ROMANCE

THE NETLOG ROMANCE: Connecting Love and Investment.

By: Neneng Tarigan.

This romance begins when she started joining the Netlog accidentally about two months ago by the invitation of a friend. Several friends then have invited her too, so she joined the Netlog with several names but only used one name of her own, that is Nancy.

As a blogger, a writer and ex government official, she really would like to share her little knowledge with the world and make friends as much as possible so that her blogs would be worth readings.

Like what she did in Facebook, she fulfilled the information about her complete profile then ...walla... she is in the Netlog.

She had no idea at all that the Netlog is such a kind of match maker link for those who would like to meet their soul mate or the one that they would like to share their live with as a happy couple...wow...

First week in Netlog was the most enjoyable one, because those who joined her in her Netlog were from her Facebook friends list. Her activities in the Netlog just to exchange links, tagged new information or posts or what she thinks valuable for others to know.

The second and the third week, she knew nothing happened with her Netlog, because she was away for a holiday abroad, then returning home....surprised....number of unread messages appeared and all of the contents are not far from love letters.

Since what they looked is really a partner for a life time, then she considered she has to be honest about who she is and telling them that she is a retired government official who is much older to every man who had sent her the love letters and just interested in having relationship as friends nonetheless. Surprisingly, most of those who sent her the love letters deemed that age is just a number and they don not even mind if her age 20 years older and more eligible as their mother rather than their lover. Gosh, unbelievable, she is assure that all of these remarks are absurd, none of them telling her the truth, honestly! Nevertheless she tried to be nice; as a blogger, it is highly required to be friendly to whom that she expected to be the readers of her blogs. She thinks, why should she created a blog if there is no visitors and readers who can make use of the blog contents?

One of the love letter attracts her attention was from Marco Jade. Actually she already clarified to Marco that she joined the Netlog accidentally by the invitation of a friend, and she just wanted to make friend to every body and exchanging links. She mentioned that she is already 60 years old and made up her age 40 in FB and Netlog, so that people would be a friend with her otherwise if she put her real age 60, people would run away thinking what the hell this grandma is doing in FB and the Netlog. To protect herself from any flirt then she put 4 of her nieces and nephews as her own children. So far she could escape the flirt at least in FB after they found out that she already has "4 children", Clever! She mentioned these arguments to every body who sent her the love letters included to Marco.

But this Marco was so special and unique, because he kept on calling and sent her beautiful love letters. One could understand why she could easily in love with this guy, because, when some one  told you, he/she would love you no matter how, I bet, you might sometimes feel as if you were in heaven; and it happened to her when a man whose named Marco dropped by and told her how he cares so much and wanted to spend the rest of his live and his two children and mom with her.

The image that Marco has created about himself was so perfect, a man with a good look, mature, well experienced, wealthy and a manager of a storage company from London who is looking for a trustworthy partner. He offered her a business partnership that he was tired being under somebody and seeking the opportunity to invest in foreign country among others in her country as center of trade and investment.

She informed him all business opportunities she knows in her country, but she is not clear in which field that Marco is really interested in to invest. Nevertheless, the irresistible image of Marco, only a fool  would annul the opportunity to be with! For her, he  even became more attractive, because he was going to locate his business in her country. Meanwhile he had to finalized his transaction in Nigeria and claim for his USD 3.5 million payment that a company in Nigeria owe him. Hm of course... damn interesting.

But his name had reminded her to someone with the same name who year ago before her retirement recommended her to claim for USD 750,000.00 reward she could receive from Yahoo loterij. Sure, at that time  she gave that MJ her email address and office address, because she thought the loterij was real, but hey... her rational worked..who would be stupidly give someone 750 bugs for nothing? However the man from the "yahoo loterij" (MJ) was very convincing, he said she just has to confirm her bank account number, attached her ID (copy of her passport) and fill the form authorizing Chinese Merchant Bank in China via somebody (an agent named MJ) for the withdrawal of the USD 750,000.00 loterij she won in which USD 100,000.00 would be automatically deducted to pay MJ as an agent. She was really suspicious especially after thoroughly reading the form, she realized that if she sign and attached all of the necessary documents then she actually will owe him USD 100,000.00

She pretended, she didn't know about that, instead she just told him to bring the money to her office, then all of the requirement + agent's fee  will be given to the agent after everything is settled. Finally they reached "a tacit agreement", he will bring her money and arrange the settlement  in her office, but she had to disburse USD 5000,00 to enable the Agent to come over to her office. She actually laughed to death knowing how dumb he was trying to fool her around. She supposed to tell him to collect the USD 5000 in hell, but she deemed that would be too rude, anyhow she had fun negotiating with him all those lies, so she just quiet and let him keep on asking her confirmation with big smile in her face. Ugh...she really enjoyed this joke.

Back to the Netlog Romance, this Marco Jade gives her a lot of comfort. He called her at least 3 to 4 times in a day asking about her health and promised her the moon and the stars. His attention and "love" have had killed her. After so many years elapsed, that was the first time again she got attentive flirt from a man really of her dream. She felt so much in love with MJ, to his emails, to his calls, she was longing for him every single day and just wanted to be with him nothing else. She cried a lot in fearing of loosing him, however he knows well how to sooth her back. In her life that was really the first time she spelled out how much she loved this man MJ! Never in her life before had she spelled out her word of love, even while she was in trans in bed with her former boyfriends.
What she felt to MJ was a truly love. She didn't care whether he is rich or poor, what she cared was only him. However, what strange was he keep on telling her, how he fear being in Nigeria alone claiming for his money for their future. He was worried that the people there would harm him. Of course she couldn't agree more that there would be no safe place on earth for USD 3.5 million deals, especially if someone do that alone far away from home from England. She said to him to put his life as the first priority because money is not everything in life though that can give people live in comfort. She said if he wanted to invest and do business partnership with her, all of the sources of the money should be clear, because she would like to avoid money laundering since her record as government official in Tax office and Corruption Agency is very clean. She never had any idea to involve in anything against law, nor when she was young let alone at the age of  her 60 today. She needs to give him encouragement so she sent him an email saying:

Marco my love, I always pray for your safety, knowing that u r very much alone there fighting for the future. I strongly believe u can successfully do that and u r capable doing that professionally because God protects u in all the way against any harms wherever u r.
Terrorists, gangsters and all sorts of criminals will watch your back with that amount of money, so, make the transaction via their Zenith Bank or even if possible Bank of England, so that u will be taken care in the good hands.
Don't easily trust any single soul even she/he speaks like angel of God, one never know what kind of person she/he is behind the lips.
I'll be very proud of u, if u born a winner by all God blessing and live in peace without any day of worrying.
May God always be with u and bless u all the way. I love u so much Marco and I miss u so dearly.....

 

He said he would take care of that and use lawyer to make the disbursement of his money a legal one and asked her, that since he will put part of his money on her name what shall she  give him in return if God lead them to a marriage one day. This is actually the scariest question she really dislike. she didn't want to make any commitment before and prefer being single to avoid this nightmare from a man, that once she is married, she will lose her freedom and independence, she has to cook, clean the house, take care of the family, do the dishes,  wash the clothes and give birth to the children. Thanks God, it is impossible to deliver a baby at her age ever since she stopped menstruation 6 years ago, but the challenges remain exist, to cook, take care of the house and the family and the most is loosing her freedom. She cried because she has no knowledge nor experience in this field, what she knew was simply working in the office and running her little business in fashion garments as she does now. No man should ask this silly question she presumed, because if someone love each other she/he will do the utmost to the best of the family. MJ knows she dislikes this question when she told him in her weep that the question would scared her away. He promised he will not bring this up again and would accept her for whatever she is. She feel so peace in her heart and she love him even more though they were aggressively courting for two weeks only. She was wondering why this speeding process worked on her this time, God knows why.

As she predicted from the beginning, MJ then asked her for some money with the amount of USD 5,100. He said the lawyer asked him that amount to cover the certificate of disbursement of his USD 3.5 million and he has no money at the moment since his credit card does not work in Lagos Nigeria.

She really was furious and thinking: Hey, does he think I am dumb. Nigeria is the most advance country among the black African Countries, they have Zenith Bank, and for sure there are some British banks in that country and withdrawing money from the banks with credit cards is a piece of cake at this modern technology! so she sent him an email saying:

Marco,

The only way to prove, that u r the real Marco as u described in your emails to me now is only through your present in your British embassy in my country. I will meet u there before the head of the Consular, and I need them to make the statement black on white that u r really the person that u mentioned to me. Then u can decide, whether to like me as yr business partner or whatever as u like.
I will not fetch u at the airport or dare to receive u in my house, before I can prove u legally myself in front of the government authority of your country meaning yr embassy here in my country. I don't need any lawyer for the start, what I need is yr embassy not more nor less
Whoever u r in real Marco, I just want u to be a good person. I always bring u in my prayers up to this date and I am sure God will guide me as ever.
Ladies in yr Netlog maybe just run after u for that amount of money and immediately open their account and their laps for u. I am not.
Tell the Nigerian syndicate whoever they are there not to play around with me, coz I can nail them down as well.
That word of love as I spelled out to u, yes the only word of love that I have ever spelled out to a man, however I live with my rational and logic, no love, no power no money can turn me down to become irrational. I am not rich, don't expect me I am, so u better forget me forever Marco, but if u really wanted to know...yes I damn love u!

 

In respond to her letter, Marco send her a letter telling her what he feels so far about their relationship.

Dear Nancy.
Since we met my mind is telling me that you never believe and trust me while i open my heart and my self to you, being in a relationship with you  can sometimes feel like more work that play and there are someday when the good seems to overweight the bad and I'm not afraid to say somethings are wrong and some situation are so predictable. What you should know in me is that since i met you i have never talk about sex, promise you Heaven and earth or any material thing rather i tell you that i love you and indeed mean it.
I never mean to bring any misunderstanding is our relationship since we met but i don't know if you easily angry and i have told you before that no amount of money you will ever give me will change my life because i am not such men that can control with money but the love i have with you is real and fair....
If it's not what i am into here that my account is not accessing here, would i have ask you for anything although the money i need to complete the one i have here so that they can release my payment is not much and i thought you will help me even a little i will appreciate it because i know i will get my money and i will come there to meet you as i promise because i am not a Man of promise and fail.
I would like to do anything possible to prove to you that i love you and i am the real Marco i told you about, I have never finish what i am into here, If you like i will scan my Citizen passport or any vital information about me to you to prove to you that i am not here to wast your time for noting but lies as you think. I am a real man of God and i respect and fear God.
I love you so much and i am not shy to say it.
Marco.

 

She weeps reading his notes, how she really wishes that he is the man she wanted to be with. Nevertheless her rational as the then high-ranking official alarmed her, that it is very simple to send any fake passport or the passport maybe real but collected from the stolen passports as it happened internationally today.

He knew that she may not take his notes easily, so he tried to call her several times tried to clarify what really is going on with him in Nigeria. However this time he made the biggest mistake ever, because he was using a cellular phone with her country code number, so she responded to that:

Marco, how would it possible that u have so many cellular phone numbers with different country codes including my country code? U said u haven't been to my country. Don't hurt me Marco, I have done nothing wrong to u.

In responding to her letter, he sent another note:

Dear Nancy,
I have not been to your Country before, I called you with my real number i gave you, I have only one phone number which i gave you, I don't like what you're doing to me and the way you're behaving, is it because i ask you for money? can't you help me if you have? why are you so heartless in my? have i done you wrong since i met you? i told you i will pay you back as soon as i get to your Country, I have called my friend and you told me that he will help me with some little so what i need from you now to complete the one i have with me here is $1730 so that i can get all done and come over and meet you this week, I love you with all of my heart. I look forward in hearing from you.

Marco.

Getting this letter, she affirmed, Marco is just an opportunist who is looking for lonely ladies whom he can make use of their money for his own good through selling beautiful word of loves from his mouth. Hence in her respond to him she said: "CONFIRM NO"

Marco really get furious with her note so he responded:

what are you talking about? Are you trying to know my faith of if i love you or what? You are making me upset with all this you are saying

In respond to him she said in her last letter to him:

Don't be ridiculous Marco, I write down yr telephone number both in Nigeria and the last one u used was my country code number. I assumed the picture profile u used is somebody else picture which I damn in love with before. Are u Nigerian, because u have no British accent at all.
Hey, it is funny for me, somebody deals with that big amount of money have no money at all? I am so sorry Marco, I am not rich and I have no money, so u better forget me. Anyhow, Nigeria is the most advance country among black African countries, everybody knows that, so u can use yr credit card and withdraw yr money its a piece of cake doing that.
If u think that I am a hopeless lonely woman whom one can play and bullying me, then u r totally wrong. I am well experienced with this kind of trick. Please take note, I am now aware that the one I liked so much before was the image of a person u have created.
Be a good person Marco. I will publish our story soon. Just be good whoever you are.
I was watching u chatting the whole day, in your Netlog today. Who else u r going to trap now? Looking at yr Netlog record, I am sure u have a lot of victims before.
Marco, money is not everything in life. I worked like hell to fulfill my daily life and enjoy my travels. Don't do anything bad my son!
If I hurt u with my words, I am so sorry I have to say it openly.
You still have plenty of time to enjoy your life, but I will leave this world much earlier, that is why I have to tell u this, whether u like it or not. I know I will not see u in person forever, that is the most impossible, however I treasure the moment I talk to u. Good bye my son and take care. Nancy

 

In fear that she would publish their love story, Marco wrote her back in his last letter too:

Dear Nancy,

I thank you for your letter to me,  I would like o tell you that Being in a relationship can sometimes feel like more work than play and there may be days when the bad seems to outweigh the good. But the most important element in a successful relationship is learning how to work through the tough spots which truly makes a strong healthy relationship. There is a fine line between being honest and being cruel .I am honest with kindness and use soft language to describe how much I do care for the people i allow into my life...So you have to know the kind of person i am to you and i am not here to wast your time for noting. I know why all this misunderstanding is coming out, it's just because i ask you for just a help and you let me down and think i am lying to you, i keep telling you that no of money you will ever give me will change my life but all this i told you is just for a purpose. So bear it in your mind and let your conscience judge you. Once again thanks, for letting me down, Marco.

Her tears run down her cheek reading his last note. Of course he has to speak nice always,  to avoid negative impression towards him. How she wishes Marco is the real one she wanted to be though she is positive that he is not. In her prayers she wishes, whoever Marco really is, he will change into an honest man he has to be and stop making money by fooling around in the internet. In a way she feels relief, that she again could  escape from the trap that would lead her life into a misery. What she knows that all along her life time she always say BIG NO to any relationship and until now she does not understand why....

She looked at her ailing niece who lives with her and whom she treated as her own daughter, how this ailing angel live in fear these recent weeks, knowing that her aunt was in a wrong love with somebody they hardly know.

Nancy looked at her and hug her ailing niece tenderly, and promised in her heart not to leave her alone in her very risky health. Live is beautiful as ever since they live under the protection of God the Almighty.

THE END

True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does.

Forever is not a word...rather a place where two lovers go when true love takes them there.

Whenever you are in sadness, don't go to secluded place, instead go to the crowd, there you will get conscious that life is too short to be unhappy.