Exuberantly or triumphantly joyful.

The following morning i heard a knock on my gate and went to check, i was astound to see Ifeanyi the little boy from yesterday. He came along with his friend who i do not know.

"Good morning! Auntie" he said with a smile.

Good morning, Ifeanyi.

I gave his friend a long fixed look as i was trying to guess who's son he is but failed.

" Auntie this is my friend Tochukwu, i brought him along to assist you with some chores just like i promised yesterday."

I went teary on hearing that and at once started showering praises and prayers on them.

These boys did not only helped me fetch water, but also swept the entire compound and even fetched more firewoods for me.

I was touched by their show of kindness to me and my daughters, and the least i could do to show appreciation was to offer them food after they have labored.

Ifeanyi and his friend Tochukwu did not relent in helping me not even for a day, their consistency was overwhelming until one faithful day.

I was in my kitchen at my backyard when i heard someone grumbling and walking towards the backyard, i rushed out of the kitchen to see Ifeanyi in a bad temper.

He had his writs and arm gripping behind his back and an angry face.

"Auntie good afternoon" he said with his heart racing in his chest.

Good afternoon Ifeanyi, you don't look cheerful, who vexed you? I asked in curiosity.

Ifeanyi stood tongue-tied and swiveled his head.

Ifeanyi! Am talking to you, do not stand there and act dumb. I bellow in annoyance.

"Auntie, you will not believe i heard from my friend". He said with a piteous look.

What did you hear, Ifeanyi?

"Auntie as i was coming to your house to help you with the farm work as i promised you yesterday, while on my way i decided to check on my friend Tochukwu so we could come do the work together."

Yes! So what happened? Why is Tochukwu not here with you? I interrupted him with my impatience.

"As i arrived Tochukwu's house, i noticed he was not ready for the farm work as we agreed yesterday. When i tried to find out why, he said there is a hearsay going around the village about us.. auntie."

What is the rumor? I questioned him as stood like a cat on a hot tin roof.

" He said some group of boys approached him yesterday while he was heading back home, and told him to warn me about my affair with you.

According to the word on the street, you and i are lovers" he added.

What did you just say! I screamed while cubing my ears with both hands.

"Auntie, he said the news is on everyone's lips in the village and that his own parents even interrogated him on that" ifeanyi resumed.

With both of my hands behind my head, i screamed abomination!! This is the height of humiliation i vented with my eyes teary.

My spirit was low, and same time heartbroken.

This is the most humiliating conspiracy.

A woman of my standing, a lover to a 14years old boy that i regard as a son?

Ahhh!!! Nneohia community this is your worst? I lamented.

Ifeanyi! I want you to find out from your friend Tochukwu who those boys are.

As soon as Ifeanyi left my compound, i at once went to meet my father in-law of what i am being accused of.

His reaction after narrating everything to him was rather insouciant. He entreated me to overlook the rumors as he casually labeled it children silliness.

I asked him if that is all he got to say about the matter and he replied me with "Ngọzi! Should i go and fight those boys? They are just being young and naive."

I have always felt this unloved attitude from my father in-law but i never knew how deeply repellent i was to him, i whispered to myself as i walked out from his compound in disappointment.

Ifeanyi later found out the names of the boys who escalated the fictitious news. I learnt their names where Chinedu, Amobi, and Chikezie and they were 17 and 18years of age with Amobi being the youngest person.

" Auntie, am really sorry that it because of me you are facing this humiliation, i know this is a planned work to tarnish your reputation, please don't let those boys go free, make them pay."

As if he read my thoughts, i replied with, everyone of them involved in this will not go unpunished.

Like any woman in my predicament will do, running to my husband for comfort was next on my mind.

I wrote a letter to Gozie informing him of the conspiracy against me by some group of boys, surprisingly to me Gozie never replied to my letter neither did he return to the village to find out if what i wrote in my letter is the truth. He left me to fight my battles all by myself as always.

The accusations was too heavy and deep for me to let go easily, so i had no other choice but to turn to my own family for help. I went crying to my step elder brothers chief Anayo who by then was in charged of anti crime police force and Chief Arinze to be specific.

After narrating everything to them, they were so furious on the allegation even more enraged and disappointed on how Gozie and his father treated the matter. They asked me if i have any information regarding the boys which i said yes, Ifeanyi happens to know the boys names and even their house.

My brothers were satisfied with my response and asked me to go home and get ready for tomorrow, because they will be coming very early in th morning with police to arrest those boys, so i should inform Ifeanyi of this too.

I was so happy and grateful that my brothers decided to fight for me and clean the shame from my face.

The following morning two black jeeps drove into my compound, one was the police hilux which contained two uniform men and two orders who were not on uniform and they were all armed. I quickly rushed out to my house and hopped in my brothers blue High-lander jeep with my daughters and we left for Ifeanyi's house.

We picked Ifeanyi and he lead us to the boys house, one after another, the three boys were all arrested and taken to the village police station were they were kept behind bars.

Soon as the boys were arrested, their parents especially their mothers came crying, they began rolling on the floor and started using bad languages. One of mother even called me a white witch, warned me that if anything should happen to her son that she was going to deal with me.

When my brothers heard her making those statements against me, they became more furious and instructed the police to make sure that they heighten the punishment given to the boys.

They ordered them to make sure they get them to confess on who masterminded the conspiracy against me. The eldest of my brothers chief Arinze told the blaring immodest woman that because of her lack of empathy towards me that her son was going to spend two weeks in the police cell.

My brothers and i departed the police station while the boys mothers remained crying to the police men.

Everyday their mothers would come to my house crying and pleading for their sons, and i would tell them to go tell their sons to confess because that is the only way they will be set free.

One day three chief came to my house accompanied with the boys mothers, they came to plead and inform me that the boy have agreed to confess. I told them it's good they have agreed to confess but they will do that openly to the hearing of everyone.

The chiefs agreed and requested i inform my brothers about it so that the boys can be freed tomorrow, because they have been tortured enough, i agreed to their plead and they left.

I sent a message to my brothers that evening and they agreed to be at my place very early in the morning.

The following morning both Gozie's father and my brothers, the police men, Ifeanyi, the village chiefs, the boys and their parents and few villagers were all gathered in my compound. The three boys were then asked to step forward and kneel down in front of me, they were then asked who told them to spread those lies and they said they were paid by a woman to lie against me and Ifeanyi.

Everyone was in shock, excluding me of course who already knew it was all a lie but still could not help but weep, i was even more hurt knowing that for weeks after i sent a letter to Gozie informing him of this, he chooses not to show any atom of care for me or the children.

My brothers asked the boys who was the woman who asked them to do that and they all claimed they did not know the woman and she was not from our village either.

The village chief then told the boys that what they did is a very big offense, that it was not just a dent of image but also questioning my fidelity to my marriage.

The boys parents were given a certain amount of money plus items to compensate me with and the boys were ordered to farm for me for one month to appease my wounded heart.

I agreed to everything the village chiefs said with the permission of my brothers, while my father-in-law ( Gozie's father) sat down still speechless.

With everything that happened and how hurt i was still i decided to stop Ifeanyi from helping me, and one of my village relatives offered one of her grown daughter to come leave with me to be assisting me.

The festive were over and i traveled back to Cameroon with my daughters and my new helper leaving my sons behind still with my eldest brother and his wife.

Few weeks after returning back to Cameroon, i was cleaning Gozie's wardrobe when i stumbled on the letter i wrote to Gozie back in Nigeria regarding the incident that happened, i noticed another letter wrapped with it and it was from Gozie's father.

He had written a letter to his son asking him not to return to the village in regards to what was happening, this left me shocked, and wondering why Gozie's father had so much hatred for me.

More than a decade of marriage to Gozie with four kids and life with him was not getting any better, on the contrary it went from bad to worst.

One fateful day while i was home getting my daughters ready for school, i got a call from Chika my employee requesting i come immediately to the salon.

I tried finding out from her why she was sounding so urgent and unrest but she snubbed the questions and said " Ma its unfortunately not something i could tell you through the phone", i became so anxious and hastened what so ever i was doing.

I arrived my salon in a yellow taxi and meet my employees standing outside the salon still on their house wears instead of work uniforms, i also immediately sighted the scruffy state of my salon as i took a walk pass my employees to better understand what my eyes were seeing.

What happened here? I shouted

~ Ma we were robbed, Chika said.

Why? How? When? well answer me Chika! I said putting my both hands on her shoulders.

~

I then left Chika and the rest of the employee's who stood there still with their eyes widely fixed on me, i ran into my salon and saw it completely empty.

~

Oh heavens!

Whom did i offend this time?

My salon is empty, my entire equipments were stolen.... ~ i said and fainted.

Few weeks later after recovering from the shock of my salon I spoke to Gozie about him assisting me to refurnish my salon with equipments, and he replied me with " i do not have any money for such project".

On hearing this i became even more sad which made me ask Gozie about all the my business money i have been giving to him as he requested, Gozie immediately responded with.., " woman i have been investing" in a very hash tone.

Two days after my failed dialogue with Gozie, i decided to solicit for Gozie to allow handle one of his fashion boutiques since he could not run the two boutiques perfectly, instead Gozie looked at me with deep annoyance and said there is no second boutique.

Shocking!

What do you mean Gozie?

What happened to your second fashion boutique?

~

For some minutes Gozie did not have any answers for me.

After a while he said to me " my employee claimed it"

" I beg your pardon — am afraid i didn't catch that? I said sapped.

Gozie went ahead to explain to me that one day he went to his boutique and his employee that he kept in charge, confronted him and told him to his face that the boutique now belongs to him.

The revelation got me shattered but at the same time more anxious, i asked Gozie if he once had any clash with his employee and he answered with a "No", i further asked Gozie he constantly goes to his second boutique to know how his business is moving and he said he " he only goes there whenever he wants to collect his money".

Now this was all i needed to hear from Gozie and his employee was quite justifiable in his actions.

Who would love to work for a master who doesn't care about how his business grows but only concerned about the money generated, for Gozie's employee it was as if he did all the work for the business while Gozie only shows up for the money so as to lavish it on his numerous concubines.

And besides Gozie's employees had complained about Gozie not paying them their salaries on time and in full the last time i visited them, the thoughts of how Gozie spent all our money on different women filled me with loathing.

Years earlier on i birthed two more babies making it a total of six kids.

A handsome baby boy that i named Roland Amaechi meaning who knows tomorrow, and a

beautiful baby girl and my last baby as well that i named Ava Chichetaram meaning God remembered me.

After seven years of childless heaven smiled at me and blessed me with three boys and three girls, the best blessings of a marriage.

At the period when my fifth baby was born i lost my father, it was a very challenging period for me because of how much i loved him and he loved me as well and how significant he was in my life.

My father's death left me shattered as of the time i was still trying to get to know my mother and to love her too.

The memories of his death did not fade out until i gave birth to my last baby girl.

The timing of her birth was right and exactly what i needed to mentally wish my father farewell.

Gradually life became very tough for Gozie and i as a result of the lost of our two businesses, Gozie soon began to reduce his desire for more women since morning was no longer in abundance like the initial stage.

I then decided to join Gọzie in his fashion business instead of going back to being a house wife, joining Gọzie was just another welcome to humiliation as he did not miss an opportunity to jeer and scorn me publicly even at the presences of most of his customers.

As most men would always blame their misfortune on their wives Gozie was not an exception, he said i was the reason why he fell from grace an accusation which was a rib-tickling because he could not back it up.

I held on to my children all through my years of marriage and no matter what Gozie did to me i never complained or felt pains because my children became my strength and happiness.

I made sure they never lacked anything as i sacrificed my life for theirs and most importantly i made sure they had the best education and saw to it that their grades in school were excellent.

Gozie on the other hand only showed a little concerned on the boys education and had no interest with the girls going to school since he did not believe in female education.

He even suggested that our daughters get married at the age of sixteen as they were women and were meant to be under a man.

A suggestion i repudiated and took it upon myself to fund my daughter's education.

Gọzie strong dislike for our daughters education grew bigger each day, he never for once protected the interest of his daughters rather he was so eager to sell them off as he never hasitated to collect money and gifts from every single suitors that came for them not minding if they were worthy of his daughters.

When it was so clear to Gọzie that i was never going to support his stance regarding my daughter's he decided to leave the entire family burden on me under the excuse of being sick, same sickness Gọzie refused to recover from but rather left i and the kids in Cameroon and travel back to Nigeria never to come back.

Gọzie's decision to return to Nigeria without us came after he said we should sell everything we had and return to Nigeria since business was no longer moving fine.

I looked at Gọzie with so much disappointment and asked him his plans for the children if we should all relocate to Nigeria, again he answered selfishly as always.

Gọzie looked at me and said...

" We have a farm in the village where you can start farming and as the kids, i already told you let's give the girls out for marriage and then use the money for gotten from their marriage to fund the boys education".

I was so disgusted with Gọzie's response that i gave him an angry look and then asked him how he intended paying back all the loans he took for his medications and treatment when he was sick, a question Gọzie never answered but rather walked away.

Three days after Gọzie came to me with a news of him leaving for Nigeria the next day, and i should make provisions for the necessary things he will be needing including his transportation money.

I was shocked and super vexed but knowing who Gọzie is and what he was going to do next if i did not oblige, ị decided to give him the little money i had been saving for the children's school, he took the money and did not even bother to ask me if i had any money left with me or how i was going to cope with the kids.

Gọzie left for Nigeria and i had nothing left with me except my hopes on God for survival.

I began hustling all over again alone for myself and the children it was very tough and lonely for me, they were days i thought of selling everything and relocating to Nigeria with the children, but the fear of what their fate would be in the village did not let me to hence i didn't relent.

I did all this with so much pride and joy with so much faith that someday am going to be very proud of my sacrifices and today looking at my children am proud that i did not give up, am proud of the sacrifices i made because that is the joy of motherhood.

My children did not just make me happy and satisfied with their successful academic career and business life but they also made me a grandmother of beautiful baby boys and girls.

And a mother in-law to great and honorable men and women.

As for Gọzie i forgived him and learnt to live with him because he never changed and never would.

With how good everything turned out for me, it's safe to say that am reaping the fruit of my labor.

Something that would not have been possible if God had not stepped into my life.

My name is NGỌZI and this is my story.