Chapter 3: Ngozi’s True Colour

For phone, I use weak voice tell her say I get serious accident as I dey save person, say I need three hundred thousand naira quick for treatment.

I tune my voice like say I dey die. "Ngozi, abeg, e bad. Doctor say if I no pay, dem no go treat me. You fit send small money?" I dey watch my parents face. Mama dey wipe eye, papa dey shake head, mouth dey whisper, "God abeg."

Ngozi voice sharp like razor: "Ifeanyi, you dey craze? Why you always wan do hero? You no dey think of me and Junior?"

She no even gree pity me. Her voice loud, neighbours for compound fit hear am. She begin complain. "Everytime you dey do good Samaritan, who go help your own family? Me and Junior nko?"

"Abeg, no touch our money o. Make the driver wey jam you pay compensation."

She no gree move at all. "Na your wahala, no use our money join. Tell your village people say make dem help you. Na compensation dem suppose pay you, no be the other way."

"You no dey bring money, na wahala you sabi. You just dey drag us down. You for just die sef." Na so snake wey you warm for house go bite you for leg.

This last one sting me. I feel am deep. For my mind, I dey see all the years wey I waste. Even my papa and mama dey hear. Mama cover her mouth, papa face dark.

As I hear am, anger hold me, I no fit talk.

My tongue freeze. Tears dey my eye, but I just dey clench teeth. My parents dey look me, dem no believe their ear. The kind curse wey Ngozi pour, e no get rival.

She think say I don near die, so she no even hide her mind.

As she dey rant, she no send anybody. E show say na me dey waste time, dey carry another man trouble for head. If na another woman, e for rush come hospital, dey pray. Ngozi no send. Her own na money, and who fit provide am.

Even as I don taste her betrayal before, e still pain me for heart.

For spirit world, e pain, but for life, e pain reach bone. Betrayal pass knife wound. I just dey swallow bitterness. My mind dey heavy, my hand dey shake.

We don marry for years. She never work one day. At first, I pity am say she dey house dey take care of our pikin, suggest make my mama come help, but she bone me, say she no fit stay with in-law, call me useless because I no fit hire nanny. She dey insult me for our son front, even dey blame my papa and mama say dem no get money.

All my friends talk say I try. Some men for street dey laugh me, say I dey too soft. For my mind, I dey tell myself, "Marriage na patience." But her own pass patience. To her, na me and my people be problem for her life. Even if we give am all our money, e no go ever do.

My papa and mama na just common farmers. To help me marry, dem use all their savings buy house for town, still give Ngozi family two hundred thousand naira for bride price. Dem no even keep small for themselves, yet she still dey curse dem. If I talk, she go say I dey support my people, treat her like stranger, go cry, threaten divorce.

E reach one point, every small quarrel, she go pack load, threaten say she go go back to her people, say I no get respect. My papa go try talk sense, but she no gree. My mama go cry for my matter, pray for night make marriage no spoil. Me, I dey beg, dey kneel, just to hold family together.

Na me go always beg, swallow pride, just to make peace.

I go buy bread, buy suya, do surprise, beg her for peace. If pikin dey sick, na me go stay awake. If money short, na me go find who to borrow from. I dey do husband work and wife work, yet peace no dey. For compound, dem dey call me man wey dey fear wife.

My salary na fifteen thousand naira every month. After everything, I dey save about eight thousand, hand over to Ngozi, because she say she need security. Later, I see say she dey waste money anyhow.

Fifteen thousand no be big money. But na wetin I get. I dey manage, dey trek go work, dey chop garri for night. But as I dey give her, she dey complain say e no reach. She no gree hustle. Any money I bring, she go buy phone, buy shoe, no keep anything for rainy day.

I no mind if she spend, but e suppose get limit. She fit buy bag and jewelry worth tens of thousands once. If I talk, she go shout, throw phone for my face, say her friend husband dey buy her things—why she no get?

One day, I see receipt for bag wey pass my three month salary. I ask her, she vex, break plate for floor, say I dey monitor her. Na so neighbours gather, say our wahala too much. I dey shame, but I no get choice. If I talk, she go remind me say I be nobody.

All these years, I don give her at least one million naira, but to save my life, she no fit bring out three hundred thousand.

If na stranger, dem for rush help me. All the money wey I suffer give her, now I need help, na so she turn back. People for hospital dey talk say some wife get heart like stone. My own na true story.

As she curse me for phone, my papa and mama shock.

Mama dey wipe eye, papa dey look ground. Dem no fit believe say na so marriage turn. The pain dey show for dem face. I just dey swallow am like bitter leaf.

After she cut call, I just smile bitterly, tell them, "Papa, Mama, una believe me now? Even if she no get man, I must divorce her."

I no fit hide pain again. Smile wey no reach eye. My papa sigh, my mama shake head. My heart dey heavy, but I don decide. This time, no looking back.

"Son, Ngozi mouth bad, but she give you pikin. If you divorce, e go pain Junior…"

Papa dey beg, mama dey talk say pikin no fit survive broken home. Papa eye dey red, but him voice low. For him mind, tradition dey fight reality. Dem still dey reason like old people wey believe say pikin na pikin, blood or no blood. For their mind, divorce na taboo. But I know wetin dey ground.

As dem mention my son, I just laugh for mind.

Na the laugh wey dey pain. Dem still dey call am Junior, dey believe na my blood. For my mind, I dey see betrayal. Dem no know say na Tunde pikin dem dey defend. Even for my pain, I just dey shake head.

Na bastard, yet dem still dey call am Junior, like say e mean anything. But na just stubborn pikin.

He no dey respect me, he dey fear Tunde pass me. If I talk, he go report me to Ngozi. All this time, na so dem use me play.

This time, dem go see wetin be real regret.

For my mind, I dey plan big. E go shock everybody. As I dey talk, I dey see my papa and mama face dey change, dem dey suspect say I fit do wetin eye never see before.

"Papa, Mama, if una still no believe, abeg help me act small drama."

I talk am with serious voice. Mama gree, papa gree. Dem know say e no easy, but dem love me, so dem follow my plan. For Nigeria, if you wan expose evil, sometimes you go use sense pass devil. Na street we dey, you gats wise.

I buy goat blood, rub am all over my body. My papa and mama help bandage me, only my nose, mouth and eyes dey show.

Goat blood dey smell, e stain everywhere. My mama dey pray, dey bind spirit. Papa dey help tie bandage. By time dem finish, I resemble person wey just waka from battlefield. I fit see fear for my own eye.

For that moment, I resemble person wey dey die. After I put oxygen mask, I send Ngozi selfie and message:

[Come hospital. Insurance people dey here, wan talk compensation.]

I take phone snap, my face look like horror film. I type message, make sure to put 'compensation' well well. For Naija, once money dey, people dey rush. I know say she go show.

As she see 'compensation', Ngozi rush come hospital sharp-sharp.

No be up to ten minutes, I hear her slipper dey slap corridor. She don dress fine, fix hair, even rub small powder. For her face, you fit see say na money matter bring am, no be love. Nurse dey look her, security dey open door. As she open door, everybody hold breath—today, truth go naked.