Hell on Earth 2
(based on a true story)
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When I regained consciousness, I found my husband’s son and his sister arguing about what he did to me. The girl was telling him that if I didn’t wake up, she would tell their father he killed me. He didn’t seem disturbed. He rather threatened to deal with his sister if she ever mention his name. I was awake for some minutes before they noticed.
Immediately they noticed that I was awake, the boy transferred the threat to me. He threatened that if I ever told his father what happened, he would kill me. I resolved not to tell my husband about the incident but the following events made me to. I became sicker. It was as if I would die. Then I remembered what my mother said.
Right before I left my parents’ house, my mother gave me a pep talk. She said that if a married woman sleeps with another man, she’d fall sick or run mad. She said it is only her husband’s forgiveness that can heal her, else she dies. The thought of that made me very afraid and I told my husband what happened while he was away.
He didn’t believe me. Or rather, he chose not to believe me. He accused me of sleeping with his son in his absence. The rage in his eyes while he made the accusation was very dreadful. I said my last prayer and waited for him to pounce on me. I was sure that would be my last moment on earth.
But he didn’t hit me. He left in the rage and came back later to drag me into his car. He drove me to a hospital. There in the hospital, series of tests were done and it was discovered I was four weeks pregnant. That brought another phase of hardship upon me. My husband never accepted the pregnancy was his. He said I had been sleeping with his son and he got me pregnant.
All the efforts I made to convince him that I was raped by his son once went to waste. The matter became worse when his daughter whom I called upon as a witness denied having any knowledge of what I was saying. From then on, my husband withdrew the so little support and upkeep he was giving to me. He said I should get my upkeep from his son who he now referred to as my boyfriend.
The most ironical part of the whole thing was that he never for once talked to his son about the incident let alone punishing him in any way. I bore all the brunt.
From the time it was discovered that I was pregnant, my already hellish life became more hellish. I didn’t stop being sick and I had no access to medical care of any form. My husband sent me out of his room and warned me never to touch his food again. I was left with nothing and I was dying speedily.
I thought of going home to my parents but the thought of the warning my mother gave me wouldn’t let me. I remained in the hellish cage I called marriage. Time went on and I started passing out regularly. Why won’t I when I hardly ate a proper meal? Even the crumbles were not guaranteed. I had no rest of any kind.
Even in my weak sickly state, I still did all the house chores. That was the only way I would have a little breathing space from my stepson and stepdaughter. That was also my only guarantee of having the little food I was given.
Four months into the pregnancy, I was almost dead. The only difference between the state I was in and death was that my lungs still opened and contrasted. Other than that, I was already dead. My overly malnourished legs hardly supported my also very thin frame. The protrusion of my tummy looked more like I was suffering from kwashiorkor. I wonder why ending it all never occurred to me at that time. Probably because I had a glimpse of hope that the baby I was carrying would make everything alright.
When I knew I couldn’t carry on anymore, I went to my husband and begged. I begged him to let me go and stay with my parents until I put to bed. I knew we didn’t have much at home but I also knew I’d be better off there. But he refused. He said I would remain in his house until I gave birth to the abomination inside me.
That was the exact word he used for my unborn child. Lest I forget, he never allowed me leave the compound all the while I was pregnant. He made sure I stayed inside for whatever his reasons were. His compound became my cage while I became the slave girl waiting to be sold out.
It is quite surprising how I can tell this story now without trembling at the thought of all I went through in my slavery days. Those thoughts haunted me for years. Sorry for the digression.
In the fifth month of the pregnancy, my body gave way. It couldn’t continue with the unappreciated job of keeping it together. It gave up and I gave birth to an alien-like creature. It was a premature baby, not well formed.
I had it on the floor along the passage which had become my bedroom. It was in the middle of the night and my husband was away as usual. I had no help. The loud scream I let out attracted the attention of my stepdaughter who came out to know why I was disturbing her sleep. Her brother was no where to be found. When she saw the state I was in, she ran out of the house.
I passed out while I pushed the premature baby who would have been my first child out of my system. I woke up hours later and beheld what I gave birth to. No mother would have liked the sight I beheld. But somehow, I was happy that the abomination was out of me.
Join me on the next episode of ‘Hell on Earth’.
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TOCHUKWU ANOZIE
