Infertility and my husband mocked me but I had the last laugh

"I was nineteen years old, and green, when I met Chinedu and twenty two when we got married.

Twelve years into our marriage, despite all our best efforts, we were yet to be blessed with children. It caused me a lot of heartache and I ran from pillar to post, searching for solutions to my childlessness but the only answer that came to me was to be patient and that children would come. I consulted doctors, priests, pastors and once, I went to the dark side for answers but fear of the requests made by the dark forced me back to the light. It was a terrible time.

Even worse was after the third year of searching for solutions, my husband turned against me. With his family, they mocked my barrenness and on many occasions, his siblings turned physical on me, hitting and beating me over the minutest of things. Tears cried to my husband were met with his cold stare and heart. He had lost his love for me and only a child would bring it back. I prayed fervently.

As I traipsed all over for a child, my husband never accompanied me. Requests by my doctor that he come in for tests were ignored; requests by my priest that he come in for counseling fell on deafer ears. He was a man’s man and his ego was gravely wounded by my inability to give him a child and spare him the pitying stares of his friends – at least that was what he said.

Finally, after twelve years, he gave up on us, asked me to move out and formally ended our marriage. I was thirty our, had an averagely successful business which I’d neglected for the most part during my ‘child search’ but it was time to refocus my energies and I did.

Somehow, luck smiled on me again and three years later, I met Niba. He was a sweet guy who, for some reason, decided he liked me. He doted on me and less than a year after we met, he asked me to marry him. I remembered my barren issues and knew that I could not place that burden on such a sweet and kind man. My heart broke as I told him the truth about my situation but he surprised me by saying he still wanted to marry me. He said my honesty made him believe that he was lucky to have found me and it made him love me even more. I was in shock and awe.

Months after we got married, I fell sick. A doctor’s appointment revealed the impossible – I was pregnant. At thirty eight, finally, God had decided to bless me. We have three children now and sometimes, I still can’t believe my eyes when I look at my family.

Chinedu remarried shortly after he booted me out. He’s yet to have a child. I won’t say he was the problem but your guess is as good as mine. I wish him the best though. Now I truly believe that everything in life happens for a reason. If he had not kicked me out, I would still be childless and troubled. Now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.