Must Read: Taking Chances

7 years ago

Must Read: Taking Chances

Her uncle had tried in futility to lure her out to greet her cousin and her children, but she had adamantly declined. The man had stopped pestering her when he saw and understood how devastated she was.
Instead, he had asked the maid to take her dinner to her. Daisy had also asked for juice, which was brought to her and that had been the last anyone saw her on the Friday she came visiting.
Then on Saturday, Ada had taken the bold step to go talk with the insolent young woman who though her state, should have atleast come say hello to relatives she was just meeting.
When she had entered the room with little Nedu, she had found Daisy on the bed, facing the wall. Then going over to seat, she called on her.
‘chinwe, are you awake?’
Daisy had rolled to face her after a minute hesitation. Her eyes were bloodshot from the crying she did through out the night.
‘God! Is it this bad?’
Daisy said nothing, just stared at her.
‘You’re uncle John’s daughter right? The one that had been overseas all this while?’
Daisy still said nothing, didn’t feel like talking, wanted to ignore the woman by returning to her previous position, but found it rude to do so.
‘please talk to me, what exactly is the problem? Father tells me you refused to see anyone, what is it? We are your families you know?’
At the word, ‘family’ Daisy’s tears started again.
‘heh! Ogini mekwa nu? Why don’t you want to talk?’
Little Nedu, got out from his mother’s lap and crawled to Daisy to stare as her as if he could feel her pain.
‘see, even Nedu wants you to talk to us’ the mother had said.

Daisy smiled, raised herself up and patted the child.
‘hi’ she said feebly
‘Thank God! Now can you calm down and tell me what is wrong?’
She sighed. ‘I don’t know if i should bother you with my problems’ she said wiping her tears.
‘biko, bother me, the whole family is worried about you’
‘am sorry for making them be, i just wanted to be alone…and cry my pain out’
‘what pain is that?’
‘It’s my marriage, its not working’ Daisy had said with a painful sigh.
‘odi egwu! A marriage issue has got you this down that you want to kill yourself?’
‘why shouldn’t I? Was it a crime to come marry him, is it a crime to love a person, why me?’ she had cried.
‘please calm down and tell me what exactly…’
‘he cheated on me! The bas…bas…’ she couldn’t bring herself to say the word ‘…and he had the guts to deny everytime. Then at the end, he tells me that he’d touched, kissed and cuddled her receptive body to my face!’
‘that was harsh of him! But was that all he did?’
‘what do you mean?’ Daisy asked startled.
‘My dear, i thought you would say he sent you out or threatened to divorce you and that’s why you wanted to kill yourself’
‘are you saying what he did was right?’
‘no! No! No! That’s not what i mean, am saying that worst things happen in marriage than just infidelity yet the women aren’t dead’
‘so i should get a divorce instead?’
Ada smiled. ‘that’s not even an option, atleast its what my Bible say. Neither is it what i meant. People think marriage is a contract where you wake up oneday and say to yourself ‘i want out’! It goes beyond that, it is a vow of ’till death do us part’ shared before people and nothing is meant to severe the cord’
‘yeah right! Even when the Idi,ot turns the wife to his wrestling partner, she should still stick her butt and say till death do us part? well i see one person parting tho the grave, and that’s the foo.l!’
‘you’re right there, such things happen, but life itself isn’t a smooth road is it? I do hope that is not also the problem here?’
‘he can’t dare!’
‘good! So the problem here is infidelity?’
‘don’t care what you call it! And can you imagine he had the guts to treat my friend badly and insinuate that i am sleeping with him! When he’s the guilty one?’

A scoff. ‘the society don’t see it so bad for a husband to cheat, but when the wife does so, she’s crucified!’
‘that’s so cruel!’
‘you can say that again’ Ada said drily ‘it happened even in the bible’ she added
Daisy wasn’t a bible person, she wasn’t sure she knew which passage or the story, but she believed her nonetheless.
‘did i also add that the trend is more rampant among the ibos?’
‘bloody ibos, i hate them’
‘funny you! Aren’t you a part of us?’
‘am yoruba now’
‘by marriage that is. And If my memory serves me right, wasn’t it this year you got married to him?’
‘6 months now’
‘and you’re gonna give up on such tender marriage, just like that?’
‘what do you intend i do?’ Daisy cried.
‘you can’t give up on it, or don’t you love him atall?’
‘I very much do’ she whimpered.
‘And you’re gonna let some lady from nowhere dig her claws on your man? You’re the one he took to the altar, you’re the one wearing his rings, you’re the one bearing his name, so why let a loser feel she can come between you and your husband and make you cry out your heart? That is an error!