70 The Meadow Plan B Oreoluwa Oladimeji “Open this door before I break it down. Bolanle, I said open the damn door!” My husband’s threats come at me through the wooden barrier that stands between us, the only form of protection I have. I hover around the door, my hands shaking, wondering what I will do next if my barrier of protection comes down with the force of my husband’s blows. I know what those blows feel like. It’s why I came up with this plan in the first place. Why I reached for the keys that lay on the table in our room as he lunged at me again, and locked him in. I take a deep breath. “Bolanle! If I meet you there. If you don’t open this door, I swear I will kill you this night and feed your body to dogs!” His words are enough to push me into action, onto the next step in my plan. Grab the small suitcase I had packed from the living room, drive to my parents’ house in Ajegunle and never come back. He is still shouting, spouting threats as I rush down the stairs. My sweaty hands slide against the banister causing me to almost trip on the last stair. In the living room, I grab my suitcase which I’d hidden behind an armchair. I placed it there because I knew my husband would not spot it on time. As my husband pounds heavily against our bedroom door, the sounds form a throbbing rhythm in my head. Adrenaline pumps through my body as I fumble with my suitcase, trying to retrieve my car keys. Outside, I put the car into ignition. I take one last look at the house, our house, the house my husband had presented to me
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