When he saw her fake smile pulled towards her ears as they were about to break up, Thabo definitely knew that it would be the last time he would ever see Palesa again.

They experienced a lot of differences and the best resolution for both of them was to go their separate ways, even though Thabo loved her very much. One side of his heart knew that he was still tied to her. But, the other side told him that he was better off without her. He was in denial; he could not admit it was over between them. He could not picture a better tomorrow without Palesa. She was not just the best woman he had ever known, but she was also the woman whom he deeply fell in love with.

However, this thought kept striking Thabo’s mind every second: Tthis is the last time you will ever see her again.

Palesa’s face was like a book, where anyone could read strange matters. Today her facial expressions had signalled the wrong messages to Thabo. Her delighted face showed him that she genuinely wanted their relationship to come to an end. Realising this, his heart bled because Palesa was the only troublesome in their love affair of three months. Perhaps she never felt anything for me, Thabo thought.

At once, tears slipped through his eyes and found their way downward to his poor cheeks. He lifted his hands to dry them, but he failed; instead, they poured even more. Immediately, a great monotony occupied his mind. Life was tedious for him. He got dizzy; and he lost his equilibrium. Thereafter, he did not recognise what went on. He was unconscious for a while.

When he regained consciousness, he was in white rags in the hospital. His bed was surrounded by a few people who had watched him when he fell down and passed out. But, he could not recognise them clearly. Everything he looked at was blurry. He felt fear running down to his spine. And so he started to ask them a number of questions.

“Where am I? What the hell is happening around here? Am I dreaming?”

He did not receive an immediate response. But, their faces glowed with excitement, except one face: the face of one woman.

“No, you’re not dreaming!”

Her voice was familiar to his ears. He rubbed his eyes. He saw Palesa in their midst, looking at him.

“Palesa, Palesa, it’s you, my love?” He asked with disbelief.

“What really happened, sweety?”

She shrugged her shoulders slightly.

“I don’t know. You just fell.” Palesa told him. Her shrilled voice pierced him.

In a split second, he started to recall the events of that day before he had a heart attack. He got up slowly from the bed, his eyes were wide open. He simply desired to hold Palesa and if possible to die in her arms. How could he let her out of his life that simply? No, he could not do this. He would rather pass up his last breath in her arms, where he had initially found his comfort and warmth. Palesa was the only girl he had ever loved so dearly. And she was the first true love he had ever experienced. Sadly, today she wanted him to get out of her life while he was so into her.

Palesa ruthlessly uttered something he would not forget.

“Stay away from me,” she said, shoving him towards the bed. He hit the wall hard with his head and fainted. Afterwards, Palesa ran away. She was never seen or heard from again.

The nurses did everything to stabilise him. When he became conscious, he realised that Palesa was nowhere to be seen. Near his bed, stood his mother and one nurse.

“All is well, sonny boy. You’ll be OK,” his mother said with a shaking voice.

“Palesa is not a good woman for you.”

Hearing the comments made by his mother, everything he had been through with Palesa came tumbling back. He asked himself a few questions: Why me? How could Palesa do this to me? He felt so unlucky and betrayed by Palesa.

And so he remembered the old saying: Take time to know her.

His mother used to remind him that. She often said, “Sonny boy, take time to know her,” every time he was introducing his new girlfriend to her. But, her statement did not make any sense to him.

Now, he got the essence of his mother’s saying; he grasped everything behind it. Then it flashed in his head that Palesa did not truly love him. She was something of an opportunist. She simply wanted him to keep her busy, with no plans for the future for both of them.

In the middle of his thoughts, Thabo burst into tears. He cried like a child. Then his mother came closer to comfort him. She hugged him to soothe him.

“All is well, sonny boy,” she stated repeatedly.

“Yes, Mom,” he responded, still in her arms. He felt her motherly love.

He got sleepy and fell into a deep sleep. And then the nurse assured his mother that he would be okay the next morning. She freed him and she went home.

Thabo was feeling better the following morning, energetic and positive. He made a vow to himself that he would never ever think about Palesa. He decided to forget her completely. He had given her his heart, but she almost ruined his life when she caused him the heart attack. She left him after so much they had been through; and she failed to be with him through thick and thin.

After he suffered, he needed to rise up and start a new life without Palesa. Although he was aware that he needed her love, but he could not chase after her love any more as he realised that their love was not mutual. He learned that love without compassion and patience could easily hurt. When their love was tested and when they were supposed to be stronger than ever, Palesa chose to leave him in his misery. And she even increased his distress when she shoved him away and hurt him.

It was a bad lesson learnt, which was learned the hard way. But, he saw it coming and it would be the last time he would ever see Palesa again. So, there was no need to cry anymore.

Tell us: Do you think it’s worth it to cry over a partner?