13/09/2020
THE PERFECT COUPLES
And when Amaka departed, after their exchange of pleasantries, she glued her eyes on her. "This is how it is suppose to be. A man should proudly flaunt his wife around". She watched Amaka, nudging her husband playfully as they walk majestically on their beautiful attire. She was full of envy as she remembers Okezie-- her ex-boyfriend. She smiled, as she recalled, Okezie's comic nature. "Okezie was such a caring guy but he was too bossy. I hate men that are bossy and that was why I jilted him to Mike". Her face beaming as she recalls how Mike and Johnson had fought because of her. She was dating the two of them and was caught one day by Mike on her date with Johnson. Arguments ensued which led to a fierce fight between the two men. "But that was not the reason I jilted both of them; Mike had all the qualities I desired in a man but I didn't like his walking steps. He walks like a crab. And as for Johnson, he was too stingy for my liking." She frowns; "I have missed many good men in the past, If I knew that, Obinna would later make it in life, I wouldn't have jilted him to marry James, I and Obinna loved ourselves, we were best of friends and understood ourselves perfectly. We were planning to get married until James showed up from Malaysia with a lot of money." She hissed; "that time, James was James not now that he has turned to a scarecrow. James deceived me with his money, and I followed him. Didn't our people say that Goats follow the person that has the palm leaves?" She chuckles and left.
When she awoke in the following morning, she starred at the center table and stood up abruptly, inspected the notes carefully with pensive look in her eyes, she shrieked audibly. "James has taken my gentleness for cowardice. A man who can't feed his family is worse than infidel. I think he needs to go to the market this time to see for himself how the prices of food items have soared. What will ten thousand naira buy?. When am I going to enjoy sumptuous meals in this house just like other women in the neighborhood?" She flung it on the floor.
She ruminates while in solitude; "I am the most ill-fated woman in the world", she bemoaned. "While my fellow woman is answering landlady, I am still living in athree-bedroom flat, rented apartment. James only buys clothes for me, once in a blue moon while my fellow woman is being flaunted by her husband with beautiful attire. As if that is not enough, James can only afford ten thousand naira for food for the whole week".Tears slid to her cheeks.
Since he returned from Malaysia, it has been a series of challenges. Firstly he was duped by fraudsters and lost his business. He was lucky to get a good job, to sustain his family but things have really changed for bad. After the coronavirus pandemic; the government declared a total lockdown which affected many companies. In other to reduce costs, many companies sacked some of their workers, and James was affected. He was stuck in the Lagos traffic for hours, holding his sacked letter in his hand. Feeling hungry and exhausted. He staggered home late in the night to meet Chioma, his wife asleep with the money littered on the floor. He demanded for his food and she snarled at him like an angry lion. "Go to the market, and buy the food items for yourself, I have seen men doing that on several occasions" his wife told him. He doesn't want to start an argument as he left to nearby restaurant but he came back drunk. His wife has already locked the door, before he could get home and swore not to open the door despite neighbors' plea. He was furious as he broke in and entered with force and staged a fight with Chioma, his wife.
"No sane man fights with a woman," a neighbor said. "Do I look like a sane man to you? What else is insanity, if not the unsettling of the mind? no sane man fights with a woman, I concur but not when pushed to the wall. Should I become a slave in my house for peace to reign?" He retorted.
"My friend, all women are the same, they always act before thinking about its consequences, unlike men that think before they can act. Every woman has that crazy character rooted in her. They are like children and should be pampered. A real man has the key to his wife's heart and enjoys the best of her. Every woman has a defect but a real man knows how to tame them" the neighbor replied.
" My daughter, a tree that bears good fruit, has someone watering it. It is true that the man is the head of the family but the woman is the real owner of the house. As you made your bed, so you will lie on it. A wise woman builds her home while the foolish one destroys it. A blissful marriage requires sacrifices as everyone has a role to play to ensure its success. We should stop being ingratitude, envy, selfishness, and comparison rather we should work as a team and bear in mind that nothing good comes easy. Let's stop washing our dirty linen outside, and involving a third party in our affairs.
Don't be deceived on how gorgeous some couples appear, no couple is exempted from marital challenges but some managed to feel happy despite their challenges. Not as bitter kola sounds in the ear, is how it actually tastes in the mouth but when an ailment is covered with clothes, the face beams. For there are no perfect couples in the world." An old woman advised as everyone goes home with a lesson to learn.
