Erhuvwun was hungry, but chose to fast that day, especially as Amadi was compelling her to go with him to the idol shrine. When she’d turned down her food, Amadi had not been phased. Rather he put her to some hard work, so that she would be tired and hungry. Erhuvwun […]
Amadi could hear the sound of singing, which indicated that Erhuvwun was almost home. But what had taken her so long? Didn’t she know that he needed her in the morning? Or was she taking advantage of the new liberty he had given her by disrespecting him? Rather […]
“Well, I know Him as the Father of the fatherless, because that is how He introduced Himself to us the day Chief Ogboru threw us and our daughters out of his home. We had nothing, he didn’t even give us provisions. He called us cursed because we had […]
“So, you’re still childless? After two pregnancies?! Hmmm… This is serious oh,” Ejiro said, shaking her head as she looked on sadly at her friend. “How is Amadi taking this?” Erhuvwun sighed, still feeling perplexed about everything. She had come home to visit with her father for a […]
The sun was going down, and Amadi still hadn’t returned home. Erhuvwun was worried. His leaving this morning was unusual. She’d expected him back since lunchtime and had even gone to the stream to call him, thinking he’d gone there to clear his head. But he wasn’t there. […]
Erhuvwun rarely sang these days, but when she did, they were songs of immense sadness and loss. In the blink of an eye, without any warning at all, her whole world came crashing down on her. It was last month when it happened. She was in her second […]
Daniel Akunne was a man expert at getting what he wanted. With each new triumph, his confidence and skills grew. He had learnt early the virtue of patience and the art of cunning, and was resourceful in making the best use of all the gifts God had blessed him […]
Some months later, it was the wedding of another couple of villagers. One of them was the younger sister to a close friend of Erhuvwun, and so she was keen to make the festivities. Again, Amadi was not interested, but this time, he accompanied Erhuvwun with good cheer. […]
Amadi sulked all the way home. He was so angry with Erhuvwun for disrespecting him in the presence of all those nosy and annoying villagers! Why couldn’t she just trust him for once? Why couldn’t she just obey?! Sure, she was upset about her father, but that old […]
“Go! Go! If you don’t want to be here, just go! I’ll come home when my father’s well!” Erhuvwun insisted, not knowing how she got the courage to be so bold. She just knew she wasn’t about to forsake her father now, and she couldn’t stand to hear […]
After they’d made love a second time that afternoon, Erhuvwun rose from the bed, thinking they’d better make the most of the day before the darkness fell. But Amadi pulled her into him and held her close. He was enjoying their intimacy. He was enjoying her in a […]
Erhuvwun woke up the next morning and immediately jumped off the bed. She’d overslept. Amadi had left her sleeping in for the first time ever. She heard the familiar sound of his axe against wood, and knew he was outside working on his new furniture project. She tied […]
Erhuvwun preferred to wash their clothes by the stream. She had told Amadi how the flowing water was ideal for rinsing them off and left a lovely fragrance in the fabrics. After the first time, when his wrappers had returned brighter than they’d ever been, he hadn’t challenged […]
The first month was the hardest. Erhuvwun woke up to the realisation that she’d married a stranger, and the scarier part of that was the meaning of marriage, rather than the fact that he was a stranger. In every respect, she had been sold into bondage, and she […]
Erhuvwun’s first thought was of Akpos, the man she’d wanted to marry, when her father told her about his foolish mistake. She’d been holding out for Akpos for over a year now, and had turned down other suitors, believing he was going to come back and take her […]