One evening, Gloria returned home from work feeling particularly angry. She walked directly to her bedroom and slammed the door shut without saying a word of greeting to her husband. This pissed the man off, even as he went after her to demand an explanation. And as it turned out, the woman had a lot to say to him.
“Well, forgive me for not paying you homage, Sir,” the woman said sarcastically. “I might have forgotten to do that because I am confused and trying to understand why I had to receive a letter from Emeka’s school today informing me that my children would be prevented from writing their forthcoming examination because they supposedly owe outstanding fees. And this information is particularly confusing because I recall giving you the money to go pay their tuition--”
“Perhaps you can't recall clearly,” Uncle John retorted, causing Gloria to flip out.
“Why didn’t you pay the money to the school?”
“Do not interrogate me, woman!”
“I should not interrogate you? Where is the money I gave you to pay for your sons’ tuition? These are your children’s lives at stake here. I gave you my hard-earned money to pay their tuition since you’ve decided not to be useful in that regard. And all you could do was close your mind and pocket the money? You didn’t even think it necessary to tell me that you never paid the money? Do you even care about what becomes of these children?”
“Listen, I lost four sons to a useless war and now those children are all I have. So yes, I do care about their future. But I also care about my present. And since all you care about are yourself and your children, I had to do what I had to do to take care of myself!” John replied.
“What are you talking about? Are you trying to justify the fact that you pocketed the money I gave you to pay your children’s school fees?”
“Yes, I am justifying it,” the man replied. “I didn’t pay the money to the school because I decided to use the money for my business!”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. And since we are talking about it now, I think you should know that I have been using the money to buy the necessary furniture-making equipment I need for my workshop. Very soon, I will start working again. At least that’s what you have always wanted; isn’t it?”
“You are an impossible man!” Gloria whispered. “Several times, I took out loans for you. Have you ever bothered to find out whether I’ve paid back those loans? The answer to that is no. And you do not have anything to show for those loans either. So why do you stand there and blame me? I have done everything any good wife could do to assist her husband. I take care of the bills, take care of your children and even you. Yet, you show no appreciation. Instead, you would rather jeopardise your children’s future because you think I am too focused on planning a good life for them instead of squandering my hard-earned money on you?”
“Hard-earned money…” John scoffed. “Now you are feeling important, aren’t you? Remember who took care of you when you were miserable and hopeless? I was there when everyone else treated you like trash. And now just because you have some bank job and earn some salary, you think you can insult me anyhow you want? You are pathetic!” the man said as he walked away from the room. But Gloria followed him, screaming-
“I have not started insulting you yet John,” she said. “And you can stop thinking that you did me any favour because you didn’t. If anything, I am the one who did you a favour by taking you in when you returned from the village looking miserable! I had no reason to take you in, much less marry you. I mean look at you… old, fat, lazy and penniless! What do you think would have become of you if I hadn’t married you? Perhaps you’d be sleeping under Ojuelegba Bridge by now—”
“You better mind the way you talk to me, woman!” John warned as he turned to face her, pointing his finger at his wife. “I will not have you talk to me like that!”
“What would you do about that?” Gloria screamed at him.
“Do not dare me—”
“You can’t do anything!” the woman screamed at him. “And you had better change, or else you will either have to leave me alone or I pack up my things and leave this house with my children. I am sick and tired of you making my life difficult in my own house. How can I live with someone I can’t even look in the face without getting annoyed? Sincerely speaking, if you cannot be useful to yourself and your family, maybe it’s time for you to return to your village…”
Are you loving this tale? There is so much more to come when my book The Shame of Trauma becomes available on Amazon Kindle. Kindly anticipate.