EPISODE 3: A GLIMPSE OF STRENGTH
Adesuwa woke up to the sound of her children whispering. Osaro, the eldest, was trying to comfort his younger siblings, who were complaining of hunger.
She sat up and looked around their tiny room. Efe was gone again. She sighed. What was she expecting? The last time he left money for food was months ago.
Determined not to let her children go hungry another day, Adesuwa wrapped her scarf around her head and stepped out. She had done all sorts of menial jobs—washing clothes, sweeping compounds, and selling petty goods—just to survive. But today, she needed something better.
She walked into the market, looking for any opportunity. At the vegetable stall, she met Mama Ayo, a kind elderly woman who often gave her leftover food.
“Adesuwa, my daughter,” Mama Ayo called. “You look troubled.”
“Mama, I need a job—any job. My children have not eaten,” Adesuwa admitted, swallowing her pride.
Mama Ayo sighed. “There’s an opening at Madam Remi’s shop. She needs someone to sell snacks for her. You can try there.”
Without wasting time, Adesuwa rushed to the shop and pleaded for the job. Madam Remi looked her over before nodding. “I will pay you daily. Start now.”
For the first time in a long while, Adesuwa felt a glimmer of hope. She had found work. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
That evening, she returned home with a small bag of foodstuff. Her children’s eyes lit up with joy.
As she cooked, she made a silent promise to herself—this was just the beginning. She would find a way out of this miserable life.
⸻
EPISODE 4: THE FINAL STRAW
Adesuwa had been working at Madam Remi’s shop for two weeks now. Though the pay was small, she managed to buy food for her children daily. For the first time in a long while, they weren’t sleeping on empty stomachs.
One evening, as she returned home carrying a small bag of rice and a few vegetables, she found Efe sitting outside their room, his face dark with anger.
“Where are you coming from?” he asked, his voice cold.
She hesitated, then answered, “I got a job at a snack shop.”
Efe scoffed. “So you now work without telling me? You don’t respect me as your husband anymore?”
Adesuwa clenched her jaw. Husband? A man who didn’t feed his family had no right to be called a husband.
“Efe, I did what I had to do. I have children to take care of,” she said firmly.
Before she could react, his hand flew across her face. A stinging pain spread through her cheek as she stumbled back.
Tears welled in her eyes, not just from the slap but from years of bottled-up frustration. Her children, who had been playing inside, ran out and saw what happened. Osaro, her eldest, clenched his fists.
“Mama, let’s leave him,” he said, his voice shaking with anger.
Adesuwa held back her tears as she looked at her son. Was she going to allow this cycle of suffering to continue?
That night, as Efe snored carelessly on the bed, Adesuwa sat awake, staring at her children. She had always feared leaving, but what was she staying for? A man who didn’t care for them? A man who beat her for trying to survive?
It was time.
She wiped her tears and made a decision. She was leaving this marriage.
⸻
