Her Illness, The First Sickness

1 She began to fall ill during her fourth child until she became very sick.

2 That child then died.

3 Her husband then drove her away, and he went on to write a letter saying he no longer wanted his wife.

4 When her father saw this, he went to the office in Renji.

5 The district official said,"You, stay with your child."

6 Having heard this, she went to the church where she had married and informed the pastor of the Mhanza church.

7 The pastor said,"Go and stay at your home."

8 When your husband comes, we will hear his reasons for rejecting you.

9 She stayed at her father's home.

10 But the baby boy became very ill, until she took the child and went with him to his father's home.

11 She herself was now feeling better in her illness.

12 Her husband said,"Just stay for a while."

13 While she was with her husband, she became very ill, but her husband did not care about it.

14 Then her husband went to Harare.

15 That sickness worsened; she was ill while with her last child.

16 When her husband heard that she was ill, he came and said,"Go back again to your home where you came from. If you insist on staying here, no one will look after you," and he drove her away to go to her home because"you are constantly ill."

17 "Go on to your home."

18 When she went to her home, she went thinking deeply,"What about my children, and my disability, they are all with my husband."

19 After thinking this, she returned to her husband.

20 When she arrived there, the illness seized her again; she became sick once more while there with her husband.

21 Those who followed, Mother Ema Nyamushanya, her sister-in-law, said,"I am taking my child, because they say whenever she comes here, she continues to be very ill like this."

22 Then she took her and went away with her.

23 While at her home, she became more ill than ever before.

24 Her husband heard this, but he never followed up or thought about it.

25 The husband, remaining at his home, then thought,"What about my children?"

26 He followed her to her home.

27 When he arrived there, he asked for his children; when he saw them, he snatched them away.

28 He said,"You cannot take all the children." Then she said,"Let us all go; you cannot take all the children from me."They all went together.

29 Having gone with her husband, they arrived and she became ill again.

30 When her parents heard that their child was ill again, they sent someone to go and fetch her.

31 But the husband drove him away upon arrival.

32 When this person returned, he told them everything.

33 Her father followed alone and arrived to take his daughter.

34 She never returned again until this day.

35 Because her husband had troubled her greatly.