HE LEFT ME FOR DEAD.

            







   
The story of a battered woman!

Writer: Gold Lah

My husband’s attitudes after five years of marriage changed towards me. Before we were joined and during our courtship days, he used to be so caring, sensitive and passionate; I believed he me loved deeply then, but it is otherwise now. He beats me and abuses me in ways that I cannot explain. I kept faith and thought he would change, and I believe the reason for the change in attitude was because I was unable to conceive after five years of marriage. I knew it wasn’t my fault because Doctors pronounced us healthy after series of medical checkups. We tried numerous IVF, but it was all unsuccessful.

Kamim’s attitudes towards me got worse during the tenth year of our marriage. I got bruised in all part of my body, most times I land in the hospital but still, I told no-one because I believed in the saying that love conquers all. I tried to understand him an begged him to let us see a therapist, but he gets so angry whenever I bring it up.

During the middle of our tenth year, God blessed us with the fruit of the womb, and I got so excited that i thought Kamim will change and be the loving husband I married. He stopped beating me but he seems to distance himself, as if getting too close to me would make him lose his temper. During my gestation period, I wasn’t happy unlike other women in my condition. My home was a living hell and i lost all focus.

My baby came around in July 2^nd and though Kamim seems pleased but he refused to touch our baby, Kemira. Kemira became the centre of my world, all my love and attention, i gave to her and I refused to cry again because God has given me a new reason to smile again. Unfortunately, Kamim’s case became so bad that I thought of running away, but my sympathy and compassion got the best of me. Daily, I nurtured the hope that my love will heal him from the unknown pains he is lashing out from, but his condition never gets any better. He comes home late, rejects my food and throws punches at any given opportunity.

Along the line, I felt as if I lost my own sanity too. He abuses me in front of our child and throws anything he finds at me. My world crumpled before me and the more the pain, the more I put back from my social life. I refused to visit my friends and family. I was reduced to nothing so I refused to let my friends and family see me in this condition. However, the day I made up my mind to leave Kamim and vanish from him forever was the day Kemira’s teacher brought her home from school and reported that Kemira had always kept to herself and cry most times in class. He then gave me the letter which was found in kemira’s locker. The letter reads thus “God, please come and kill daddy and save mum”. As I gathered my baby into my hands, i cried painfully and made up my mind to packout at last. 

As I was still in the room packing Kemira’s stuff, he got back from work. He had come home earlier than i thought.  And I didn’t want him to see me go. Suddenly, he came dashing from our room to Kemiras’, with eyes flaming red. I quickly told my leg to take me as far away as possible from him, but that day, my leg refused my brain’s command. And it was after something heavy hit me that I knew I was doomed. My body went limp as rushes of blows and punches accompanied rains of curses. My eyes were closed to the world, and though I could hear the cry of our only child but my body was motionless, then it all blacked out.

Some hours later, I found myself on a dumping ground with my baby crying... we were drenched with rain and filth, then it occurred to me, HE HAD LEFT ME FOR DEAD... how wicked could he be? Fortunately after days of begging for money and being mistaken for a mad woman, I got to my parent house at last. My family got furious, my mum wants me to report to the police, dad wants him arrested and my friends pleaded to sue him to court.

True, the pain Kamim caused me was everlasting, but I STILL LOVED HIM!

IN THIS CASE, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO?

PLEASE I NEED YOUR HELP URGENTLY

  

DO DREAMS COME TRUE?

 April T. Adams

It was a sunny day as I spread my umbrella and walked away from the public school where I teach. The heat was so harsh and sweat bathed me like fountain waters. I subsequently checked my handbag to see if my salary worth 10,000naira was still intact.  Then I continued walking towards the market which is a kilometre away from the school. Hailing a cab was out of it, since the crash of naira has caused inflation in everything, even the air we breathe seems to be coming in a bit. Debts on ground have overwhelmed my salary, but hunger cannot be ignored.

At last getting to the big market, I sighed with relief and ordered sugarcane of 10naira from a Hausa man chewing cola nut nearby. And instead of splitting one into two, he gave me the whole stick. I said my thanks, but he replied “mai Gaskiya yaayi”( President Buhari aka mai gaskiya is good). I couldn’t decipher what he said, so I just nodded and continued my random shopping. In the heart of the Big Market, lot of activities were going on. So I looked around searching for where Garri, the first item on my market list is being sold. After some efforts I spotted a fat woman under a big umbrella with bags of Garri displayed on her stall. I went to her and asked for one cup of Garri which she said was 60naira. I thought I didn’t hear her very well, so I asked again. She looked up with a big bulging eye and said slowly, ‘oga, Garri na 60 naira’. I nodded and ordered for 10 cups instead of two cups on my list. Happily, I left for other items like crayfish, wheat, rice, vegetables etc. And after buying everything on the list, I discovered am left with half of my salary. All of the items have been reduced five times their actual prices!

I grabbed my purchase and this time around I hailed a cab home and immediately took a reroute to my bank to check on my shares. Getting to the bank, I met a big crowd, so I queued till I was invited       to the manager’s office, who gave me the status of my shares. Miraculously, a share of 30unit is now 113units. I felt like dancing but I remained sober, thinking of how to strategically spend my ‘awoof ‘, and how to pay the bride price of Aduke, my long time fiance was the first thing that came to my mind, before my good sense reminded me of my debt to neighbors  and friends. I was still in trance when I heard somebody bang on the door. But I ignored it thinking who would knock a banks’ door in that manner. But the knock continued and before I could gather my wit together, I was served with a hot slap! I jumped up covering my face with both hands. And as I try to open one of eye to see who had that guts to assault me like that, the image that met me was unbelievable. It was the landlord angry stare that met my own flaming hot ones.

Then reality came like a thunder, I was no more in the Bank but in my one-room apartment. The entire market and bank ordeal was a dream!! But how could this wicked landlord wake me up to this harsh reality of a poor and hungry man, I thought deeply. Then the landlord who had been sizing me up roared again and told me without blinking an eye that the rent has been increased , adding that I should pay up my rent that has been due since two months ago, or vacate the house. He then hissed then barged out.

I took heart and showered, and exchanged my cloth with a clean one then took a short walk. But the reality is still the same. State governments are still complaining of reduction in state allocations, while still acquiring more debt at the expense of workers’ salaries. And I am yet to be paid my 8month salary ,also foodstuff are still sold thrice their actual price. I sat on the Gossip chair along the street and stared at heaven, the sky was dull compared to the sunny one in my dream.

then it dawn on me that no matter what I do , there is no way of going back to that sweet dreamland, where everything comes easy and hard work pays in seven folds, I decided to hail a cab to my friends’ house. The cab came to a halt and I told him to take me down the junction, but before I could grab the door opened, the cab driver shouted ‘Mr. man, blossom junction na 500naira oooo, pay or waka?....

Please how can I return to the dreamland?

SOCIAL NIGHTMARE!!!

 

 

 

 

A true life experience 

By April T. Adams

 Tobe and I met on Facebook eight (8) years ago. We gradually became very intimate friends on social media. He is 32 years old and I, 22. We shared intimate secrets and memorable moments, though we never met physically. I am an anatomy undergraduate from UNIBEN and I lived in Mowe, Ogun state. Tobe works in a public relation and advertising firm in Abeokuta, the capital of ogun state. 

  Tobe was so caring, so sensitive, smart and good looking. He shares deepest secrets with me and I do also. We almost felt as if we’ve know each other before. My field of study, however makes me so busy and Tobe also closes works late. We chat after this hour till midnight sometimes, though he calls frequently during the day and we just connect so much! We converse just like lovers. However after 8 years of conversation without even seeing each other, Tobe invited me to his house one weekend. He messaged;

“Having being with you for so many years, you’ve become so much part of my life. And I have come to know you very well. Honey, you are smart, elegant ,focus, though reserved. Baby, there is nothing in this lifetime that matters to me like you do. I do trust and cherish you, and our friendship means so much to me...During all this time, I have left nothing out about myself. And I believe you know me more than I do myself... I beg of you this last time to make my wish come true, and I will forever be grateful... please reply quickly”.

   Though I am the type that believes in love at distance, seeing this touched my heart. I had declined him many times, so I decided to visit him on Saturday. Very early on Saturday morning, I traveled all the way from Benin to Abeokuta where he lives without telling my parent or sister. Finding Tobe’s resident was not so hard. I knocked on his door and he opened up looking so surprise and elated. He looked just the same as he was on his display picture, and I was so relieved seeing him that way, because I was beginning to have a second thought on my way there.

    I sat comfortably on the settee and he hovered a little bit before offering me drinks. After serving refreshment, he sat beside me and we talked and talked, it seems endless. Our eyes collided many times and it seems as if we connect somehow. Then he moved closer some minutes later, though  I was so lost in our conversation that I didn’t noticed he held my hand. In my heart, I have found love at last! Minutes run into hours, and I was still talking nonstop but then Tobe had little to say, he kept staring at me in a way I couldn’t understand. But inside his eyes, I see mist of pure admiration and on his neck I noticed traces of perspiration. There I knew something had gone wrong. Tobe seems uncomfortable and was not relaxed as before. His grip on my hand grew dangerously tight .My heart bit changed ,and I tried to move away from him, but he held on tight, it hurts. And before I could take any action, he pounced on me, I pushed, fought and struggle to stand up but his weight overpowers me. That moment I noticed he was muscular than I thought. Then one of his hands pinned both of mine to my head, and his other hand and tongue roamed all over me. I cried, winced, shouted and prayed, but he seems oblivious to my entire plight.

   When he tore off my cloth like a mad man on a mission, all hope I had left was lost, though I continued my plea, but the more I struggle, the more the pains increased. After all my cloth was turned into shred, he tore at my underwear and stroked my secret places. Hot tears of sorrow and defeat strolled down my face, but  Tobe seems  blind to everything.

  As I gave up to be devoured, thinking the pain would end, I whispered ‘please’ and fresh tears came down my eyes as I closed them. That moment he froze, released my hands and rested his weight on his arms. I opened my eyes, and tears came out again like fountain water and he wiped the tears and rose up, looking apologetic and confused. He pulled me up and I hurriedly gathered what was left of my clothe. My sanity was shaken and I shivered. As I pulled up my undies, he knelt down apologizing incoherently, but I could not even make up what he was saying because his voice seems to echoes from faraway. He stood up abruptly and went into the room. He came back with needle and thread, I sat back and collected it, but it fell down my shaking hands. The cloth was beyond repair. He went back inside and came back this time with an oversize shirt. I collected it without a second thought. As I wore the big sized shirt, I noticed him winced, and  knew that he was crying.

  However, there is nothing left to do, so I gathered my purse and rushed out. I was wounded and my body hurts so much. I was heartbroken and I don’t know how to get home without people noticing my shabby clothing. As I hailed a cab, I kept thinking of what excuse to render to my family. However, on my way home, I flashed back to what had transpired and fresh tears came down my eyes.

  When I got home at last, I knocked the door with a shaking hand ,and thank God it was Mimi, my little sister who opened up. She was surprised and confused. And after a recap on my ordeal, I begged her not to tell anybody. But I couldn’t shake off the  feeling shame and regret. Since that day, I refuse to pick Tobe’s call or reply his messages online. Though I couldn’t bring myself to remove or block him on my social media accounts, but after that nightmare, I refused any sort of friendship on social media.