"No!" I screamed. "Mum? How could you? How?" My mum kept looking at me without saying a word. Her facial expression was tempting me to slap her, but how could I? I wouldn't believe mum could buy any word from dad's filthy and dirty mouth. "Just like that?" I said. Though I was very small and young then, but I was old in thoughts and experience. Perhaps my mindset was built upon the foundation of the Nollywood I used to see. I had watched enough scenes of arguements and fight between couples, especially when the man was cheating.
I barely replied dad's greetings when he walked in like an innocent sheep that evening as he expected me to greet him first just as it demanded. I sneered, I jerked; I couldn't stand his presence. Mum just picked me from my school and were both heading home in her old grey Mercedes benz. The traffic was heavy along the main federal road, so we decided to take some shortcut home. We were near Alexis close when we both saw dad holding a tiny figure's waist and exchanging kisses with an whore. I expected mum to hit the brake and create a scene but she just drove off. "I will deal with him when he gets home" she said, with a rather demonic look and callous tone.
For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction, says a science law. Quite alright, I could see mum boiling when dad hooted as he entered the compound. I expected her to welcome him with hot slaps and beatings, but that wasn't the case. The actions that followed after he entered left me profound. My mouth remained ajar. I saw a boiled woman knelt before her husband to welcome him, rose to undo his tie and collected his suit. I saw a woman wiping her unfaithful husband's face with her headtie. Mum had dark days she wouldn't talk about. She was a mute type. I gained admission into a tertiary institution and left the two couples, mum and dad to endure and enjoy consecutively. I left them for school. It was up to mum.
Timi and I got engaged and soon became married. I had always loved to be with my hubby. Nevertheless, I wasn't going to take any shit from any man. I was born of my mother but I would never be my mother, I wouldn't take any nonsense from any man. All of them are the same. Mum was faithful but dad wasn't, but mum still loved him. The first few months of our marriage was romantic and was getting more romantic until Timi started acting like my dad. "And who was that dirty and smelling girl I saw you with? Ugh? Answer me." I shouted at Timi one evening like others. Timi would not talk but just entered the visitor's room. I really provoked him severally because I was not going to be silent over any issue that had to do with my husband.
I saw some irritating chats between him and a girl on his whatsapp account. Trust me, I wasn't going to be silent. I brought up the matter at the dinner table. "Talk!" I screamed. Timi wasn't going to hold it anylonger and he stood up against me. "What he hell is your problem, woman? What?" He slightly pushed me on my forehead, I tried gaining my balance before I could retaliate .
"He will be fine." The young doctor said. "But you may have to reintroduce yourself to him by the time he comes back to life."
"What? I don't get. What do you mean, sir?"
"I'm sorry, but your husband may have..."
I crumbled there on the floor hoping an hand would lift me up. Tears rolled and flowed in, but the harm had been done.
I kept watching over him there in his ward, and wouldn't go home. My parents came for the first time to visit us at the University College Hospital. I was happy when they entered the room my husband was confined and admitted. She looked at me with a disappointed face, and I quite understood her message. Mum held my hands as I kept crying uncontrollably. "I wish you learned from me, my dear. I tried teaching you but you wouldn't understand." She said, motherly, never regretting any of her silence. Of a truth, dad could look promiscuous but our home was very peaceful, all thanks to her silence in some circumstances. "You see, my daughter. You don't talk on everything in marriage if you really want to enjoy it. There are things you get muted on, and trust me, they will always later speak themselves and get solved without any word or any form of violence.
"That woman we saw your father kissed that day was his boss." She said, wiping the sweats on my forehead. "She got him to the deepest corner. I'm sure you understand what I mean." I nodded positively, affirming her words. "If I had welcome him that day as you had wished, that woman will be in my place right now. What would have been my gain? What?" Dad rose from Timi's side and squatted before us. "I was never the father you thought I was. I was also faithful and I'm still." He said, confidently. The remaining hours were spent crying and being consoled. "Trust God to restore your husband back soon. Trust him, and we will always pray for his recovery." Mum said.
Timi was discharged some weeks later, and I was left to tell my husband who I was, how our friendship got started and how it ended in marriage. I had to remind him how romantic we were, how we loved each other, how we used to play together and how...I was about mentioning how I hit him on the head with a whiskey bottle when I had my tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth. It was high time I learned to be silent.
At that moment, I rested my tongue and cleaved to the husband of my youth. I gave him a long deep kiss and got myself undressed before him as we had the first intimate after so many months. I had learned my lessons, I have known the beauty of silence. I didn't even need anyone to teach me to be silent. You will be, naturally, when you are with a man who had lost his memory.
**Reference**