“Papa Ejima, leave me o, I no do biko”
“Wetin you mean by that? My own wife!! come here jor”
Mama Ejima runs out of the house with only a wrapper, she held tightly. Passersby stopped to see the drama while neighbours continued with their activities. It was obvious they were used to seeing such displays by the couple.
Papa Ejima was in his early fifties while Mama Ejima was in her mid-forties and they had seven children, some in secondary school, others in primary school and a newborn. Papa Ejima had a job that paid him twenty thousand naira monthly, part of it, he uses to play bet games, other part he uses to drink, leaving the balance for feeding, house rent, clothing, school fees and other necessities. Mama Ejima was unemployed and could hardly sustain a business as she kept using the supplies of the business to fend for herself and the children when Papa Ejima claims to be out of cash so presently she is stuck at home.
They lived in a “face me, I slap you compound” with no fence. The children were mostly in and out of school but Papa Ejima’s hobby was playing “ludo” on his wife’s body. He would come home most times with the sole purpose of doing “press ups” on his wife despite their financial situation and anytime Mama Ejima asks him to use a condom, he gets angry and starts relaying history of how he paid her bride price and how he is the only one providing for the family.
This matter persisted until the day Mama Ejima had a pregnancy scare again and rushed to the hospital to confirm if she was pregnant, after the test, it was ascertained that she was not pregnant but the Nurse sat her down to counsel her…
“Mama Ejima, didn’t you just put to birth some months ago, why are you still running in here to do a pregnancy test?”
“Nurse, it’s my husband o, every time e no dey allow me rest, me sef don tire”
“Ahan, Mama Ejima, you have seven already, do you still want more? Before you even paid the last medical bills, I know the struggle”
“Nurse, I no know o. I don tell am make e leave me, but e no dey hear me”
“I advise you take up a family planning method, but first let me tell you about the different methods, run some tests and we can choose what method suits you”
After the hospital visit, Mama Ejima goes home fulfilled and excited on the news of her not being pregnant and decides to cook something different for her family. The next day, Papa Ejima reigns her with praises…
“Sweetie, you look so sweet this morning. The fairest and finest woman in the whole compound…”
“Abeg, because sey I allow you touch me last night”
“No naa, why you dey talk like that”
“You no even ask why I let you”
“Ahan, you no be my wife?”
“Anyways, I don put family planning, Lydia coil for 10 years, so I no fear sey I go carry belle again”
“Ehen, that mean sey we fit dey jolly every time”
“Yes na”
“But hope sey e no go make you fat?”
“No o, the nurse tell me everything about this Lydia coil, she talk sey e no get hormone, so I no fit fat and I go dey see my period and when God don bless you with plenty money and you want more children, I fit remove am, carry belle again even before the ten years”
“Ok! I don hear, Lydia coil, Mama Lydia. The children no dey house, shey make we run am again?”
“Leave me jor”
To know more about other pregnancy prevention methods, visit www.honeyandbanana.com
