Strange But True: LIFE OF A WOMAN – II
Life of a Woman is a real life experience of different Nigerian women who have found courage in sharing their stories across this platform, with the aim of inspiring other women into becoming better versions of themselves.
Let me officially welcome you to our weekly blog series of Strange But True – SBT on this platform of The Penvoice Blog, a brand of Penvoice Media.
We shall be sharing true life stories of Africans on this blog series weekly. SBT is solely to inspire you. Welcome!
This week on SBT, we will continue with the story of a woman we started last week. Please, enjoy this inspiring piece, my amazing reader!
Life of a Woman Naija
#unedited
After my marriage to Boye, I resigned from my previous job in Abeokuta and hoped to get a new one in Lagos.
My husband had gone to work in the morning of our first night at the house. I was in the kitchen cleaning the plates I used in making breakfast for him when my youngest sister-in-law entered.
She was already dressed for school as well, and was a 200L student at Unilag then. She asked if I made anything for her, I told her I didn’t know she would be leaving the house earlier too.
Then she said she didn’t mind if I could also fix her something to eat that she would wait. I didn’t take it so serious, so I made her a cup of tea and some eggs and bread. She finished eating and left plates and all on the dining table without a thank you.
I still didn’t count it. Until when my mother-in-law announced that the house help had quit on her. She asked if I could step in to just do simple house chores in the house till she got a new help since my sisters-in-law leaves the house very early. I couldn’t refuse. Although, I started to wonder where I would start from in the very big house.
Three months had passed and I was still doing chores like no man’s business. The house had 2 large living rooms, 5 bedrooms, one big kitchen, 4 balconies, 7 toilets and bathrooms, one laundry room and a store.
My mother had told me she preferred her house to be swept and mopped everyday. I would wash the toilets and bathrooms daily and lay all the sheets in the bedrooms. I began to clean after my sisters-in-law as well. In no time, I became a maid, their cook and their errand woman.
I had complained to my husband about how exhausted I get after all the chores I got to do alone. He had praised me about how wonderful I had been keeping the whole place in order and showing to his mother how well trained I am. More so, he said he would speak to his mother to hasten up in her search for a help. That was the last I heard of that.
Hmm! I could remember one particular day I had a job interview at 9am. That was when my mother-in-law said she wasn’t feeling well after her two daughters and my husband had gone out and it would be unsafe for her to stay in the house alone.
Life of a Woman Naija
I was forced to cancel my interview. And when I had told my husband about it, he had asked me what I needed a job for. At least, he had enough to take care of me. Those were his words.
One day, my mother-in-law had her 65th birthday celebration and she had invited few friends for a get-together at the house. I served and cleaned alone. That night, I lost my first pregnancy too.
I was rushed to the hospital where it was officially announced that I had a miscarriage. The doctor had called my husband and had advised him to encourage me to take things easy when next I get pregnant. I was surprised when my husband said that he had always told me the same thing.
Boye’s mother and sisters never visited me for once at the hospital for the days I was there for. And the night of the very day I was discharged, MIL asked me to make pepper soup for her…..right in front of my husband. Boye even requested for a bowl too.
The day I tried to stand up for myself in front of my mother-in-law, my eldest sister-in-law slapped me. By the time Boye got back from the office and I told him what his sister had done, Boye said he was sure if I had not displayed my stupidity in front of them, his sister wouldn’t have slapped me.
That day marked the beginning of slavery in Boye’s family house. I was officially told not to look for any job anymore as I already had one……taking care of the house.
I wasn’t allowed to have family or friends visit me. I mustn’t go out without proper explanation of where I was heading to and a specific time to return. How I got myself in that situation, I still didn’t know till today.
If I ever sat down to watch TV for a while, my mother-in-law would come and put it off telling me that if my poor family could afford something like that then she would understand that I deserved to watch it.
In four years, I had 6 miscarriages. With this, my life wasn’t even getting any easier.
To be continued….
Written by: LIFE OF A WOMAN NAIJA ON FACEBOOK.