I got a call from a sister
She said her best friend is crying her eyes out due to a heartbreak
She begged me to step in and intercede in the matter
I asked her what happened
She said her best friend saw the picture of her boyfriend getting engaged to another lady and fainted.

She said her best friend had been inconsolable from that moment and had refused to eat or leave her room for over two weeks
She said she had to bring the matter to me so that I can help in whatever way I deem possible before things get out of hand

I asked her for the phone number of her best friend and called her
She explained that the man who broke her heart was not her boyfriend but her bestie
The three of them met in Ireland when studying for their masters
They were the only Nigerians in the class and they formed a strong and unique bond
At the end of their studies, one of them decided to stay back in Ireland to pursue a career as a medical doctor
She and this bestie returned to Nigeria to pursue their careers in Banking

She said this man grew closer to her than even her best friend
They have keys to each other’s apartments and sleep over in each other’s houses every other day
She said she was never sexually attracted to him, and he was never sexually attracted to her
They sometimes sleep on the same bed and share deep intimate moments (not sexual), which included deep conversations, sharing of dreams and aspirations, career talk, execution of assignments, studying together, developing ideas together, executing work projects together, networking, and reaching developmental milestones together in their career

He had relationships during this time, but most of them didn’t work out because she was in the picture, and he was not willing to let her go
She also had relationships with other men, but the relationships did not work out because he was in the picture, and she was unwilling to let him go

Their relationship deepened throughout their thirties, and neither of them got married or had a relationship that lasted more than a few months.
As they were both moving towards the age of forty, they decided that they would return to England together to start another chapter of their lives

They put their plan in motion, and it clicked. They both got good jobs in Scotland and decided to resign on the same day.
Unfortunately, his father died before the date they had planned to resign, and his plan to travel to England got disrupted
He was the first son of the family, and his father willed his estate to him and his siblings
Duty demanded that he remain in Nigeria.

He drove her to the airport, where they hugged for a long time
They had never been apart for ten years
He had joined her in every new interest she picked up, and she had done the same with him
He encouraged her to pursue her dreams and own this new chapter
She dropped the keys to her apartment with him and reminded him of the arrangements she had made for the place to be tidied up every Saturday

She left for Scotland.
He returned home
They spoke on the phone daily for at least an hour every day
She had to leave Scotland for Ireland when the job thing didn’t work out
Her best friend had become established in Ireland as a medical doctor
She didn’t think it would be wise to stay in Scotland without a job while racking up bills
In Ireland, she could live with her friend while she sorts herself out

He, on the other hand, came under immense pressure from his family to get married and have children
The first relationship he had after she travelled strangely moved from something they both would joke about on the phone to something that made him forget to call her or return her calls for weeks
The next thing she saw on his status was his engagement announcement
It broke her heart.

PS: I was taken aback by the story
Was it that she didn’t want to marry him, but she also didn’t want him to get married to someone else?
Or she is in love with him, but it was not a sexual kind of love?
Or she wanted both of them to remain unmarried as a sign of faithfulness to each other
Or she wanted him to marry but remain in her space as her bestie regardless of the feelings of his wife?
Or she loved him, and he loved her, but the love was not the kind that leads to marriage?
If anyone can explain or define the kind of relationship she got a heartbreak over, I ask the person to please help me make sense of it.

-GSW-