Y’all hello oh. The people who know me call me Rita. This is my story of how I fell in love with a Liberian man.
Once upon a time, I nursed an insatiable craving for Lebanese men. My eyes couldn’t get enough of them, they intrigued me. My lips were too scared to talk to the pretty ones even though I wanted to. But what could go wrong with falling for a foreigner? So many things!
Then there was the Sajj House incident and I think that’s where my love started to dwindle. I mean, there are successful biracial love stories but would it happen for me? Probably not. We move though.
So, reluctantly, I went back to an old love: Nigerian men. Omo! Yoruba boys and Igbo boys, their sweet mouths had me wanting something they were never offering in the first place. After a few attempts to have Nigerian babies, I gave up.
Then I met another. He was so sweet, no hint of demon in his actions. He treated me like a queen and I soaked up all that Naija love for two years.
The downside was, it was a long distance relationship. Miles apart, but we decided to make it work. The love was strong na.
Kpulu! This Bassa boy who had been eyeing me for months decided to make his intentions known. Not by words oh, you know them. By actions.
The thing is, I decided a few years back that Liberian men were not for me. I couldn’t see them as serious people because the bad stories circulating about them were too much.
This Liberian boy invited me out for a date after a few months of watching me from afar. Naturally, I turned it down. I was in love with my Naija bobo. But he insisted. So I said why not? Free food.
A Sunday evening landed us at Fuzion. We had a nice time, he made me laugh and everything. Ended up spending about three hours with him. For an introvert, that was a good record. He was good company so I didn’t really think about it.
During that date, I made it clear to him that I wasn’t available. He asked to be my friend so I obliged. Little did I know, I was setting a trap for myself.
We started the friendship. At first, we didn’t spend much time together because I didn’t want to give him hope. But he was everywhere. In my school, my church, everywhere.
Covid-19 came and everybody went behind closed doors. We barely talked, if ever. I completely forgot about this boy. Churches were closed so I didn’t get to see him then. Around May, there was a tentative opening for church and we started going back.
You know how when someone doesn’t really matter to you, your eyes can just pass over them? Yeah. We went out of the friend zone, into the land of the unknown.
Months passed again. We were all doing our own thing. Then October came. There was a tarry at church so we were both there. During the tarry, something about him caught my attention.
My people, I watched this boy pray and my attraction started to grow. He prayed like he knew God personally. Then I noticed that everywhere he went, he had this aura of gentle authority. He was loved but he was also respected. I found it quite endearing.
So, after the tarry, I decided to text him. I avoid talking when I can, my shyness is not from around here (why shall I shy). The text was to rekindle the friendship, I was ready now. He responded immediately and we started again.
This time though, the friendship was different. We started going out frequently, spending time together at school, etc. He spent money on me until I had to set limits. Anything I wanted, I got without even asking.
We had beautiful conversations, he listened to me, supported me, etc. He laid the groundwork, made my attraction solid. I have no doubt that he knew exactly what he was doing.
When he knew that I was at a place where I had become drawn to him, he asked me out and told me his feelings and intentions. That evening, I went from having a boyfriend to not being sure who I wanted.
Ladies and gentlemen, it took a few weeks and I was gone. I made the decision. I fell in love with the Bassa boy from Buchanan and there was no turning back. There was no pressure from him but he still got what he wanted.
Liberian men have many tactics and one of them caught me. I don’t think I’ll be going back to another nationality.
Authored by Andy Hare
Featured Picture by Unsplash
