Inside Life

She was the most beautiful girl in the neighborhood, she was a class all by herself.

She stood where every girl, woman and even men dreamed of polishing.

Her beauty was a ray of sunshine, a cloud of rainbow.

Celebrities wooed her.

Politicians fell on their knees at her feet.

Royalty worshipped her.

Commoners idolized her.

Everyone wanted to be on her good graces.

She was that fine, yet unclaimed as society wrought us to believe.

So because she was unclaimed, her beauty and intelligence were nothing.

She was incomplete as long as she didn't have a man to call nnayi or my husband.

She was nothing but a beautiful empty vessel without a man to fill her belly with children and her thighs with semen.

She managed an entertainment and media industry

Had men, younger and older call her Ma.

But her achievements meant nothing to her parents.

Her father and mother gave her hell with cries of grandchildren.

Her brothers and sisters made her life a living hell with constant needs and demands.

You know the usual cliche.

When the pressure got so much, she finally caved in to the guy in church as prophesized by her pastor.

This was not how we met her for the first time,

We didn't know her yet.

Back to my story.

Ifeanyi was who you called a religious fanatic.

A deputy Jesus.

He didn't take any step if it wasn't sanctioned by God.

He prayed just to know if he should breathe.

And prayed to know what he should wear.

He was that devoted to his religion.

He was comfortable, had a great car, his duplex was pretty cool but not as cool as her ride and her mansion.

But, well, he's the man, so she moved in with him after their marriage, sold her car and managed his.

He wouldn't dare consider two cars, Jesus had one donkey he said, not two.

LMAO right?

Next she had to quit her job after her first child, it was not the right kind for a married woman he said.

She worked as a manager for artists and celebrities, the showbiz was no place for a virtuous woman, either she quits or he quits, she threatened.

Her parents were on his side, her siblings were on his side, their pastor was on his side.

What was she thinking, upsetting a man that saved her from singleness and a life of spinsterhood.

She should be grateful, he married her when she was already past her prime and now has blessed her with a child.

So she quit the career she had nurtured and grew for years for a man, an average man who couldn't even rise to her ambition and position in his own place of work.

After two years, he was fired.

She was pregnant for the third child, he wanted a boy, she already had given him two girls.

Things were becoming rough and tough.

They had gone through her savings, his was exhausted the very first month he was sacked.

This was when we finally met her.

They moved into our neighborhood.

Occupied the face me I slap you her brother in-law once occupied, until he upgraded to a room self contain.

We only saw a very beautiful fair skinned mother of two  married to a rather ordinary, simple God fearing man with no substance or class.

Lucky devil we called him.

How can such a simpleton land this diamond. His God must be the real deal, we joked in the neighborhood.

But boy was he devoted to church, he would rather starve his family in the name of fasting than allow his wife put her mind and ideas to work.

The devil's idea he would call her ideas whenever she proposed.

Until soon, poverty, pain, environment, children, sadness and finally religion humbled her.

She forgot who she was.

She forgot how to think.

Her think tank was not church.

Every problem had a scripture for it.

Every challenge, a prayer point.

She had become a fallen angel.

Fell from excellence to average.

She grew thin, appeared pale and walked funny.

From catwalk to moonwalk

It was I alone who summoned up courage or maybe cared enough to approach her husband.

''Mr Ifeanyi, your wife is due any moment and she doesn't look healthy, she looks malnourished and it appears she might be short of blood, please take her to the hospital.'' I advised him.

''My wife is fine, she has a sound mind, body and an excellent spirit. God is in control.'' He smiled. But thanks for your concern Johnny.

Two days later, I saw her washing and cooking under the scorching sun with a baby strapped to her back and another holding firmly to her leg, while she washed with another in her belly.

''Excuse me Ma,'' I approached her. You don't look strong enough to be doing all this, don't you have anyone to help you?''

''God is my helper, I will be fine, thank you sir.'' she replied.

I was not satisfied so I asked for her husband's number, reluctantly she gave me and I called him.

''Sir, it's me Ifeanyi again, your neighbor.''

''Oh yes, I remember. Bless you richly. How are you neighbor?'' he asked

''I'm okay, but your wife doesn't seem to be fine. I just saw her washing now and cooking at the same time with your daughters, and she looked very weak. I suggest she rests a lot and again go to the hospital for Medical examination.
She doesn't look well at all.'' I asked concerned.

''Look here Mr, you are not a doctor, you are not my doctor Jesus, so why are you worrying about my wife. Please leave my family alone, every evil report against my family will not see the light of day, my wife will not go to the hospital because she is the seed of Abraham, God's own anointed vessel. So please leave my family alone.
God bless you.''

He hung up.

I was shocked.

So I walked over to the woman and said. "Madam, come, let's go to the hospital, I'll foot the bill please.
You don't look strong enough, you are growing white and skinny. Please let's go if your husband isn't financially bouyant enough, I'll support.''

"Thank you but no please, I will be fine. I already called the pastor and he is on his way. Please stop worrying about me, Exodus 14:14, God shall fight for me and I shall hold my peace. God bless you kindly.''

So I walked into my room, sat down on my bed, looked out the window and in no time the pastor came in with some prayer warriors and they began praying warfare prayers.

I watched for a while until I lost interest and brought out my laptop to continue my work.

Three days later, I saw her lying on the bench sleeping, it was the screams from her daughters that caught my attention. What sort of sleep is this, the sirens alone coming out from these kids were enough to wake the dead.

Immediately I knew something was off. I rushed to the woman, touched her, she was unconscious, quickly I arranged a taxi and took her to the hospital, my landlady took her kids to her house and I called the husband.

''You took her where, Nooooo brother, you should have taken her to church.'' He said.

I was stunned

"Mr Ifeanyi, your wife was unconscious, what would church do?'' I asked perplexed.

"Oh ye of little faith he said, Lazarus was dead for three days and Jesus brought him back from sleep.''

""Your wife isn't Lazarus and your pastor isn't Jesus!''

I shouted having lost my cool but he had hung up and in no time, he came with his pastor and prayer warriors to take his wife away.

He wanted to pay me the money I spent, but I refused and instead ordered Taxify back home.

It was my landlady that came to break the news to me on the third day. The lady died in church with her stillborn child too.

Apparently she went into labor and instead of taking her to church, they were praying and trying to deliver her just like Mary delivered Jesus, the pastor told the husband.

I heard the pastor said to the man, ''Don't worry brother Ifeanyi, your wife will deliver soundly like the Hebrew women and we will have another baby Jesus.''

Well, according to the doctor's report, it was a baby girl and she died in her mother's stomach. She was too weak to push and had shortage of blood too.

A woman who once managed celebs and artists, died a nobody in a shabby church with her baby in her womb. Oh God I cried till there was no single tears in my body.

The police arrested the husband and the prayer warriors, the pastor scaled the fence and escaped.

He was bailed 24 hours later because of his kids, and then at night while I was sleeping, I heard a loud knock on my door.

''Brother John, brother John please wake up, is me your neighbor Ifeanyi, the man who just lost his wife.''

Nigerians, now he wants to be addressed as the man who just lost his wife to elicit pity and favor from people.

I checked the time, it was 10:30pm, and then I opened my curtain and switched on my bedside light so he could see me.

Seeing me he continued, ''please can you accompany us to the mortuary, we are going to take my wife's body to her family house, please others are waiting for...''

''God punish you, you bastard!"

I screamed from my window.

He was shocked. He was so shocked he almost fell backwards.

But no, I wasn't done. I opened my door and screamed at him the more

''You did not lose your wife you killer, you killed her. You, your ignorance and your poverty killed your wife. I would rather follow demons to hell than follow you anywhere you black example of a white goat.'' I raged!

"Get out of my frontage, Get out, out, out, out!!!!"
I kept  screaming until my landlord and other tenants came to beg me.

I banged the door on their faces.

Where were they all those while when the lady was alive and suffering, now she is dead and suddenly they all want to go and  bring her body.

The same body they watched shrink and shrink and shrink until it was no more.


Inside life




Kingdavid Chinaeke Ofunne