A Life of Battery: A Story on Domestic Violence

By Aluko Deborah

Gbam! Gbom! Goes the sound of the heavy punches that lands on Amanda’s cheeks. It’s a crushing impact of bony fists against supple cheeks. Stephen is at it again. He flies off the handle at the slightest provocation. She cries in pain at such inhuman treatment being mete to her. Just then, her friend Pia knocks at the door. Stephen opens the door and walks out of the house furiously. ‘What the hell is going on here?’ Pia yells at him.

Amanda had been married to Stephen for the past eight years and she had never experienced some peace for a split second. She had dated him for two years before marriage but seemed not to have noticed any violent attitude in him. Stephen had changed almost immediately after marriage and Amanda could not forgive herself for falling into this trap. She had attended many marriage seminars and had invited several marriage counsellors all to no avail. She had even tried to impress him, and dote on him, to love him more and shower him with surprises but there’s absolutely nothing she does that goes down well with this young man. He flares up for intangible reasons. It’s either he didn’t fall in love with her food or he isn’t pleased with her outfits or she didn’t take her bath before bed or she’s adding more weight. He compares her with other women and Amanda starts suspecting he’s cheating on her and been unfaithful to his matrimonial vows. Many times, he hits Amanda whenever she tries to oppose his accusations. His beatings have become so severe that she lost the third pregnancy after several years of childlessness.

Stephen turns back slowly and flashes at Pia a look of disdain coupled with a rush of anger and hate. He hisses and walks away arrogantly because extreme anger usually leaves him dumb. Pia rushes at Amanda and grasps her up. She asks her what went wrong this time. Amanda pours out more in tears than in words. ‘My mother in law just left a couple of hours ago, she came to express her concern for our childlessness and Stephen began to accuse me as the cause of it, he addressed me on the level of  promiscuity and infidelity. But when I tried to reveal the truth of his brutality to me, he picked on me and vowed to deal with me like he just did.’ Pia seems not to believe her ears. So, this is what Amanda had been going through all these years but each time Pia had tried to ask why she had a swollen face or an injury, Amanda will just cook a smart lie and refuse to open up. ‘A good wife should always keep her family secret’ she always told herself. If not that Pia caught this very act and at the right time, Amanda will probably have to listen to another lie. She draws Amanda into a warm embrace to subside her tears. Afterwards, she dashes into the kitchen and prepares a cup of cold tea for Amanda to calm her nerves.

As Amanda sips her tea, Pia begins to advice Amanda. ‘Sweetheart, a woman can endure everything for the sake of love or for the sake of her children as the case may be but she must not endure one thing called violence! And that’s the physical one because it’s the most common, for a time is coming that such husband who is indeed an animal in human skin might end up taking your life. As a wise woman who values her life, I think you should give your man a little break. Amanda quickly interrupts Pia. ‘I’m seriously firing relentless prayers about my situation’ she says. Pia tells her that it’s okay to involve religion but she will also need to make good use of the wisdom endowed her and that of a caring friend too as in the midst of good counselors, safety is assured. She also shares with her friend a similar experience she also had with her husband some years back. She had received several beatings and had escaped for her dear life, relocating to a different neighborhood of which her husband knew nothing about. Several weeks passed and it had dawned on him that Amanda was gone for good, he came back to his senses and realized his mistake. Pia had informed only her mother of her where about since her once trusted husband had broken his marriage. ‘He had to go and prostrate for my mum, begging her profusely in tears to know where I hid before mum eventually settled everything for us and we came back together with a stronger bound of love.

Amanda thanks her friend profusely for her advice but she isn’t so much convinced yet, ‘I’ve never imagined breaking away from my husband because I shall not put asunder what God has joined together, I still love my dear husband and I don’t want to increase the trouble in our home’ she ponders. Pia offers to assist with dinner preparations and they proceed to the kitchen. Pia handles the Amala while Amanda prepares the ewedu stew. They set the table as Stephen walks in. Pia whispers to her friend to speak nicely to him, she’s researching something here. ‘Welcome baby your food is ready’ she says tears welling up in her eyes. She presses hard to suppress them. Stephen ignores her without saying a word. Pia tells Amanda to calm down as she breaks down into fresh tears. Pia offers to take her out for a walk but Amanda declines as that might even fuel more trouble for her. Concluding that her presence might be embarrassing Stephen, Pia declares her intention to leave and encourages Amanda to inform the police or call her if she’s been maltreated again. ‘Every woman has the right to claim her marital rights, she points out and leaves as Amanda sees her off.

A week later, Amanda has become so weak and unhealthy due to more incessant maltreatment. She had failed to inform neither the Pia nor the police and moving out wasn’t even one of her options. For her, a blissful marriage had always been her dream and she could keep trying to make this work. Stephen had banned her from attending marriage seminars because he felt it’ll make her much more stubborn and rude to him. Nevertheless, a scheduled meeting with a counselor isn’t a bad idea for Amanda and she won’t hesitate to go this evening. Stephen isn’t used to early dinners, so she will be able to rush back before 7:30 (thirty minutes past the hour of seven). With this in mind, she dresses up and rushes to see her marriage counsellor.

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Amanda returns home at exactly fifteen minutes past the hours of seven and dinner must be ready in less than forty five minutes. Unfortunately, Stephen’s at his bad mood again. She’s now almost believing the fact that Stephen might have some psychiatric issues after all. He accuses Amanda of staying out late and depriving him of food and sex, as she tries to calm him down and assure him of settling him in no time, he carries a dinning chair and flings it at her. Amanda slumps and goes limp, blood splashes everywhere. Scared and terrified, Stephen struggles to wake her up but all to no avail, her breathing had stopped as lay practically dead in cold blood. Stephen must make his escape very fast, so he quickly packs his bag and exits the house as he ignores the questions and queries of neighbors. Some concerned people quickly get into the house to find out from his wife, his reason for deserting her but they meet the shock of their lives. They quickly alert the police to get Stephen arrested and they make sure that the security lock down the environs to keep Stephen trapped in. Another group of people go after Tony, beat him mercilessly and tie him up as they await the arrival of the police.

Pia drives into the neighborhood in a bid to inform Amanda of a flat she had gotten for her. Her intention’s to take Amanda along with her to buy things to furnish the house with and to link her up with an online psychologist and blogger to help her flourish emotionally. She parks her car under a mango tree, amazed at the crowd at Amanda’s house. Pia asks people around for what the problem is, some refuse to tell her but she hears someone around mention the fact that Amanda is dead. She pushes her way into the living room and screams uncontrollably. There laying before her feet is the tragic end of somebody’s wife.