The Breakup Diaries (2): The Money
“My money comes with sentiments”.
“The first rule of me giving you my money is that you must obey all my instructions and anyone you disobey, you will be punished for it” His eyes danced as he told me this.
It was like watching a snake with it’s body erect- just before it pounced:
“How?” I asked
“I will withhold my money. There is no other way to punish you meaningfully. This is the only leverage I have” He said
4 years ago, when I was working my ass off on the business that was now yielding his money, he had convinced me to register it in his name only as “what is mine is yours”. “We are one already so, why do we need to call it your own and my own? We are building together as one so, let us register it under one name- my name”
Sounded good to me.
We had a lifetime of happiness before us and to show my love and devotion as always, I signed away all the papers that gave him sole ownership. As I stared into the void of his eyes, all those days of sales that I did under the sun and in the rain for our future- stared back, mocking me.
“I worked hard for this money,” I reminded him
“For how long? Few months? and then you will come back and complain about the sun and the rain? Was I not the one who expanded the business? Is it not registered in my name?” He countered.
It was convenient that all my labour was reduced to ‘few’.
In the West, there are common laws and ability to sue for wages and all of that but, welcome to Africa. I had no legal recourse. All I had was a truckload of ‘fuck you’.
My love and devotion was worth about as much as the clothes in my wardrobe. He had me and he knew it. I knew it too.
“My money comes with sentiments” He continued with the passion of victory that is so peculiar between abusers and their victims. “You want my money, you obey my rules. You leave this house and you don’t come back before 8pm, you lose your allowance money for the next week”
“What do you even care where I go or what I do with my life?”
“I don’t but if you will continue to stay under my roof and need my money, you will obey my rules”
Thank you for reading.
My name is Adaobi Okwy. Please turn on Email Notification for my next post. Also, Buy me coffee?
