Tales of horror

I was working late into the afternoon last Saturday... one of those few unfortunates the world over, who has to come in to work on a weekend. (Modern day slavery I tell you.) And I saw the most awful thing. I'm still in shock. Outraged speechless by what happened.

Just as I was putting some finishing touches on a deadline, I heard a huge commotion outside by the lifts. A woman screaming bloody murder and the sounds of a violent scuffle. All of us still at the office ran out to find an office driver beating - as in physically brutally battering - the mother of his child. [A lot of the local men, usually lower income earners, tend to have what is called in Swahili, Little Wife. Usually a second or third girlfriend kept on the side, out of wedlock. Basically mistresses who 'complement' their 'real' wives.] She was lying on the floor while he kicked wildly at her face and chest. Their six year old son looking on, crying desperately.

When he saw us running towards him, mouths open in shock, he stopped. The woman shakily got to her feet, still screaming. She thrust the young boy towards him and yelled that she was leaving, that he could take care of his child, that he wasn't responsible and wasn't making child payments. They shoved the kid back and forth, each furiously bellowing they didn't want him.

Can you imagine the effect that scene may have on the child? How he could grow up thinking this savage behavior was a norm? How it could lead to a vicious cycle of abuse, generations on? And to think this goes on in homes all over.

This comes a close second to the most horrifying thing I've ever seen.

The first being an accident I saw many years ago on a dark, unlit highway; where a drunk man was knocked to the ground by a speeding drunk driver, and before anyone could do anything about it, run over and crushed to death by three other cars. It still gives me goose bumps.

So, while on the subject, I'm going to take this opportunity to spread an important social message (and hopefully add a dose of humour to this otherwise gruesome post.)

Don't drink and drive. Accidents cause people.