In life we all have that book of life with chapters that always remind us of our backgrounds. I wished that my book of life was written in pencil as there are a few chapters I would like to erase. Life is about living and living is about having a backup.

I had already convinced myself that I wasn’t going to let no tears of mine flow again; the pain that I could not hide behind my fake smile. My life was like a mission, one way it goes on, the other it stops. My toxic trait is that I used to get mad about old pain even if I had moved passed it, because I didn’t understand why I deserved it. Do you know the pain caused by your loved ones? I used to scream everyday thinking that maybe someone would hear me, but no, there was no one.

It became a norm for me day and night. Since grade one until my final year, I was such a young girl with a beautiful smile, loving and kind but it all faded away that day. Crying at night, all alone, gave me strength to live. The pain I endured at a young age changed me a lot.

I needed someone who I could address my issues with, but there was no one until I met a guy called Prince. He was an amazing person, caring and understanding. We became friends and we eventually developed feelings for each other. I was so happy living in those moments. I never told anyone who he was to me.

At last I had found someone whom I could talk to. I used to forget all my issues when I was with him. Prince and I used to spend a lot of time together, but it never crossed our minds that we would become intimate with each other. We thought it was our responsibility to make wise decisions as we were young at that time; I was 16 and he was 17. I loved him so much and I began to tell him about my childhood, how sad and terrified I was. I thought he was going to leave me after hearing my story, like what every cowardly guy does, but clearly he was my angel from God, he told me to move past it. Every time I was sad he made sure that I was smiling within a minute. From that moment I had already told myself that I didn’t need anyone in life as long I had him around me.

But that was the story then, now it’s so different. One day I received a call from my parents telling me that they wanted me to come and live with them. At first I was so happy but when I realised that I was about to leave Prince I began to question my life again. I went to tell him about my parents’ call and I didn’t expect him to understand, but he did with a sad heart.

From grade one to grade ten, I used to stay with my grandmother.

Two days before I left, Prince paid me a visit. I could see that he was faking a smile, he wasn’t happy but there was nothing he could do.

Tell us: How would you react if you had to leave someone you love?