ENIOLA: Beauty For Ashes

Chapter Twenty-Three

"In all honesty sir, I don't have all the details of your relationship, but from what she told me, she doesn't hate you...at least I hope she doesn't. But right now, I don't think she loves you either. I'm going to go on a limb here and assume that you didn't believe her the few times she told you about what her late husband was putting her through, did you?" King asked.

"Even if we did, does it really matter? Kunle was a rich man, a good man. He took care of her, he took care of us. In our day, a man was allowed to discipline his wife if she disobeyed him, especially if he was taking good care of her. Hearing her complain of a few slaps was almost surprising to us and if I am being honest, I gave birth to this girl. I know her like I know my name. Eniola can be very dramatic especially when she doesn't get her way. We spoiled her as a child and we are used to seeing her throw tantrums. Isn't that what this is? Another tantrum?" Bukola asked.

The love of God restrains me.
The love of God restrains me.
The love of God restrains me...before I say what I will regret.

He took a deep breath to calm himself.
"I own the hospital she was treated in. I'm the doctor that took care of her. I can never forget the day she was wheeled in. I met her two days prior at a party and I almost didn't recognize her when the nurses brought her in. Her face was battered. She had bruises, third degree bruises all over her body. There was a lot of trauma to her head and she was in a coma, strung up like an experiment to machines to keep her alive. Kunle only had a few bruises and a broken hip. I never mentioned this to her but he was conscious for a while, spewing curses at her, saying she was better off dead than alive. I was too upset so I passed him on to one of my doctors and focused on her. We couldn't stop the blood from his hip and he started developing many complications after that. I watched Eniola weep for joy when we told her he was dead. She didn't even have enough strength to sit up by herself; she used all of it to cry"

He paused to read their expressions. His words were cutting.

Good.

"I watched her fight to return to normal, fight to keep her sanity. She was in and out of the hospital for three months straight, facing the possibility of death or a life threatening disease each time. I had to keep my phone on every night to check on her because she kept having nightmares of Kunle trying to kill her. I've heard stories of women who came out of abusive marriages and lost the will to live, but not Eniola. She's still fighting and instead of trying to understand her, you're letting her fight alone. I don't know why anyone or any culture would be okay with something as demonic as physical abuse. I understand that is the orientation you grew up with but that doesn't make it right. It is punishable by law and if Kunle was alive, I would have made sure he spent the rest of his life in prison. I have three sisters. If a man makes them cough the wrong way, he can be certain I will come for him. If a man lays half of a finger on my child? My child?! I would have blood on my hands. Permit me to ask you sir, have you ever slapped your wife?"

Akin shook his head.

"May I ask why, Sir?"

"Well, I wouldn't be happy doing that? She's fragile, I could injure her"

"A man like you, physically stronger and without regard for the fragile nature of a woman, used your child as a punching bag for years. How can you not be upset?"

He stopped talking so that they could get a chance to reflect on everything he said. The shock on their faces when he revealed that he was the doctor who took care of her opened a path into their minds and made them listen to every word that came out of his mouth.

"I'm sure Eniola has beautiful memories with you from her childhood, but in this situation, sir, ma, you haven't done well" he said when they didn't say anything.