But when I arrived in South Africa, she texted me and said, "It's been great. Thank you for your time. All the best in your life." That was the end of it. I never had the courage to break up with her myself, even though I wanted to for months. So that's how it happened. It was a sudden and unexpected end to the relationship. I often wonder what would have happened if our permits hadn't expired. Would we still be together? Would we have sought help? We tried to get help before, but it didn't work out. Would we have eventually separated? These thoughts linger because if it weren't for the permit expiration, we might not have split up at that time.
CAM: I'm curious about when and why you decided to leave the relationship. How did that unfold for you?
Hungani : Leaving the relationship wasn't my choice. It's interesting because I often think about what would have happened if circumstances were different. We ended up separating because both of our permits to stay in the United States expired. She had to return to her home country, and I needed to come back to South Africa. However, even in our separation, it wasn't a complete end. We planned to continue the relationship long- distance, with the goal of working hard to obtain the necessary visas to be together again. We had hoped to reconnect in a year or two, with visits in between. So, the intention was to keep the relationship going.
"I never had the courage to break up with her myself, even though I wanted to for months".
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June 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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