We thought we had heard confessions until Kassim made us believe he killed his grandmother. His
father could not hold himself anymore as he bursted into tears. Pastor let him die, he does not deserve
to live, let him die. I cannot have this monster as a son, he’s not my blood. Let the bastard die or I will kill
him myself. Sincerely I could understand the man’s pain. How can a man sleep with his own mother and
sister and kill his own grandmother? What sort of life is this? How did I marry a monster without
knowing for over ten years. What happened that God didn’t reveal this man to me? There was calmness
in the hall because of the last revelation. His father walked out of the hall in rage and my brother in-law
joined him pleading with him not to go.
After much begging, Kassim’s father never returned to the hall again. He sat by the car but my brother
in-law came in after sometimes. At this time, it was few minutes to 7am and some of the prayer team
members pleaded to go and prepare for work. Baba closed the meeting and asked us to reconvene by
9pm again. My father in-law and my brother in-law knew nowhere in Lokoja so I had to take them to our
house. I really wished I will not come back to that house again. Even though l built the house together with Kassim, I suddenly became a stranger in my house. I was agitated and restless through out that day
for fear.
The food I prepared, my father in-law did not touch it. I am not hungry, what is inside me is more than
hunger my daughter, he said. He called me for a chat at about 2pm. He took almost 14 minutes
apologising to me. We would have told you who Kassim is but he told us he was a changed person after
he gave his life to Christ. I am not a good Christian but I know what it meant when someone gives his life
to Christ. And moreover, everything we were asked to do for his atonement was done when he raped
his mother. My daughter you’re not bound to this marriage anymore, you’re free to remarry if you have
someone who will want to marry you. By the authority of a father and family head I release you to move
on. If you are my daughter, I will never allow you continue in this marriage with such a monster who had
done these evils. He may live with the consequences of his atrocities all his life and you are too good to
partake of his punishment. Your years of barrenness is enough for you my daughter. Please go…. I was in
tears without a word. I didn’t know what to say because my heart was battered.
As I went into my room, I began to ruminate over what my father in-law said. He is right, I don’t have to
suffer the punishment of what I didn’t do. I began to search for scriptures in my head to justify the idea
and they began to pop in.
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the
father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the
wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
“And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another,
commits adultery.”
I began to weigh the options; to continue to live with Kassim or to leave and remain unmarried for the
rest of my life. But am still young and beautiful. How can I be without a man at 37? How will I overcome sexual temptations?
As I was thinking of what to do next, I heard a knock at the door. I rushed to open the door and it was
Toyin. She brought us dinner. How are you Nneka? She greeted. I just left the church now, I went to give
Kassim some food. I didn’t bother to thank her because I thought it was needless but that was a good
gesture anyway. Her presence brought some relief to me. I shared with her what my father in-law said
and how I have been giving it a second thought. She sighed without saying anything.