Chapter 14-The Non-existent Daughter

Tolani loved going to the academy and learnt a lot from it. She discovered that the more she interacted with Ebun Clark, the more her orientation and perspectives changed. Deep down Ebun's preachings had always been Tolani's opinions but with an oppressive society that allowed a woman little or no opinion or voice, she had bottled up most of her grievances against society and they had made her an angry person. She hated the fact that boys were treated as superior to girls even right from birth, she hated that a girl was expected to serve a boy and not have much personal ambitions except to be a wife and mother. Deep down Tolani had always sought a chance to be considered equal, just as important and valuable as any boy and Ebun and her preaching gave her that long sought chance.

A lot of women came to see Ebun from time to time to seek her help on different issues. Many of them came secretly; they needed her help but didn’t want to risk being ostracized by the town. One day a woman named Mrs. Linda Adamu came to complain about her husband’s treatment of their last daughter. According to her before she and her husband got married he had said he only wanted three children and they had to be boys. By the time they had their first born it was a girl. Her husband wasn’t happy about it but he accepted her because she was the first person to make him a father. Two years later she took in again and fortunately for her, it was a boy. The husband was overjoyed. He doted on his two children, especially the son. All was going fine until three years after the birth of the son when she once again gave birth and this time it was another daughter. He hadn’t been at home when her brother had rushed her to the hospital to deliver the baby and therefore he didn’t know it was a girl. He went to the hospital to pick them up, bringing male clothes with him, unaware it was a girl. As soon as he saw she had given birth to a girl, he flew into a rage. He threw the clothes he was carrying on the hospital floor, told her not to bring ‘that girl’ into his house and stormed out of the hospital room. Before she could go home three days later it took an extended family meeting. The family members pleaded with an adamant Mr. Adamu to accept his wife and new daughter.

“Why should I? I told this woman I only wanted three children and they have to be boys, she gave me the first one and it was a girl, I accepted without complaint. Then again this? Help me ask her if I did not tell her of my life plans even before the marriage. What does she want me to do with two daughters?”

After a lot of persuasion he reluctantly agreed to allow his wife move back in but he refused to have anything to do with the baby girl. Linda thought things would change over time but it didn’t. He refused to give the baby a name or have a naming ceremony for her. After begging him for close to three months she started calling the baby ‘Princess’. Mr. Adamu was a comfortable trader while his wife had a shop which he built and stocked for her. Mr. Adamu kept on pretending the baby didn’t exist. In his sitting room he had the picture of himself, his wife and the two children but not a single picture of the baby. He didn’t talk about her or acknowledge her presence in the house. One or two times princess innocently crawled to meet him when he came back from work and he kicked her away with his foot.

“Carry this thing away from here.” He shouted at his wife angrily.

Linda resorted to keeping the baby far away from him to avoid him hurting her. He didn’t make arrangements for her food, clothes or any such things. If he was in the sitting room playing with the other children and she crawled in, he would immediately change his countenance and sometimes walk out. He would drive around with the other children in his car but he would never let her near it, he just couldn’t stand her. Most times Linda wouldn’t follow them out because she couldn’t leave her baby behind.

Linda was frustrated by how her husband was treating her last-born but was helpless to change things. She tried talking to him about it several times but every time she tried he got angry, reminding her that he never wanted two daughters so she shouldn’t complain.

"Please stop treating your daughter this way, she is innocent." She’d plead with him.

"Stop calling that girl my daughter, I only have one daughter."

Time passed and he didn't change. As she grew older and it was time for school, knowing her husband wouldn't send her to school, Linda registered her in the same primary school her siblings were attending. As Mr. Adamu saw her dressing her up for school in her school uniform he asked,

"I hope you don't plan to send that girl to school." Linda was surprised at the question.

"So what should I do with her?"

"I don't know but I don't want people seeing her attend school from my house, they'll think I have two daughters."

"But you have two daughters!"

"Just shut up! Now listen, I won't let her go to school and I am giving you till next month to get her away from my house. I suggest you take her to an orphanage. When she is gone we can have another child and this time around it better be a boy otherwise I'll send you out and start another family with another woman, one reasonable enough to have a son!"

Mrs. Adamu broke down and cried as her husband walked out. The next day she ignored his threats and sent the girl to school. Two days later she woke up in the morning to find out her shop had been burnt down to ashes by arsonists, with all the goods in it! Linda cried like a hopeless person. How will I cope with taking care of this child whose father wants nothing to do with now? The day after the fire, as she was wallowing in self-pity she got a call from one of her husband's friends.

"Mrs Adamu, I really shouldn't be telling you this but I've seen your struggles to raise your little girl since your husband wants nothing to do with her. Your shop wasn't burnt by random arsonists, your husband had it burnt! Please don't let him know I told you but he was bragging about it at the club yesterday night while we were all drinking. In his word's 'Let me see how she'll send that girl to school now.' I don't know why but he really seems to hate little Princess."

It was at that point that Linda Adamu ran to Ebun Clark.