SEPTEMBER 1978
Juliet Obaseki stood outside the bungalow her husband built. Her in laws had come to instigate their usual domestic violence. She had miscarried a third child in two years. Her husband’s business collapsed. It was one bad thing after another. Now the in-laws were here to throw her things out.
Her sister in law Mildred stood in front of the door making sure Juliet had no access back into the house. There were two young, able bodied men who took turns going into the house and bringing out whatever looked like Juliet’s belongings. Juliet was not moved by their actions.
“Leave this place with your badluck,” Mildred yelled and turned her back to reveal her big buttocks. “Everyday miscarriage, you can’t keep a home, you can’t even keep pregnancy, your mates have children running all over the place, once you get pregnant you eat the children in your womb and shed those crocodile tears of yours.”
Mildred was her husband’s older sister who played the role of mother even though. their mom was still alive.
Juliet was quiet. She didn’t respond even though she had a lit to say to Mildred. Mildred was an embittered middle aged woman. She never got arrived and instead had five children by three different men who didn’t marry her.
