Friday evenings are supposed to be
happy nights here in the middle east. Its the beginning of a weekend.
But this was not. I received an unsettling call just after taking a
bath. It was by “imo,” the widely used calls application due to
its clarity and cheapness. I did not recognize the caller, he had
just added my number, but I answered anyway.
“Are you Mchox?” the male voice
asked. “Yes I am.” I answered. Who am I speaking to? I asked. He
replied “Rajab, Mwanasiti's husband.” I knew few Mwanasitis in my
circle. And I definitely knew who he was talking about. I immediately
understood it was not a friendly weekend call. My heart started
beating faster.
Mwanasiti was a friend. She used to
work here in the Gulf too. We met in a web-page group of Kenyans
working abroad. After private chatting for sometime We realized we
were both from Mombasa though we haven't met. She was from Likoni
side while I from Ratna-square. Chances were slim that we had met
before. We did not cross lines in our conversations. Just usual chats
about being far from home and development plans so that we don't find
ourselves trapped in foreign land for decades.
She finished her contract and returned
back home. After some few weeks of silence, she returned back online
a sad person. She explained to me how she used to send her salary
back home to her husband to finish the house they had decided to
build. She found the house two stone layers above the foundation. The
husband used the money to chew Ghat/miraa everyday and weekend
parties. He wasn't taking good care of their two young girls too. She
was so disappointed and heartbroken considering what she went through
working for Arabs.
I consoled her. Reminded her chances do
not necessary knock on our door once in lifetime. There's still hope
that she would get another means to uplift their life to better. So,
we would chat and sometimes talk using imo. I felt pity and sometimes
sent her some money through Mpesa. His husband was jobless and
sometimes the girls go to sleep without having dinner.
So, today her husband decided to give
me a call. He asked me what is the relationship between me and his
wife? I said we are just friends. I told him we haven't even met in
real life. We see each other through Facebook and other internet
apps. The he asked “ how can I believe that?” I remained silent.
I didn't know how to explain it to him. It was his wife, he knows her
better. So if it is to trust her or not, its up to him. At my
silence, he started to be more volatile. He asked me if I had a wife
and if it was my habit to seduce other people's wives? I defended
myself telling him that I had never seduced his wife. He should check
his wife's messages and another proof is that she is still with him,
not me.
A husband threatened usually does not
reason optimally. He continued accusing me of setting up fire on
their marriage. He said he had my picture, and if he ever sees me
roaming the streets of Likoni, he will punish me severely before
driving a knife to my stomach. I tried to explain to him the state of
things, hoping he would realize he was wrong but he kept spewing
venom profusely.
We meet different kinds of people on
social media. Some are below age, and some are married. Some lie
about their relationship status and some are truthful and
straightforward. We befriend them, sometimes give a helping hand to
con-men and con-women. Those who are in committed relationships know
their status before flirting with the singles. But its okay since
most mean no harm and its kept secret from their partners. Problems
arise when their partners peruses your tracks and you give him or her
something to doubt you on. You wonder whose responsible for the
fracas? The singles roaming the net looking for fun or the committed
who consciously take the step to engage another person in a
questionable manner? We, the defensive singles always say we have
done nothing wrong. And explain it with reason. But in the eyes of
society and moral ears, we find ourselves rebuked. Another person's
love is a no go zone. There are a billion other singles on Earth,
ogle those.
“Mchox, you claim innocence and sound
decent on the phone. Why is it that a week does not pass until you
talk to my wife? Why have you sent my wife 10k? That's not little
amount. What did she promise you in return, nude video chatting? You
see, I have proof enough to suspect your ill intentions? He
continued. I insisted there was nothing evil in the conversations
I've had with Mwanasiti. As for the 10k, I thought better to help her
start a small business instead of sending her money now and then when
she comes crying for help.
All that time, I had replied to him
with utmost respect and consideration. I didn't want to say anything
to give him a reason to blame it on me on what happens to their
marriage. But as the call grew longer, he grew more harsh and
disrespectful. At one time he called me a cockroach which he could
easily kill by stepping on me. I had changed the phone from my left
ear to right, then left again. Streams of sweat trickled down as if
im not the one who recently came out from the bathroom. And he
continued insulting me. And at last he told me he is going to beat
Mwanasiti tonight and she wont be able to sleep at all.
I wondered why he told me that because
Mwanasiti does not belong to me. But I had had enough from him. I
knew he was jobless and lazy but I did not say anything to him. I
knew he squandered his wife's money and he is the reason why they are
living miserably, but I remained silent. So, I cut short his abuses
and told him, Listen: If you are tired with Mwanasiti, don't find an
excuse from me. I know you mistreat her because she will find it hard
to leave the marriage because of the children. But I tell you, if you
leave her, Mwanasiti will not suffer. I promise you, if you divorce
her tonight, tomorrow night I will send my people to her home and I
will marry her in absentia. If you think I'm calling a bluff, divorce
her and watch the drama tomorrow!
I hung up and blocked his number
permanently on my phone. After three days Mwanasiti called. She told
me that all his husband's anger was because he did not get his hand
on the money. He saw the 10k Mpesa I sent but she had already
withdrawn the money and bought materials for her cooking business. He
wanted it to buy Ghat/miraa and cigarettes and spend it having fun.
She also told me that he did beat her that night, but he did not
leave her. They are still together.
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