Almost Is Never Enough
The article you are about to read covers a fictional depiction of Domestic Abuse in a Nigerian household and how sometimes, almost is never enough to gain freedom. She ran. The trees zipped past her as she did, wind in her face, freedom within her grasp. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her and more. She pumped harder now, pushing and pushing. The sound of feet close behind her. She had to make it. It couldn’t catch her again, she didn’t come this far just to come this far. She looked ahead of her now, the trees starting to fizzle out, a stream of light ahead of her. It was there, she could just taste it now, freedom. Her throat ached to scream but was sore from shouting a ways back. She would make it. Run to the light, do it for yourself, move your feet. It was mere meters away now, her freedom. The footsteps behind were gaining but she daren’t look back. It wouldn’t follow her into the light. She just needed to make it, and she was going to. Then a voice cried out, distracting her. A child’s. Why now? She whipped her head towards the sound, her steps faltering. Then, silence. It made no sense, where could it have come from? Why now? She remembered her mission. She readied her feet to move. The footsteps had stopped now. She turned to check for it. It consumed her. Adah’s phone buzzed on the table. She’d get to it later. She focused on the document in front of her, putting the finishing touches as her fingers hit the keyboard with intensity. She hit the full stop with a thud and sighed, satisfactorily. She was finally done with it. Edith had convinced her to work on a portfolio, and she realized the life of a housewife wasn’t very appealing now that she was one. She spent her days sitting at home, switching from channel to channel, and cooking. She didn’t even do the house cleaning or go to the market because her husband made sure to employ services to keep her indoors. Her only avenue to leave was Sundays, where she had joined a number of church groups in order to keep busy and make some friends. That was where she met Edith. They had hit it off instantly, Edith’s blatant honesty pairing nicely to Adah’s silent compliant self. Edith was very critical of Adah’s housewifely duties, and urged her to indulge in something worthwhile. They came to a compromise that she would create a resume and portfolio and they’d go from there. She shut her laptop and glanced at her phone. Her eyes widened in shock, she only had so much time to get dinner ready before her husband got home. He liked his food hot and waiting as he came in from the day’s work. Adah had mastered the art of managing her time, depending on the meal being prepared, and getting it ready just in time. She dashed to the kitchen and the sound of pots and pans filled the empty house. Peeling, cutting, pounding, dicing, picking, boiling, frying. The aroma filled the whole house, inviting all that could smell it. Unfortunate that no one but Adah could be graced with its scent. An hour and a half later, Adah turned off the gas cooker, and dished out the food into its serving bowls. The sound of the gate being opened caught her attention, David had returned. Jamiu, the gateman, saluted his boss, and David waved him off. He drove the car into the compound and parked it, grabbing his briefcase and locking the car behind him. His suit jacket was slung over his arm as he walked into the house. The door flew open revealing Adah, a wide smile on her face, ushering her husband into their home. His face however, failed to mirror hers. The second the door closed behind them, he started, “I called your phone this afternoon Adah. why didn’t you pick up?” She searched her mind, then it hit her. The call she got while she was finishing the portfolio, “My love, I’m sorry. I was finishing up some things so I forgot to call you back.” His voice thundered through the empty house, bouncing off the walls and into Adah’s ears, “So you’re saying you saw my call and ignored it? This stupid woman. What nonsense were you doing that you couldn’t answer your phone? Entertaining your lover in my house abi?” Adah shuddered at his tone. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she daren’t show them. She readied herself for the reprimanding she was about to get. He pulled her by the ear, his jacket and case long forgotten on the floor, and tossed her about the living room. She landed by the wall, banging her head in. her eyes spun in its socket and she just focused her mind on the finished document that had put her in this predicament. It was a regular occurrence though. Little human errors that caused her to get sprawled out on the floor or pounded into the chair ever so often. She thought back to the first time it happened… “You want to go where? Why? Is my house not good enough for you? Oh, it’s those witches that you used to gather and see that fill your mind with useless ideologies that you want to see ehn? You’re not going anywhere!” David spat out, barely even sparing her a glance. She was shocked by his response. David was never mean to her. It was three months into their marriage now, and she had begun to see a side of him that was carefully concealed for the 2 years they had been dating. But this one was new, blatantly refusing her requests and insulting her friends. Annoyed, she scoffed, “David why would you say that now? Those are my friends and I haven’t seen them since … Read more