I Married a Ghost

He was my angel, a man of gentle disposition.

I met Nathaniel on my first visit to Noel True Church in Abiaki. He approached me with an infectious smile that demanded a response. I saw God in him, and we exchanged contacts. He introduced himself as a chemist working with one of the popular companies in Abiaki.

I had just started my nursing job at Abiaki Central Government Hospital (ACGH) and wasn't in a relationship. Getting to know Nathaniel, whom I affectionately called Nat, was a relief to me.

We continued together in Noel True Church, and his commitment to the church was exemplary.

One thing led to another, and we agreed to get married. The courtship was sweet, the kind any young woman would wish for. The marriage ceremony was modest but splendid.

Our wedding day was a moment of joy and affection, a dream come true for any young woman. We hired Hotel Luxury, a 5-star hotel in Abiaki, for our honeymoon. On that day, we made merry until 2:00 am before retiring to our hotel room. Even though I was eager for us to cut the merriment short, it wasn't to be. Once in the hotel, Nathaniel was preoccupied with one thing or another: opening parcels, counting money, until the next day. The next day was spent on phone fidgeting or writing something or other. I became annoyed, and things got out of hand. I couldn't control my temper at his inaction, but he didn't seem to be bothered.

We had booked the hotel for a week, but we ended up returning home on the second day.

The situation didn't improve. Over time, he turned nocturnal; he would stay in the house when he was supposed to be at work and leave during the night, returning the next day.

I reported the situation to my parents, who arranged to meet him. All efforts to meet him proved futile. Every time we arranged to meet, he would be nowhere to be found.

This couldn't be left to my parents alone; we decided to bring it to the attention of his family. The house we knew as his family home was deserted when we visited. It was no longer inhabited. The community members informed us that no one had lived there for the past 6 years. Surprisingly, we used to meet people there during the marriage arrangements.

The matter was then brought to the leaders of Noel True Church. It came to light that because he was active in church, they had never visited him and didn't know his family, his workplace, or his hometown. This prompted us to visit his workplace, only to discover that no one with his name worked there.

During the courtship period, I had accompanied him to his workplace twice, but I never entered the premises with him. I also visited him once when he called me to meet him at his workplace, but he met me at the entrance.

The day we visited his workplace was the day he left home for good. He disappeared into thin air.

My marriage with Nat was never consummated in 3 years.

I don't know if I will ever love again.