Thursday, October 24, 2013

Kidney Love Story

This story is probably best suited to be in the annals of the stupid, yet true, romance stories.

Ten years ago, I was just out of the university when I met this girl. She was young, beautiful and her smile just lit up the room. I was a nerd, physically unattractive and never been in a relationship. I was also very naive as events turned out. It was my first relationship. I had never had success with girls. I came from a 'psychologically inadequate' family background and had serious self esteem issues.

Four months into the relationship (I will not bother to waste the reader's time  narrating how we happened to be dating), she came crying to me one day. Her brother was ill, had been ill for a week (I eventually found out he had been in the hospital for six months at the time), and needed a kidney. Their only surviving relative was unwilling to donate hers and she was worried that her brother would just die. 

(An aside, I live in a third world country and there is nothing like waiting for an organ donor. If you needed one, you would have to hope for someone you know to donate it or die a long and painful death.)

Then came the torrent of tears from her pretty face and I knew that I was going to do something really crazy. I volunteered to donate a kidney. She looked at me in disbelief. You can't be serious, she sniffed. But I was. I assured her that if I was a good match, I would donate one and her brother would not have to suffer much longer. I was young and very healthy. I figured that there was nothing to lose and a lot to gain by being the hero in her eyes.

Knowing that my family would never agree to such an action on my part, I didn't tell them anything until a day to the surgery. The hell they raised is better imagined.

Fast forward to one week post operation. She came to see me since I was leaving the hospital that day. She was full of gratitude. She was full of life. Her brother's surgery was successful. She would be eternally grateful to me. She would be happy to spend the rest of her life with me. And so on. I felt like the king of the world. That such a stunningly beautiful girl would feel indebted to me gave me the best feeling in the world. 

But things didn't remain so pretty for long afterwards. She began to give excuses for not coming to see me. If I called to ask if I could come over, she would make up funny reasons why not. She was busy. She was out of town. She was tired. She was having a mood swing and didn't want to see anybody. Eventually, two months after my good, eh, stupid deed, she broke up with me. Her reason? She didn't want to waste her time with a sentimental fool. Her exact words.

(I found out later that the 'brother' in the hospital was in fact her long time fiancé whom she loved very much. )

Since then, my already low esteem is yet to fully recover from the blow that being in that relationship dealt me. That was my first and possibly the last relationship I will ever be in. I was a fool indeed.

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