Chapter 11

Ifeoma's phone rang for the umpteenth time and she again ignored it. She just wasn't ready to speak to her husband, she was still angry about what his mother had done the previous day.

Her parents had gone to some charity event that morning so she was alone at home with her parents' maid.

Halima walked gently into the living room wearing a sunshade and a veil which surprised Ifeoma because Halima wasn't one who fancied things like that and she never covers her head even though she's a muslin.

"If you have also caught apolo or something, please do me a favour and keep those shades on, abeg." Ifeoma joked as her friend sat beside her.

"Apolo would have been better." Halima said as she took off the sunshade and veil. Ifeoma gasped, her friend's face was battered and bruised badly, she felt like she could feel her pain even though she was not the one who was battered.

"What happened to your face, Halima?" She half screamed.

"My husband happened, Oma! I am married to an animal!" Halima said as she suddenly started to cry.

Ifeoma was shocked! A man could actually do that to his own wife? What kind of devil lives in him?

"Why would he even raise his hand in the first place? What kind of man is that? Did you guys have a huge misunderstanding?" Ifeoma asked as she touched Halima's swollen left eye gently, Halima winced in pain.

"I am surprised too, Oma. All I did was ask him about the used wraps of condoms in his pockets and then he just went savage like a wild animal! He started to hit me so hard and he didn't stop until he was satisfied that I was battered enough. As I am speaking, Oma, I sneaked out of that house and I am not going back in! I was thinking of where to go when you called me to explain your own marriage palava so I thought I'd better come here. My parents would send me back to him if I should go to them. Whoever said there's an happily ever after is mad! It isn't even up to a year yet and I'm fed up of it already!" Halima ranted with anger and pain.

"I'm tired too, Halima. When last have you heard from Bola?" Ifeoma asked.

"Was it not last week friday or so? When I called herself, she said she was on a boat cruise with her man and would call me back but she didn't." Halima responded.

"Bola and that her man friend, she doesn't seem to care about marriage. I wish I could be that carefree, maybe I would be happy by now too instead of just depressed every time. I really wish I can actually poison that useless mother in law of mine but I just don't have the mind to kill." Ifeoma lamented.

"Don't tell me that you are already starting to think like Bola. Just see her as one troublesome mother."

"Mother?! No mother would terrorize her daughter this much, Halima. Do you even understand the amount of emotional and verbal abuse she puts me through? I am getting fed up of the marriage already and I even told my parents that I want to divorce."

"You are kidding! No no! Please, don't do something you'd regret all your life, just because people seem to just opt for divorce these days doesn't mean you should too. Fikayo is a really nice man and you know it, he just needs some marriage counselling and he needs to grow up, that's all. And you guys love each other so much, please, don't let that old woman ruin it." Halima pleaded.

"Mama is not an old woman, she gave birth to her only son at an early age, that's why she has so much strength to terrorize me everyday!" Ifeoma snapped.

"Just take things easy with her, go back to your home and claim whats rightfully yours. Stand up to her and let her know her place, no woman can just come in between you guys. Aren't you even grateful that you're not in my shoes? What if Fikayo is also a woman beater, wouldn't it be even worse?" Halima pestered trying to knock some sense into Ifeoma who seemed to finally heed.

"I think you're right, dear. You're a lifesaver!" Ifeoma said as she hugged her friend.

"So what do we do about that husband of yours too? How about you give him just one more chance and see what happens?" Ifeoma asked.