Victory...

"To slap you just dey hungry me".

She kept quiet, head bowed and heart racing. Sometimes she was confused how to respond to his rantings.

Some days... "No be you I dey talk to? Why you dey keep me quiet? Abi you don turn "bebe"? Okay, you dey do me "silence is the best answer to a fool" ba? Come on..."

Gbish! Gbash! Gboosh!

On other days... "Na who dey talk wey you dey talk back give am so? E be like say you don craze finish! You no well. Like Mama like pikin. Like say your mama carry her nyash siddon for one place you for learn how to respect man. Idiot. Come on..."

Gbish! Gbash! Gboosh!

What was that saying again?

Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

The other her, the posh her, knew all the fancy sayings and cliches. Her fantasy world always welcomed her with arms open wide and whenever she chose to escape, she could be whom she wanted to be. Live the high flying life of a fast paced, career woman.

No furious fists to compel obedience at the end of the day.

Gbish...

Oh dear. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she had walked into a "silence is the best answer to a fool day" without even realising it.

The force of the slap forced her first to her knees and then as if by instinct, she rolled onto her back and curled into a ball.

Gbash...

The force of his feet colliding with her back jolted her and she snapped back, then quickly recoiled herself tight as a foetus. Her mother protected her from her father's wrath, this was beyond her now.

She had someone to protect too.

Gboosh....

On her head. That was a new one, he had never done that before. He always hit her where bones were and then pulled his punches almost at the last minute.

The intention was always to cause pain. Deep pain. Long lasting pain. No visible traces.

She would wince as she walked, ate, bent and did the housework but could not point an accusing finger at the exact spot causing her pain. He  was THAT good.

As the blows and kicks continued to rain all over her, her toughened body refused to uncoil. He did not know it yet, but it was better she remained coiled for both their good. Her mind remained fixated on that one kick to the head, even as her body twitched from the blows and her mouth let out matching whelps.

Not feeling pain when he hit her usually called for sterner measures. Otherwise known as "the belt". She didn't want to meet the belt today, she might be unable to guide its course and protect the vulnerable one.

So she remained coiled, her mouth uttered sounds her mind did not give a damn about,  while her thoughts remained fixated on that one kick to the head.

Maybe if her mother had stayed at her father's, she would have learnt how to absorb all the thrashing and still remain meek as a mouse. But her mother had gathered them all up one day and walked. Never looked back.

He didn't look like her father, where her father was all muscles and brawn, he had looked soft, cuddly and gentle. Too late to realise it had nothing to do with appearances.

Too late.

The beating stopped as soon as they had started and she listened to his chest heave. She listened for the sound of him reaching for his belt. Nothing.

That meant the belt was not needed today, and since his trousers would not be around his ankles without the belt to hold them up, there would be no post-beating sex.

Rape her friend called it.

Not just her friends, the books did too.

But he said it was his right to sex her anytime he wanted, anyhow he wanted. Sometimes he beat her first to make it sweeter. Other times, he just put it in, came, and pulled it out.

"Come on stand up from there. Ashawo! Your mama better pass you, she burn full house. You just dey there, you no gree carry belle. Weight sef you no gree ad because every time, you no go dey make yourself happy. Weensh."

She dragged herself up wearily, the pains had already started.

"Enter kitchen go fetch me water make I drink. Useless woman. I marry man like myself put for house. Yeye."

She got to the kitchen, picked up a glass from the shelf and rinsed it out thoroughly. Exactly the way he liked, and then wiped it down with a kitchen roll.

She ran it under the cold water dispenser, and filled it to the brim.

She stood staring at the glass for a few minutes, then walked over to the sink and tipped out some of the water.

Just enough water.

He was seated on the couch, one leg lazily sprawled across the armrest when she came back with the water glass in a saucer. Pure white saucer, he loved cleanliness and purity. Like her, she was a virgin when  she met him, as pure as they come in both body and soul.

She handed over the full glass to him, just as she noticed the belt lying on the floor and his trousers zipped open. His turgid member peeked out through the flap, throbbing as he picked up the glass and took a sip.

"Come on kneel down there".

By force of habit, she knelt almost without thinking and watched eagerly as he began to drink from the glass. Her breath caught as he paused and looked at the glass, then raised it slowly to his lips and drained it.

His member pulsated with every swallow.

Without asking his permission, she stood and motioned to the glass. He handed it to her, then raised his hand to his mouth and slowly wiped his lips.

"Take it away, off your clothes and come back here. You know I love you ba? Only say you too dey like to dey make me vex, but I don forgive you. Oya, go keep the cup come quick quick. Today na today".

She stood in the kitchen and slowly reached for the hem of her dress. Ignoring the aches and pains she pulled the dress over her head, then stepped out of her panties. She left her bra on, he thought it was foreplay to take the bra off and then forcefully push himself into an unprepared woman.

She had long learnt not to complain.

He looked a bit constipated, but she kept her eyes averted as she walked back into the sitting room, pushed aside the coffee table and lay down with her legs spread apart.

He could not understand why his limbs were suddenly heavy, he did not beat her as much as he did the other time. Whish kain winsh be this when he don ready to gbains?

Anyhow wey e be sha, I must show her say I don forgive her so I must fuck her today o.

He struggled out of his trousers and positioned himself between her legs.

His arms were too heavy to reach behind her and unclasp the bra but as he struggled and fumbled, she kept her eyes fixed on his.

Sweat broke out all over him as he finally undid the clasp. He laid his head on her breast and felt his eyes closing a little.

No! He must do this now.

As he poised himself to thrust, she placed her hands on his shoulders. Surprised at this turn of events and wondering why his heart was racing so violently, he looked deep into her eyes and was scared by what he saw in there.

Victory!

"Baby, you know say you na useless man, from day one wey I don marry you till today na so so beating you dey gee me chop. If I carry belle, you go beat me sotay e go commot".

A haze descended over him as he struggled to hear her words. This woman no dey fear o, make he fuck her finish first, he go use belt show her Oba Bini today.

"But I love you baby shebi you know na," she continued as he shook his head in confusion. "God don bless us, I don carry belle now for the past tiri months".

He struggled to form words as his eyes widened and his penis went limp almost simultaneously.

"No worry baby, I go train the pikin well. You no need to worry but you no go ever beat me again as e be so. Na Godwin".

As he rolled off her and wondered what was happening to him, she leaned on his chest and looked into his eyes, savoring every second.

The last thing he ever saw or heard, was her face lowering until her nose almost touched his, and with her lips hardly moving, she breathed out...

"Oya go well you hear? I don forgive you finish".