Maxwell hails form Etsako Area of Edo State. He had a job with the State Forest Reserve, as a Forest Guard. A very gentle man in nature who had everything going well for him, for a man of his level. He had a girl friend, named Mary, a native of Calabar. Mary was a Fashion Designer, who was meek and hard working, above all she was submissive to Maxwell whose intention was to marry her.

Maxwell’s mother happened to be a dried fish seller, who brings it from the village, and sells in bulk to the market women and other retail sellers. On such trips, she stays at Maxwells place to enable her wrap her business deals before going back to the village.

On one of such trips, Maxwell introduced Mary to his mother as the girl he would like to marry. This gladdened the heart of Mary and she was actually looking forward to the day her bride price would be paid.

However, Maxwell’s mother wasn’t too pleased with the whole arrangement. On her subsequent trip, she told Maxwell to look for another girl to marry, that her son cannot marry a Calabar girl. Some of Maxwell’s siblings were equally in support of this ridiculous idea and Maxwell who wasn’t man enough to stand by his decision gave in. Before Mary knew what was happening, their relationship was over, despite her pleas.

A few months later Maxwell was at a joint near his house when he meet one lady. They struck up a conversation, and before he knew what was happening she ended up in his house, and became a live in lover. This lady happened to be from Etsako, but a different village from Maxwell’s. She knew how to cook, clean, wash, and had the strength for virtually everything. But she had no single manner, although, Maxwell was the last one to know this. By which time it was already too late.

Maxwell’s mother notice her bad manners first and started complaining. But Maxwell wouldn’t listen. Eventually this Etsako girl, Annette by name, unabashedly revealing it to Maxwell. She would insult him, at any given time. Just when Maxwell made up his mind to drive her out of his apartment, she became pregnant, and her manners became worse. The last straw was when she fought with Maxwell’s mother, after which the Ameter woman vowed never to enter her son’s house until she leaves.

Maxwell could not drive her, even when he tried. It appeared she was physically stronger than him. Each time they fight, she would destroy the things in the sitting room. In addition to that she was constantly quarreling with other tenants in the house, and neighbours in the street.

Eventually she gave birth to a baby boy. Maxwell’s mother did not show up. She sent a message that Annette should leave her grand son with Maxwell, and go back to wherever she came from.
Annette did not listen meanwhile she was also dishing out the same harsh treatments to Maxwell’s younger brothers who came around from time to time until they finished from the university and got jobs of their own.

Suddenly their son, the baby boy she had for Maxwell fell ill, and within a matter of days, the baby who was one year and some months died at the hospital, and was buried. Annette and Maxwell mourned the death of their baby. Maxwell in particular was realy hurt because he saw that baby as the only good thing that came out of his relationship with Annette. She became an albatross to him.
Nevertheless before they knew it, she (Annettee) was pregnant again. Her terrible manners still did not change. Maxwell decided to go see her parents and complain to them. They in turn told him there was nothing they could do, that she has always been like that. Eventually, Maxwell was transferred from Benin to Fuga to resume work, after being jobless for about a year. He was glad to go, thinking the change of environment would help matters.

On getting there, Annette who was an illiterate and did not know any form of hand work told him she wanted to trade. He saw reasons with her and gave her N40,000 (Forty Thousand Naira) to start. By this time, they were already having two children, excluding the first baby that died.
Well, as they say, you can’t change a leopard’s spots’ All it took Annette was a short while to start quarrelling and fighting with neigbhours.

Countless number of time, Maxwell would arrive home after a day or two from work to find that neigbhours are waiting for him to come and pay for this thing or that thing which Annette has destroyed. Mind you, this was always in addition to huge debts he regularly had to pay, because Annette had a bad habit of buying things on credit. Whenever he questions her over the habitual debt, she would scream “Na wetin you say make me and the children eat before you come back from work for 3 days” then Maxwell would say “what about the money wen I give you take trade, you no get any profit to take buy something?” she would in turn reply “No! I no dey touch my market money o. The thing wen no even reach self” Let me quickly say that Maxwell buys rice, yam, garri and some other food items in bulk and makes sure they are always available in the house. Yet she leaves a huge mess of debt in her wake each time he leaves the home for a 2 days or more.

When Maxwell could no longer take the heat, he decided to rent another apartment in Benin when he was transferred back to Benin after three years, and left Annette and the children in Fuga. He simply told Annette he did not want her any more, and that she should give him their children and go back to her parents. Still, she refused to change. Then one of their children fell sick and died after some time, Meanwhile, Maxwell was still sending money to her and the children for their up keep, and was responsible for the medical bills.

After this tragic incident, Annettee started selling off their things in Maxwell’s absence, since he was no longer passing the nights there each time he goes home, to give them their monthly allowance.

As if that wasn’t enough, she started accusing Maxwell’s mother of killing her children. Sadly, the third and remaining child equally fell ill, by which time she started running from pillar to post, begging this person and that person, accusing the ones she could accuse. Until the last child equally died.

And so a relationship of ten years that once boasted of three children went down the drain with nothing to show for it. Not even the children any more. Maxwell went into the relationship with a number of things and came out of it about ten years later, with empty hands. Annette sold all his properties to the last.

He started afresh again in Benin and met one girl from his tribe whom he thought was different until, she started showing him her real colour, by constantly comparing him with her past boy friends both in bed and every where else.

He simply told her pack and leave and decided to look carefully before leaping the next time.