DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
EPISODE 12
Shana tried to hold on to Femi’s legs but he shrugged off her hold and walked out of the room. She heard him drive out of the compound and her heart broke for the umpteenth time that year. She cried her eyes out into the night and when it became obvious that her husband would not return home that night, she went back to bed.
The next morning, while she was in bed, her door bell rang and she answered, behold, her mother was standing at the door.
Shana: “What! This is a pleasant surprise, mum. I wasn’t expecting you here. You didn’t even give us any notice”.
Mrs Banjo: “I took the first flight to Abuja this morning when I heard what happened to you. What were you thinking that you kept this away from me?”
Shana’s heart skipped a beat. She thought that her mother had found out about her problems with Femi.
Shana: “What are you talking about, mum?” she was feigning ignorance.
Mrs Banjo: “I am talking about the miscarriage that you had. Why didn’t you call to inform me?”
Shana let out a sign of relief. “I am sorry, mum. I didn’t want to scare you unnecessarily. I have it in mind to call you today, I was discharged yesterday”.
Mrs Banjo: “That is not a good excuse. I have told you never to hide anything from me no matter how difficult, you are my only daughter and my last child, I am always at your back and call”.
Shana: “Thanks, mum”. She led her into the guest room and offered to get something for her to eat”
Shana: “Mummy, kile fe je (what do you want to eat) ? There is vegetable and ewedu soup, should I make amala for you?”
Mrs Banjo: “Rara o, I am here to take care of you and not the other way round. As long as I am here, you are not going anywhere close to that kitchen. All you have to do is relax and eat as much as you can. By the way, where is Femi? He is supposed to be around you after what happened to you”.
Shana: “Femi had to go to work, you know how bank jobs are”, she lied.
While she was making some food for herself and her daughter, Mrs Banjo could not help but notice the changes in her daughter. She was looking pale and there was this air of sadness around her. She also noticed that her daughter was looking tattered and that things didn’t go well with her.
When she couldn’t take it anymore, she went to the bedroom where her daughter was lying down and reading Stories on her Ipad. She sat beside her and peered into her eyes.
Shana: “What is it, mum? The way you are staring at me, one would think you are staring at a ghost”.
Mrs Banjo: “Some ghosts are even more cheerful than what I am seeing”. She sighed.
Shana: “I don’t understand, mum. What are you trying to say?”
Mrs Banjo: “Shan, you are my daughter and I can tell when something is wrong with you. I know you as well as I know the back of my hands. What is eating you up?”
Shana: “Nothing, mother. I am fine”.
Mrs Banjo: “You are not. Don’t even try to lie to me, I didn’t bring up a liar as a daughter”.
Shana: “Well, it’s this miscarriage, I wasn’t expecting it. I waited for more than six years of my life to get married only for me to miscarry. Something tells me I will never have a child again”.
Mrs Banjo: “Barrenness is not the portion of any child of mine. I gave birth to you and your brothers and that is how you will give birth to your own children. Apart from the miscarriage, what I observe about you looks like you have been stressed for a long time. Is all well with you and your marriage?”
Shana: “All is well, mum. In fact, all couldn’t have been better. Femi is the best man in the world and he has been very supportive”.
Mrs Banjo: “Hmmn, if you insist then. Remember that you can always talk to your parents about any problems you have, we will always stand by you”.
Shana: “That is encouraging, mum”, she hugged her and felt hot tears stream down her eyes when she remembered all that she had to go through in the hands of Femi.
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Shana excused herself from the house later in the evening under the guise of going to get recharge card.
Mrs Banjo: “Do you have to go out to buy airtime? Can’t you use your mobile app to buy directly from your phone?”
Shana: “I tried doing that mum but the network is poor and it won’t pull through”.
Mrs Banjo: “You don’t have to go out, I will buy on my phone and send it to you”.
Shana: “Erm, apart from recharge card, I also need to buy sanitary pads. I am still seeing blood after that miscarriage”.
Mrs Banjo: “I can go and get it for you, you are still not strong enough to walk about”.
Shana: “I will be fine, mum. You don’t know your way around here, besides the shop is just down the street”.
Shana walked outside the compound and dialed her husband’s number. She knew that he had no intention of coming home for the night and she didn’t want her mother to have the slightest idea that all was not well with them. So, she came out to call him and inform him that her mother was around.
Femi just stepped into Licia’s apartment when his phone began to ring. He ignored the call when he saw that it was his wife calling. But Shana didn’t give up, she was determined to call him even if it means using her calls to ruin his battery. She didn’t even attempt sending him a text a message because she knew that he would not open it talk more of reading it.
Femi tried to ignore her call but when the call persisted, he was afraid that something terrible may be happening to her and so he picked the call.
Femi: “What is it? Must you ruin down my battery because you want to talk to me?”
Shana: “I am sorry, Ife”.
Femi: “You are always sorry, yet you repeat the same things that provoke me”.
Shana: “I called for a more important thing. My mum is around, she came in this morning. Please come back home, I don’t want to give her the impression that all is not well with us”.
Femi: “Your mother? Why didn’t she inform us that she was coming? I mean what did she even come for? Have you been gossiping about me to her?”
Shana: “What do you mean by me gossiping to her? Please come back home and pretend that all is well, I beg you in the name of God”, she dropped the call and went back into the compound.
Femi knew that the worst thing that could happen to him is to give his mother in law the impression that all was not well between him and his wife, he was afraid of what the consequences will be on the years long friendship between the two families. He picked up his brief case to leave but Licia intercepted him on the door.
Licia: “And where do you think you are going? You just got here and we haven’t even done anything yet”.
Femi: “I have to rush home, something just came up. I am sorry, Princess”. He drew her close and gave her a kiss on the lips. “I will be here after work tomorrow, we shall make up for all we have missed today”. He left the room.
Licia: “Femi thinks he is smart, so I am the one whose job is just to sleep with you while your wife gets your quality time. You must be stupid to think I didn’t hear what you discussed on phone with your wife. Now is the right time for me to pay your home a visit”.
She picked her leather jacket, slid into it and grabbed her car keys. She was going to pay Femi and his wife a surprise visit, one she hoped will destroy the family for good.
WATCHOUT FOR EPISODE 13
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