Writers 
Her Search for Something Better
Sometimes, life hits us with different kinds of challenges, and in those moments, it becomes difficult to believe that things can actually get better.
Over time, I have met different people in different seasons of life. I have listened to their stories, shared in their experiences, and tried to understand their struggles. But there is one particular story that stayed with me.
Last year, I travelled to a new state for a work function that lasted for three months. During that period, I had the opportunity to meet a beautiful lady who lived around the neighbourhood.
At first glance, she looked like someone who had everything together. She carried herself with so much confidence and sophistication, but there was always a certain sadness in her eyes. There was a tiredness she carried that I could not ignore.
As someone who is naturally curious, I became interested in knowing her better and understanding what was behind that look.
Eventually, I discovered her story.
Her first love left her for a career woman at a time when she was struggling to gain admission into the university. She had written JAMB four times, and it was not because she had failed. Admission just wasn't coming.
Her boyfriend at the time was a banker and someone who had always desired to be with a career-oriented woman. Since her admission was delayed, he decided to pursue a lawyer he met at a friend's birthday party.
The painful part was that he never told her he had moved on. He continued the relationship and led her on until the very end.
It was only one week before his wedding that she discovered the truth through one of his friends.
She was completely shattered.
He was her first love, and the heartbreak affected her so deeply that she even considered taking her own life.
However, that experience pushed her to work harder. Not long after, she gained admission to study Nursing. Deep down, she had one major goal — to prove to her ex that she was not a failure.
Eventually, she found love again, but this time, it was with a man who was unemployed.
He was not lazy; he simply had not found a job yet. For some reason, she believed in him. She saw qualities she admired — he was handsome, hardworking, kind, and God-fearing. She trusted that things would eventually work out for him.
Unfortunately, when he finally got a good job, everything changed.
The same man she stood by during his difficult season left her and chose someone else.
That heartbreak hurt even more than the first one because she had invested more emotionally. She told me that she learned a painful lesson: standing by someone when they have nothing does not automatically guarantee that they will choose you when things become better for them.
When dealing with people, there are no guarantees. All we can hope for is to find someone who chooses us in seasons of both little and plenty.
She continued with her studies and eventually met a third man through a friend.
This one seemed different.
He worked in real estate, was responsible, and their values appeared to align. He even wanted to marry her immediately, but she asked him to wait because she had only two years left in school.
A year later, everything changed.
He became seriously ill, and after several medical tests, he was diagnosed with Hepatitis B.
Her world came crashing down.