With a Single Slap

With a single slap It started with a single slap Back then during courtship And I vowed I was going to leave him He begged so much it became embarrassing “Baby I am sorry,” he pleaded “I will never lift a finger to hit you again,” he vowed His friends begged claiming it was work pressure What could I do? I loved him so much I went against promise to self I took him back That was my undoing It happened again in the second month of marriage We were sitting on the sofa in the living room What we joked about, I cannot even remember But he hit me so hard I started bleeding I woke up on a hospital bed I was so sore, one eye partly shut He had given me the beating of my life. I vowed this time I was going to leave But what would people say? Our marriage was just two months My parents had spared no cost to give me a fairytale wedding I was after all their princess We still had cake from the wedding in our fridge! So, continued my torture My husband became my tormentor, he hit me at the slightest provocation. Then came the last straw I was eight months pregnant, slow from carrying the weight of two people He came home drunk and hungry He demanded I made him pounded yam A very wicked request Considering I had just made him some rice with the last bit of strength I had in me Then the monster struck again He beat me, oh he beat me black and blue, red and yellow He beat me so bad I lost the baby I so lovingly longed for “Madam we are so sorry we couldn’t save the baby, it was so badly affected from the kicks to your stomach, you only barely survived,” said the doctor. I cried so bitterly as my world came crashing I had so many dreams for my baby But they were cut short by his beastly father. This time, I actually left Not caring about anything or anyone I could not bear to live with the one that murdered my son Even before he saw the light of day The one who snuffed his little life out of him Before he even came to life I left with a broken heart and shattered dreams Mourning the son I will never know. Temisan Susan Dudu