Dr. Tade hesitated for a few minutes before knocking on Tolani's room door. He had wanted to ignore the fact that she had been receiving a lot of visitors and asides being there to check on her, they were clearly there to discuss her marriage and the need for her to forgive her husband with her. Dr. Tade knew from the moment Tolani woke up that she was very unhappy about something and it only took him observing the cold treatments she had been giving her husband since she woke up to know he must have really hurt her. Also, instinct already made Dr. Tade aware that her husband's betrayal must have one way or the other contributed to the reason she was in the hospital. Why would any man have such a ravishingly beautiful wife like this and hurt her in anyway? he thought.
"Come in" He heard her say.
"How do you feel Madam?"
"Much better doctor."
"You can call me Tade and if you don't mind, can I call you Tolani?"
"Of course." She smiled.
"So now Tolani, I'm going to do something I feel a bit awkward doing, which is a little bit unprofessional, but I have to do it all the same. You see, as my patient, your mental health is also a priority to me and I can't help but notice you've been very unhappy. I am also aware from the visits from your husband and the other family members that it has to do with your relationship with your husband. So I'm going to ask you this; do you mind if I meddle a little by asking you to forgive him for whatever it is he must have done to you? It's not for his sake but for the sake of your mental health."
"Thank you doctor, I mean Tade. Yes it's about my husband and he cheated on me"
"Okay....."
"And I think I've finally had it. I've reached the limit of my endurance."
"Pardon me for saying this but he seems genuinely sorry. I caught him crying on your bed several times while you were in a coma. Also, judging from how many family members that seem to be aware and knowing you have been incapacitated, I suspect he must have told them all about it. Doesn't that tell you he realizes his wrongs and is deeply sorry? I'd say forgive him and move on Tolani, but that's my thoughts, it's still your decision."
Tolani smiled in a cynical way before replying him.
"Do you know how many times I've caught him red-handed cheating on me in the course of our marriage Tade? Sixteen times! Now, don't get me wrong, he has cheated many more times than that but I have caught him in the act sixteen times."
"Waoh! That's a lot."
"Yes. I have forgiven him fifteen times and he still does it again. The worst part of it is that I love this man so much, so every time he cheats on me, it slices a knife through my heart. It literally rips me apart and I want to die. He tells me he is sorry, tells family members to beg me, I agree, I'm hopeful he'll change and then he goes ahead and does it again. Where I come from, society contributes to a man's misbehavior because they tolerate it. A woman is supposed to just swallow it all up, forgive and move on and if she complains they say she is a rebel and she is not ready to keep her marriage. Do you know what happens to a woman who cheats on her husband on my side Tade?" He shook his head.
"It's called 'irin ete'. Let me tell you about it."
"I'm all ears." He said as she proceeded to tell him about the tradition called 'irin ete'.
**************************************************************
The year was 1981 and seven years old Tolani had accompanied her mother to the market. Her mother was in the yam seller's store pricing yams when they suddenly heard a crowd of people shouting excitedly in one direction. Her mother held her tight as they ran to see what the commotion was about. As soon as they were close enough, they saw a woman in her twenties, stark naked! Tolani first thought the woman was crazy but soon saw that behind her were six men and four women forcing her to undergo her punishment. This was Tolani's first experience with the shameful walk also known as 'irin ete'. The woman was crying and walking slowly as children chanted excitedly after her and some people hurled insults and threw rotten tomatoes at her. Tolani later got to know that this was a severe punishment reserved for women caught in the act of adultery ; they were made to walk from one end of town to another, stark naked! It was one of the most embarrassing things Tolani had ever seen. As they got home, she asked her mother,
"If she was caught in the act, she must have had a partner, where was he when she was made to walk naked around town?
"I don't know Tolani, you ask too many questions," was her mother's reply.
She witnessed the 'irin ete' of five other women after that. It was always the same way, the woman stark naked, the enforcers walking behind her while the rest of the people in the town hurled insults, rotten tomatoes and in some cases eggs at the disgraced woman.
YOU ARE READING
THE MAD MAMMOTH
General FictionTolani had been married to her husband Tunji for twenty-one years in a society that preached and encouraged male superiority and partiality. She took all the hurts and betrayals from him until the day she learnt he had been keeping a shocking secret...
