The Night My Car Engine Failed And Our Love Fell Apart

I realized I loved her the moment I first laid eyes on her. Approaching her was daunting; she had a serious demeanor that intimidated me. However, one day I discovered she was a close friend of a mutual acquaintance, so I decided to connect with her through that friend.

I asked my friend, “The girl you were with yesterday, can I get her number?” She replied, “Yvonne?” I confirmed, “Yes, I’d like to get to know her.” She chuckled and said, “What do you mean by ‘get to know her’? If you want to ‘eat’ her, I can help. Why the pretense?” I laughed but insisted I genuinely wanted her as a friend. She didn’t give me the number right away, saying, “I’ll mention you to her and introduce you later, but you’ll owe me.”

Two days later, she called me: “I spoke to Yvonne. She’s open to being friends with you and said I can give you her number. Now, the ball’s in your court. Send me some Momo, and I’ll send you the number.” You might think she was joking, but I had to send her Momo before she shared the number. That same day, I called Yvonne. She was warm and laughed at everything I said. It’s not easy to make a woman laugh on the first call, so when it happens, it usually means she likes you too.

I called her daily, and we chatted late into the night whenever we could. Eventually, I asked her out. She played hard to get, but ultimately, she said yes. Just two days after she agreed to be with me, my father officially handed me his old Opel Astra, saying, “You can afford fuel now, so use this.” He had never let us drive his car before, so receiving it meant a lot to me. I named the car Yvonne, as it arrived in my life just as she did.

One day after work, I called her, “Hey, wait for me at your office; I’m coming over.” I arrived in my newly acquired Opel Astra and invited her inside. She asked, “Is that your car?” I replied, “Yes, it used to belong to my old boy, but now it’s officially mine.” We drove to a nearby bar for ice cream and then took her home. From that day on, whenever she was about to finish work, she’d call and ask, “Aren’t you coming for me today?” I loved her deeply, so I always responded, “Of course, I’ll come for you.”

I would drive from Adabraka to Lapaz to pick her up from her office and take her to Ablekuma, where she lived. This became a daily routine without any complaints. When you love someone, you do things like this out of affection, overlooking any inconvenience or risk. You endure because you’re in love. True love requires sacrifices.

It became a habit; she didn’t need to call to check if I was coming. When she finished work, she would wait at the office entrance for me. Sometimes, I’d arrive and she’d still be working, and I’d wait over an hour for her to come out. I never complained. The things we do for love! I enjoyed our time together so much that whenever we reached her gate, we’d park and talk for hours before I finally left.

One day, as soon as we arrived at her house, it started pouring rain. We rolled up the windows and turned on the fan to stay cool. We stayed in the car for hours, oblivious to the rain and the water pooling beneath us. The world could have ended, and we wouldn’t have noticed. When the rain finally stopped, my engine wouldn’t start. It was around 11 PM, and there were few passersby due to the weather. While I searched for solutions, she sat in the car, laughing at my predicament.

As it got late, I realized the parking spot wasn’t safe. I suggested, “It’s not far to your house. Let’s push the car inside so I can bring a mechanic tomorrow.” She replied, “This car? In my house? No way. My dad won’t be happy, and my mom will have questions.” The way she said it made the car sound like a disgrace. I pleaded, “We can’t leave it here; anything could happen. The battery or parts could be stolen.” She laughed and said, “Someone would steal something from this car? Please, no one wants it, so you can leave it here.”

Before I could respond, she started walking home. I asked, “You’re leaving me here?” She didn’t even look back, saying, “What do you want me to do? It’s late, and I have to work tomorrow.” I watched her walk slowly to her gate, open it, and go inside. It felt surreal. ‘I’m stuck here because of you, and you just walk away?’

I stood there for a moment, then noticed a taxi driver approaching. He was hesitant to stop, but I pleaded with him. After hearing my issue, he said, “It could be the battery.” We removed my battery and used his to start the engine. A few minutes later, I was on my way home, still fuming about what had just happened.

The next morning, I expected her to call, but she didn’t. Afternoon came, and still no call. Around 5:20 PM, she finally called, “Babe, are you coming for me?” If I had said what I really felt, it would have been disastrous. Instead, I replied, “No, I’m not coming.” She responded, “And you didn’t think to tell me you wouldn’t come? Now it’s late; how do I get home?” I said, “You can get home just like you usually do without me.” She got angry and hung up. A few minutes later, she called again, “So you’re serious about not coming for me?” I said, “I’m done. I’m never coming for you again.” Throughout this, she didn’t even ask how I managed to get home that night; she only cared about me picking her up.

We didn’t speak for days. She was upset that I didn’t come for her, unaware that I had moved on the night she left me stranded. Two weeks later, that mutual friend called me, asking, “What’s going on between you and Yvonne? She complained that you changed the day you two slept together. I knew it; you just wanted to sleep with her. After eight months, you’re trying to play her?” I took my time to explain everything. She said, “She did that to you? I’m so sorry. Even if you want the Momo back, I’ll refund you.”

We both laughed and joked about the situation. She added, “Yvonne didn’t handle that well at all. I’m embarrassed for her. She owes you an apology. Don’t forgive her until she apologizes.”

I don’t know if that apology will come tomorrow or next week; she never called. But I’m grateful for the ability to move on. I moved on as if nothing ever happened between us.

–Ali

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