Infidelity is a major issue in four of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s short stories in her latest book, Do Not Burn My Bones and Other Stories.
By Lechi Eke
In this edition of Inside Literature, we examine different kinds of infidelity in four of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo’s short stories in her latest book, Do Not Burn My Bones and Other Stories.
New Skin
The theme of New Skin is the issue of the housewife’s nightmare. It is the issue of “the other woman”, also, known in different ages as, “mistress”, “the woman outside”, “concubine”, “strange woman”, “the home-breaker”, “husband snatcher”, etc. In this age (2022), it is christened, “side chick”. So, the theme of this short story is the penitent side chick.
Infidelity in marriage is one of the world’s hottest topics in every age. Ezeigbo beams the torchlight on the ‘side chick’ that is repentant. And like the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers whom the Apostle Paul encountered at Athens after leaving Berea, who took him to Areopagus to know more what the new doctrine he brought was, I drew closer to learn about a side chick that is human enough to be remorseful! This should be a rare being to 21st century housewives married to rich husbands (chuckle).
Employing a ‘showing’ and not ‘telling’ plot, Ezeigbo limns a portrait of Lotanna, a Law graduate who meets Henry, a young rich guy, at Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos. Henry Obadia helps Lotanna secure NYSC redeployment from Kogi to Lagos state. They start dating for two years. He takes her with him on his working trips to important cities across the globe such as London, Paris, Nairobi, etc. But the author doesn’t tell us where they meet in Lagos since Henry is married and cannot take Lotanna to his house.
Lotanna lost her parents in a road accident when she was 17, and a fresher in the university studying law. Her father’s business partner trains her up to Law School. Lotanna lived with the man until he relocates to the east. Then, she moves into a girls’ hostel while still dating Henry. It is here that two women pay her a visit and beat her black and blue.
Her roommate returns to their room to find these strange women beating Lotanna. She stops them with a threat. Before they leave, the older lady tells Lotanna that she’s Mrs Obadia and if she doesn’t stop seeing her husband, she’ll return and then what she’ll face would be worse.
When Lotanna’s roommate finds out that the woman comes everyday and packs her car to spy on the hostel, she tells Lotanna. This prompts the afflicted girl to send an SOS to her Law school classmate and friend, Tola, to come and rescue her. Tola takes her into her flat in a different part of the city.
Recuperating in Tola’s flat from both emotional and physical injuries inflicted on her by her sugar daddy’s wife and her friend, Lotanna has time to reflect on life. She’s deeply sorry, explaining to Tola that she did not know Henry was married. There, in her friend, Tola’s tiny apartment, Lotanna grows a new skin – a change of heart, to leave the married man though he calls 100 times a day and tries to see her. She turns a new leaf birthed out of remorsefulness, deciding that the relationship is not worth the trouble it brought her.
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Examining Akachi Ezeigbo’s Do Not Burn My Bones, other stories
So, New Skin simply means turning a new leaf.
Critiquing New Skin
However, I find it hard to believe that a man that takes a girl ‘everywhere’ except the place he calls home is hard to guess he’s married. But that’s the case the author presents in New Skin. I ask myself, how wouldn’t Lotanna suspect that Henry’s married? That a grown man won’t take his girlfriend to his house, isn’t it a clear signal that he’s married?
Although, I question the genuineness of Lotanna’s repentance too, well, her word of prayer to God as she stands gazing at the lagoon from the balcony of Tola’s flat lends some credence to it. She prays that God will help her “move on from the mistakes of the past.” Not contained in the prayer is grace never to repeat the same mistake. However, it’s evident she’s gathered experience. She’s learnt how to identify a married man in a relationship.
Out of Sight
Out of Sight is about a university lecturer in Nigeria awarded a fellowship programme at the Institute of Education, University of London. She has to leave her husband and twin boys to travel to England for six months. Her husband tells her meaningfully to remember she has a husband when she’s away.
In London, Chisom throws herself into her work to minimize missing them. However, she does not reckon with the biting cold of London. When she inquires from a Kenyan neighbour and new friend how they deal with the cold, she tells her how they cope. They get themselves boyfriends. Shocked, Chisom repeats that she’s married with children.
One day, the Kenyan friend takes her to a party where a good-looking Ghanaian male (Clifford) presses her into dancing with him. At the party, Wanja, Chisom’s Kenyan friend, dances with her boyfriend while Chisom dances with Cliff. As it’s getting late, Chisom notices that people are beginning to leave. She can’t find Wanja and she confides to Clifford that she doubts if she can find her way back to the hostel where she lives.
Clifford promises to take her home, but makes them stop at a wrong bus stop. When Chisom questions the place, Clifford explains it is his own stop; he wants to pick a parcel for his sister who stays close to Chisom. He insists that Chisom doesn’t wait for him in the cold but should step into his flat and she obliges him. But he takes too long picking the parcel.
Chisom calls out to him to be quick. He emerges differently dressed, and tries to force her. She gives him a hard push and flees the scene in holy indignation. End of story.
Analysis
The theme of this story is sexual harassment. In this story, the author explores what can happen to lone ladies when exposed to certain environments. A single or lone person (male or female) is vulnerable to sexual harassment because they present a picture of availability in the society. Take for instance, a social media joke after Prince Phillip died. It read: “Guys, the queen is single!”
So, whoever sees a grown person who’s alone, can make a move on them believing that they’re single, even if not really single, but where they are seen, they’re alone and therefore available.
I believe it is on the strength of what people like Chisom’s neighbour and new friend, the Kenyan lady do, that’s why Clifford concludes Chisom one of such African ladies that gets themselves boyfriends in the interim when they are on a working visit abroad. Also, maybe that’s why Chisom’s husband asked her back home in Nigeria to remember she has a husband.
In the clime where Chisom finds herself, it is the practice (maybe because of their weather) for two strangers to end up together in bed, indiscriminately, after a chance meeting at a party. So, Chisom being alone in that party is vulnerable, and suffers sexual harassment.
This brings us to the reality that sexual harassment comes about when one party is not interested. If there is mutual attraction, it would not be sexual harassment. Chisom is not interested in Clifford. So, what if she is?
Plot hole?
So, I’m looking at Chisom’s lack of emotional needs as a possible plot-hole in this short story because this is the only premise a good married woman might cheat or discipline herself not to cheat on her husband. Chisom’s indignation at the effrontery of Clifford is only because she doesn’t fancy him enough to oblige him. Also, Clifford is too hasty which is a turn off. But this characterisation of him is in sync with good-looking male chauvinists.
A woman will not cheat on her husband because she wants to keep warm. It is this need that Clifford wants to exploit. Physical need of warmth can be met with cups of tea, a warm room and blankets. Men and women are wired differently. Men are carnal beings and can get intimate with the opposite sex for physical needs. Women, on the other hand, sleep with men they have emotional attachment to, except for benefits such as cash, or material things. This is why female prostitution thrives more than male prostitution.
However, Ezeigbo still leaves her readers with questions like: “What if Chisom fancies Clifford?” “What if Clifford plays his card right (be a gentleman and takes things easy), wouldn’t things have turned out differently?” These would have posed perfect temptation for litmus test in this story.
In my conclusion, the author did not create circumstantial atmospheres for infidelity to either occur or to be resisted. I know of course that’s not her objective in the story. Out of sight is not addressing out of mind, but about how married people are vulnerable to predators (chuckle) when they are apart.
The Dove’s Revenge
Another story examining infidelity in this collection of short stories is, The Dove’s Revenge. The story starts with a wife brooding over her husband’s strange behaviour, something that borders on apathy and rudeness towards her with no cause she can identify. She doesn’t know what the matter is. When her friend and colleague turns up late for their teaching practice supervision with the explanation that her husband’s impromptu demand for a quickie with her made her late, Yemisi wonders when last she even had an intimacy with her husband.
While Yemisi and her friend, Amaka, chat, Amaka discovers that Yemisi doesn’t have her chart. She has forgotten it at home. The supervisor gives her permission to dash home to take it and return quickly before the practice commences.
On getting home, Yemisi is surprised to see her husband’s car parked at home. She lets herself in with her own key and as she walks towards her bedroom, she hears sounds of laughter, and peeping through her bedroom key hole, she sees her husband and his cousin (who lives with them) naked and clinging to themselves (don’t ask me how). When she knocks, it takes awhile for him to open the door. By then, they have put on some clothes and her husband declares that it is not what it looks like.
Fast forward to after Yemisi has returned from her teaching practice supervision, and her husband says his cousin has gone. She and her husband have a talk. Her husband explains in a very serious convincing tone that he and his supposed cousin had gone into their shared bedroom to discuss something very important and he is sorry for not choosing another venue for that important discussion.
Yemisi is livid. She visits her husband’s sister in another city to inquire about Funmi, their cousin. Her sister-in-law tells her that her brother said Funmi is Yemisi’s own cousin. Tolu’s sister doesn’t know the lady!
Yemisi returns and after discussing the matter with Amaka and her own mother, who still lives in England where she raised Yemisi and her siblings, decides to leave her husband. She begins to plan for her travel. An opportunity presents itself when Tolu claims that duty at work calls him to travel to another part of Nigeria for a few days. Immediately, Yemisi fixes date for her relocation with her children to England.
The story ends as she relocates with her children, to England, when her husband travels out of town.
Critiquing the story
A dove symbolises gentleness. So, Yemisi is the image of a gentle woman who’s been taking all kinds of subtle abuses from her husband. But this time, Tolu, her husband goes too far.
The theme of this story should just be infidelity in marriage and nothing else. It is the worst kind of infidelity where a husband brings in his mistress to live in his family space lying that she’s his cousin.
Ezeigbo brings to the fore her ingenuity in plotting the story. Without any warning, Amaka, who arrives late shortly before their supervisor shows up confides in her friend, Yemisi why she’s late – her husband delayed her a bit for a ‘quickie’ after she’s bathed and dressed up for the teaching practice supervision. This little explanation from her friend and colleague hits at the core of her heart’s cogitations – her husband hasn’t been performing his conjugal duties.
Amaka finding out about Yemisi’s missing chart which is very important for what they came to do moves the story forward. Yemisi has to dash home to get her chart. This solves the mystery of her husband’s strange behaviour that she was pondering over at the beginning of the story.
With a cause and effect plot/structure, Ezeigbo presents a story showing how homes are broken. Yemisi’s husband after being caught red-handed still denies the obvious, faulting himself for choosing a wrong place to have an important discussion with his cousin!
This is salt on injury. Yemisi decides to leave him. She is a British citizen and has her mother in the UK still.
Well, not many married women have such privileges. Although Ezeigbo paints a perfect home-breaker, many millions of women have suffered such treatment and remain in their husband’s house because of economic reasons. Where will they go? How will they feed? How will the children go to school?
Economic factors have tied poor African women to abusive marriages. There’s also the culture factor. Many families frown at the woman leaving because, obviously, men are the judges and the philandering husband didn’t kill anybody, all he committed was adultery which isn’t a grievous sin.
Standing on the Promises of Love
This story examines the issue of trust in a relationship. Debbie, a young Nigerian woman who relocates to England after a divorce, dates a Liberian male for six months. She’s beginning to think that Michael is different from other men. He seems very interested in her and talks marriage.
Michael is a typical African living paperless in the UK hustling for a better life. He dates Debbie a Nigerian divorcee for six months and then invites her to his pad. She requests for tea which he doesn’t have. He goes out to buy it leaving her alone in his apartment. Debbie gives herself a private tour of Michael’s living quarters while he’s gone. She discovers that there’s a woman living with Michael as his wardrobe displays a lady’s clothes, shoes and handbags.
On returning, Michael notices a change in Debbie’s countenance and wants to know why. She confronts him with her discovery. He explains that he’s married to a white woman for papers, that it is purely a business arrangement.
Debbie is very upset saying that in six months, Michael did not find time to tell her. But he says he’s waiting for her to visit his house for him to tell her because he really wants to marry her explaining how it would be beneficial to them both. Debbie says she’s a British citizen and doesn’t need any help in that area. Michael rejoices saying that then he doesn’t need to continue with the white lady.
But Debbie will not have any of it and walks out on him.
Analysis
Because men are prone to lying and cheating, women are highly suspicious of them. Also, because sex to men is not something as deep as it is to women, they tend to have more problems in the area of trust.
My people say, once bitten, twice shy. Debbie just came out of a painful divorce. She leaves Nigeria in order to make a clean break and start again. But here’s love calling again. This one waits six months without pushing for intimacy. Debbie’s trust is built up. Alas, just the first visit, everything she’s built in her heart comes crashing down!
Readers may think that Debbie may be wrong. Chances are, she may be reading this lover wrongly, but who knows? Although the author is able to show the sincerity of Michael in this story, and I’m almost swayed by his profuse profession of love to Debbie, but looking at dating someone for six months, and not finding a suitable time in 183 days to warn someone you love and thinks to marry that you have such an arrangement as marriage for papers? It’s difficult to believe, especially, with what Debbie had suffered at the hands of an ex-husband, a man? Naah…
Conclusion
In conclusion, in the four stories treated above, Ezeigbo examines behaviours typifying stereotypes of gender based social roles. From the male characters, we see not a word of apology, or genuine repentance. This is typical of men.
The women are characterised to be livid, but impotent. They’re at the receiving end of men’s bad behaviours and cannot make the men stop or change. That there’s no change in any male character is not surprising. It’s only Jesus that can change a man.
So, the characters are stock except Lotanna in New Skin who experiences a change and becomes a round character.
All situations explored in the four stories are typical. They are not original, but are treated from fresh angles, perhaps to teach the daughters of Eve (chuckle).
