Michael never seemed like the chauvinistic type. In fact, he was the opposite when we first started dating. He was quiet and a bit shy which was exactly what I liked. On our first date, he barely said a word to me but I still had fun. We slowly got to know each other on our occasional dates and I never saw any red flags. So, he caught me off guard when he told me to address him as “lord”.
When we made our relationship official, his friends hinted that Michael wasn’t the guy I thought he was. However, I dismissed their warning since I thought they simply didn’t want me to date their friend. It didn’t take long before I started noticing that indeed, Michael was not the angel I thought. It started with him constantly cancelling plans and opting to hang out at his place instead. Since we had gone on dates before, I didn’t mind hanging out at his place for a change. Then, I started noticing a different side of him.
His house was a mess and when I confronted him about it he said, “That’s why you’re here.”
I laughed thinking it was a joke that men usually say when they finally get a girlfriend. As the day went on, I noticed he didn’t bother to clean up or offer me anything to eat. I wasn’t hungry but he didn’t offer even a glass of juice.
“Can I have a glass of water or juice?” I asked.
“Sure. You can serve yourself in the kitchen.”
I was shocked by his response but assumed he wanted me to feel comfortable. So, I got up and went to the kitchen. His kitchen was in such a bad state that I couldn’t eat anything that was prepared there.
“Did you have a food party?” I asked jokingly.
He didn’t find it funny.
“As a woman, you should offer to clean for me instead of making jokes.”
Of course, I didn’t clean or eat anything. I made up an excuse and left the house vowing to never go back there again. However, Michael had a way with words and he convinced me to come over again. I was back at his place after a week. Things were a bit different this time. For starters, his house was cleaner and he even offered me a drink and food.
“Michael, what’s your WiFi password?” I asked while he was in the kitchen. I didn’t get a response and assumed he hadn’t heard me. He came back with a plate and drink in hand which he set in front of me the sat uncomfortably close to me.
“I have something to tell you.” He said with a stern look on his face.
“I don’t like when my girlfriend calls me by my name.”
“Oh, sorry babe.”
“Actually, I prefer if you call me Lord.”
“Lord?” I asked in shock.
“Yea. It’s a term of respect.”
“Umm, I don’t know about that.”
When he noticed that I was irritated by his suggestion, he tried to change the topic. However, he reminded me severally to address him as “lord”. I made the mistake of dismissing his behaviour but I knew that I had brought problems to myself. I tried every now and then to address him as “lord” when we were together. he seemed to be happy that I was cooperating and I was happy because we didn’t argue. For the most part of it, we had a normal relationship and it was mostly blissful.
As a reward for being “wifely”, Michael took care of me. He’d randomly send me money for shopping, call me numerous times a day and send me lovely messages. However, I still wasn’t comfortable with calling him “lord” which I told him numerously.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I received a strange call while I was out with a friend. We were having lunch when I received a call from Michael.
“Hello,” I answered as I normally did but he didn’t reply.
“Hello?” I said again. he didn’t reply and I hang up and then explained to my friend what was happening.
He called again.
“Hello.”
He finally answered. “Are you supposed to address me like that?”
I burst into laughter. He had never questioned me when I answered the phone so this was strange to me. However, I knew he was behaving like this because I was out with a man.
“Are you with a man?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Is this why you’re talking to me like this? Where are you?”
After arguing for a couple of minutes, I finally disclosed my location and he was there in less than 5 minutes.
“I’m here.” He said.
By this time, I had explained to my friend what was happening and how Michael insisted that I address him as “lord”. He laughed and offered to escort me to where Michael was. However, I knew the situation would be worse if he showed up so I went alone. Michael tried to cause a scene which prompted my friend to come to my aid.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Shut up!” Michael yelled at him and then proceeded to argue with him.
At that point, I knew I was done. The whole relationship was overwhelming to me. From calling him “lord” to dealing with his insecurities, I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.
“It’s over, Michael. I’m done.” I shouted at him.
He suddenly went quiet and then started crying shortly after. It was so strange seeing him in tears since he had portrayed himself as a dominating man. He wept like a child while we looked on.
“This wouldn’t have happened if you just referred to me as “lord” when I called.” He said.
I left with my friend before things escalated. Though I felt bad about leaving him in such a vulnerable state, I knew that we couldn’t save our relationship and that I didn’t want anything to do with him. I deleted his number and blocked him on social media while in my friend’s car. Then I called my brother and explained what had happened. He assured me that everything would be fine and that I should call him if anything arose. Luckily, Michael got the message loud and clear and has never contacted me.
This story was inspired by a story we saw on social media which you can find here – Twitter thread by@Helenchiomaking
Check out other stories in the singlehood series
I Went On A Date With My Crush And He Asked Me To Be His Side Chick
My Crush Embarrassed Me And Then Ignored Me At A Movie Night Date
I Dated An Older Guy Who Treated Me Like A Sugar Baby
My Best Friend Knew About My Deep Feelings For My Crush And Still Dated Him After I Introduced Them
My Crush Criticized Everything At the Restaurant I Took Her To And Harassed The Staff
He Kept Sending Me Anti-Feminism Content Thinking It Would Win Me Over
She Loved To Be Dramatic And It Was Too Much Because She Kept Embarrassing Me In Public
