FICTION SERIES 001: Tied

You always thought I was going to be there with you, for you and around you. You felt you meant the whole world to me and as such I couldn’t possibly leave you. I overheard you boast about it to your friends when they came by. I had heard it so much I started believing it.

You loved the fact that you could shout out me with your deafening voice and I would withdraw into my shell and accept all you were saying; most of which were wrong. Yet, I couldn’t oppose. You would call me names; “stupid!”, “foolish!”, “mad!”…The list was endless. I could remember you saying  “Nneka, you are such a blockhead”. You would raise your hands to beat me if I said a word to defend myself.

You always loved your meals freshly cooked with a source of protein, never cold or warm, always hot. You ordered whatever you wanted and I was bound to make it for you, at the exact time or else, you would bounce on me.

We stopped making love since it changed to rape. You seemed to enjoy yourself while I laid motionless filled with enormous pain. You never cared about me. You just enjoyed having your way everytime no matter how tired I was.

You told me to resign from my job. I was a promising lawyer but it was too much for you to handle. I could read it in your eyes when I won cases and the attention was given to me not you. You felt left out. You wanted some fame, some attention too. To you, it was wrong for a woman to outshine her man. I became your slave.

You prevented me from going out alone. You didn’t approve and so it was final. I only went out with you. You would decide the dress for me, making sure it was a size bigger than my actual size. You always looked dashing, after all, all eyes must be fixed on you.

Stumbling on a old picture of me, while locked up as usual, I saw the difference. I sat on the sofa and wondered why I was still with you. I became everything I said I would never be. Immediately, I packed my things and walking out of the gate, I promised never to return…