Men Are Scum
I’ve always wanted the true love of a man. And maybe I did get close to having it. But that one move by my sixteen-year-old self was the worst mistake of my life.
A total wrecking ball.
Let’s call him Leo. He was the mature kind of 29 years old, charming with a sugar-coated tongue. He was my first love (not my first sex). I was so crazy about him, and it didn’t matter that he was more than 10 years older than me; he made me feel all shades of amazing. He’d call me up to meet at a Chinese restaurant – he loved this place and he also loved the balcony table at Old Spice. We’d talk and laugh into the night while downing citrus drinks and sautéed chicken chips or vegetable rice. These were his favorite meals to order, and I also liked them. Thereafter, he’d whisk me off into the Gents and kiss me, long and hard, getting me all turned on like the lights in a mall. Then we’d return to our table and talk some more before he’d take me home. Sometimes he drove, other times we walked, not because we couldn’t take a cab, but because he always wanted that extra time, to talk and laugh and make out with me along dark corners. I am such a well-brought up child, so in those evenings, Mum believed I was at church teenage choir and all while Dad was away in Lagos working. I had my slice of freedom with this fine man of mine.
On one of those night walks, we dropped by a new hotel, and Leo whispered into my ears, “Here’s where I’d like to have you for the first time.” Yes, he promised not to have sex with me until my 17th birthday, which was a few months ahead. I at once nervous and excited, especially when we went into the hotel to check it out and were shown some of their rooms with their silk white sheets and shiny new furniture. As he walked me home that night, we sang Westlife’s Flying Without Wings. That was our song.
The night of my birthday eve, I left school down to Port Harcourt to the hotel. When Beyoncé told you “…we’d be all night loooooooove”, you’d do well to believe her. That boy knows how to love and make love, which should have made me wary, but when I love, I turn a blind eye to all nooks and crannies.
My birthday had me invite my friends to the Chinese restaurant where we were to celebrate. I suggested it to Leo and he conceded. It was my birthday and I just love sharing my goodwill with my friends. Five of them responded to the invitation and came, and we wined and dined at Leo’s expense – and mine, because at the end of the evening, some of them could not pay their fare back home, and so I had to give them the money.
Months after this magical evening, Leo turned cold. My calls went unanswered, texts unattended to, and when we managed to fix a date, he stood me up. The signs were all there. The charm that used to dazzle me had waned, and still I persevered. I bought the “work has been hectic” line he kept throwing at me, even after I ran into his maid at the market one day and she told me he had this guest in the house he lived in with his parents, who both combined were making her job a nightmare.
Even in my denial, I was devastated by how stale my love was getting. I’d go to my friends and cry about how I was hurting, and they’d give me instances of how they had dealt with cheating boyfriends at some point or another in their lives. I wasn’t to be comforted by their stories. This was my very first boyfriend and we were barely a year together – goddamnit!
One Sunday evening, after Leo goofed out on our intended meeting yet again, I’d cried myself to sleep and then woken up with bloated eyes. Then I decided to walk down to my friend’s, the one who stays closest to me (let’s say his name is Jonathan). I’d gotten to the front door when I heard Jonathan’s sister complaining about my other friends to Jonathan. “Peaches go dey cry say him boyfriend no dey pick call, una go dey tell am sorry, but you sabi say wetin them dey do no good.” Jonathan’s family is aware he is gay and they are OK with him and us; this was the reason we – his friends – prefer to convene at his house to hang out.
Upon hearing what his sister said, I stepped in through door and the two siblings gave a start when they saw me, an identical look flashing through their eyes as they no doubt wondered how much of what she’d been saying that I’d heard. Feeling awkward in my presence – or maybe she simply preferred not to be part of the bad news delivery service –, Jonathan’s sister mumbled a greeting at me and walked out of the room, leaving me to turn narrowed eyes to her brother.
He was stammering when I promptly demanded an explanation for what I‘d heard. He was one of the first friends I made, and it was through him that I met the other four.
It didn’t take very long before the whole story began to spill from him. It turned out my Leo had been sleeping around, not just with one of my friends but all the other four. His betrayal had also come back to bite him when he gave his ATM card to the last one he slept with to go withdraw some pocket money and he ended up taking out much more than they’d agreed he’d take out of his account and promptly disappeared out of Leo’s life, leaving him pissed.
The only friend who had turned Leo down was Jonathan.
I was shook, too shook to let out another tear, too shook to be mad, too shook to apportion blames. I just sat as Jonathan’s narration hit me and stared blankly into space.
Karma is a bitch, they say. I’d never been interested in Leo for his money and hadn’t taken too much from him, no matter how much he offered. I’d been in love and believed in forever with him, and for my trust, I was played the fool. Incidentally, for his betrayal, he too was played the fool.
A lot happened in the following days after Jonathan’s revelation. Leo and I officially split, right after he tried to blame me for my former friend’s theft. Then time passed and life went on. He’d text after a while or leave me a birthday message, and I’d reply kindly. He’d ask to see me and I’d say no, that I’m too busy to meet with him – now or ever. For there is no way I’m ever going to forget in a hurry just how much Leo proved to me that men are scum.
Written by Peaches
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39 Comments
JamJam
September 20, 06:27“Men are scum”.
“Peaches is a Man”.
“Therefore…”
Canis VY Majoris
September 20, 06:57? I was getting there
Malik
September 20, 07:00I assume there’s a description like “some”, or ” most” before “men are scum”. So you’re allowed.
Nice story and never go back to Leo. If possible don’t see. Love could be a stubborn thing that doesn’t really die. Find someone else. Love again and completely forget Leo.
Canis VY Majoris
September 20, 07:03No offense.
But, this story irks me. Maybe because
1. You’re 17
2. Leo is a craddle rocker, or
3. It’s just sad case
Why don’t you concentrate on other important things, like growing up and school. No ? ?
Pink Panther
September 20, 07:13Was.
He was 17.
This isn’t a today story. It’s a blast from the past. Pretty sure he’s been growing up and getting down with all sorts of important things. ?
Canis VY Majoris
September 20, 07:36I figured with the past tenses and participles.
Disclaimer: Also applicable to my comment ??
Foxydevil
September 20, 07:56Meh!
The only scum here is lemonade abi peaches…. You’ll get a pass though cos you were seventeen.
But I hope you learn and really learn this time. In an effort to show off and out to your friends, you invited them on what could have been a date night between two people, you made him spend frivolously and you thought your friends weren’t keeping tabs ? you are clearly a learner.
Omo jati jati ?
Not making excuses for the pedofile because if your friends were not available, he would have been on the prowl for some new young fresher ass to bang but kudos to you, you finished work for him, providing him with three sweet sixteens to bang the hell out of ? and he took them in delicious turns.
Move on my dear, men are not scums, they are just more sexual than women…..part genetics, part liberty …what you never do is enable a man or make his philandering easier …especially in the gay community where having sex is easier than picking a candy from a super market. ?
***********
Please introduce me to that your friend that made away with his Atm….those are the type of friends I love to keep.
With two runs Girls , a jail bird, an internet fraudster and a hacker already in the mix, the only thing we need now is a credit card scam artist and voila! We are on ?
?.
Ayo
September 20, 08:17So because you don’t want your boyfriend to cheat on you with your friends, you shut him out completely from meeting them, he’s gonna cheat anyway if he’s gonna cheat, I really do not see anything wrong in having your friends celebrate with you on a birthday, well maybe not to a treat you’re not solely financially responsible for. Then his intentions might not necessarily mean to show off, but considering his age by the time, you might be right
Pink Panther
September 20, 08:53Even if he wanted to show off, since when has cheating and betrayal ever been the right thing to pay one back for showing off his happiness to his friends?
Ojukwu Jeff
September 20, 10:51Ataya o! I don’t even see any much showing off in this story, dude just invited his friends for his birthday party… The Leo guy is a fucktard and peaches’ hoe psychopaths of friends are his typical kind of fucktards …. People who sleep with their friend’s bf have very low self esteem. I can’t jast gerrover this!
trystham
September 20, 14:02I don’t understand the surprise/umbrage here. Y’all seen his friend’s listing? What else wud u expect?
Pink Panther
September 20, 14:04His friend’s listing???
trystham
September 20, 14:21Yes o. Friends’ listing. Runs girls, hacker, internet fraudster…etc
Foxydevil
September 20, 19:42You do know to the society you are considered more or the same to those people I listed there?
???? you don’t get to judge sweetie and you don’t get to feel superior either,.They might end up in prison or maybe at some hospital ward with a disease but I doubt they will be publicly humiliated when caught in the act.
Can’t say the same for you ???????
trystham
September 20, 20:57LOOOOOL But I wasn’t judging now, was I? And I am not even in the same category as ur pals. I am considered worse than any of them as Nigeria has a warped and misplaced sense of morality. I’ll bet that makes u feel fulfilled knowing u r near-right for once in ur confused existence
shawn
September 20, 09:09always waiting to read your epistle hunnay
Ayo
September 20, 08:03I don’t agree with the generalization, and I think you’re a man yourself
Pink Panther
September 20, 08:12Lol. You think.
Mandy
September 20, 08:13Focus on the story and forget the generalization. Ah. If you’re not scum, then how does his title affect you?
Mandy
September 20, 08:16Bringing your friends along for that birthday date is forgivable becos you were still a teenager. I suppose the price of spending his money more than required is this blatant betrayal of his. Pele. Hopefully you’ve learned. Some friends can be the absolute worst. And Jonathan sef… Was he honestly just going to keep saying nothing to you? Like seriously? Shey you know he too is not your friend, never mind that he didn’t open for Leo. He should’ve told you, especially when you’ve been crying to him and your heart was so obviously broken.
Ojukwu Jeff
September 20, 11:01I am Jonathan kind of person. I won’t tell you, you’ve to find out yourself just so you and the other friends won’t accuse me of OSHW or bizzy body…. It takes great intelligence to know if your man is cheating and if you can’t then you shouldn’t be dating…
Foxydevil
September 20, 11:12What if he infects your friend with an STD ,will you forgive yourself?
Ojukwu Jeff
September 20, 12:56STD? Let’s not make mention of that yet because it was never included in the story. But on a normal circumstance am not going to say anything about it let him find out himself.
Pink Panther
September 20, 13:40That’s not a very friendly position to take, especially if you see that your friend is heartbroken from what your other friendsssss (plural o, not even singular) are doing to him. You might as well not be his friend if you won’t help him see what’s going on.
Rehoboth
September 20, 08:17Children playing adult’s game mostly get burnt.
Dashawn
September 20, 08:20My darling, Men have been scum, are scum and will continue to be scum. I’m glad you bounced back real good.
Ojukwu Jeff
September 20, 08:20**wipes tears** I was a victim of this same story too.. his name was Leo too. Men are scum but not all men though.
quinn
September 20, 09:12Ageist?! Great story, glad you didn’t go too far with him.
Peaches
September 20, 09:38Thankyou all, this story you see because i am strong enough to tell it. Several years have gone by. And love is not very easy to come by, so i am busy with other things too. Yes, i am a man, I met Leo’s friends too, I liked him best so there was no need for me to go sniffing their sheets. Foxydevil, i am lemonade, I am peaches depends flavour suits you best. Don’t be a bitter person we are not all capable of being both a fox and a devil at the same time.
Iliana
September 20, 10:36Wow, best comment so far , foxydemon just got served *coughs*?
Foxydevil
September 20, 11:10Lol, this fruit sure got a bite.
I thought the only function of a “peach “was to be eaten and what’s left discarded.
But this peach is pinchy!
Who knew you had it in you!
Maybe if you were half as assertive to Leo, this chronicle would have been avoided .
But what do I know, am just a bitter, cynical demon who hasn’t been laid in months.
Forgive my bitterness, lack of sex can do that to you. ?
Not everyone can have a free giver like Leo at their beck and call. ?
BRYAN PETERS
September 20, 22:56Smack down!!! What a come back Foxy. ????. Touche ?
Kamar
September 20, 12:21Foxydevil, I think u r blessed with loads and loads of fuckeries. U sure as hell need a deeque!
Nice and Witty reply Peaches -with some Cream.
Foxydevil
September 20, 19:34Was that some word you picked up “deeque ”
I’m curious to know the meaning, help a brother. ?
trystham
September 20, 14:04Is this what birthed ‘cheating friends’ qxn the other day?
Eddie
September 20, 22:50Most guys ARE scum….take that to the bank any day y’all….they sweet talk us, screw us,and ditch us….and when we try to be chaste and cautious,they push us aside and go searching for a stress-free NSA tumble with some other hoochie….I’ve about had it with trashy, selfabsorbed,selfish,attention deficient man-children who happen to be low down dirty “bussy” hunters….
Eddie
September 20, 22:51Fucking creepazoids!!!!
xoxo
September 21, 08:47Men are scums???, nice story, happy u are over him.. 17 and love struck… it’s a relatable story
beejay
September 21, 09:11Same question I keep asking: If all men are scum, and we all agree, then aren’t we all? and if we all are, then why don’t we just stop being so scummy and become the great guys we’re all seeking? IMO, we’ve gotta focus more on becoming the perfect guy ourselves; become gods, see if we don’t attract gods. But what do I know?