“He begged me not to commit suicide…”

Madam – I am a 17-year-old boy from oSizweni. I’m doing Grade 12 at Panorama Combined School. My girlfriend matriculated last year and was not accepted into university so she took a gap year.

Our relationship began in November 2013. I cheated on her twice with the same girl last year and she caught me. We talked about it until I was forgiven and our relationship didn’t stop.

This year I discovered that she also cheated on me with some guy I don’t know and she admitted it. It felt like it was the end of the world to me when I found their picture in bed on Facebook. I cried; my heart was broken and I needed someone to talk to.

I went to tell my friend my problem. He begged me not to commit suicide. He said my family needed me and all the world out there needed me. He begged me to sort things with my girlfriend and not to take any decision while I was angry and in pain.

What my friend taught me, and I’m sharing to all the youth, is that when u lose your loved one, it’s not the end. The whole world out there (including your family) loves you. Suicide is never an option.

Lerato