that usually warns a person if something bad is happening or about to happen, which is why it is important to listen to it at all times.

Unfortunately, if I have this 6th sense in me, my sixth sense never warned me when I needed it the most.

Growing up as a tomboy in the rural areas was one of the most challenging experiences for me during my teenage years. Although some people understood me, many couldn't. I was always bothered by what society thought of me.

My dress code and association with boys gave everybody a different perspective of me. With the passage of time, I began to not care about it! It was either I lived my life the way I wanted and be happy or live how I was expected by people and be unhappy. And so, I chose me!

Some people would call me names, but I was not bothered much because I knew who I was. They did not have the right to know why I often spent time with boys.

Although chilling with boys made it difficult for other boys to approach me and ask me out, I didn't care much about it. I was always telling myself that the right one would by-pass all of them and approach me. I am not in a hurry to be in a relationship anyway.

One day, during one of the rare events held in the community, chilling with my friends, joking around as time slowly flew by, a guy approached me and asked for my number. It was unusual and uncomfortable, but his persistence softened me, in a way. And so, I gave him my number.

I was happy, although I couldn't show it. My heart was beating faster than usual. I couldn't stop thinking that I might get into a relationship just like some of my friends.

Days passed by, exchanging calls and texts with the guy and everything just fell into place. And then we started dating!

Most people couldn't believe that I was dating a man due to their assumptions about me. But there I was, dating a man and madly in love.

Our relationship escalated to a point where I was always visiting him at his place anytime and any day. I also started keeping some of my clothes in his place so that whenever I decided to spend a weekend, I could have clothes to change.

Just like how most relationships go, mine was not perfect either. We had our fights more especially about my friends, mainly about why I chilled with guys and why I still hung out with them.

Barely a few weeks after we’d started our relationship, he wanted me to stop seeing my friends. I was taken aback by this. I tried to reason with myself that perhaps this was a reasonable plea from him. But then I realised that it was simply an impossible request – actually, it seemed like an order. I just could not agree to that. A small voice inside me told me to bail out there and then, but then I decided to continue the relationship.

But then, as time went on, it all started getting worse as his insecurities and assumptions could sometimes lead to every woman’s worst fear. Again, the voice inside me spoke out, but I thought perhaps it’s a minor thing that’s just passing. All would be alright, I believed.

One day when I was chilling with the boys, watching a soccer match on TV, my phone rang. It was my boyfriend. For a moment my heartbeat stopped, his phone call scared me, and I was nervous. It was usual for him to call me, but I guess that day my 6th sense was telling me something. I answered the call, anyway.

Before I could say "hello", he just went on, "You bi**h! I heard everything about you!". "I now know why you don't want to leave your friends! You’re making a fool of me!"

"What do you mean? Are you okay? Why are you so angry?" I asked, confused.

"We are done bi**h! Go have an orgy with all the guys you chill with. That’s what you want, right? You have been making a fool out of me! Your friend, Thandi, told me everything about you, and I’m DONE!"

Being more confused and knowing very well that I didn't have a friend named Thandi, I tried calling him back, but he didn't answer.

I went back to the guys, told them what I had just experienced, and they were also confused.

A few minutes later a message popped in. It was an image with my clothes being burned. I couldn't do anything thereafter, I just stopped calling him and went straight home. I cried myself to sleep and hoped to wake up feeling better.

I deleted his number, pictures and everything that was going to remind me of him.

He was my first love, someone whom I believed loved me unconditionally, despite what everybody said about me. But he never trusted me. He rushed into believing rumours and lies about me. And my sixth sense let me down because I thought he was the one.

A week later, he appeared to be a changed person. It seemed he had realised that everything was a lie. He came back to apologise about everything including burning my clothes, listening to a non-friend of mine, insulting me and my friends, and breaking my heart. He asked me to come back “home”.

After a long process of calming myself down and collecting my strength and thoughts, I decided to reply to him with a text message later in the afternoon about his request.

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