If I was told a day like this would come, well I'd definitely believe it. I worked for this all my life. Worked late nights, took extra jobs. Barely sleeping because if I'm not working, I'm researching trying to get a vast knowledge of everything and anything. I have always strived to know something about everything. Therefore getting an award of excellency and chosen as the woman of the year by my country didn't come as a total surprise to me. Actually I never knew that I would get to the level of being recognized by the entire country, but I definitely knew I was going places. Nothing felt better like going home and celebrating the award with family.
This was a huge stepping stone in my career. There was no stopping me now, no limit to what I can achieve. However, things don't always go as planned because fate and the universe has their master plan and they execute the plan with or without your approval. The joy of my achievements was short lived, terminated with the news of my breakup with my husband two weeks after my award.
The news spread far and wide across the country. The story was, "Lady Bags award and kicks husband." "Lady breaks up with husband to marry her career." The thing about reporters is that they just Care about attractive headlines without bothering to know what actually happened. Nobody talked about the fact that my husband was the one who cheated on me and couple weeks after our divorce, he moved in with his new lover. I tried to Keep calm and prevent what was happening to affect my career, I was in a good place, I couldn't let anything mess it all up. At the same time, I tried to fight for my marriage. I kept calling my husband trying to work things out with him, he had to warn me several times to stop calling his cell. It wasn't Possible to give my hundred percent at work with all I was going through.
As if the breakup wasn't enough blow on my face, the news of my husbands death came to me on a Tuesday morning. I couldn't stop blaming myself for his death. The previous day we had a heated argument over the phone and he was getting tired of me bugging his line, therefore he decided to meet up with me the next day and we would sit and talk things over one more time. He was on his way to meet up with me when a trailer ran over his Lexus350. To make matters worse, I was accused of having a hand in his death. The driver of the trailer was never found, it was concluded the I was the master mind behind the accident.
Once again the reporters dragged my name to the mud with their headlines. "Jealous wife kills ex husband." "Couldn't stand losing her husband to another woman, so she sends him to his grave." "What do women want: not good enough for her, she kicks him out, still not satisfied she kills him." It was difficult to prove my innocence because there were strong evidences pointing the whole case at me. First there was the bugging phone calls and messages. I remember sending him an sms that said, "this divorce will only lead to someone's death." Of course I meant my own death out of misery and sorrow of losing my husband, but all that didn't matter in the court. Then there was the fact that I was the only one that knew his whereabouts. He didn't tell his new lover, neither did he tell his office where he was heading to, I was the only one that knew he was coming to meet me. To crown it all, the trailer that ran him over was registered to my company, what a crucial coincidence.
Despite all these, only I knew the truth. I would never kill the father of my two children. It was me against the world now. It seemed like the world wanted me to be guilty. The detectives wanted a judgment pleasing to the people, therefore they didn't bother placing an intense search for the driver of the truck. There was no winning this, It was obvious that I'd take the fall for his death.
It's funny that few months ago, I was on top of the world and now I'm sitting in this black hole. The same people applauding me on my award were the same people screaming crucify her, for someone wise else's sins. Or maybe they were my sins, maybe the reporters are right after all. Maybe I was focused on my career and I lost my husband. Perhaps I was truly guilty for his death. If I had accepted defeat, If I had let him be, then he would have been alive today.
I was sentenced to life imprisonment for first degree murder. I have served 15 years when the trailer driver was finally found. Thanks to some NGOs which took an interest in my case and decided to investigate further. The driver confessed that it was totally an accident and I had no hand whatsoever in his death. According to him, his brakes failed and the only way he could stop the trailer was running through a vehicle. I was discharged, acquitted and exhibited exonerated of all charges.
Was I suppose to be happy, was I suppose to go back home with songs and jubilations. After spending so many years in the whole, I was back to square one in the outside world. In fact, side worse than square one because I couldn't climb back up with a tarnished image. It seemed like all my life struggle and achievements were taken from me in a twinkle of an eye. People kept telling me that these are the normal trials accompanied with life. Honestly, If these are the usual storms of life, I never want to be a sailor.
