"We have been married for 10 years with three kids -all girls- before he became convinced by his family members that taking a second wife would give him a male child. I have heard stories about two women sharing a man but I didn't see it coming to me. During my childhood days, sharing things I adored was not my strength- much more sharing a man that I loved, as a grown-up. The moment Gina walked in as the second wife, the drawn battle line became more visible. Things went quickly from normal to toxic like slamming the accelerator from zero to 260miles/hr."

Louisa is a fighter. And her shark-like frame fits the profile. She continued, "I was dragged through hell for what I did not sign for. Stating that my husband, Kenny, changed overnight should be the greatest understatement of the century. He was no longer interested in my food nor our kids. I was getting sex like doses of glucose just like it was administered into our palms, during games in our college days. Our matrimonial bed became a danger zone; as if it had a skull and crossbones sign boldly inscribed on it. My husband wouldn't touch me with a 'rubber covered pole'. Gina became the toast of the season and the queen mother of the house. You could notice the big sneer on her face each time she walked by. She was enjoying the faceoff between our husband and me. She became the evil umpire who loved me."

Louisa kept talking. "At the early stage of our marriage, I wanted to finish my university education but my hubby said that it was not necessary. He claimed that he had made enough money to keep us comfortable. I became a decorated housewife that was absolutely dependent on her man- one that presumably loved me and would die for me. He claimed that I was too precious to him to be put to any hard labour. I saw this as the expression of the love he had for me. As a result, I accepted it and sat at home like a five-star housewife. But things changed when Gina walked in, and shockingly, it did so fast. It didn't take me time to know that I had to respond to the prevailing situation. I borrowed some money from family and friends and went into the foodstuff business. My customer base grew astronomically- probably because they knew my story. With excellent customer service, I converted their pity to loyalty"

She came to the closing part. "Within a couple of years, Gina had made another three girls for the family. The boy child remained elusive. Her relationship with our husband began to get rusty and rocky. When I was thinking that the third wife could be in the offing, our husband got involved in a fatal motor accident. He got involved in a shouting match with Gina one morning only to rush out angrily and didn't come back the way he left. It was a head-on collision; the driver and three passengers died instantly. He survived but we were told he would never move his limbs ever- he was going to be in that vegetative state till death calls. Hardly had he been discharged from the hospital when Gina picked her things and left with the kids. I, the rejected stone became the headstone that carried the family. By this time, I had acquired 15 shops in the market; I rented 12 and kept 3 for myself. I had two delivery vans and later started exporting to the neighboring countries. The day Gina walked into that house became my turning point. The wolf that came to consume me ended up becoming my source of food. The only dark side is the condition my husband was left in. But everything happens for good for those that trust in God"

REFLECTION
Adversity has a way of beating us into a pulp that we become resistant to tough times. If we respond well to adversity, it will always open the door to something exciting. Adversity is the best practical class where lessons about life's fundamental principles are taught. Nonetheless, how you come out of it at the end is a function of how well you respond to it. The narrator did not recluse nor start whimpering. Neither did she start playing the victim in order to attract sympathy. In fact, she arrested the situation and made it a prisoner.

Your response to adversity might not yield the desired result immediately. But you see, there are wars that you will need to fight more than one battle to have a peep at victory. Whatever that it is that is troubling you right now has been seen before. I may not know what it is, but I know one thing for sure: if you respond well and make the right decisions, everything would turn out well.

References:
https://anekearinzeblog.com