Thorns in one’s life, though life threatening, but sometimes you just laugh; laughter of agony, a brutalized laughter. In a bid to sow my torn dress, the needle has pierced into my finger to bleeding. It’s rather disheartening how we try to solve problems and we end up creating more difficult problems. If I’d known, I would have buried myself in that poverty that ate the beauty of our skin and heart, than the desperate effort I made to keep up with the joneses. But would I have allowed my mum to die? She is a jewel I can’t afford to lose. Collins had just been released from the police custody after he’d spent close to three weeks at the station at Chief’s command. Chief had given the DPO some of money to ensure that Collins remained in their custody. Despite my plea to Chief, he never gave a hoot, but when I finally threatened to terminate my pregnancy, he surrendered. The morning Collins was released, I went to his house to see him, to my greatest surprise, he welcomed me in, and there was no sign that he felt any hatred for me, despite what I did to him. “I’m so sorry that you have been through hell all because of me. I’m sorry…” I begged him with tears running down my face, I’d never been that bittered in my life. I realised how bad it is to watch the one you truly love go through hell; if only I could turn back the hands of time, I thought, but that’s one hell of a luxury that heaven can’t afford to give. “How is the baby kicking in your tummy?” Collins asked, staring deeply into my eyes. But that was a question I was so ashamed to answer. “You still want to keep the pregnancy… You want to marry wealth?” he added. My mind travelled to the ugly experience I’ve had with Chief for the past few weeks. Chief is one hell of an arrogant monster, who would stop at nothing to make sure that things are done in his own myopic way. I recalled the day I visited him in the morning and told him I was going to the police station to see Collins, how he had me locked up in one room in a large duplex where he stays alone with his body guards. I spent the whole of that day in that room until he came at about 8pm in the night: So many other ugly things I’ve suffered in his hands; an old man that has not even paid my dowry, treating me rudely because I’m pregnant for him.
‘I’m not your wife, I always remind him’ even though he laughs it away sarcastically.
“I’m not even sure of what to do anymore” I finally said to Collins. Collins held me, kissed me. A kiss I couldn’t refuse. In the face of these odds, he’s still my love.
“You see, even though I’ve tried so hard to let go, I find myself thinking good of you each day, every minute and every hour. And I’ve arrived at a conclusion that that old bastard will never have you, you’re mine” he said, held me again and we started kissing and caressing.
I’d started to remove my wears when chief barged in with his boys. “Oh this is it ehh? You think you can play on me?” Chief said. “Get out of my house now! Or you die before your boys can harm me” Collins said angrily. I stood helplessly covering my nipples with my hands, wondering how Chief got to know I was here. He definitely must have paid a spy to follow me anywhere I choose to go.
“I’ll go” Chief turned, then paused, “but be sure you’ll hear from me soon” he added. “Boys, let’s go” he said and they left.
Few days later, Collins was attacked, his ankles were brutally injured. Collins has since been on a wheel chair, with little or no hope of him walking again on his feet. I know that chief is responsible for this action even though he denied it when I confronted him. Two days ago, Chief brought a Range rover spot to my house as a gift for me, to entice me into marrying him. I refused the car gift, how do I marry a monster because I’m pregnant for him?
