Days after revealing that his parents won’t allow him to marry the lady he loves, who has a child for him, a Ghanaian man identified as Kofi Shanti Boafo, has reportedly committed suicide.
Before taking his own life, he wrote a ‘goodbye’ post:
“Dear All, You have to know that you will not be seeing me any more, and perhaps the knowledge is better than the months of uncertainty which I have been through.
There are one or two things which I should like you to know, and which I have been too shy to let you know in person.
Firstly, let me say how splendid you both have been during this terrible “war”. Neither of you have shown how hard things must have been, and when peace comes this will serve to knit the family together as it should always have been knit.
As a family, we are terribly afraid of showing our feelings, but my life has uncovered unsuspected layers of affection beneath the crust of gentlemanly reserve.
Secondly, I would like to thank you all for what you have done for me personally. Nothing has been too much trouble, and I have appreciated this to the full, even if I have been unable to show it.
Finally, a word of comfort. You both know how I have gone through this life, but it has, however, done this for me. It has shown me new realms where man is free from earthly restrictions and conventions; where he can be himself playing hide and seek with the clouds, or watching a strangely silent world beneath, rolling quietly on, touched only by vague unsubstantial shadows moving placidly but unrelenting across its surface.
So please don’t pity me for the price I have had to pay for this experience. This price is incalculable, but it may just as well be incalculably small as incalculably large, so why worry?
And to Dad and Mum
If you get this message or reading this, then you should know I won’t be coming home. I am up in the stars now looking down on you making sure that you are happy as you wanted.
I am sorry for all the times I have been a pain but I know the good times outweighed the bad tenfold. Thank you for being the best parents anyone could ever have wished for. You gave me everything I could ever have wanted and more but not the marriage that I wanted.
You have both gotten long lives ahead of you yet, so make sure you make use of every second you have, because sitting here writing this now I know just how precious time is.
Tell the rest of the family I was thinking of them and make sure they take care.
Forgiveness is something everybody deserves because one day, it may be too late.
Remember that every time you are thinking of me, I am thinking of you, too. Look after yourselves and not to think of my children forget about them.
And to the love of my life Deevi
I cannot seem to say these words out loud. To me, saying goodbye has always seemed so final. Life is crazy like that. People come in and out of your life; neither one is ever expected. I have found, however, that some people will always come back to you. The ones meant to be in your life will return somewhere down the road. Unfortunately, I do not believe you will ever return. That is why I have to say goodbye.
Our relationship, like so many others, had its extreme ups and downs. I tried to focus on the ups, while relentlessly making excuses for you for the downs. “He’s just busy” and “He treats everyone like that” became the norm. I put you before almost anything and anyone else in my life. You knew I loved you, yet you did nothing about it. All I had was hope. You were so important to me. It is extremely difficult writing these words in the past tense. I once thought you would be in my life forever.
I can’t let you hurt me any longer. Life is too short to repeatedly get your heart broken by the same person without doing anything to fix it. Everyone deserves more than that. I need to do what is best for me. The only way to fix it is by saying goodbye.
I know this is going to be a long and difficult journey, but it is something I must do. My heart is so full of you. Waking up every morning without you in my life will get a little easier every day until you are nothing but a memory to me. I’m glad we have few same friends so your name won’t get brought up in conversation. It is time to move on. I can erase you from my life, but the memories will remain forever.
I may have lost someone that didn’t love me, but you lost someone that truly loved you.
This is my goodbye.
There is only one thing to add. Good luck to you all.
Shanti writes to you all. Am much grateful and appreciate your time and effort to me.”
