If you would like to participate in theinkwell prompt for this week ,click here.](@theinkwell/creative-nonfiction-prompt-50)
I went through a heartbreak in my early twenties that left me completely devastated. It was my first love relationship, and I never expected the intensity of feelings I had both during and after it ended.
I first noticed the warning signs when I read a message on my phone. As I processed the words, my world began to fall apart, and my heart began to beat faster than normal. Even though it was a lovely afternoon, I could only feel darkness surrounding me. My heart was broken into a million pieces, and I endured days of excruciating chest pain.
I couldn't eat well. In fact, i lost appetite, and sleep became tricky. The suffering was physical as well as psychological. I couldn't think well as i was ineptitude. Sadness as clouded my perception about life.
I felt utterly hopeless and sank into a deep depression. I couldn't help but think about the foolish words I had once spoken to my friends, "I'm going to marry the first person that dates me." How naive and misguided I had been.
The guy who had broken my heart was a doctor, and I was still in my final year of undergraduate studies, engrossed in my project. We met at a wedding ceremony of a sister. It was a beautiful event, but at the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think, "Babe, you're not in his league," considering his career status. Little did I know that this self-doubt would come back to haunt me.
The heartbreak struck at a particularly stressful and demanding time in my life. I was juggling the rigours of my final year at university with the weight of my project. The sudden breakup was incredibly frustrating because we had been on good terms just a day before. It felt like it came out of nowhere, and I was left grasping for answers that never came. I had to flashback our last interactions, trying to pinpoint where things had gone awry, but it remained a perplexing mystery.
My emotional rollercoaster continued for months as I was left guessing about what might have gone wrong. There were no responses to my messages or calls, and it was a tormenting silence. I struggled to make sense of the situation and buried myself in busyness to distract from the pain.
Several weeks and months passed, and I gradually began to heal. I compelled myself to teach children in my community as a fresh graduate. Helping those young minds learn and grow became therapeutic for me. It allowed me to shift my focus away from my insecurities and heartbreak and redirect it toward something positive.
As I spent time with these children, their innocent curiosity and boundless energy infused me with a renewed sense of purpose. I found solace in their laughter and the simple joys of teaching. It was a sharp contrast to the complex emotions that had consumed me for a very long time.
Over time, I realized that I had grown stronger and more resilient. The pain of my first heartbreak was no longer a constant ache but a fading memory. I learned valuable lessons about self-worth and resilience. I understood that my value as a person wasn't determined by someone else's perception of me. I had discovered that I was enough just as I was.
He came back later, begging me to reconsider him. He told me," i have tried many ladies after our separate, but none of them worked. They were all about my money, and the only things i could get from them were sex."
I told him that it was too late, and i had moved on with my life. "Very soon, i will give you an invitation for my wedding," i retorted out of annoyance.