Yesterday When I Was Young

Imani: Mr. David

David Bondze-Mbir (DBM): Yes please!

Imani: I’m a big fan of how you do Facebook.

DBM: I appreciate you!

Imani: I am 36 years old. I’ve been in a relationship with my guy for 5 years. I am sure about him and our relationship so far. He is the realest guy I know; I don’t feel invisible in his eyes. He understands me. It’s rare to have had a guy like him loving me because I have never found someone who sees me like he does. He believes I am the prettiest woman in his eyes and worthy of his love. Everything I’ve prayed for in a husband is him but he doesn’t believe in marriage. He’s told me he’s never going to get married to anyone. I want to get married.

DBM: Have you asked why he’s not interested in marriage?

Imani: He told me his parents were miserable in their marriage and his mother had to endure being unhappy with his dad because she was solely at the mercy of on his financial support. He has also seen the marriages of some of his friends and their parents end in divorce. He doesn’t see the need to spend so much money on a single day’s event. I have also heard him make jokes with friends about not involving the laws of the nation in his relationships because it’s an indirect way of handing a woman with a chainsaw to ruin his life with.

DBM: What do you want for your love life in order to feel settled and secure?

Imani: I want marriage. I want more

DBM: If you want more than just co-habiting with a man, you would have to be intentional on making space for more.

Imani: But I don’t want to lose him, Dave. My past relationships have all been bitter. This is the only bittersweet relationship I have stayed the longest and felt seen and accepted. In him, I feel seen, honestly. He sees me when I’m in doubt. He sees me when I am lost in my insecurities.

DBM: If a man accepts you, he accepts all of you. A part of who you are desires marriage and he’s unwilling to acknowledge that. That is not total acceptance of you. A man ought to feel excited, I mean, really happy or at least, feel at ease with the mere thought of marrying you to prove to himself that marriage is the right decision for him. Does he feel all these when he’s around you?

Imani: I think he feels it. He’s just not sure if it’s the right step to take. My pastor was suggesting to me to invite him to church one day and surprise him with a public proposal.

DBM: As in, you proposing to him?

Imani: Yes.

DBM: Are you built for that?

Imani: I can actually do it. He’s the type that would not publicly embarrass me.

DBM: Do not be the woman to pressure an unwilling man to say ‘yes’ to a marriage proposal just to please you. If I’m understanding the kind of man, you’ve thus far presented to me, it will be very easy for him to accept your proposal in the moment to avoid any form of public awkwardness. I disagree with your pastor. The guy can easily say ‘yes’ to play along, knowing very well he’s specifically told you marriage is not his thing; and then end the relationship outright later in private. Who loses at the end of the day?

Imani: How can a man care about a woman like he does with me and not see himself taking that step with me? Everyone close to us keep asking me when we would be tying the knot.

DBM: Let the man be. Allow him to live his life the way he wants and on his own terms.

Imani: What about my own terms?

DBM: You can find it elsewhere. There are a dozen single men looking to settle down with the women of their dreams. Also, marriage isn’t really for everyone.

Imani: Marriage is for me.

DBM: Yes, but there is also more to his life than just becoming your husband.

Imani: Dave, you are married, anaa?

DBM: Yes, and marriage is a partnership. Partners ought to be on the same page. Trust me, you would want to be with a man who would love you the way you want to be loved. A man who, you wouldn’t have to say or expect your desires met and he’s already done it just to make you happy, because it makes him happy to see you happy.

Imani: I don’t think I’m ready to join the single pool again. Those waters are cold with deprivation.

DBM: Tell me a little about yourself

Imani: I am a licensed professional. I design high-end residential and commercial buildings, and other structures.

DBM: An architect?

Imani: Yes

DBM: What else makes you stand out and not blend in?

Imani: I do everything with valor. I’m a risktaker, I work hard, and I try not to crumble when things go wrong. I am determined, resilient and have a calm confidence to move one day at a time. I keep my thoughts clear at all times and wouldn’t stay silent when my voice needs to be heard. I love deeply

DBM: Marriage isn’t the ultimate goal of life. You can be unmarried and still consider yourself worthy, simply because of your accomplishments.

Imani: Good men are hard to find these days

DBM: I know! And the right and better man for you wouldn’t opt to stay on the fence when it comes to what is important to you. The man you’re currently with is not going to marry you, if marriage truly is what you want. Make the best decision for yourself.

Imani: What do you think a woman can do to make a man do her wish?

DBM: What you can do is not to settle for a man’s bullshit. You have been having sex with a man you claim loves you for five years – and still waiting on him to ask you to marry him. Who is to blame here? Even married men of today operate with the mentality that they’ve got to have a lot of freedom in their marriages. Most men want more than enough rope to hang themselves. They want the freedom and independence to come and go as they please – and do what they want when they want. Men want to go out, get laid, and not have to answer to anybody. And, these are even the married ones, so imagine your current situation and the rope your willingness to accept his conditions gives him.

Imani: Now, that’s tough. I will think about it.

DBM: Marriage to the right partner is a beautiful experience. Commitment to the right partner outside of marriage can equally be great. Being unmarried or single is not a bad thing, at least, not in my eyes. It’s not a curse or a problem that needs to be fixed at all cost. It’s not an experience to be ashamed of. It’s just where you are in life, and life happens to all of us. Do not be defined by it. You do not owe anyone an explanation. Be comfortable loving who you are. Marriage will happen when it happens at the right time. But assuming it does not, make peace with it. Everything happens for a reason. Just because you don’t have a husband or children doesn’t mean you’re incomplete.

Imani: Thank you David Bondze-Mbir. No one has ever spoken to me this way before.

Image Credit: Picha Stock