We Were Dating… According to My Auntie 

It started the way most Ghanaian love stories start.

With assumptions.

I greeted him one Sunday after church.

Just a simple greeting.

“Good afternoon.”

Nothing romantic.

Nothing serious.

But my auntie saw it.

By Monday, I was in a relationship.

She didn’t ask.

She announced.

“So, how is your boyfriend?” she said casually, like she was asking about the weather.

I laughed.

“Auntie, he’s not my boyfriend.”

She waved her hand.

“Ei, don’t worry. It will come.”

It always comes.

The problem was… the boy himself didn’t know we were dating.

We chatted sometimes.

Small small.

Normal Ghana chatting.

“How are you?”

“I’m fine, oo.”

“Have you eaten?”

That’s it.

But in my auntie’s mind, we were already planning a wedding at the family house. She started calling him “your man.” She even asked where he works, like she was about to send him on an errand.

One day, she caught me smiling at my phone.

She smiled back.

“Ah. So it has started.”

I wasn’t even texting him.

It was a meme.

Still, the pressure increased.

“If he comes here, I will cook something nice,” she said.

“He hasn’t said he’s coming,” I replied.

“He will come.”

In Ghana, belief is powerful.

Eventually, the boy invited me out.

Just to talk.

Just normal.

I told my auntie I was going out.

She nodded slowly.

“Okay. Tell your boyfriend I said hello.”

I sighed.

The date was… fine.

Awkward.

Sweet small.

We talked about work, life, and how expensive everything has become. He paid for drinks, and I said thank you like a responsible human being.

Nothing dramatic happened.

But when I came home, my auntie looked at me closely.

“So?” she asked.

“So what?”

She smiled.

“Marriage is not easy, but you will manage.”

I went to my room.

The next morning, she told the neighbor I was “seeing someone serious.”

I didn’t correct her.

At this point, I was tired.

If love comes from belief alone, my auntie has already done her part.