DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
EPISODE 19
Licia was just about emptying the content of the poisonous into the custard she made for Shana when she had a rethink.
Licia: “No, it is not wise for me to poison her just like that. People will suspect me and the aut©psy that will be carried out on her corpse will indict me. No, I don’t want to end up in jail, that will give Femi the opportunity to frolic with other women which is exactly what he wants. I would rather frustrate her into leaving the house herself”, she quic-kly tucked the poison in her dress as she heard Shana’s footsteps at the corridor.
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Shana left the hospital glad but with mixed feelings. It was the second time the hospital was confirming that she was pregnant and she was afraid of having a repeat of what happened the first time when she lost her pregnancy throu-gh a mysterious miscarriage. She thought of calling Femi to inform him but she was afraid of raising his hope and dashing it before 9months. She resolved to keep the pregnancy without informing Femi until he finds out himself.”Thank God I have a maid now, at least the stress won’t be too much for me” she thought.
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Femi was having a tough day at work that day, they were having their internal audit earlier in the day and when they couldn’t reconcile their account, they went on lunch break to resume later in the day. He was tired and the last thing on his mind was food. That was one of the numerous disadvantages of being a bank manager, one was confined to a state of serious agony if one couldn’t reconcile accounts at the end of the day. He had returned to his office for a bottle of cold water when Nana walked in.
Nana: “Hello, handsome”.
Femi: “Oh not again, Nana”.
Nana: “Relax jare, no be fv¢k I come find”, Nana had the irritating attitude of adding the f word to whatever she says. An attitude that Femi found repulsive anytime he was not in the mood to t©uçh her.
Femi: “Can you just st©p using that F-word whenever we are in the office? It doesn’t speak well of your personality”.
Nana: “Really? So, ban-ging a junior colleague on your table in the office speaks well of your personality? Abeg, Mr Manager leave preaching for pastors. You have no moral justification to talk about personality so quit it”.
Femi: “Nana, I don’t have the strength for your ranting this afternoon. plea-se go back to your duty post”.
Nana: “I c@m£ with a business proposal”.
Femi: “You business? Okay bring it on then”.
Nana: “There is this account that I observed has been dormant for a while. A customer approached me to say the account belongs to his politician uncle who is currently in Germany for fear of EFCC. The account has millions of naira in it and the owner has lost count of what he has in there. The man wants us to help him access some of the money”.
Femi: “What!”
Nana: “Yes, the man has promised to give us 20% if we help him”.
Femi: “Like seriously are you saying this or are you not out of your mind?”
Nana: “The man wants to withdraw 50million naira, imagine us getting 20% of that amount. In fact, if we pl@your cards well, we will demand for 50% and I am sure the man will accept because he knows he cannot access the account without the help of an insider, either he accepts or he allows the money rot in the account after all, it’s Nigeria’s money”.
Femi: “It is not as easy as you think. This is a dangerous adventure that could cause us our jobs”.
Nana: “Oh common, you are a manager, you have all it takes to make this deal pu-ll throu-gh. That is what bank managers who are living large do. You better cease this opportunity to make yourself some cool millions. Think about it”.
She walked out of the room leaving Femi confused. He knew that the deal was risky but he could make do with some millions. Licia was milking him dry to keep their secrets, he would have gone to his father for some money but the man had told him to learn to bear his financial burdens like the man he was. He resolved to think about it over the night.
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*Months later*
Shana was getting bigger, her pregnancy was in its fourth month and she was hoping that this one would stay and make her a mother. She had alre-ady registered for ante natal but this time around it was in a different hospital. Femi had noticed that his wife was getting bigger, he suspected that she may be pregnant but he didn’t put his heart into it for fear of what happened the first time repeating itself.
At the office, he had agreed to Nana’s deal and he was stealing funds from customers account especially accounts that had been left dormant over the years.
Ayomide called to inform them that he had fixed the d@t£ for his wedding and that he was expecting to see them. Shana was more than excited, she saw it as an opportunity to change environment and also an opportunity to show off her baby bu-mp which was the only pride she had left. Immediately Femi got back from the office that evening, she ran out to meet him.
Shana: “Sweetheart, when are we going to shop for Ayo’s wedding now?”
Femi ignored her and walked over to the be-droom but she went and met him there.
Shana: “Femi, Femo”, that was the name she called him anytime she wanted to tease him. “I said when are we…?”
Femi: “I heard you the first time. We are not going for the wedding”.
Shana: “What! What do you mean by that? Why won’t we go for your brother’s wedding?”
Femi: “Thank God you know it is my brother and not yours”.
Shana: “You have not answered my question. Why won’t we go for the wedding?”
Femi: “Because I am your husband and I say so”.
Shana: “I don’t care if you are my father but I have to attend Ayo’s wedding, he was my best friend even before I met you and ever since he returned to the country, he has been very supportive, even when you gave me the beating of my life and left me wallowing in pain, it was him who took me to the hospital. He even…”
Femi: “Oh shut up you shameless woman. And what? Are you not ashamed to tell me that you are slee-ping with my brother?”
Shana: “I never sle-pt with him, I swear I didn’t. I am not that cheap”.
Femi: “Don’t f0rç£ me to beat you this night. Just stay out of my lane”.
Shana: “It is unfair, Femi. Your brother has not done anything to deserve this treatment. He was there running around during our wedding, he sacrificed a lot even though he was hurt that he didn’t get to marry me as he would have wanted”.
Femi: “You are not going for that wedding and that is final, do your worst”, he left her alone went over to the sitting room.
Licia c@m£ up to him, she had prepared the delicious Afang soup and fufu for him, it was one local delicacy that she had used to lure him to be-d and she knew that she could still use that to lure him into her be-d that night so she can make her request. Shana walked out of the room when she heard Femi moving over to the dining table. She was shocked to see that the food on the dining table was not the one she made for her husband.
Shana: “What is this?”
Licia: “I made Afang soup for oga”.
Shana: “You did what? What happened to the food I prepared for him to eat this night? In fact, when did you start cooking for my husband? When did that one start? Now it’s time for you to leave my house. Get out! Femi, today is today for me and you. I have had enough of this madness and I have exhausted my patience. You are not the only man in the world.”
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
EPISODE 20
Femi’s phone rang and he picked it and his expression changed. “Oh my God! My goodness! Ha!”
Shana went close to him.
“What is it? What happened? Talk to me now?”
Femi stood rooted to the sp©t, he couldn’t give his wife details of the deal that he was involved in at the bank. “It is nothing, it just an instruction for me to report very early tomorrow morning to the bank to clear up an issue”, he lied to her.
Shana: “What do you mean by that? Is that enough reason for you to scream the way you did?”
Femi: “Shana, plea-se. I have been having ha-rd days at work these days. Don’t add to it”.
Shana: “Okay, should I serve you your dinner now?”
Femi: “Which dinner again? Can’t you see that Licia has alre-ady dished the Afang soup and fufu she made for me?”
Shana: “And what in God’s name is that supposed to mean? Who is she to cook for my husband? Did I ever instruct her to do that?”
Femi: “I don’t care whether you instructed her or not, that is none of my business. All I know is that I like what I see on the table and I am going to eat it”.
Shana: “No way, Femi”, she ban-ged her hand on the table causing him to startle. “There is absolutely no way I am going to sit back and watch you eat something prepared by another woman, who knows if there is a love portion in there?”
Femi: “Oh, so you are feeling insecure now? The almighty Shana is jealous of another woman snatching her husband”.
Shana: “Oh plea-se st©p being sarcastic. Anyway, I have been waiting for you to return so we can discuss this. I remember when you brou-ght this maid, you told me I could s£nd her away if I am not satisfied with her performance. Well, I am not satisfied, she should leave my house. A maid that will ignore her duties and start cooking for my husband, is that one a maid? Next thing you know she is warming her way into your be-d”.
Femi ignored her and proceeded to washing his hands before he began to eat.
Shana: “I am talking to you, Femi!” she turned to Licia who was watching them. “And you, what are you still doing here? Get your bags and whatever it is you have in this house and leave me and my husband alone”.
Licia: “Hehehe, in your dream madam. It is only in your dreams that you can s£nd me out of this house. I will leave when I want to leave and not when you want me to leave”.
Her words struck Shana like thun-der bolt, it was like a dream to her. It took her some minutes before she could find her voice.
Shana: “What did you just say?”
Licia: “oh, have you suddenly gone deaf or you think I am afraid to talk? Well, I said you have no right to s£nd me out of this house. You didn’t bring me here and so you can’t take me out”.
Shana walked up to her and in her rage gave her a resounding sl@p. “How dare you talk to me like that? I am the madam of the house and you as a maid do not even have any right to talk while I am talking talk more of talking back at me.
Licia who had never seen Shana violent before even when her husband was hitting her wasn’t prepared for the ha-rd sl@p she received. She staggered to her feet and when she regained her composure, she charged at Shana but Femi stood up and stood in between them.
Femi: “Will you two women get hold of your emotions? What is wrong with you? Can’t a man come home and eat in peace again?”
Licia: “Leave me alone!” she was struggling to pu-ll out of his hold. “Leave me alone let me teach her a lesson. Who does she think she is? Oh, so you are stupid enough to look at me and believe that I am a maid? Look me well, I be correct Akwa Ibom girl, nob©dy fit collect man for my hand except the man wey I no want again. So, you get the liver to sl@p me, fear no even catch you. Chai, Licia you don suffer. Femi leave me o, if I no beat your wife faint today, then change my name. She know the kind life wey I don live for Uyo before I come Abuja? I go pieces you, Shana. I go tear you, no try me o, you go wound”. She was ranting and kicking at Femi like a mad dog.
Shana was shocked, disbelief was written all over her face.
Shana: “Holy Mary mother of God, help, get this animal out of my house. Femi, where on earth did you get this mad thing from? Is this the person you brou-ght to the house as a maid? Do you want her to kill me?”
Licia: “Who be your maid? Hehehe…this Shana abi we-tin Femi dey call you, you sha dull. No be only maid, na PA. Ode!”
Femi: “Licia!”
Licia: “No call my name, jor. I am not the kind of woman that a man will be seeing from the backyard. Madam Shana, I be your husband babe, I dey knack am well. In fact, since the time wey I meet am, I don fv¢k am pas-s all the fv¢k wey him don give you since wey una marry”.
Shana: “Oh my God, this is not happening to me. No, no!” she felt her head spinning and she leaned on the wall for support. Suddenly, she regained her strength and she knew that she had to take back her marriage from the clutches of this evil dog. Like one possessed, she ran to the guest room where Licia’s things were and began to bring them out. “I don’t care if you have been slee-ping with my husband since his mother gave birth to him, all I know is that you are leaving my house today. It is only a shameless woman that will take pride in slee-ping with another woman’s man. Anyway, I don’t blame you after all you can’t find a man for yourself so you have to snatch another person’s own”.
Licia: “Hahaha, see who dey talk say me Licia no fit get my own man. Akwa Ibom girl like me, no man wey I want wey I no fit get so no just deceive yourself. I don’t even know why I like your husband, maybe na because him fine small”
Shana ran to her and held her by the hand to drag her out but Femi st©pped her.
“She is not going anywhere”, he said.
Shana: “What!”
Femi: “Yes, you heard me well”.
Shana: “This is it, I can’t take this anymore. This is the height of all the insults that my patience can take. You have broken the carmel’s back, Femi and our parents must hear this. I cannot continue to keep quiet any longer”.
Femi: “Go ahead and do your worst. You know what? I am tired of hearing those your empty threats of reporting me to our parents. What do you think they will do to me, beat me? You think I am a little child they can easily manipulate? Listen, I got enough money to live on without going to my parents for help so I don’t care what they think about me”.
Shana: “Femi! Don’t you have the fear of God in you? You are talking to your wife who is carrying your child like this because of this cheap slot?”
Femi: “Which child? Is this the first time you are carrying my child? Where is the first one you carried, could you keep it to the end?”
Shana: “I had a miscarriage, it was not my fault”.
Femi: “Of course it was your fault. Who knows if you will not miscarry this one as well? plea-se plea-se, don’t even try to blackmail me with any pregnancy here”.
Shana: “This is unfair, I am tired of this marriage. I am walking away”.
Femi: “plea-se walk away and give me and Licia the perfect opportunity to express our love. What she does to me in be-d is too good to be a hide and seek game”. He picked up his car keys from the dining table, held Licia by the hand and they walked out leaving Shana in tears.
Shana composed herself, picked her phone and dialed her mother’s number.
Shana: “Mum, I am done with this marriage”, she said and explained all that had been happening to her mother.
Mrs Banjo: “I am going to see Femi’s parents and explain everything to them. Your father and I will come there by the first flight tomorrow morning. Get your things re-ady, you are coming back with us. I cannot sit here and watch Femi kill you and my unborn grandchild” she instructed.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 21