Lets Hear it for The Wives!

Hello All! So I'm writing a book, its about abusive relationships and its titled, "Lets hear it for the wives" This is a summary of my major characters, can you read and tell me if its a book you would be interested to read and hopefully buy when i get published? please be brutally honest, okay? thanks!

LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE WIVES

 Five women in their relationships, they are people that are envied and admired by all, but inside, they are dying…

(Husband is a pastor in a popular church, cheats on her with her sister)

The cameras flashed and Foluke smiled accordingly turning as she was instructed to do. Her husband, Dr. Nsidibe Graham moved closer and bent down so that their heads were almost on the same level, it must have been a feat since he was 6ft 6 inches for her 5foot frame. They smiled at the popping cameras as she wondered if she remembered to close the kitchen window she opened when she was frying the oil to make the onion stew her husband requested before they left home.

They turned now as someone called the Dr by name and finally made their way into the heavily secured banquet hall. They glided down the well decorated wrought iron stairs into the large hall that was done in gold hue for the occasion. Still smiling, holding hands and waving to friends, the event was been televised and Foluke was sure to stick close to her husband.

Their table was almost front row, middle; they were seated with Ambassador Rotimi Iyalla and his beautiful Kenyan wife, Naturo.

The smile slipped from Dr Nsidibe’s mouth momentarily when he saw that he had not been placed at the governor’s table, he took solace in the fact that it was next to their table, and drew out the cream brocade covered and red-ribboned chair for his wife to sit.

She nodded her thanks and sat down adjusting her off shoulder floor length gold lame dress on her ample bosom, she belatedly caught her husband’s disapproving glare.

She smiled sheepishly and shifted on the chair. She looked around wondering if Isokhe made it after all. She sincerely hoped so. It will be a very boring date if she didn’t have a friendly face to keep her company…she sighed and opened her small gold clutch and quickly checked her face on the small compact mirror she carried in it, a full fleshy, benign face, almost devoid of any make-up stared back.

Her features were normal, but she knew how to play up her best asset, her eyes. She had on an olive green shadow that accentuated her deep grey eyes giving her a feral look, her fleshy lips had a dab of glossy brown lip balm, just as her husband had told her, he said it made her usually large mouth seem smaller.

She sighed again, if only one of the diets will work, she thought dispassionately, stealing a look at her husband’s trim, but slightly muscled frame with something akin to jealousy, he could eat a house and not add anything.

 He finally sat down after wandering off to the other table to shake hands and slap backs and laugh at a stale joke or two, he called it ‘power walk’ he saw events like this as opportunity to advance himself in the social ladder.

He sat down now next to her and turned to her with a smile, leaning in as if he wanted to give her a peck, “try to look happy instead of looking like a constipated pig!” he whispered viciously. She nodded obediently, looking down to hide the hurt in her eyes and smoothening her flowing dress around her lap, the evening had finally begun, she thought…

(Husband is a successful consultant, but is a homosexual in secret)

“Hip, hip! Hurrayyy!!!!” the small crowd shouted as Bertha stood smiling, to say she was taken off guard was an understatement. Greg had told her three days ago that he was off to Escravos on an offshore assignment. She had concluded that he forgot their wedding anniversary again and was planning her huge pity party for herself when she got home from work that day.

Her best friend, Kike had called that she made okra soup with amala and she had decided to branch and collect her portion only for her to show up and walk into a surprise party planned by her husband Gregg! She smiled at him again and kissed his neck, she was so overwhelmed by this single act.

Kike was almost bouncing off the wall with excitement, “I knew you could be punked!” she yelled as she joined in the embrace, her skinny arms held on to the two of them, they had all been friends at the university, she was then bunking with a naïve Bertha who had just joined them from the village. Her brother’s friend, Greg had taken to her the minute he set eyes on her.

(Husband is an island big boy who is a drug addict; the secret is kept away from the public at all cost)

Isokhe dabbed her left eye with more concealer and peered through the throbbing member, it looked almost normal she concluded and added deep blue eye shadow, the trick was to wear too much eye make up to distract people from the wound.

She winced as she put on her bra, her fourth rib on the left side felt as if it was broken, she stared at her face in the mirror when she was done and marveled at how well she had hidden her ‘accident’.

She painfully got to her feet and stepped into the stiff, black dress she had chosen for the banquet, it was cropped necked and long sleeved, and covered her usually delectable legs. If she stood apart from friends and didn’t make any physical contact with anybody, she was sure she will survive the evening without collapsing in excruciating pain.

She would have given anything to stay home in grubby sweat shirts and pajama bottom, or soaking in the hot tub with hot oils and herbs to heal her battered body, but she had to make an appearance especially since her loving husband Ife was not up to it.

She was tired of hearing her mother tell her that she was weak and not a team player,

“All men” she would lecture slowly, “are flawed, that’s why they need us Issi, you have to cover your husband’s mistakes or you are weak and selfish!” she will say in her characteristic soft, whispery voice, her mother never yelled, but she got her point across alright! She belonged to the generation of “a lady is seen and not heard” so shouting was beneath her.

Isokhe sighed as she remembered the day she had confided to her mother about Ife’s problem, she had sniffed as if the air was suddenly polluted, wrinkling her pert nose, then she had turned to Isokhe with a steely glare, “tattlers perish in the everlasting fire, wives are not to bear tales of their husbands, Issi”

Isokhe had opened her mouth to protest but her mother had raised a small well manicured hand up to stop her, she wasn’t done dishing out wisdom to her impetuous daughter,

“A three fold cord is not easily broken, and I should not be the third party in your cord, God should be, use you knees woman!” Isokhe sighed heavily again,

Straightening the black dress, she limped to the bathroom and opened her medicine cabinet and brought out a bottle of Midol, she took three oval tablets and swallowed them dry. Then she sat on the closed bidet and waited for the drug to kick in, she needed the numbness to make it through the night, she thought as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, she allowed her mind to wander to her happy place, a dangerous place, she knew, but she felt sometimes she needed to live or die, even if it’s a just a fantasy…

(Husband is a public servant who embezzles m*oney, who is also a mummy’s boy)

Alhaji Musa folded the last item of clothing into the compact travel bag and straightened up, he saw Dinatu, his wife of eight years staring at him from across the bedroom and smiled and shook his head at the same time, “it’s a four day trip, I don’t know why you’re sulking” he said as he walked over to her and rubbed her shoulders, she looked up at him with large puppy looking eyes, “then why are you taking so much cloths?” she asked in a whiny voice, he tilted her cheek up, “the minister said I may attend the book launch on his behalf after the conference, I’m just being prepared, like a scout” he said with a smile, he bent and planted a kiss on her lips, she sighed, “then why cant I come?” she asked for the umpteenth time, “because mama said she’s coming and wont be fair if we both leave home, eh?” he answered a little exasperated, he moved away now and sat on the well made bed picking up his phone, “okay, I won’t nag, but know that I miss every minute you’re away” she said in a small voice, he raised a finger as he put the phone to his ear, “hello your Excellency” he said pausing, “yes sir, I’m on my way now to the airport sir” he replied nodding his head, “um, my wife can take me sir, its no trouble” he looked over at her with raised eyebrows, she nodded her assent, “okay sir” he said now, “thank you sir, I look forward to it too” he ended the call and put the phone into the pocket of his navy blue brocade jalabia. She stood up as well, “I have to drive you to the airport?” she asked already dreading the task, “no dear, he said his driver is already on his way here” as if to buttress the point, the doorbell chimed, “speak of the devil” he said chuckling and holding her waist as he picked up the travel bag with the other hand, “concentrate on entertaining mama, I’m sure you will both have enough to keep you busy” he said rubbing the small of her back, she purred, “massages when you return?” she asked lifting her face up to receive a kiss, “massages and more” he whispered into her ear as they got to the bedroom door, they heard a knock, Alhaji Musa opened it, their live-in help Aminat stared up at him, “the minister’s driver is here alhaji” she said in a low voice she used only when she was talking to him. Dinatu stared at her irritated, if she was not related to her husband’s family, she would have kicked the stupid girl out for making passes at her husband, “thank you Amina, please bring the pot of tuwo out of the fridge and warm it” Dinatu said dismissively, then turning to hug and kiss her husband, “but there’s no one in the house to eat it” Aminat replied haughtily, Dinatu turned sharply, “do it because I said so!” Aminat paused for a while then turned and stomped away murmuring about wasteful wives, Dinatu turned to her husband, “I hope mama will take her away this time, I’m fed up with her insulting attitude” Alhaji smiled indulgently, “she’s just a child Dina, treat her like one of our girls”

“One of our girls wont be that insulting to me and get away with it!” she retorted,

“I’m telling you if that girl thinks she can come into my matrimonial home and seduce my husb—” he gently placed a finger on her lips cutting her off, “no one can take me away from you, I’m completely yours, please I will miss my flight at this rate” he reiterated checking his gold Rolex wristwatch. She saw him out to the army green colored SUV the minister sent to pick him; it had the government crest and no plate numbers.

She waved to the driver as she hugged him again and planted another kiss on his lips, “be safe my love” she whispered to him, the same thing she did every time he took a trip, “may Allah be merciful to us” came his usual reply before he got into the car, the driver shut the door and saluted smartly before he jumped into the driver seat and drove out of the plush quarters, Dinatu stood there for a long time, thanking Allah for giving her such a wonderful husband and blessing her with three beautiful daughters, her life would have been perfect if she didn’t have that stupid help, but she wasn’t complaining she knew women with worse fates she concluded and headed back into the house to see if Aminat had carried out her instructions or not…

                                                                           *

 (Husband is impotent and lives off her)

Osas sat up on the bed with his head on his hands; a crumpled letter lay between his legs. He lifted his head when the phone started to ring, then dropped it back. Chichi walked in and picked up the ringing phone, answering it, “oh good evening sir, no he is not back yet sir” she replied when Osas gestured for her to end the call, “I will let him know sir, thank you sir” she paused, “my regards to her too” she ended the call and sat down slowly near her fiancé of nine years. She rubbed his back slowly as she stared into space, “it’s not the end of the world love” she said in a small voice, he shrugged her hand off angrily, “if you don’t have anything better than psycho babble to say just shut up and leave me alone!” he spat out viciously, Chichi winced but didn’t move, he took a deep breath and rubbed his head, “baby I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—“ he cut off shaking his head, she squeezed his hands and raised her head to look at him, “I’ll run the bath for you, and later massage your body with that oil you love so much, I’m sure you’ll feel better” she muttered quietly as she wondered how she was going to tell her friends that her wedding plans were postponed again…