She just woke up, without raising her body just lying on her side, her eyes still closed, half awake, she felt with her hand the empty space on the bed beside her. On that side of the bed, the blanket was pulled away, it was the sheer indication that someone had quietly slipped out unnoticed; that was her husband. The shock shot chill down her spine. She did not believe someone of sobriety would leave the house in this manner so early in spite of the good time they had together before retiring.
After fully awakened, she jumped out of bed and slowly strolled foreword only to find the door left ajar. She looked left and right before stepping out of the house. And yet, she was not convinced that her husband would disappear just like a stranger who had begged to pass the night under her roof.
Standing out there alone, she saw no soul moving around as it was very early. No! No! She screamed in words inaudibly. What have I done to him to run away without telling me the reason why or at least without bidding me farewell? Is that all about marriage?
Mare comes from a Christian background. Her parents, although farmers by occupation, duly trained her to be honest to her God and kind to people she interacts with. These principles began ringing in her mind. She slid down the wall against which she leaned, buried her head between her knees and started weeping.
She remained in that situation for a while and got up to figure out what she would do next. Her neighbors were all in bed if she sought some kind of counseling as the old Ethiopian maxim goes ‘a closest neighbor is better than a distant relative’, she urgently wanted somebody in whom she could confide her secret.
The half dark early hour of the early morning gradually yielded to the mighty golden ray of the sun. The deafening whispers of the wind in that particular location somewhat distanced itself from human ears. Day time slowly and steadily sneaked into take over its duty and the people in the neighborhood began opening their doors and even smokes were going up from some roofs.
This was the right time for Mare to go to her friend Chaltu with whom she had had much in common. Chaltu overwhelmed by what she heard from her friend, soon broke into bitter tears. We women, what good are we for? She asked shaking her angry fist as if eager to punch Mare’s husband in the face if had been around. “Any way I will fix coffee and we will discuss over it in depth and find solution to the problem,” she said trying to comfort Mare.
“I’m very sorry to bother you at this early hour of the day,’
Chaltu responded, “What’s a friend for if I can’t help you in time such as this? After all we are like sisters.” She hugged Mare who was still sobbing, to reassure her that she would be on her side and go any distance concerning this matter.
“What do you think I should do? You know that I can’t live in this neighborhood, in fact in this area. I can’t stand the embarrassments; fingers pointing to me everywhere I turn to.”
“I can understand your feeling. I would do the same. People these days are judgmental for something they have little knowledge,” said Chaltu looking straight into the eyes of Mare. In case of worse situation, she decided to send her to her sister who was living in Addis Ababa and after sometime she did so.
Chaltu soon became the resident of the capital city living with Chaltu’s sister Helen, who owned a small bar. She employed Mare as a waitress to take advantage of her beauty, so that she could attract as many clients as possible to boost her business. Unlike Chaltu, Helen was too business-minded. Her tall stature with wavy hair running down her back and added to that, the natural color and condition of the skin on her face was fair and these were very reasons to start the business.
For Mare, the circumstance did not welcome her. As a child she was raised
under the tutelage of her father who was strict in faith and who wanted his children to follow suite. He believed in arranged marriage, for the good of his daughter. Working in the bar was not for Mare; she declined to accept the offer by the clients to pass the night with her and because of that the number of clients was going down by the day and the income dwindling likewise as many clients stopped coming. Thus, Helen after repeated warnings had no option left to her other than firing her.
“How can I survive if I lose the business? I thought you would do your part to keep the business going.”
“Sorry my sister, I’d rather starve than do this. I can’t blame you for the measure you have taken in firing me. In fact, I am grateful for tolerating me so far and I apologize for the financial loss I caused you,” said Mare weeping bitterly. She did not wait for her boss’s blessing upon which she picked up her few belongings, walked straight out of the bar and headed for destination she had not yet decided as she was impulsively moving. Fear and anger dominated her activities as anybody else would be.
The fate of her husband was not any better than Mare’s; after arriving in Addis, things were not as he hoped they would be. He could not find a job and even if he did, the wages he earned were not enough for his daily bread. The nights were apprehensive to him; he always worried or frightened something bad would happen to him.
He had no safe place where he would put up at night. Eventually, as things got worse, he resorted to the use of addictive substances to quell the pressure of fear inside him. Due to that, he could not work regularly and as result he was involved in stealing and robbing for which he was eventually sent to prison where he served three years.
Similarly, Mare had to go under severe hardship for some time and she started sleeping in the street fighting back the sexual harassment aimed at her. Nevertheless, within such a treacherous situation, luck was on her side and she started roadside business with the money she begged and earned as a daily laborer. She was vending food affordable for many who could not eat from hotels.
The business boomed and the number of her clients was increasing by the day. Her savings in the bank was so much that she found permanent place to expand the business. Business in Ethiopia was very feasible and one can become rich in a very short time as long as one is smart enough. Economically, she positioned herself well. She was now able to buy a car upon which waking or using a taxi was no more mentioned.
By then, she was a big boss; she had close to fifteen employees. She saw to it that all her workers were relatively well-paid and pleased with their work. One day it happened that some people came to her place looking for a job among which was her ex-husband.
He had no slightest idea that the woman he abandoned would rise to such socio-economic status which made her rich enough to employ workers. In fact he did not know who the owner was; he came just to see if there was a chance of getting a job. When he approached her, he could not recognize as she was physically transformed and her beauty increased.
However, Mare, as soon as she set eye on him, she knew that it was her husband. Something inside her was screaming with a mixed feelings; she felt she would rather chase him away from her property and on the other hand, the love and kindness inculcated in her did not allow her to behave that way. One cannot be more than one is.
She called by his name, he was staggered as soon as he name came out her mouth. Without any formality she ran to him and fell into his folds, tears trickling down both faces – one of love the other shame and guilt. Anything would be happily possible ever after.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 18 August 2019
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
