Mary’s start over.
—names and identifying information have been changed—
Mary has had her fair share of trials. Growing up in the modern village of Kamuyu to her parents who were estranged made things difficult for her. She knew family to be unstable and not much to hold on to. Although her mother was a devout Christian and always made sure her children lacked nothing, Mary was always worried that her mother was suffering way too much than the average mother would. She wanted to change all this and that is why she took a bad turn and ran away from home while she was still in grade four to pursue riches through loving a man.
Mary met John and fell in love with him. He had promised her the moon and the stars and most of all stability. She knew him as a business man who would make a successful future and build her the castles she had always wanted and dreamed of.
Soon enough she had two children and that is when hell started. Her then husband started to be violent. The little money he had made from his business was now a hub of abuse. He started to drink a lot and would return home vile. He complained that his business was difficult to manoeuvre and also said his wife Mary made things harder for him. That she used him and was there for the money.
At this time Mary had no hope because she knew the little education she had was basic but could not lead or land her a proper job. She started to regret why she had dropped off school in the first place and ran away to look for better livelihood. She knew this relationship was not going to last.
Within some months, Mary’s husband started to bring home different women. She was always introduced as the cousin and that she was nobody. Some days she would be chased to stay outside until he was done with his visitors and then called her back in while he was about to leave for work. He would order her around and eventually her self-esteem became so low she contemplated suicide.
***
One day it became enough. She was sure to leave this time and not have another hand be laid on her. Her kids were so young at that time and she knew they were a priority. She had to get out before it was too late, and they would also be turned into bashing bags for her husband’s frustrations.
So one evening as she was preparing dinner, her husband was arrested by the local police. She was informed by a neighbour who had witnessed the events and narrated to her that he was causing chaos at the local pub and had started a brawl with a very important person in the society. Mary wasted no time. She grabbed her bags and packed some clothes and food and told her kids to dress up as well. She hurriedly helped them and made a dash for the door. This was her only chance to escape. And she did.
Mary took the next bus out of Kamuyu and travelled to the city centre of Nairobi. She knew she had to start from somewhere and hid herself at a nearby hospital since it was too late in the evening to look for a place to stay. She held onto her kids closely as the night went by and promised herself to find an alternative as the hours went by.
In the morning, Mary found herself stiff from sitting on the bench all night. Her kids had managed to doze off easily stretched on the other benches beside her. All through the night she had to keep telling the security guards that she was waiting for laboratory results for herself and her kids so it did not look suspicious and there seemed to be people coming in and going so it was rather safe to say the least.
She got up and headed to a nearby telephone booth and called her friend Joan who lived in a neighbourhood in Nairobi. Joan had been close to her when they met at the clinic one day when she got to get one of her wounds stitched up from a beating she had received from her husband. Joan worked as a nurse at the clinic and was rather sympathetic with her story and had tried to make Mary press charges against John but Mary was hesitant as she said she would rather have her kids have a father around. Joan would then tell Mary that her own happiness was also important and she needed to figure it out before it was too late. So this time, Mary had made a smart move to run away and she told Joan of the ordeal and that she needed a job and a place to stay until she got a place of her own. She knew time was of the essence because her husband would soon be out of jail and looking for her so she pleaded with her friend Joan.
Joan was quick to celebrate and said finally Mary had come to her senses but more so had gathered enough strength to leave a situation in which she was not growing as a person both physically and emotionally. She was more excited than life itself and told Mary she could go to her place right away and handed her an address which she would soon take up the journey. This was the beginning of her new life.
Three months later, Mary had found a job with a cleaning company and had accumulated enough wealth to move into her own home with her two kids. She worked vigilantly and made enough money to even take them to school and afford the basics.
Life did change for the better and she grew stronger with each passing day. As her kids watched her blossom into the woman she was meant to be.
And as for her mother, well, Mary went back home to visit and her mother cried tears of joy. She also learnt that her mother was looking for her and praying that she returned home. Mary did apologise for running away but promised her mother that she would build her a home and also take care of her. Her mother was pleased.
Mary’s husband did try to look for her. He called her with several numbers trying to gain access to his children but he had no luck. It was too late and he was already an abusive partner and Mary saw no need of having negative energy in her life and decided to keep away from him and eventually changed numbers. She would still hear stories of him from people who knew her and him as a couple. She would learn that he remarried and Mary would be breathing a sigh of relief that would translate to how happy she was being her own person.
In the end she became successful as she was prayerful. She worked hard and maintained her respect. Her kids are all grown up now. One in high school and another in elementary school. She is still continuing to educate them so that they can have a better future than hers. It all works out, she pulled through the most difficult years of physical and verbal abuse alive. She gets to live a better life than she had because now she calls the shots. She decides who is worthy of her time and who is not. She lives for herself and her children and not anymore trying to live a life that is not fulfilling all because she fell in love with the wrong guy.