I am a Man.

Should I keep it a secret if I’m being clobbered by my wife?

I, Andrew, walk to the sitting room of our house happily on a Sunday night going to tell my parents goodnight. As I get closer I hear the sound of an argument between my mum and dad. “This is weird”, I thought to myself. As I get closer, the argument gets heated. Being curious, I peep into the living room and do not see anyone so I walk into the sitting room amid all the shouting only to find my dad on the floor and my mum sitting on him and boxing him.

Quickly I dashed back into my bedroom and locked myself inside. Still shocked at what I observed. It is not edible to my mind, I cannot digest it. “How can a woman, a wife beat a man, a husband?” I asked myself the whole night until I fell asleep.

The following day as I was getting ready for school, my parents were acting all lovey-dovey not knowing that I had witnessed their fight last night. I swept it under the carpet and went to school.

As years went by, the beating of my dad became more and more to a point where it affected me and I had to start seeing the school psychiatrist. Never did I see or hear my dad air out his troubles to anyone, he kept it a secret. All he did was act like a strong man in front of me.

And now at the age of 30, I one day invited my dad for a cup of coffee. During so I narrated to him the incident that had occurred between him and my mum when I was 15 years old, he was stupefied. I asked him why he kept quiet about being clobbered by his wife, he did not answer me. We chatted about other stuff until it was his time to go.

As my dad was departing, he held my hand and said, “About your initial question, this is my answer, I am a man.