She went into the house to drop the load she brought from the market, looking tired and exhausted but the sight she beheld stood her transfixed (stood motionless in horror) momentarily.
She was shocked beyond description, almost going mad, not believing or understanding what she was gazing at.
It was the body of her husband dangling from a rope tied to the ceiling fan in their sitting room.
Finally she summoned the courage to give out a spine chilling wail that attracted the attention of all the neighbours. They (neighbours) rushed into their one room self contained (mini flat) apartment to know the cause of such wailing.
Indeed they were all shocked themselves by what made her wailed.
Some of her fellow women were trying to console her while some cried with her. Some of the male neighbours Immediately contacted the police while some contacted the deceased family.
His body was brought down and taken away.
He left no suicide note(s) and that increased her misery as she couldn’t figure out what could have pushed her beloved husband to taking his own life. In her grief, she kept wondering why such an ugly thing happened to her.
Could it be diabolic?
Was it intentional?
Was he tired of being alive?
Was he murdered and then framed like it was suicide?
Was it spiritual remote control from his village or from his enemies?
All these and more ran through her mind as she tried to wrap her head around the mystery.
But all the answers lied within her.
She was the architect of his problems.
She killed him indirectly and unknowingly.
He was an Okada (commercial motorcycle) rider before Okada was banned from the state. This made him jobless.
But before his ‘joblessness’ he was in his own way a loving father, husband and in-law. He made sure his family lacked nothing. His three children attended an average private school in the area. Food was never scarce in the house.
He made sure of that.
Rents and other bills were promptly paid.
He visited his in-laws generously at interval.
Practically he provided his family with the basic needs of life (food, clothes and shelter) and made them happy. During his fruitful years in the Okada riding business, he started a good enough roadside restaurant for his wife and it was flourishing to a reasonable extent.
Then the table turned and the wife’s business became the source of the family’s livelihood.
That was the Beginning of his end for the home.
Verbal abuse became his plight (lots of women have a way of doing this)
Within few months, the once ‘’darling-husband’’ became ‘’a useless-man’’.
She didn’t mind any of what she said to him, after all she’s his boss and benefactor.
The bible quote ‘’he who cannot take care of his family is worse than an infidel’’ became a her memory verse she recites to him on a daily basis
He hears this every day, and the verse sticks to his brain.
The most heart wrecking and devastating part to him was that the place and time of the verbal abuses and insults were not discriminated. She said them to him anytime and anywhere like a boss.
The marriage reversed as he became the wife of the house and the woman the husband, he did all the house chores just to show he’s still very useful.
Sometimes he served in her restaurant just to seek relevance whatsoever. Yet it was nothing as far as it didn’t bring money to the table or feed the family.
As time went on, his mind started playing on him fast, and started believing he’s truly useless and not worthy to be called the man of the house.
His thoughts were:
it could actually be true.
They could actually be better off without me. A mouth less to feed could go a long way in keeping the family together.
His initial plan was to run away from his family with no trace but he knew within him that he wouldn’t be able to bear the pain and shame.
These thoughts were still on his mind when the switch flipped.
One day, as he was serving in her restaurant, a customer asked for water, so he gave the customer cold water but the customer told him to go and change it to ordinary water, that he doesn’t drink cold water. When the wife heard their conversation, she flared up, calling him an old fool, stupid and all sorts of names.
She told that the greatest mistake she ever made in her life was to agree to marry him out of all the useful and reasonable men who sought her hand in marriage, that she regretted marrying him.
These and more were said in the presence of her costumers and friends.
It was at this moment she helped him decide.
He went home early before any of his family members. The children were in school and the wife at her restaurant.
The result was what she beheld.
Now, that was just a story but can we reflect on it?
Women, how often have you pushed your man to the edge with foul words?
Are you waiting for his suicide before you change your ways?
It must not be about financial incapacity.
It could be sexual, educational or others.
Men, are you guilty of this?
Have you been dehumanising her with foul words because of certain incapability of hers?
Please, change your ways before her corpse hangs.
Verbal abuse contributes to the increasing rate of depression and suicide.
We can help reduce it.
Let’s save humanity while we can.
http://www.cwseed.com/shows/saving-the-human-race/episode-one/?play=b874346f-169d-49cb-9c85-004c2e4e5d5e
Thanks for your time.
God bless you