I am awakened by loud banging and shouts

outside the door. I am momentarily confused

until I see Odinaka hurriedly putting his

clothes on, his eyes wild with fear.

“chei they are here! We are caught!! Oh, may

our Chi have mercy, we are going to die

today! They will kill us both!” he sputters. He

stumbles over his clothing as the shouts grow

louder and the banging fiercer. My mind is

still dulled by sleep, my body too shocked to

make a move to get up from bed & get

dressed.

The door crashes open and I see a group of

men rushing in. They seem to pass Odinaka

and run toward - me! One of them slaps me

across my face as the other pulls my hair.

The force of my hair being pulled is enough

to drag me out of bed, my nakedness

apparent for all to see. I gasp in pain and

taste blood on my lips.

“Cover her up,” I hear one voice say, “ At

least let a bit of modesty be preserved before

we stone her.”

“Why cover the harlot up?” another cruel

voice that I recognize as Udoka, my

elder brother, hisses. “She has brought

shame upon us all and should die like a dog,

in shame!”

I use the opportunity to pull the sheet around

me loosely. I look around for Odinaka . He

must have used the ensuing chaos to flee and

preserve himself. Just like everyone in my

life. So much for love and standing beside

me through thick and thin!  A smile curves

on my lips and a small humourless chuckle

escapes before I have time to stop it. Another

slap cracks across my face. This time I

cannot stop the quick tears that come to my

eyes as a result of the pain.

“Shameless baggage!!You even dare to smile

and laugh over your sin?” my other brother,

Udoka spits. “You are nothing but a

harlot. A whore! You have been so from the

day of your conception and you will die as

one!”

I am dragged out from the room, through the

house and thrown out on the street. I barely

have time to recover when I am dragged to

my feet, beaten mercilessly as I am shoved

and pushed forward.

The crowd slowly swells as other men, full of

righteous indignation, join the ranks of my

accusers. Women look out of their windows,

pointing fingers at me and cursing. I can

hear some of them jeering.

“Where is your beauty now, 'onye-akwuna'..harlot?”

“Shameless woman! Be grateful you are

barren, for our Chi has spared your children

the shame of having a mother such as you!”

and the shouts went on.

I fall down again and feel a kick in my side.

I push myself up only to be slapped and

punched again. I feel my right eye swelling.

The physical pain is overwhelming but it is

the pain in my heart that threatens to undo

me. I remember my life: the misery, the

betrayal and pain I have had to endure over

and over again. I remember.

I was cursed with beauty. It was my burden.

I have raven black hair, wavy and

abundant. I also have almond shaped green

eyes, with luxuriant black lashes and a full

red mouth. I was born to seduce and tempt.

Or at least that is what I have been told from

the moment I was 12 years old. I remember

my father, a high ranking member of the

council of ndi-iche; chiefs, being told by his friends, “You had better marry that one off quickly before

she tempts a fine young man into sin.” I

didn’t even know what sin they were talking

about. Then my brother’s friends and even my father’s

friends gazed at me with lust from the time I

was 14 years old. That made my brothers

see the with rage and my sisters to boil with

jealousy. I tried to be modest, following all

our customs to remain proper and decent

but to no avail. Short of covering my face

entirely, there was nothing I could do. At 15,

I was married off to Mazi Ukanna, a man closer

to my father in age than me, an upstanding

member of the council of ndi-iche. I didn’t like him.

He looked at me like I was a piece of prized

palm kernel, a hideous glint in his eye. I remember

weeping the night before my wedding,

begging my father to release me from the

betrothal. That was the first and last time my

father slapped me.

“You will marry him and give him many

fine sons,” my father said, his eyes as cold as

winter snow.

Thus, my marriage began. I could not endure

Mazi Ukanna's forced caresses. There was no

love, no tenderness, only lust and anger.

When he saw my lack of response, he took to

beating me. Then, of course, there were no

sons or daughters..that was all attributed to

me.

“A curse on you, barren woman!” he would

shout often. His whole family blamed me for

my lack of children. I was distraught. I knew

nothing of love. I had not received more

than anger and jealousy at home so I knew

nothing else. Until I met Odinaka.

He was my husband’s nephew. He came to

stay with us under the tutelage of Mazi Ukanna,

with hopes of becoming a part of the

ndi-iche. He was tall, handsome and

showed me what I thought was love. He

spoke tender words to me under the

moonlight in the garden when the rest of the

household slept and my husband was off

gulping away in palmwine with his friends. I felt Our Chi had played a cruel joke on

me, and then left me to my fate. I felt that all

members of the ndi-iche and indeed

society in general were hypocrites – exhibiting righteousness in public and behaving no better

than wild oxen in private. It wasn’t long

before I let Odinaka into my heart and then

into my bed. I knew it wouldn’t last but I

had not expected to get caught presently, I feel myself being thrown to the

ground. 

The crowd has swelled in size. I

knew the end was coming soon. Then I heard

Udoka shout, “Onye nkuzi anyi..Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing

adultery. In our Law, our fore-fathers commanded that such a woman must be stoned to death. Now,

what do you say?”

Onye-nkuzi? Oh, yes, it must be that Jisòs I

had heard about. He was quite a popular

character. I had seen Him briefly once, in

passing. He was a rather non-descript fellow

- a typical righteous man with dark brown

wavy hair, beard who had the bearing of one

accustomed to manual labour. I hear He was the son of De Joe our famous carpenter. People said He

performed miracles and was Wise beyond

His years or experience. Well, maybe He

could perform a miracle for me now and

make me disappear, I thought wryly. I was

determined to die with dignity, I was not

ashamed. I had had a brief taste of love and

if I was to be punished for that, then so be it.

I lifted my chin up, determined to be proud

till the end. I wasn’t afraid to die, indeed it

might prove to be a sweet release for me

from my miserable life. By now, my right

eye had swollen shut but I looked up. My

eyes met briefly with those of Onye-nkuzi's and my

heart stopped.

Never had anyone looked at me that way.

Not with lust, or hate or jealousy. But with

love and tenderness so pure it seemed

otherworldly. And there was something

absent in His eyes: condemnation. I felt tears

spring up as inexplicable feelings coursed

through my veins. I felt shame, fear at the

same time. I wanted to throw myself at His

Feet and beg, not for my life, but for

forgiveness. He then stooped to the ground

and started writing.

A twitter passed through the crowd. He was

writing? On the sand? He wrote for what

seemed like an eternity then he stood up. He

said, so softly that if not for the deathly

silence He may not have been heard.

“Whichever one of you has committed no sin

may throw the first stone at her.” Then He

stooped back and continued writing.

I bowed my head, expecting the first stone to

come crashing down. I hoped it would be

quick. I heard a dull thud as a huge rock fell

next to me. Then another. Then another.

Slowly, the rocks were dropped as the crowd

thinned out. The last rock to fall was that

Udoka was holding. I looked up and

saw in his eyes loathing, as he dropped his

rock, turned on his heel and walked away. It

was just Onye-nkuzi and I in that narrow alley. I

slowly got up, every fibre in my body aching.

Then Jisòs straightened up and stood. Our

eyes met again and I had the overwhelming

feeling that I was standing in the presence of

Someone Great. I wanted to fall to my face

and pay Him homage.  He then said softly

again, His Voice like the soft humming of the

summer wind.

“Where are they? Is there no one left to

condemn you?”

I shook my head and answered, “No one,

Sir.”

He smiled softly and exhaled, total

forgiveness in His eyes. “Well, then. I do not

condemn you either. Go, but do not sin

again.” And just like that I felt the burden of

my past drop from me like dead weight. Not

just my adultery but my pain and anguish. I

felt new. I knew I had no home with

Mazi Ukanna or my family but I was not

panicked. I had felt the very presence of

Our Chi!! I felt like shouting with joy! As I

gathered my wrappings around me I looked

up and saw Jisòs..Onye-nkuzi anyi walking away, some men joining Him. I wondered if I could follow

Him. Perhaps I could for I heard there were

some women in His Party, one of them

da Mariam of Magdala, distantly related to my

side of the family.

Perhaps I could go to her.

-    Scripture from John 8: 4 - 11

Iyke Jacob.