Tag: Loyalty

Truth Will Set Us Free

Written by David B on . Posted in Blog.

Kukua: My husband and the Chief Financial Officer at their firm were stealing from their company. I confronted him at first and he denied. He insisted I was accusing him of theft without evidence, and so I contacted his boss through his wife, who is my friend, and made him aware of my suspicions. They conducted a thorough investigation into the matter before hiding cameras in smoke detectors at their offices and marked all of the bills. They caught them in the act three weeks after I had made it known to his boss. Their employments were terminated and charges pressed against them. They are currently serving a 7-year jail term. Dave, I know I went to the extreme with this but I was very disappointed in my husband.

David Bondze-Mbir (DBM): How did you know he was stealing?

Kukua: I eavesdropped on him on two occasions at home when he had to sneak out of bed at dawn to answer a call out of the bedroom. I went through a few of his messages on phone with the finance guy whenever he slept deep, and it had been going on for years. The evidence during court proceedings showed my husband alone had made away with almost 650k. I honestly thought I was married to a man of integrity and honor.

DBM: You have kids?

Kukua: We have two boys together

DBM: Do you work?

Kukua: I work

DBM: Okay! So, the kids are well taken care of then?

Kukua: We can survive on my salary. Also, my husband’s boss asked his company to be sending me and the children a substantial amount every month towards their upkeep.

DBM: That’s kind of him. Do the kids know about their father’s whereabouts?

Kukua: Yes. He doesn’t want them to visit him in prison but they know he’s been incarcerated.

DBM: Do they know about his crime?

Kukua: Yes, I told them everything

DBM: Everything, meaning they know you were the one who snitched on him?

Kukua: Yes

DBM: How do they feel about that?

Kukua: I have raised my boys to do the right things. They know what the right thing is, and have the strength of character to do and stand by it.

DBM: Good for you!

Kukua: My husband is asking for a divorce

DBM: Do you want a divorce?

Kukua: No

DBM: You have my sympathy by the way. I pray you figure out the best way to navigate yourself through this mess.

Kukua: Thank you. It’s a whole lot of mess. My in-laws are mad at me. His friends are mad at me. Everyone is mad at me.

DBM: You can’t fix a marriage with only one interested party

Kukua: Everything I’ve done, I’ve done out of love

DBM: He feels betrayed

Kukua: He did wrong. He committed a crime.

DBM: I concur. Find yourself a good lawyer and look out for your interests.

Kukua: My husband is my favorite interest. I have apologized for getting him locked up but he doesn’t want to hear it. He shuts down and would get defensive. It’s so frustrating

DBM: You questioned his character with your accusation, and now, being in jail belittles him. That is part of the emotional triggers he’s battling with.

Kukua: Do you think I did the wrong thing?

DBM: You did the right thing, though in a typical man’s thinking, what you did was none of your business.

Kukua: My husband can testify that I have been his source of support anytime he felt insecure or challenged. But I wasn’t going to stand up for him and publicly show my support for a wrongdoing. He was robbing my friend’s husband’s business. The same business that was supporting his livelihood. That wasn’t right.

DBM: I agree with you. I am just putting my male-thinking cap on to make you realize how he also might be feeling. A man expects his partner to protect him through thick and thin, because we believe it would go a long way to help everyone at the end of the day, including the kids.

Kukua: Let me tell you what else their investigations brought to the attention of the court; my husband was channeling the funds to build two, three separate bedroom homes. One of the properties was in the name of our first son, which I knew nothing of; and the other was in the name of a lady he had impregnated. Dave, mind you, I did not know anything about any of this. It came as a shock to me in court. And, I got to know of, and met his side-piece in court, heavily pregnant.

DBM: Oh no!

Kukua: That is how low he descended

DBM: You are 100% sure you did not call him out because he was having an affair?

Kukua: I did not know about that. And I would have confronted him if I knew about an affair. I told you; I used to go through his phone because I was curious about what he was up to with the Finance Officer.

DBM: Wow!

Kukua: Yeah, wow. My husband will deny doing something wrong while doing something wrong. Tell me, Dave, how do I protect a man from doing something wrong in situations where he feels there is no wrong?

DBM: This is a tough one

Kukua: Do you think he will ever forgive me? Because I know my marriage is worth fighting for

DBM: He will never forgive you. Let me tell you a true story. I know of three ladies in Ghana. They are all my cool friends. They are all divorced, unfortunately. Before their individual divorces, they had shared with me separate incidences where their ex-husbands had physically abused them. Two were choked and held down while being severely beaten during a heated argument; the other was punched in the face, slapped and pushed to the ground. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her across the room in the presence of their children. I remember one of their kids narrating to me – how he heard and saw his dad insult his mum, while pulling her on the ground by the hair. All the ladies made a police case out of the assaults, and got their men arrested. They were put behind bars for 24-hour or less. Families of these men had to come in to apologize to their in-laws before they withdrew their charges against them. None of the ex-husband forgave their wives. They held the police incidents over their heads till they divorced them.

Kukua: That’s sad

DBM: Your husband is currently plotting his next move. And, it will be against you. It’s better to have a plan ‘A’ to ‘D’ before his release.

Kukua: I don’t know

DBM: You said he’s asking for a divorce, no?

Kukua: Yes

DBM: Look, I am no perfect person but I am telling you this for a fact: This your husband made conscious choices that ultimately led him to every single decision he has taken. He stepped out on your marriage and got another woman pregnant. Let him just keep stepping after prison. Understand that he made calculated choices to cross a series of boundaries. Grant him the divorce he’s requesting.

Kukua: Let me just pray about it. Thanks Dave.

Image Credit: RDNE Stock project

Let’s Talk To Frema

Written by David B on . Posted in Blog. 1 Comment

David Bondze-Mbir (DBM): Thank you for participating. What name would you want to go by? (It can be your real first name or any other name of your choosing)

Participant 72: I choose Frema

DBM: Hello Frema. How would you describe yourself?

Frema: I am a wife, mother and business woman.

DBM: How happy are you on a scale of 1 to 10?

Frema: I’m 6

DBM: What do you want to talk about?

Frema: I think my husband committed a heinous crime a few years ago and he’s getting away with it because he thinks no one knows.

DBM: You think or you know?

Frema: I know

DBM: How do you know?

Frema: I found an old phone he hasn’t used in years stashed in one of his boxes. I bought a sim card from another network to use as my other number and found text messages between him and the husband of a friend, plotting the crime, and acknowledging execution of it.

DBM: I am tempted to ask about the nature of the crime but I don’t want to also get so much involved – if it’s what I’m thinking

Frema: It’s the gravest of all crimes, Dave.

DBM: For how long have you known about your husband’s crime?

Frema: Some months now, but I have been trying to act normal at home; like I don’t know anything. I don’t know if it’s working because it’s creating this friction between us. I am not able to freely love him like I used to. I am tensed sometimes, and would be reading into his every action around me.

DBM: Do you know anything about the victim?

Frema: Not much. All I have is a name in their conversation.

DBM: What is going through your mind right now?

Frema: From all indications, whatever happened, happened in the past. Should I be judging a man by his past actions?

DBM: By ‘past actions’, do you mean the crime or mistakes committed?

Frema: It’s one and the same or?

DBM: I do not think it’s the same. What’s your honest opinion about your husband’s character?

Frema: He has a dodgy character; no two-ways about that. But unfortunately for me, I had fallen in love with him – years before finding out all these. We have children together.

DBM: Do you trust him?

Frema: 40%. I’d say he cares about his children and their needs. He does his best for the home. I can’t take that fact away from him. He is a family man. But he’s also manipulated me into forgiving certain things he’s done outside the marriage to make me not trust him.

DBM: A crime is different from an affair. You can forgive an affair but there is no excuse for letting criminals run free

Frema: He is the father of my children. I cannot have him apprehended just like that. That’s the dilemma conflicting my thoughts

DBM: Who else knows about this secret?

Frema: The wife of the other man my husband plotted the crime with

DBM: Have you two discussed the way forward?

Frema: She’s been suggesting we confront our husbands with the text evidence

DBM: To activate their criminal instincts again or what? Will you two be in a safe space if you’re to confront them?

Frema: I don’t know!

DBM: Has she a copy of the texts?

Frema: No! She only read it on the phone when we met to discuss the issue. The phone is in my possession.

DBM: I see

Frema: Does the marriage vow include being loyal to a criminal? I love my husband though

DBM: If the crime is exactly what you’re indirectly painting to my mind’s eye, then I don’t think it’s wise to cover up for him.

Frema: What if he’s a changed man? We all deserve a second chance at life

DBM: The law, I understand is on your side if you do not tolerate his crime, be it past or present

Frema: What I am saying is, I cannot raise and provide for our children all by myself if he’s to be locked up.

DBM: I understand you

Frema: My concern is my friend. She’s still in shock and contemplating on reporting her husband to the authorities. Their marriage was already on a shaky ground, so you can imagine what this extra information is causing her to do. She’s told me she would be filing for divorce.

DBM: A husband’s past crime is a solid grounding for divorce. These were acts that you had no role or knowledge of till recently.

Frema: I want to protect my husband

DBM: I respect your decision

Frema: Dave, when you love someone, you’d do anything and everything possible to protect their best interest, even if it means me giving up common sense in order to keep him safe

DBM: How about the victim’s family? Don’t they deserve justice for their loved one?

Frema: In a situation like mine, everything about this conversation is wrong, but it’s also worth it protecting the father of my children.

DBM: Do you want my honest opinion?

Frema: Yeah

DBM: Many of the marriages and love relationships I know of, have been wrecked by issues that disguised themselves as inconsequential. A lot of serious matters do not appear nor feel damaging simply because we choose not to view them in that light. That, is the danger I fear for you, Frema. You’re choosing not to recognize a criminal past as a threat to your marriage, family and sanity – and because of that, you’re refusing to stay on your guard. Someday, your husband or his friend would sniff the hint, and it would be too late for either of you to do the right thing.

Frema: My husband will not harm me.

DBM: I hope you are right

Frema: My husband will not harm me

DBM: Just note that, there are negative repercussions to every decision made in favor of a person prone to any form of criminal activity.

Frema: I agree with you

DBM: Seriously do consider how your decision ultimately affects your marriage and most importantly, your mental health.

Frema: I will. Thank you, David

DBM: You’re welcome!

Image Credit: Shvets Production

Let’s Talk To Larry

Written by David B on . Posted in Blog. 1 Comment

David Bondze-Mbir (DBM): Thank you for participating. What name would you want to go by? (It can be your real first name or any other name of your choosing)

Participant 45: I am Larry

DBM: Hello Larry. Please tell me a little about yourself

Larry: I am my family’s provider, and I make sure that the financial needs of my wife, children and the home is met. I am my family’s protector, and I make sure I am available to any of them should they feel anxious or threatened. I have made it my mission to not put the name, image or reputation of any member of my family to shame. In our home, I am the interpreter of our moral code. I lead by example, first as a man, husband and father. I have been married for 29 years to the same woman, and we have four children together. I am a Nephrologist

DBM: Who is a Nephrologist?

Larry: A doctor that diagnosis and treats diseases that affect the kidneys. We also treat patients with illnesses that can lead to kidney failure or its related diseases.

DBM: Interesting. What do you want to talk about?

Larry: I want to make a suggestion to women. Guys are not perfect; we cannot be perfect, but we can be loyal. We can be caring. We can be respectful. We can be kind. My suggestion is, make sure the man you are with, or the man you seek is all that and more.

DBM: Why should a woman opt for loyalty?

Larry: A loyal person will not think twice to inform you that he loves his wife and children. A man who is loyal doesn’t speak negatively about his wife to others. We choose our wives above every other woman or man we might be interested in. We follow through with our wedding vows and stick to it, no matter what. We are not ashamed to be faithful to our spouses; it’s not even a challenge; it’s not a difficulty; it’s not an obligation… It’s our everyday lifestyle because we believe in who we are, HONEST men by every standard measurable. And we give off this characteristic freely

DBM: Why should a woman choose a man who is caring?

Larry: A man who is caring is the right man because he relieves you off the burden of investing so much of your energy, compassion, love and effort into the relationship. Our actions put your instincts to rest, because we are focused on what is important to us, YOU. We don’t mind inconveniencing ourselves for the short while just to see you experience what you feel is best for you. You see us, and it’s like your dreams have come true – because we want to do anything to make your dreams come true. We know this, when we see that smile on your face, every day.

DBM: What is the relevance of a respectful man?

Larry: I respect my wife because I do not forget about her in my daily activities. I have not cheated on my wife all these years because I carry her along the way in my heart, and in my mind. She is the singlet I wear under my shirt; she’s the boxer shorts I put on before wearing my trousers. She’s the socks that fits in my shoes. I respect my wife because she’s the only woman I want to be with. She’s an important part of my life, and I want to be a significant part of her life. We are intentional when it comes to not doing anything our wives wouldn’t approve of, because we don’t want them to lose their respect for us. A man who respects you loves you. Dave, I love my wife, and I fear making a wrong decision that could affect her deeply. She accepts my good, she accepts my bad, but I want to be a better person every day, so she can be proud of me.

DBM: So, you’re basically doing everything possible to please your wife, no?

Larry: It’s not about pleasing her. At work, I see a lot of the nurses and junior staffs attempting to make us happy. I don’t think they realize it, but they seek our approval somehow. Our job is already demanding, and so trying to please others other than yourself – takes too much energy. I am a doctor because I WANT to be a doctor; It has nothing to do with what my parents or friends expected of me. For me, a BS/MD program best fit my interest and long term goals. I have always been passionate about medicine and helping people. It’s the same with marriage; my desire is to make it work with my wife, so we can enjoy the journey together. She’s doing her part of the agreement; I am doing my part of the agreement, and so far, we’ve gotten better results.

DBM: What are the results?

Larry: A peaceful home; a happy wife; the happy me and happy children. When I think of what I share with my wife, I get more vitality, passion and interest in achieving more for our marriage, so we can enjoy each other.

DBM: She’s your priority

Larry: Numéro un. And I am very patient when dealing with her

DBM: You talked about kindness

Larry: I think my wife and I did good in our choices, because we decided to be kind to each other. We are both decent and considerate. No, it’s not been easy: we have nursed our sore egos together, and we have decided to hold our hearts out in front of each other – with the hope that we wouldn’t crush it in our fists. A kind heart will hold yours dear to theirs. Being just kind doesn’t make me weak; it doesn’t make me vulnerable. I am not foolish because I am kind; I am not reckless. And it has nothing to do with being phony. I am the man I want to be in my marriage. I am the man I want to be for my wife. My actions are always within my control because I want my wife to feel safe and seen.

DBM: This is actually good. I don’t think I have any more questions

Larry: All I am trying to say is, being with such people is a blessing. I have not let my wife down; I have no intention of leaving her, even during a darker time in her life. I am a responsible man, and I will struggle along with her to make sure things are better between us.

DBM: Thank you!

Image Credit: Ono Kosuki

These Hoes Ain’t Loyal

Written by David B on . Posted in Blog. 3 Comments

Hello David,

I am a follower of your Facebook platform, so is my ex-wife. We were married for 7 years, and blessed with a son. I think sometimes you’re a little prejudiced when it comes to men and women on your page. Your conversations are always tailored around men treating their women right. Little is discussed about how women should treat their men. Are we not deserving of being treated right? Or as a man yourself, you mean to say your feelings aren’t that worth appreciating?

My ex-wife was so focused on herself and needs in our marriage, my own emotions and needs were placed on the sideline. She did not understand how to treat me right as her man. To the rest of the world, I was the monster making her unhappy in our marriage; but tell me Dave, which man in his right senses will be empowered to do more than the usual for a wife who refuses to put in the effort into making her man happy?

Things were okay between us in the beginning years of our marriage until I lost my job. And I pray no married man ever loses his job in this Ghana, and ends up relying on his wife; your marriage will break up. My experience wasn’t even a flat-out-firing. I was downsized, and I lost more than just my paycheck; I lost my wife’s genuine respect for my well-being. Trust me when I tell you these hoes ain’t loyal. Many of them marry men for their paychecks and employment statuses; love is just a word on their lips.

My wife stopped seeing and trusting the fact that I was working hard to find work; she stopped seeing the embarrassment I felt for being unemployed. Her expectations of me shifted; her usual routines at home suddenly changed, not because money was tight, but because I was depending on her to hold the family down. For the first time in our relationship, we weren’t on the same page with money, all because I was unemployed. Unfortunately for me, another man with a better job rather got my wife’s 100% attention, care and pampering. The very things I craved for because I thought the “I do” in our vows mandated our marriage to be my source of strength in times like these. But no, another man enjoyed my wife’s support and encouragement; he profited from my wife’s resourcefulness.

I became emotionally troubled – I missed out on a lot happening around me in my own home. In all honesty Mr. David, I wasn’t asking for much; I just wanted her kindness and compassion, that was why I had to recoup into taking two steps forward and one step back on my journey to maintaining a healthy marriage. While I tried to get our connection back to where it used to be, my wife was taking one step forward and four steps back. She was in love with someone else. She manipulated my feelings, tried also to guilt-trip me, and worst of it all – when I made a little mistake, my ex-wife would catalog all of my errors from 1952 with an elongated monologue.

When I forbade her from pursuing another love interest with her current husband, my ex-wife took up a voluntary total fasting exercise, starving herself almost to death. She would cook for me and our child, but refuse to eat. This continued for more than three months. She lost so much weight and grew lean, it was scary. I don’t know the story she was selling to family and friends because they all started believing she was suffering from battery and abuse. She wouldn’t answer the phone calls of her family and friends; she stopped going to work, and as a result, lost her job. Outsiders started vising our home unannounced, and at odd times to check on her. She told her siblings and best friend that I had isolated her from her family and friends, psychologically beaten her down and was physically threatening her. The day I heard her mother tell her she deserved to live free of fear, she filed for divorce. Three weeks after our separation, she started putting on weight again.

Image Credit: Karolina Grabowska

ADAMS’ APPLE

Written by David B on . Posted in Blog. 3 Comments

David Bondze-Mbir (DBM): Thank you for participating. What name would you want to go by? (It can be your real first name or any other name you fancy)

Participant 7:  Adams is my name.

DBM: Tell me anything about yourself

ADAMS: I am 68 years old, and a father to four grown children. I am a grandfather, a husband and a friend. I am retired and enjoying the remaining years of my life with my wife.

DBM: How long have you been married?

ADAMS: 35 years.

DBM: What was your perfect ‘type’ of a man or woman? Did your husband or wife fit into your exact specifications?

ADAMS: My wife fits into my exact specifications. She actually is in a league of her own. I settled for a woman I would never otherwise would have gone for. Don’t get me wrong, my wife is very beautiful to me; she is beautiful to me because I give her the chance to become beautiful in my eyes. And in all the 35 years of loving her, I have given myself the opportunity to be equally good in her eyes, and most importantly, cherished for who I really am, by the one woman whose opinion I value the most.

DBM: So, how did you two meet?

ADAMS: She found me at a point in my life when I was thinking I wasn’t good enough for any woman; every lady I liked didn’t like me back. I felt useless. She was at the same bus stop where an ex-girlfriend of mine had broken up with me in public. I doubted my capabilities as a man, but this stranger, now wife, encouraged me with her presence and friendship to build me back up to move forward. It was humiliating to say the least, but she stood by me at the bus stop, and has been standing by me through all of my ups and downs.

DBM: Do you consider your significant other as your best friend?

ADAMS: Our friendship will never end, and that makes me the happiest man in the world. Yes!

DBM: When did you make him or her laugh the most? What happened?

ADAMS: That would be over 28 years ago. We both had a busy schedule and had to rely on one of her best friends to pick our children from school. We gave her our house keys to cater for the kids in our absence. I was the first to arrive home after 10 pm. We were expecting my wife to arrive at dawn. The kids were asleep when I got home. While taking my bath, I heard the bathroom door open. My wife’s friend was naked. Because I had soap lather in my eyes, I couldn’t see her approach me. It was after she held my penis and kissed me that I realized that wasn’t my wife. I sacked her from my house and told my wife the moment she got home. I don’t know whether she believed me or not but she laughed so hard, she encountered a stomach pain in the process. She did not confront her friend about my accusation. They’re still close friends. She’s still our family friend.

DBM: At what point were you certain he or she was the one for you?

ADAMS: The day I realized my wife wasn’t afraid of being alone, with or without me in her life. Yes, she’s in want of the man that I am, but she doesn’t really need me in any way to feel fulfilled.

DBM: Do you still find your husband or wife physically attractive?

ADAMS: My wife is as attractive and perfect as I make her to be. She’s ambitious and very reliable. Dave, authenticity is sexier to me in any body type or shape, any day.

DBM: In a deeper conversation with your spouse, do you listen just to completely understand or you listen simply to formulate your response?

ADAMS: I have never taken the importance of communication with my wife lightly. She discusses almost everything that is important to her with me, and I make sure to listen to whatever she has to say, and truly make the effort to comprehend exactly where she may be coming from. In a deeper conversation with my wife, I know when to talk or offer an opinion, and when not to.

DBM: How is your significant other faring in the position as a husband or wife?

ADAMS: She’s my ideal wife, and I will choose her over and over again, any day. In fact, I still chase after her till date. She respects herself, and respects me too.

DBM: Which of your wedding vows means the world to you?

ADAMS: In the name of The Almighty God, I take you, Sophia, to be my wife; to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish – until we are parted by death.

DBM: What is the most fun you both have had in the relationship?

ADAMS: Raising our children together and enriching them to a higher level of thinking, feeling, loving and behaving, has been the most fun we have both had in our marriage.

DBM: Is the love for your husband or wife growing any stronger by the day?

ADAMS: It’s growing stronger every day. I understand my wife in a deeper level.

DBM: Do you trust your husband or wife?

ADAMS: Completely! She owns my heart, and I feel comfortable being vulnerable with her.

DBM: How much time do you spend on your husband or wife?

ADAMS: David, I love my wife so much to the extent that, I love being around her. For me, as long as I get to spend time with her, I don’t really care whatever we’d be doing together – if I’d be doing it with her, that would be more than enough for me. She’s the best company I have ever kept and had all my life.

DBM: Emotionally, do you feel connected than before?

ADAMS: Yes, I feel connected emotionally to my Sophie. She’s exactly where I need her to be emotionally with me. We support each other the best way possible.

DBM: Do you feel secure in the marriage?

ADAMS: Very! We are constantly paying attention to our inner and outer growths at every phase of our lives.

DBM: Where do you see you and your spouse in the next 10 years?

ADAMS: Till death do us part I believe.

DBM: What is your ideal sex life?

ADAMS: My ideal sex life is climaxing with my wife.

DBM: Rate your current sex life (out of 10)

ADAMS: 9/10. She pleases me, and we are content with what we share intimately.

DBM: What is your understanding of love?

ADAMS: My understanding of love is being on the same page on the importance of respecting each other, being true to our words, creating time to prioritize our feelings for one another, resolving conflict when it arises and forgiving each other; being strong for the other when weak, and helping one another to carry on.

DBM: Are you feeling loved in your marriage?

ADAMS: I love how my wife loves me. She’s my favorite lady.

DBM: Are you a good spouse?

ADAMS: I am a good husband, but I am married to a wonderful woman.

DBM: Have you cheated on your husband or wife with another man or woman?

ADAMS: Finding myself in the arms of another woman, to me, is an expression, not my reality. I don’t want to hurt Sophia, because I love her. I don’t want to tear my family apart and sacrifice my honor; that is why I have never cheated on my wife.

DBM: Say something to your spouse from your heart.

ADAMS: Sophia, I am one of the luckiest men alive. We promised each other for better and for worse, and so far, I am also honoring my part of the vows. You know how much I love you; you know how much I am in love with you. You know how much I appreciate you. I wasn’t searching for a perfect woman; I wasn’t looking for a flawless marriage. All I prayed for was for God to bless me with a decent marriage, genuine commitment and a lasting friendship between us. Thank you very much for going easy on me!

Image Credit: Andre Moura

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