…had I known then what I know now, I would have been really proud to shout out loud…
NBSB- No Boyfriend Since Birth. This is how most of my friends would describe me. It was quite an embarrassment for me then because most young women my age have had several relationships already. But had I known then what I know now, I would have been really proud to shout out loud that I’m NBSB.
But no! I didn’t know any better (then).
I didn’t feel confident about myself my entire life and I think that was one of the reasons why I feared the opposite sex.
But eventually, that fear turned into something else.
After I got back from working overseas, I was head over heels with a man I just met. I never imagined that I would fall in love let alone with a man who was eight (8) years my senior.
I was in love! We were in love!
I was in a serious relationship with him, and before I knew it something turned my life upside down.
I got pregnant and my life took a full turn.
I immediately told my boyfriend thinking he would be happy to hear about the beautiful news. But it was a complete opposite. His world fell apart when he realized that he would soon become a father. He was not ready for the responsibilities that come along in raising a child. It felt like my child and I was a burden to him. Then it hit me as if a whole bucket of cold water was poured on me.
I came to my senses and eventually made the most important decision in my life.
We have to leave!
I need to keep my child and myself from being hurt. We should not stay in a place (or with someone) that doesn’t want us. It was a difficult decision at my end because I know it wouldn’t be easy to raise a child on my own but it was a decision I never regretted. In fact, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made because it gave me the greatest life lesson and living purpose.
I couldn’t agree more with Eleonor Roosevelt’s statement, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face . . . You must do the thing you think you cannot do”.
Right now, I have a well-rounded 9-year-old daughter I am raising on my own. It is not easy at all. There are a lot of difficulties but my life has never been more colorful. Her smiles complete my world. My child is a gift that I would always be grateful for.
LORENA TANGGOL
Team 27
