STAY WITH ME
A Nigerian (Africa) girl, Yejide saw a boy in film theatre. Ever since they first met and fall in love at university.
Yejide after few years of courtship, accepted proposal from Akin and got married.
But four years into their marriage – after consulting fertility doctors and healers and trying strange teas and unlikely cures -- Yejide still not pregnant.
We came know many facts and traditions of Nigeria Aferica, the polygamy tradition for want of a child in family by reading story.
She gave birth to three children (Her husband was impotent & without cure all those years). First two child, a daughter and a son were short lived due to sickle cell disease. Dotun a younger brother of Akin was responsible of sickle cell disease to three children of Yejide; as Dotun and Yejide were “A” on sickle genes, responsible to make children with sickle cell positive. Akin was completely ok with his blood report for such deficiency; checked by hospital doctors and surprised; how his children were positive, reported him they may not be his children.
Many stories, ups and downs of her life and pain and trauma for hospitalisation of her children went on till her third daughter, when got sick, she left her house thinking, and she is also died. Yejide went to unknown place, without informing anybody, to live away from her husband Akin.
Five years she was alone but after four years; Akin found her information about other city location from his cousin.
The daughter and her husband wrote letters but not sent; book tickets but not boarded; finally fifth year, they send her an invitation of function in the family.
She came and met her young daughter and listen first time the word Moomi (mother) from Timi her third daughter, who survived from disease all these years and cured completely.
She asked Timi to repeat the word Moomi and decide to live with Akin and Timi, the family reunited. Eyes full of tear, she was thinking, “I was not with my daughter all these years, when she needed me most”.
The unforgettable story of a marriage as seen through eyes of both husband and wife. Stay with me ask how much we can sacrifice for the family.
An absolute must-read – RAJEEV at getdigitalpartner.com
A novel by Ayobami Adebago on twitter @ayobamiadebago and website www. Ayobamiadebago.com