A Singaporean girl recently shared her experience after her mother forced her to find a rich boyfriend. The mother would want her daughter to study hard so she can enter good schools so she can meet a rich boyfriend. By doing so, she will be able to pull her family out of poverty.
Here is the full story.
Saw the recent story about the girl who asked her bf for money and she reminded me of myself. I’m just like her, a very materialistic girl. I grew up in a low income family where my parents worked hard to give me a better childhood than the ones they had. They grew up in poverty and were forced to quit their primary schools to go out to work and help support their families.
Growing up, my mom has always encouraged me to study hard and get into the top university, not because she wanted me to find a good job but because she wanted me to find a rich boyfriend. She believed that rich kids would often study at the best schools and entering these schools would give me an opportunity to meet these rich kids. Indeed my mom was right. When I entered university, I met my first boyfriend, who was a typical rich kid. His parents owned a construction firm and he was the oldest child and would take over the company in future. He was perfect in every way and we loved each other deeply and wanted to get married after we graduate. After graduating, we went around looking at houses. One day he saw a house he fancied and told me how he would love to live in it. Since then, I started to feel uneasy whenever I saw him. But I convinced myself that I was making the right decision to marry him because he’s handsome and rich and he loves me so much.
What could go wrong? The day after he told his family about the house he fancied, I started to panic and suddenly I broke down in tears and told him I want to break up with him. He cried and begged me to reconsider my decision but I lied to him that I don’t like his parents and can’t get along with them. Nevertheless, he tried to win me back until I decided to lie to him that I found a new boyfriend. After everything that happened, I realised I fell in love with his money, not him. I did everything I could to make him happy, not because I love him but because I wanted him to love me and give me everything. I was so wrong to think that money can buy me happiness.
Strangely, when he brought me to all the top fine dining restaurants, all the condo showrooms to choose our house and the high end jewellery boutiques to choose my rings, I didn’t feel happy at all. Everything just felt like an achievement unlocked, an ego booster. Fortunately, I hesitated and did not buy any ring or house with him. For a very long time, I could not forgive myself for breaking his heart. I would often ask our mutual friends to check on him until I heard he found a new girlfriend. About a year later, I met someone new and I could finally move on and forgive myself. Just like me, my current boyfriend came from a poor background and we were colleagues at a small firm. Our dates were routine and simple, we would eat at the McDonald’s opposite my house or buy Campbell soup from Giant and cook our own dinner. Life was simple but those were the best days of my life. Ever since my boyfriend found a new job that requires more OT, he has been very busy. However, he still finds time to meet me and surprises me with food I love.
A few months ago, he brought me to the same jewellery store which my ex brought me to and asked me to choose a ring. As I was looking at the rings, I felt like the rings are so beautiful. However, I told him I would rather he save up the money for our BTO renovation and warned him that I would return the ring if he ever bought it. Today, he surprised me with a proposal and proposed to me with the ring he bought from the store we visited.
The truth is he has been saving up for the ring for a very long time and he even changed his job to earn more money so he can afford the ring. He’s not a romantic person but he asked his married friends for advice and did a lot of research to give me the best proposal I have ever seen. Some years ago, I stepped into the same jewellery shop and felt a sense of emptiness. The ring was beautiful but it did not make me feel anything. Some years later, I am wearing the same ring but I feel like the happiest girl in the world. It was never about the ring. It is the person you are with that matters.