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A week after Mfon and Alex talked about visiting Mfon’s parents, they travelled together to Mfon’s village.

“My son, welcome to my house. I am thrilled to see you,” Mfon’s father, Ifiok, said excitedly.

“Thank you, sir, ” Alex said.

Shortly after Alex and Mfon settled in the house, Mfon’s mother, Emem, served them a delicious plate of white soup with dry fish, and pounded yam.

While questioning Alex about his family, work and other personal things, Alex disclosed that he didn’t have a job yet and immediately Mfon’s mother heard that, she was displeased.

“My daughter, can I see you in the room?” Emem asked after their discussion with Alex ended.

“Mama, is everything alright?” Mfon asked as soon as she entered her mother’s room.

“Why are you marrying a man who doesn’t have a job? How will he take care of you when you’re married, and how will he even fund the wedding?” Emem asked.

“Mama, because Alex doesn’t have a job now, doesn’t mean he will not have one. When I met him, he was working, it’s just that life happened. Also, it doesn’t mean he’s folding his hands to stay idle. He is even planning to start a business soon,” Mfon defended Alex.

“I’m not saying that your husband-to-be is idle. All I’m saying is that you have no business getting married now if your husband is jobless. How will he fund the wedding? How will you guys survive after the wedding?” Emem said.

“Mama, Shea, I’m working too. I will fund the wedding and take care of us until he gets something to do or start his business,” Mfon said.

“No, Mfon, you will do no such thing. If Alex wants to marry you, then he has to bear that responsibility. Do not turn tradition upside down,” Emem said.

“Mama, no one is turning tradition upside down. I am only supporting my husband. That’s all. Once we get married, we will put our heads together and start a business that can sustain our family,” Mfon said.

“No, Mfon, you paying everything for your wedding is not support. You’re the one fully sponsoring the wedding, and it’s not done that way. If this man really wants to marry you, let him do things the right way, and you support him,” Emem said.

“Mama, things have changed. If I have the money, what’s wrong with paying for everything? After all, If Alex had the money, he would have done the same thing,” Mfon said.

“Hmmm! Mfon, I have warned you, but you have refused to listen. If you pay for everything, this is how you will keep paying for everything in your marriage. You better not start what you cannot finish,” Emem said.

“I have heard you, Mama, but Alex is the one I want to marry, and it doesn’t matter to me if he is working now or not. Now that I have seen someone to marry me despite how I look, I do not want to miss the opportunity,” Mfon said.

“Alright, if you say so. You’re old enough to make your own decisions, and I will not choose a husband for you. I trust you to make the right choice,” Emem said.

“Thank you, Mama. Please, let’s go back to the Palor, I’m sure Alex and Papa are waiting for us,” Mfon said before leaving and exiting her mother’s room.

Some weeks after Mfon and Alex travelled to Mfon’s village, they began the wedding preparations and about a month later, they got married.

During the wedding preparations, Alex did not give a dime to Mfon; she handled everything alone. Even when some of Alex’s friends and family contributed some money for Alex, he didn’t give anything to Mfon. Instead, he squandered the money on drinks and women.

A few days after Alex and Mfon married, Alex told Mfon that he was ready to start his business and needed 500k from her to get a shop.

“Babe, I think we should hold on with the business for now. You know I spent a lot of money on our wedding, and the little I have left Is just for us to survive until I get my next salary,” Mfon explained.

“What’s the meaning of this rubbish, na? Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t have any money, or you wouldn’t have any money after the wedding? I wouldn’t have wasted my time thinking about the business,” Alex yelled, and Mfon was shocked.

“Ah! Babe, why are you acting like this? Just give me time; once I am back on my feet financially, we will start the business. Meanwhile, what kind of business do you want to do?” Mfon said.

“Don’t ask me any stupid questions. You don’t have money to give me, but you want to know what kind of business it is. Is that not madness?” Alex said.

“Alex, I don’t like what you just said. So because I cannot give you the money you asked for, I cannot ask about your business idea?” Mfon asked in a disappointed tone.

“No, you can’t. In fact, if I knew this was your plan, we wouldn’t have done that wedding yet,” Alex said.

“Alex, you didn’t contribute a dime to our wedding, yet you’re saying we shouldn’t have done it. What if you sponsored the whole wedding?” Mfon barked.

“You see? You use the slightest opportunity you have to insult me. Did I beg you to do the wedding? Wasn’t it your decision to sponsor it? You’re the same person who begged me to come and see your parents, or have you forgotten that this whole thing was your idea? You know what? I’m out of here,” Alex said before leaving the house.

That day, Mfon was so hurt that she cried uncontrollably for hours. That was the first time Alex had spoken to her in that tone, and she didn’t understand why.

Later that evening, Mfon waited for Alex to return home so they could settle their issue like adults, but Alex did not return. When Mfon called to ask why he stayed outside late, he switched off his phone.

The following day, which was a weekend, Alex returned home in the afternoon, and when Mfon saw him, she was livid.

“Alex, where do you think you’re coming from? Why would a married man like you leave his wife and not tell her about his whereabouts?” Mfon yelled when Alex entered the house.

“Woman, get out of my way. I don’t have time for your rubbish,” Alex pushed Mfon away. When Alex pushed Mfon, she could not believe that the same man she loved so much could treat her like that.

“Alex, did you just push me?” Mfon asked in shock, but he did not respond.

A few hours later, when Alex woke up hungry, he ordered Mfon to make him lunch, and she did. The whole time, while Alex was eating, he didn’t say a word to Mfon; he just ate his food in silence.

“My husband, I’m sorry about what I said yesterday,” Mfon said in a teary voice, but Alex did not respond.” Won’t you talk to me?” she added.

“As you can see, I’m eating, and I don’t want any disturbance right now,” Alex growled.

“But, Babe, why are you doing this? I already apologized for what I said. What else do you want me to do?” Mfon said.

“Listen, Mfon, if you want you and me to continue living in this house as husband and wife, then you have to give me the money I asked for. You don’t know how embarrassing it is for me to contact real estate agents and not pay them,” Alex said.

“But Babe, I already told you I do not have the money. Where do you want me to get the money from?” Mfon said in a teary voice.

“I don’t care, Mfon. Anyhow you want to get the money, get it. I cannot be a laughingstock among my friends after I already bragged to them that I would start my business this month,”  Alex said.

“Okay, I know what to do. I will take a loan from my company, and then they will deduct it from my salary. You said 500k, right?” Mfon asked.

“I said 500k for rent; I didn’t say I need just 500k. I need about 2 million to get the business to the level I want,” Alex said.

“But Babe, where will I get 2 million from? That’s a lot of money. Can’t you start the business on a smaller scale, then you can expand as God blesses us?” Mfon suggested.

“Never. I can never do such a thing. So you want to pay rent and not start the business? Who does that? What’s the essence of paying rent if you won’t start?” Alex growled.

“Okay, I have heard you. I will see what I can do, but can we stop fighting now, please? You know you’re my only friend,” Mfon said.

“I wasn’t fighting with you; you were the one who sent me out of the house with your harsh words,” Alex said.

“I’m sorry, my husband. I promise it will not happen again. I didn’t mean to disrespect you,” Mfon said.

“It’s okay, I have heard,” Alex said, ” you better start calling the people you can so they can help you raise that money. I don’t want next week to pass without renting that shop,” Alex said.

“I will try my best,” Mfon said.

Even though Mfon knew that she would be getting into serious debt and it wasn’t sensible for her to borrow all that money for a business she knew nothing about, she still did so.

As she had planned, Mfon borrowed some money from her office, then she borrowed the rest from her friends and gave everything to Alex.

Two days after Mfon gave the 2 million to Alex, Alex claimed that he was travelling to another state to buy the goods and that he would return by the weekend, but he disappeared for weeks. Throughout that time, Mfon could not reach him. She called his number several times, but he wouldn’t take her calls. If, at all, he took her calls, he would claim that he was at an important meeting and that he would call her back after, which he never did.

Within the six weeks Alex was away from home, Mfon barely fed well because she had given him all her money. In fact, things got so bad that she had to call her parents to send her foodstuff because she was starving. 

One day, after disappearing for weeks, Alex returned home empty-handed and lied to Mfon that he had been scammed of all his money. Meanwhile, he was at a hotel somewhere, having fun with different women.

“Alex, what do you mean you were scammed?” Mfon yelled at him.

” Woman, instead of you to be grateful to God that I came back alive, you’re here shouting. Please, I came back home because I needed peace. If you do not want me to stay, I’ll leave this house for you,” Alex said.

“Babe, it’s not like that, na,” Mfon said in a teary voice,” it’s just that you were away for so long, and I was worried about you. I thought you were buying things for your business, not knowing you were scammed,” Mfon said.

“So, what do we do about the money now? I need more money to get everything together,” Alex said.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Mfon said.

“I need you to borrow money from your friends again. I just cannot let my business idea die like that. If this business idea perishes, then we have lost our only way of making wealth,” Alex said.

“Alex, I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can raise money for you again. I haven’t even finished paying the ones I’m owing,” Mfon said.

“Wait, did you just call me by my name? So we are now mates that you feel comfortable calling me by my name? I’m asking you for money and you’re saying rubbish. What’s your usefulness if you do not give me what I ask for,” Alex yelled at Mfon.

“Alex, you need to calm down. What did I say that’s wrong? I only said I cannot borrow again because I’m already owing people. I think it’s high time you found a job,” Mfon said.

Immediately Mfon said that, Alex charged towards Mfon and slapped her. The slap was so hard that it caused Mfon’s nose to bleed.

“Alex, why did you slap me?” Mfon asked in shock.

“I will slap you again if you ever mention work with that your stupid mouth. I should go and work so I can be feeding you? Are you the kind of woman men work for? With your stupid, manly,  muscular body? Or is it because I agreed to marry you out of pity that you think you can talk to me however you like?” Alex said, and then he slapped Mfon again.

The second time Alex slapped Mfon, Mfon could not take anymore, so she retaliated and beat the living daylight out of Alex.

By the time Mfon got off him, Alex was almost lifeless, and he couldn’t breathe properly. Funnily enough, Alex neither yelled at Mfon nor called her names again after that day.

In fact, that same month, he got a new job and helped Mfon pay back the money he had squandered. Their marriage was not great, but it was better than what it used to be. Because of the fear of being beaten again, Alex began to respect Mfon and treat her like his wife.

The End

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