(Excerpt from the novella Hard Times) Originally published by Human Change Communications Company by John Chizoba Vincent.

Immediately she walked into the house, he buried a slapped on her face and she lost her footing. Before he could blink, she jumped to her feet, grabbed his trousers and almost knocked him over. “Robert, what's the meaning of that?” she protested.

“Who's that man?” He yelled at her.

“Which man?” she shot back.

“Don’t take me for a fool, Rachael. I saw you hug a man down there. Who is he?”

She chuckled, let go of his trousers and shifted her weight to one leg. “You are not ashamed of yourself!” She hissed and then began to walk to the bed room. 

Robert pulled her back. “Don't walk out on me! I am the head of this house. You need to explain to me what happened down there! I saw you hugged a man!”

Sighed, “I have a sore throat. I cannot talk for long, Robert!” She flashed a menacing smile at him and continued, “But if you push me to the wall, I will answer you roughly. It will be wrong if your miserable kids see me as a bad wife. Excuse me! I must rest!"  

She tried to walk away. Robert pushed her and she landed awkwardly on the chair. "I need you to talk to me, woman! I am your husband!" he barked. "You are not going anywhere if you don't answer my question."

Wrapped in anger, she rose to her feet and adjusted her dress. Pointing at him, she said, "Listen, Robert, if there is anyone to be afraid of in this world, it is not you. You call yourself the head of this house? Look at your children. They are all dying of starvation. Tell me, when last did you put money on the table?  When last did you pay your utility bills? Are you not ashamed of yourself? I expect you to be worried about your life. The man you saw downstairs is the kind of people we call a real man. He is the one feeding us!” she pushed him aside and walked into the room.

“Rachael, are you cheating on me?" He turned violently and followed her into the room. Red with rage, he pounced on her and they fell on the floor. He landed several blows as she remained pinned to the ground. Satisfied with the damage he had done as Rachael bled from the nose, he pulled away. Robert grabbed his shirt on the bed, he slammed it on his broad shoulder and walked out of the house.

After she had cried her hearts out, Rachael paused. Sobbing gently, she rose to her feet. She took her handkerchief and wiped her bruised face. She changed her dressed and left the house. Perhaps to find solace on the warm hands of her new boy friend. 
Rachael stayed away from the house for nearly six days. For the days that she was away, we barely had a good meal. Then one evening, she returned home. She looked refreshed and charming. Her coming was the messiah who had come to save the world. I thought my father was going to start another quarrel. I was anxious to see how the event would play out. But he tamed his demons. I guess he must have missed her too or he had been overwhelmed by his shortcoming.

One day, from the balcony, I saw Osinachi beating his wife and the woman cried for help. People gathered to separate the man and his wife, my father was among them. The disturbance brought my mother to my side. When she noticed Robert in the crowd, she hissed and said, “Birds of a feather!” She turned and walked away.

Meet John Chizoba Vincent.--He's a prolific poet, writer, and cinematography.

From the novel entitled, "Beyond Imagination" by Oladele Dada.



Oladele Dada.

It was dawn. The chilly dust-laden wind formed dense fog on the road. The rocky hills and the tall trees made Ajewole a beautiful town. The birds sang aloud, and clanging of stainless dishes in the neighbourhood suggested human activity was at its peak. Humans had begun to move to their various destinations.

Adunni had trouble with child bearing and her husband was worried. Then she booked an appointment with her doctor. After several tests, the doctor suggested the couple be patient and that she will surely get pregnant. Not long after, Adunni was pregnant.

After several months, Adunni was delivered of a boy. The women in her neighbourhood, alongside the children, sang and danced to her home to celebrate with her. Her husband, Fredrick Olagbade, thanked the Lord and named the boy Juwon.   

As Juwon grew, his mother had another child whose name was Olakitan. Juwon was intelligent and his parents were struggling to make ends meet. As poverty stared them in the face, his mother who was a public school teacher engaged in menial jobs to support the family. Juwon attended public school. But he was withdrawn to a private school because he was struggling with his studies. The change worked wonders as Juwon began to do well. He improved tremendously. Everyone, including his parents, was amazed.

Juwon’s father sold his piece of land. He bought a car and began to use it for transport business. One day, Juwon and his brother Olakitan were returning from school, and then they decided to visit the motor park to see if their father could take them home. As they approached the park, there was a commotion. Juwon wondered what might have caused the disturbance.

 When they got nearer, the boys met their father and some passengers arguing over money. Before they could blink, their father and one of the passengers began to exchange blows from one end of the park to the other. Were it not for the other passengers that pounced on Fredrick, Juwon’s father, his blows would have brought the man to his knees. They overwhelmed Juwon’s father. A blow landed on his neck and swept him off his feet. Juwon and his brother tried to stop the fight, but their effort was like a tiny fly on the back of a horse. As they continued to pummel him, Mutere, the Chairman of the taxi drivers at the park intervened. Mutere was an imposing figure. He could work a body to hell by the mere wave of the hand.

Mutere resolved the matter and instructed Juwon’s father to give the passenger his money. Fredrick made the refund. Causing further disturbance at the park could get into trouble with Mutere. After the dust had settled, he noticed his children by the corner looking pale and drawn at him. Fredrick adjusted his shirt and signaled them to get in the car. Quietly, they opened the door and entered. Fredrick ignited his engine and drove off.

When they got home, everyone alighted from the car and quietly walked into the house. His wife, Adunni, came to welcome them. Her husband had been bruised and wore a long face.

“What happened?” she asked him, staring at his swollen face.

Fredrick hissed and explained, “I had a brawl with a passenger. We agreed on a price. And then he boarded my car. When we got to the park, he alighted and gave me money. When I gave him his balance, he said it was not correct. I tried to explain. But before I could blink, he sank a blow into my face and then we began to exchange blows. As we shared blows from one end of the park to the other, some passengers joined the fight and they overwhelmed me!”

“WHAT?!” she exclaimed. “That’s unfair!”

“No need to shout. It is over. Give me food. I am hungry and I have a headache!”

She ran to the kitchen to prepare hot water. She massaged her husband’s body and treated the wound with mentholated spirit. It was a long night. They have never had it rough. After everyone had eaten dinner, the family prayed together and put the day behind them.

        Months later, Fredrick was tired of using his car. He felt it was not his destiny to drive people around. He wanted a new challenge. Finally, he sold the car to Mr Okowdi, a renowned driver in the town who had been in the transport business for ages. And then he invested the money into the sales of motor spare parts. The business flourished because many drivers who used to go very far to the next town to buy parts, now buy from Fredrick.

Juwon’s education had been going on uninterruptedly. Now he was in High School. He had also become famous as the son of the only spare part dealer in the town.