I was in my third year, studying medicine at the Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, and Mayowa, fondly called Mayo had just concluded her Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) Exam. Mayo and I were more like siblings. Although she saw me as an elder brother, I had always thought of her as my future bride and yes I was willing to wait for as long as it would take for that to happen. I was twenty two years old at the time and she was nineteen.

Mayo was beautiful beyond words. She had a...