The Night Shifts Episode Five
Chi Chi was so happy when she arrived at the hospital that evening for her second night shift with Dr Nath. As usual, she bought goodies for Dr Nath. Once she got to the hospital, they went to the ward where they stayed the other day and started enjoying themselves. Dr Nath took time to tell Chi Chi the story of what happened at home and how he was able to overwhelm his wife. He narrated the story with a lot of pride. Chi Chi could see that Dr Nath was regaining his confidence as a man. She was proud of the job she has done in his life and she was ready to do more so that his life would change for the better. Chi Chi allowed him to talk for as long as he wanted. Listening to him gave her a lot of joy.
“I told you the strategy would work. All you need to do is to stand up for yourself and your wife would back off. Now, with that same confidence, I want you to take another step. You see that your salary that is going into your wife’s bank account? I want you to do something about it. Tell the hospital management to stop paying the salary to her. They should start paying it to you. In fact, I want us to craft a letter tonight, which you will send to the hospital accountant or whoever pays the salary here. You will inform the accountant that you are changing your salary account number. Once you do this, you will have enough money in your pocket. And if you have enough money in your pocket, you will be able to control your household anyhow you want. Bring out a pen, let us write the letter together.” Chi Chi said.
“I will do whatever you ask me to do, because the first strategy you taught me worked very well. But the problem is that I don’t have a bank account that is functional. The only one I opened many years ago has gone dormant because it has been long money entered it. And it is already night. I would have said let me go to the bank and open another one.” Dr Nath said.
“The account is dormant, but it can still receive money. The only thing you will have to do is go to the bank and reactivate it. Give the account number to the accountant. Your money will not disappear, it will stay in the account until you reactivate it. Tell them to pay your salary directly to you and not to your wife. You are the one working for the money, so therefore, it should be entering your account not your wife’s account. You are not a baby that she would be managing your money for you.” Chi Chi said as they started writing the letter. Chi Chi dictated the wordings of the letter and Dr Nath wrote everything down dutifully like a school child.
“Hahahaha! This one will hit my wife like a bullet when month ends tomorrow and she fails to see the salary in her account. She will run mad and scatter the whole community. But I actually don’t care. I’m happy that I can stand up to her now.” Dr Nath said happily. The way he laughed made Chi Chi to laugh as well.
“I’m glad you are now up on your feet. But there is a question I wanted to ask you. Why have you always been afraid of your wife? I mean, you should not fear your wife this way. I was shocked when I heard the things you allowed her to do to you. I have never seen a man as submissive as you are. Even the Bible instructed women to submit to their husband and not the other way round. Why? Why did you allow her treat you like trash and you didn’t say anything?” Chi Chi asked. Doctor Nath had finished writing, so he packaged the letter and put it in his bag.
“I really can’t explain where the rain started beating me. I don’t know where the sun started beating me either. What I can remember was that it started like a joke and it graduated to being serious. She started by sending me on unnecessary errands she could run by herself, to becoming completely idle while I do everything. Another thing is that his parents were rich and they were the ones who sponsored our wedding. I loved her, but I did not have money for a wedding. I told her I wanted our wedding to be simple so I could afford it, but her family refused.” Dr Nath said, remembering things that happened years ago. He paused for a while and continued talking emotionally.
“After I was able to pay the bride price from my pocket, her family handled all the expenses for the wedding. The money ran into millions of naira. I was surprised that after I got a job, my wife’s father came to my house and told me I have to pay back the money they spent on my wedding. Out of shame, I agreed, but I told him to give me time. He refused. When he left, his daughter said my salary should be going into her bank account. She said her father told her to collect the money from me. I was supposed to pay back N55 million. Her father used to come to my house every week to ask for the money. That was how my money started going into her account. It’s my fault actually, I should not have allowed that. But, believe me, there was a lot of pressure from her family. It was just as if they planned it. And it has worked for them. It was as if they used charm on me so that I will not talk. But thanks to you Chi Chi, I’m now regaining my senses. If it was a charm they used on me, It will not work again.” Dr Nath said.
Chi Chi was surprised at what she just heard.
“They may have used charm on you, because you look too docile. I have never seen a man being treated this way. Well, your chain has been loosed. The charm has expired. All that is remaining now is for you to change the account number tomorrow.” Chi Chi said.
“Salary will be paid tomorrow evening. I will submit the letter in the morning. I will be the one to receive the alert, not my wife again.” Dr Nath said.
Meanwhile, that night, Dr Nath’s wife wondered why her husband had two nightshifts in a row. He usually does one night shift in a week.
“This is the second night shift he is doing this week. What is happening? I will go to the hospital right now and find out if he is there.” Binta said as she dressed up that night and started going to the hospital around 9pm.
To be Continued
