THE SHADOW

My! What a day. Such a fine day for a fine lady. Her husband had traveled to get something’s done in his hometown. He has been away for about five days and Shade his wife has been watching out for her husband Femi since yesterday. She went out of her way to take Moni, their daughter, to school. Femi had taken the car and anyway if he hadn’t, Shade could not drive.
She had been sometime in getting back and was a bit tired so she got prepared to have a little nap.
But nothing more, Femi was coming back from his journey today and she wanted to welcome him properly. She cast back her mind to the past when Femi always came calling before they got married. Dad the Oba of Ikare land was a very strict man.
He made it plan that no man was allowed to visit his daughter. But Femi had a brother, they had gone to the same school and Seye, Femi’s brother was sent to her. Seye came on the pretext that he wanted to teach me mathematics and sneak note to me, which she would reply. Later after dad died she used to go and visit Femi whenever she spent her holidays in Lagos. Shade seniors all lived in the north and had married from there.
Among all the members of my family I was the only one waiting to marry her town native. I was a bit sad at times because mum died when I was young and dad was recently dead. They were not there when I got married. A few years later I gave birth to a girl, Monisola, and since then no more children. Monisola is ten now. Although I do not take any pills or preventions. I do wish that God would give me another child; I knew Femi wanted another child, preferably a boy. Nigerian men believe about sons. At times that particular subject depressed me. I know it was wicked of me but I could not help thinking that Femi found or looked for pleasure somewhere else.
I must have slept off while I was thinking because when I woke it was the sound of someone banging the door. I looked drowsily at the door.
Who in god’s name could that be. I stood up and went to answer the caller at the door. What happened afterwards forever is imprinted in my memory.
“Hello” I said to the strange woman standing outside “What can I do for you”.
She looked a bit taken aback but quickly concealed it so I thought I had mistaken the show of emotion. But then she became all smiles and looked me up and down. I could sense the resentment, I never let people’s feelings get to me so I said, “please you must be looking for someone why don’t you come in”. She looked at me up and down again before answering me. “Yes please, I’m looking for my husband Mr. Femi Brown he told me he lives here when he’s in Lagos. You must be the housekeeper or something. And I also know he has a child, a daughter’’. She sneered at me. I was dumbfounded, Femi, my darling husband whom I loved to distraction and trusted implicitly. Why?
Well, I would have to shake her just a little bit. “If it is the same Femi I know you’re asking to see, well, my husband traveled a few days ago and wouldn’t be back for sometime”, I bit back.
She was so surprised, it was as if she’d seen a ghost and looked me hard in the face. Then said, “that’s wonderful but I am his wife anyway, you did not give him any sons I gave him two”. She retorted triumphantly.
Now it was my turn to look as if the surprised one I was crying within but I would rather die than let the bitch know that. “Really”, I said smiling, “but let’s put it like this –I am the first wife, you are the second and would always be. Secondly this”, spreading her hands to encompass the whole house “this is my territory. For your peace of mind as well as mine, it’s better you keep to your place and I mine. So I don’t want to see you here again. I’m sure you have a place where he spends his time with you. This as I said before is my domain and I wouldn’t entertain any of this nonsense from you. Next time when you don’t see Femi wait till he comes to your place. If you dare put it in that brain of yours to come here again I shall very much disgrace you”. I said and was about dosing the door when I was struck dumb again by her words.
“Well I don’t blame Femi for your sins. God has made you barren after one child. And to think it isn’t a boy. He doesn’t love you anymore; if he did he wouldn’t come to me. He wouldn’t even have told me about you”. She said triumphantly when she saw me go white.
‘You bitch I wouldn’t take this from you. And if you don’t leave this minute, I’d shout thief and the neighbourhood will come out to give you the beating of your life”. I glared at her and slammed the door shut.
I heard her laugh and then “You can’t keep him away from me. I’d get him and you’d soon be dispensed with. You and your little brat” and she was gone.
I flung myself on the sofa and wept like the broken hearted lady I was. I wept till I could weep no more. Then I rinsed my face and went in search of my confidante. A lady who lived in a flat above ours any time I had problems I always went to her and she’d advice me on what to do. She wasn’t at home and I felt like crying again but she hadn’t gone far so her children went to look for her. I think they told her I had cried because she rushed into “his” flat since I don’t think of it as our’s anymore.
“Mama Moni what is it, why are you crying, what happened”. She asked looking at me and sat down. I narrated everything to her wiping my tears and she sat quietly listening.

After listening to all I had to say, she asked me to start serious prayer which I did and after a lot of neglect on my husband’s part and ridicule from both his family and his wife I was able to overcome. Now I am living happily with my husband and children with my own story to tell other and my experience to share as an advice.