Thou shall be gay

Everyone deserves a chance at happiness so why shouldnt I be happy, Nana said to me.

This is the story of Nana, a 20 year old girl who thought she had the illusion of what love is meant to be, for Michael, her husband of 14 years.

My love story with Michael began when he came to execute a project at my town of origin matanko, for me it was love at first glance, we started dating, but was met with different obstacles from the villagers and my parent because women/girls in my town don't marry strangers, but still we choose to stay together.

Towards the completion of his project Michael proposed to me and I accepted, my family members chased me out of the house and I was segregated by the villagers. I haven't gone back home since then.

Finally, I and Michael decided to go to his place of residence which was in Lagos since I had been excommunicated from my community.

I got a small shop beside the house and began selling provisions, after one year of living together I got pregnant and delivered a baby girl, I have never seen Michael look so happy before, he showered our child with love and bought everything he could find to make her happy. Before we knew it within the space of 13 years we had 3 children two girls and a boy, we were not very rich but at least we were not begging, our family was one of love and happiness.

It was in the 14th year of our marriage that I began to notice some changes in Michael's behavior, he started keeping late nights, He would go into the toilet to answer strange calls at odd periods of the night, he shouts at every little mistake I make, things just became unbearable in the home and the children noticed it.

What finally broke the camels back was when he laid he's hand on me, he had beaten me to the extent of me going to the hospital for a week, on getting back home I found out that my husband of 14 years single handedly packed my bags and baggage and refused to let me in the house saying I and my children should not enter his house, shocked and dejected I packed our things and got a place to stay for the night, at least I was grateful because he packed all my things completely and he didn't throw me out naked.

I got an apartment, moved my children to affordable schools and started struggling to make ends meet, I ignored the rumors of Michael's flings with different women and concentrated on my children.

After 7 years of struggle, my hard work started paying off, I got contracted by different company's and my first child dumebi had finished her masters and was now working with a big accounting firm, I was reaping my rewards, I was happier than I had ever been.

       I never saw my husband again but I heard he met a fatal end in an accident.
So tell me had I not been happy, had I stayed lazy crying all day and begging my husband to take me back I might have been in bondage by now.

Nana story left me speechless.