My journey home was depressing, the note I had gotten earlier at work slowed my mind and footsteps. Suddenly, the slow pace at which I carried my body had been jolted into a sprint.

Nara's  voice could be heard a mile away. I knew she had started with the tenants again. I fastened my steps to stop her from unleashing hell on who ever her victim was this time.

As I ditched walking and moved on to running, the voices that had now taken a temporary residence in my head pushed me to run faster, or blood will flow.

I got through the gate in time to see  Nara's hand wrapped round papa Esther's neck.
The man was on a height deficient side, just like me. Mine was more manageable just because I had two inches to boast of.

Oyibo my last child was comfortably balanced on her left hip. I couldn't understand how someone could have the strength to pre-strangle someone, and at the same time carry a baby.

           "Nara, stop!" I yelled from the entrance of the gate, forcing my legs to do the needful.

She ignored me and tightened her grip. The older man's eyes had gotten wider. I quickened my step to stop murder before it became a real murder.

When I got to where she stood creating chaos, I first of all took my daughter from her. Her face was dangerously distorted with rage.

         "Nara, please, you will kill someone o," I pleaded, pulling her fingers away from the man's neck. 

The force of a backhanded slap that landed on my face, distorted the shape of everything around me. My legs crumbled under my weight. Luckily, I had handed Oyibo to her siblings.

The entire tenants gathered around her and the man she was in the process of sending to the land of no return. Some spoke from their balcony, others yelled insults. Nara told them to come down and fight her if they were humans. Nobody dared to stand up to the challenge.

I got up from the floor where her slap had relocated me. My face burned form the effect of the injury to my face. I plastered my right hand on the trauma and moved forward for  the second rescue attempt.

Before I threw myself again into the eye of the storm again, I knelt down and prayed.

         "Dear Jesus, please come and deliver me from a very chaotic wife." I paused to listen. Maybe the spirit would speak or give directions. The only audible voice was the noisy yells from my tenants.

Not giving up faith, I continued. "Oh Lord, I thought you had banished the spirit of chaos from her and sobered her up. But father lord, as you can see, she's even worse than before. The demons, they have returned in their thousands."

I paused and sucked in quick breaths. "Mighty God, You know all power is yours. Please, get the demons in Nara to go on a vacation for a while, so I can calm this situation. Amen. "

      Having said that powerful faith filled prayer, I stood up and went to Nara with my new found boldness........well...... Some faith. Still nursing my inflamed face, I matched on with a little fear dancing somewhere in heart.

Nara's methods of instilling the fear of God in the tenants, was very traditional. She believed in fists and blows.

Even though, I was ghetto from birth, I realized that diplomacy paved way to better agreement and negotiations than a blow to the mouth.

        "Stay out of it!" Nara shouted, as she saw me move closer to her.

The man she held like a  squeezed jeans was almost dying, he had stopped struggling and hung in her hand like a rag doll.

        "Nara please." I begged.

        "Stay. Out! She yelled fiercely at me.

I yanked at her hands, pulling her away from the man. "You will kill someone! He has got wife and kids please."

She flapped the man as though he was a piece of paper. "He should have thought about that before insulting me."

She slapped her chest defiantly. "Me, Nara? Ha! He will hear it today."

I paced through the continuing chaos with my thoughts running wild. "Should I inform the police?" I asked myself.  Oh, but Nara would never forgive me. That's the ghetto cult oath.
                  'Never call the police on your family.'

But Nara had gone off to the realm of no return, her strength had increased. No one could touch her, neither could she hear the voice of reasoning.

                  'Jesus, please help!' I blinked at the number of people congregating in my compound. I didn't want any death on my hands and conscience. I was getting close to tears when my wife went up in the air.  Three able bodied men lifted her off her feet and deposited her on the floor.

She still held unto Pa Ezekiel on her way down. I caught the surprise on her face and the fear that radiated in her eyes.

At that moment, her grip on the man  loosened and he dropped on the floor like a log.
I was so surprised that she didn't even fight it for a whole minute.

      Forcing my feet to move,  I ran to him and started CPR, as I had seen done on TV. I told the other men to get Nara tied up. She was thrashing around in pure rage.

I knew her demon was in control. I begged God, thunder, Amadioha, any deity whatsoever to keep that man alive.

After few minutes, I heard him moan, then he coughed, I turned him to his side to ease his airflow. He gulped air into his lungs and coughed some more.

     "Thank you Jesus" I whispered, still observing him.

Nara's palm print stayed visible on the man's neck. His young wife was weeping at his side. I Quickly shoved some money into her hands.

         "You must get him to the hospital." While I was saying that, I was already running towards the gate to wave down a taxi. I returned back to my apartment only when I was sure the man was already on his way to the hospital.

In my apartment, I took the knee and communicated  with God to nullify anymore problems on the horizon.

              "You!" She pointed at me, "I will kill you!" I turned to see that she was referring to me.
Slowly, I sat back on the couch where I'd leaned to talk to God for a minute. My head bowed in total exhaustion and it was already deep into the night. 11:28pm.

Another look at her, she was still fighting the men who held her down. For twenty minutes, no one could tie her up.  She gave them bloody noses and ripped their clothing. When they wouldn't let her be, she bit one of them in the butt. That one ran off screaming.

             "She rose and came for me. " You.......you allowed those stinky men to rough me up?"

Pushing myself to relax on the couch, I waited for the first blow. I just couldn't deal with her craziness any longer. As luck would have it, my children surrounded me like angels would surround the Saints, protecting me from the devil and his agents.

She backed away on seeing the fear in their eyes. I watched as the rest of the men refused to hold her back anymore. Everyone went back to their apartments, leaving me with my problem.

        Lazily, I lit up my strongest weed and took a drag, she came for it, snapping it off my hands. I let her be and lit up another. Before she could finish the blunt, she was drifting off to sleep. I tucked her in on the couch, took my children to their various rooms and put them to bed. 

Glancing at her snoring body on the couch, I whispered a quick thank you to God.
Well....Thanks the weed too, because I couldn't tell which one calmed her.

          Nara's voice was what got me off the bed in the morning. She was standing with Pa Ezekiel's wife, apologising.

Okay, that was new and surprising.  I heard the woman tell her she had forgiven her. Pa Ezekiel got out of his home and appreciated her apology. When she returned, she walked past me and went Into the room, weeping.

 I turned to see Nara sitting quietly on the couch. I ignored her new subdued attitude and went to get breakfast and get ready for my shop.

On my way out, Nara was still seated there, mopping into empty space, a crying Oyibo by her side.  "Are you sure you can handle the happenings around here today? or should I get someone to watch oyibo?" I asked, afraid for my own daughter.

      "Its all good. Nothing to worry about." She responded meekly.

I was taken aback by her response. Original Nara would have yelled me to the ground, and cursed my entire lineage, including hers as well. I didn't ask anymore questions.

I just quietly took my two skinny legs to my shop. If God was working on my wrestling champion of a wife, who was I to interfere in the process.