Few years ago, precisely, eight years ago, my only chance at happiness was destroyed.
As at that time, I blamed no one but fate and posterity, but few months ago, I found out the person behind the incident which truncated my happiness and yet I have been advised to keep quiet and try to forget the whole issue. I really do not think I can do this; I have since been haunted by this, which is why I need your advice.
My husband and I met each other at a job interview few months after our service. We had not met before; you know the way it is when you are in a situation where you are bonded by a similar course. We became friends before knowing it. We had both written a test at separate times and we were invited for oral interview because we passed the examinations.
We became friends and eventually started dating because we shared a lot in common and possess a passion for similar things. Our courtship was a fruitful one and after two years we decided to get married. My mother’s joy knew no bounds as I am an only child though with step siblings. My husband also was an only son of his mother with two younger sisters, though with step brothers and sisters. My upbringing however was different from his, because I was not raised in a polygamous set up, but he was.
Before our marriage, I had met and known his family and like he always said, they had their family proverbial black sheep like every other family too. This supposed ‘black sheep’ really liked me and we got along well. My husband would always marvel at this and he sometimes would joke and ask what I bribed him with.
We could not go for a long honeymoon because he had to travel abroad on training from his office, so we went to Spain for only five days, courtesy his office.
When I complained that I wish we could stay on, he promised to take me back when he returned from his three-month training and proceeded on his annual leave. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to be because precisely, 11 days after we became husband and wife, armed robbers attacked us and killed my husband.
We had gone to bed early, suddenly, we heard a loud bang on our door, followed by our elderly landlord’s voice. Our landlord, his wife and their 16-year-old granddaughter lived in the other flat. We lived in a twin bungalow. They were a nice family and the thought of the fact that he was forced by armed robbers to knock our door was far from our mind. We then thought that there was an emergency, we both rushed and opened the door only to be confronted with the reality on ground.
They had been robbed, their granddaughter who was defiled then led to our door. We were all ordered to lie faced down. Our money and other valuables were taken at gun point. I was lying on the floor with the others while my husband was taken round, when he returned into the sitting room, he was ordered to lie on the couch.
They were already leaving when the last man who had been standing at the door turned back and shot my husband in the head. They were all hooded, when the other heard the gun shot, they came back inside and in the bid to pull him away his hood fell off, I saw his eyes and what he looked like. They were in a hurry to leave and didn’t know I saw him.
I had lived with the memory of his face since then. After my husband’s burial, I learnt to live with life, though tough and painful. I was however haunted by this man’s face. After a lot of plea from my mother and even my mother-in-law, to look for love and live I started dating again last year. Sometime this year, my father-in-law passed on. I have a good relationship with my mother-in-law and my late husband’s siblings so I played an active role at the burial. It was a big party. Lo and behold, I saw the alleged thief who shot my husband at the party.
He was a guest of my late husband’s half brother; the proverbial black sheep of their family, who suddenly have become a big man through his supposed importing and exporting business. I couldn’t make out if he recognised me or not, but I cannot forget that face.
I told my mother and later my mother-in-law, both of them were of the opinion that I should let the sleeping dog lie and I shouldn’t raise any hell since he didn’t recognise me or show any sign that he knew me. I don’t know what to do because the quest for justice is making me restless and if that is the only thing I would do for my late husband, I want to do it.
It is an obvious fact that my husband’s half sibling was involved in the incident and my mother-in-law is pleading that she wants peace to reign. My mother also is blackmailing me with the fact that I want to send her to an early grave if anything happens to me.
Please, Taiwo, what should I do?
Source: Nigerian Tribune
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