From a slap

It started with a single slap

Back then during courtship

And I vowed I was going to leave him

He begged so much it became embarrassing

“Baby I am sorry,” he pleaded

“I will never lift a finger to hit you again,” he vowed

His friends begged claiming it was work pressure

What could I do? I loved him so much

I went against promise to self

I took him back

That was my undoing

It happened again in the second month of marriage

We were sitting on the sofa in the living room

What we joked about, I cannot even remember

But he hit me so hard I started bleeding

I woke up on a hospital bed

I was so sore, one eye partly shut

He had given me the beating of my life.

I vowed this time I was going to leave

But what would people say?

Our marriage was just two months

My parents had spared no cost to give me a fairy tale wedding

I was after all their princess

We still had cake from the wedding in our fridge!

So, continued my torture

My husband became my tormentor, he hit me at the slightest provocation.

Then came the last straw

I was eight months pregnant, slow from carrying the weight of two people

He came home drunk and hungry

He demanded I made him pounded yam

A very wicked request

Considering I had just made him some rice with the last bit of strength I had in me

Then the monster struck again

He beat me, oh he beat me black and blue, red and yellow

He beat me so bad

I lost the baby I so lovingly longed for

“Madam we are so sorry we couldn’t save the baby, it was so badly affected from the kicks to your stomach, you only barely survived,” said the doctor.

I cried so bitterly as my world came crashing

I had so many dreams for my baby

But they were cut short by his beastly father.

This time, I actually left

Not caring about anything or anyone

I could not bear to live with the one that murdered my son

Even before he saw the light of day

The one who snuffed his little life out of him

Before he even came to life

I left with a broken heart and shattered dreams

Mourning the son I will never know.