Love turned brutal

Auntie, "I have been discharged,” echoed a voice on the other side of the phone. "Oh thank God" I replied. I was delighted to hear that she was out of danger and that she was heading to her mother’s home. I received this call this afternoon from Aminah (not real name) who has experienced the most brutal "love" life since she got married to the father of her two children.

Despite dropping out of school in form two, Aminah enrolled for a 3 months tailoring course. After this she acquired a sewing machine with the help of her mother. She started working from her mother’s veranda and it is from here that she met her future husband. Fast forward, they got married and all was well until things started changing slowly, her husband conjugal demands escalated. They were blessed with their first child and just before she healed he would demand sex.
Three years down the road Aminah gave birth to her second born, but this time her husband would not listen to any of her pleas.

On this fateful day, Aminah’s husband came home early, which was unusual. They had dinner and went to bed, but before she could catch any sleep he descended or and her demanding what according to him “his right” because he had paid dowry to get her from her parents home. So she belonged to him and had every right to do whatever he wanted with her. Aminah’s bargain fell on deaf ears and all she remembers was the force with which he threw her down… he raped her and left her for dead. At that time the baby’s crying became loud and loud since there was no one to attend to it, the father had fled, the mother was lying on the ground lifeless. Aminah’s neighbors went to find out what had happened to her baby, to their astonishment the door of their two-roomed house was open, in the bedroom her 3year old boy was tearfully waking her to attend to his little sister. They found Aminah in a pool of blood.

She was taken to a nearby clinic where she was given first aid and later admitted. This whole ordeal took place on Wednesday night. Aminah is one the women who operate roadside stand besides her sewing machine business.

When I visited her on yesterday, she was so excited to see me. It is from her clinic bed that she narrated this to me. I asked her if I could share her story with other women who might be going through the same from all corners of the world. “Are you traveling abroad?” She asked. “No” I said. Then how are you going to do this? I told her I was going write about this on WP. I told her it is “a notice board” for women all over the world where women speak, share, learn and get emotional healing. At this point she could afford a smile on her face, because I had promised to give her feedback.

Indeed I am glad to share this story with the world. I know there are thousands of women who are going through the same ordeal silently.

As i write this piece the man under police custody.

To my sister Aminah, I wish you a quick recovery.