My end of the road

‘Go on Hafsa’ I encouraged, ‘please dry your tears and go ahead with your story, we are all here to help you.’ I added. ‘Ok, Anti Bint’ Asabe’s young cousin replied me, while trying hard to dry her eyes. ‘I went into the house happily, the cook came out to welcome me and say food […]

‘Go on Hafsa’ I encouraged, ‘please dry your tears and go ahead with your story, we are all here to help you.’ I added.

‘Ok, Anti Bint’ Asabe’s young cousin replied me, while trying hard to dry her eyes. ‘I went into the house happily, the cook came out to welcome me and say food will be ready soon. Nanny was not around because I said I will pick her up only after I’ve returned. When I asked about my husband Cook said he had gone out. I wasn’t in any way alarmed or disturbed after all I had called him to say we had landed safely and he had told me the driver was already at the airport.  He seemed happy to hear from me, so when I was told he had gone out I thought he went out to get something from the nearby shops. I went to my room and freshened my baby up, then I put him to sleep and began to go round the house just to see how things were after my two weeks’ absence.

Suddenly I found myself walking towards the guest room. When I tried and the door was locked, I moved on but to my surprise I heard movements inside. I stopped and touched the door again, this time I heard my husband’s voice whispering through the door ‘Is she back?’ I had no idea who he was asking, apparently he had told someone to keep watch for him but the person either failed or did not care. On hearing his voice I simply froze and was unable to move or talk. Then I touched the door again and in a few seconds he had opened it. It was now his turn to freeze when he saw me there, he quickly recovered and tried to close it again but I was too fast for him.

I pushed it back, almost causing him to fall, and stepped in; there lying on the bed was a woman I had never seen before. With only the sheets covering her anyone can tell what they had been up to. I turned back and ran out of the house. I was almost at the gate when I remembered my sleeping son. I ran back for him and my hand bag. By the time I came out the driver had appeared from nowhere and was asking where I was going. I simply opened the car door and jumped inside. I couldn’t trust myself to speak. It was only after he repeated his question that I remembered to name my friend’s house.

I arrived at Halima’s house and simply cried my heart out. Then I asked her for some Nigerian money to enable me buy a ticket and travel home. I had with me some dollars from my foreign trip but in my state of mind I couldn’t go to any bureau de change. She begged me to stay with them so her husband could go to my husband and intervene. I told her that there was no need, I had seen enough and nothing could make me remain in that marriage. She allowed me to exchange some dollars with naira and I left for the airport the same evening. I got a flight to Kaduna and headed straight for my parents home.’ At this point she broke into tears again, this time uncontrollably.

‘Please stop crying, that will not help solve your problem, but it will certainly give you a headache.’ Asabe urged. ‘What happened when you told your parents?’ She asked.

‘Initially they were sympathetic, they urged me to dry my tears, eat and rest; promising that we will tackle the issue the next day. But by the following morning, after prayers and breakfast, they called me and said they had decided that I should go back to my husband’s house.‘

“Go back to that house?” I asked incredulously, ”I can never do that. The man is an adulterer, an all-out transgressor who has no respect for our marriage tie” I argued.

“Yes we agree with what you’ve said and certainly understand your pain but for the sake of this child go back to your husband. Maybe after this he will never do it again, but if you leave now he will marry someone else, and you will end up the loser. I mean imagine all that he has been doing for you since you got married. You are virtually living in paradise. You have everything you need.” My mother advised.

“No Mama, there is no way I will go back and live with that sinner. I don’t care if I lose him to another woman, all I know is after what I have seen today, I can never ever stand that man again. Imagine bringing another woman into our home the very day I was returning into it. No Mama, it is over between Tanko and I forever.” I said emphatically.

“In that case you will have to find yourself a place to stay. There is no way you will walk out on this marriage and be welcomed here.“ My father chipped in.

“But Baba, this man is an adulterer, I caught him red-handed in our matrimonial home. How can you send me back to him? Don’t you fear God that you are forcing me to go live with a sinner?” I wailed.

“Why should you care about his sinning? Are you going to be buried together? As long as you won’t be sharing his grave, it shouldn’t be your problem what he did with his life, you won’t be punished together.” He insisted.

“Is it because he’s been so generous to you? Is it because you can’t stand the idea of other in-laws enjoying what you are now getting from him?” I demanded angrily.

“Don’t you dare insult us here. We are your parents and we say you have to go back not because we are getting anything from him but because no parents would like their daughter to return home divorced. Especially in your case it is going to be a divorce you asked for because you walked out on him.“  Baba warned.

“Would you have sent me back if he was poor and not a filthy rich middle-aged man?” I screamed, and Baba got up and slapped me at this point. He then sent for his sisters and directed them to take me back to my home. They did so by the afternoon flight of that same day. When we reached the house, they apologised to Tanko for my behaviour, told him they didn’t know the details but were hoping we could settle our differences between us. He, on his part, thanked them for the trouble of bringing me back and promised them we will sit and discuss our problems. As soon they rose and went to my room, he looked at me and said.

‘What did you hope to achieve by running away like that?’ He asked casually.

‘Did you expect me to stay after what I’d seen?’ I demanded angrily.

‘You could have given me the chance to explain.’ He observed.

‘You mean you could explain why you had to sleep with another woman, in our matrimonial home, the very day I was returning home from a journey?’ I asked.

‘Look, I am not going into all that now, you see how your running away has not achieved a thing.  Take it from me if you would just put your mind at ease you will enjoy the good things of life, you will have everything you need. But the truth is I can never be content with just one woman.’ He explained smugly.

‘Then why don’t you just marry more than one, why must you be an adulterer?’ I wailed.

‘Because I had tried that before and had a terrible experience. Why did you think it took me long to marry again until you came along? I am through with polygamy my dear Hafsa, just accept me the way that I am.’ Tanko stated.

‘That’s impossible, I can never live with a hardened sinner like you. Never.’ And with that I picked my son and rushed out to my other bedroom. In the morning, as soon as my aunties had left for the airport, I called a taxi and left with all my suitcases. And here I am with nowhere to go.’ She concluded.

To be continued.