Internation Women's Day 2022 - On Breaking the Bias.

While we celebrate all the strong women all over the world, here is one woman's incredible story.

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“Ulom’m, biko enyi ‘m.?Please,?my?love. Forgive me nne.” Ifediora said, his eyes pleading remorsefully. He had tried to go on his knees the minute he saw her, but Uloma wouldn’t let him. After all he had done, she wouldn’t allow him add a curse to her head.

He looked as if he was from far away. He wasn’t the man she knew and married. He wasn’t the one who made her blood boil like an overflowing pot of Onugbu soup. He was no longer the gorgeous man who worked as a clerk with whom she fell in love.

Ifediora, as his name goes — a thing that pleases the people- was pleasing to the eyes. Everyone loved him, and so had she. He was not like the other boys who tried to court her, he had gone straight to her father to ask for her hand and she’d been thrilled to say yes. They got married soon after and moved to the big city.

Their lives were peaceful, Ifediora was such a doting husband that his colleagues teased him for being under the spell of a woman. He paid no heed to their words. Every day after work, he rushed home with gifts to meet his beautiful wife. Whenever he could, he liked to show her off.

“Darling’m, biko come and meet my friends. Let them see what makes me run home every day after work.”

“Baby’m!” As he would call her lovingly. Playing with her cheeks and tickling her sides. She was the apple of his eyes, the one who spread light into his erstwhile dark world. She was his firefly at night, lighting up his path and showing him the way home.

On her own part, Uloma was the perfect wife, keeping the home filled with love and sweet fragrances. Treating her husband to several delicacies that soon after their wedding, Ifediora’s dried bones had filled out nicely and his glowing skin proudly showed off his wife’s cooking.

A few years into the marriage ate off some of the pet names and playful noises in their house.

“What we need is the sound of a child crying, or children playing. That is the only sound we should hear in this house. Nothing more!” Ifediora had said.

Uloma tried her best. She stayed away from all the foods known to poison a woman’s womb. She had her stomach massaged twice a week by an old woman who was said to have helped many women conceive and bear quintuplets. She did all the exercises, sometimes in tears, still, no baby came.

Ifediora stopped coming home immediately after work. He started staying late with his friends.

“What am I coming home to do? Who will welcome me when I return?”

“Am I not here? Don’t I matter to you at all?”

“Are you my child? Onye ga kpo m ‘nna? Who will call me daddy?!”

Uloma would cry her eyes to sleep and Ifediora would barely notice her tears. Some nights, he was rough with her, trying so hard to plant a seed in her womb. She would wake up with a heart that bled beyond the bruises on her skin. Other times, he would be as gentle as a dove, petting, soothing, and begging her to give him a child.

She could hardly contain her sorrow. After five unbearable years, it seemed their prayers were answered as she bore a beautiful baby girl. The baby had her father’s silky hair, olive complexion, and deep brown eyes. All that she inherited from Uloma was her nicely pointed nose. Ifediora was overjoyed! He invited the whole city and slaughtered a big cow! He lavished her with expensive gifts for finally changing his name to “father”.

“Asa m’, I would have killed two cows if you had borne me a boy. Ah! We would have shut down the city! But don’t worry. I’m sure the next one is a boy. Kamsiyochukwu has come to clear the path for her brother. I know it.” He said laughing loudly as the drink got into his head.

For a while, sanity returned to their home. Ifediora rushed back to pick up his baby and spin her in the air.

“We must hurry and try for a boy as soon as you heal. We shouldn’t lose our chance now that luck has shone on us.”

Uloma had laughed, she assumed he was joking of course. She needed at least a whole year of rest before she was ready. But before Kamsi had learned to move her legs in a crawl, Uloma was pregnant again. Ifediora invited his friends to help him celebrate the conception of his son!

“Nwanne congratulations! Odogwu nwoke! Victor”, Ifeanyi said.

“Mbah na! After five years! And less than five months, Ifediora has scored another goal! I raise my glass for you Dike! Strong man.” Ikechukwu raised his glass and they all laughed.

“Nna, take it easy o. Let your wife rest small ehn. Kamsi is still very young,” Obinna tried to reason with them. He was the most sensible in the group. Always weighing each side before giving his comment.

“Mechie onu gi! Close your mouth there! Allow the young man to score his goals while he can, biko. Do you know what it means to wait five years for a child? Nna you’re very patient oh. I would have long brought another woman who would bear me a son!” Ikechukwu responded.

Uloma listened to their comments and shook her head. Men being the selfish beings that they were. They had no idea what it was like to get pregnant, all they knew was to open their mouths and vomit rubbish! She let out a silent hiss and made to attend to a crying Kamsi.

In eight years, Uloma had visited the labour room five times, screaming her lungs out as the pain worsened each time. The last time, she was sure she had died for real, after spending 64 hours in labour. Her heart stopped beating. The pain ceased for a few minutes as an eerie silence enveloped her. She fell gracefully into serenity.

... to be continued