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No week passes without one hearing or reading the story of spousal murder. Stories of husbands killing their wives have nowadays become so common that one is compelled to wonder if it is a curse on the country. What makes the situation more alarming is the gruesome and barbaric way in which the murders are committed. As I write, there are reports of a spousal murder in Kwesimentsim. Reports say a 27-year-old man butchered his wife, inflicted cutlass wounds on her and made sure she unceremoniously joined her ancestors in Samanfoland. He did confess to the killing after an earlier denial, but blamed it all on the devil. The story in the December 11, 2012 issue of the Daily Graphic had a photograph of the couple during happier times. Looking at the beautiful picture, it would be very difficult for anyone to believe that the fate of the couple could end in such disastrous circumstances. Even if the victim was brought back to life, I doubt if she would believe that the man she called �sweetheart� could inflict such fatal wounds on her. Yet, the bitter truth is that the man she chose among the lot; the man she loved and who claimed to love her in return; and the man she trusted to protect her in life�s turbulent ocean ended up becoming the very person who betrayed her trust. The Bearded Old Man above, in his infinite wisdom, gave us brains so we could decipher good from evil. He gave us the free will to make our own choices. Whatever choice we make, is ours alone; and not the choice of the Almighty. So whether good or bad, we should be ready to live by the consequences of our actions. The heinous killing of the lady is as unfortunate as it is unpardonable. It should be condemned by all and sundry. Maybe she was warned and she did not heed good counsel; maybe she did not have the benefit of a warning. But all that does not change the fact that she willingly and gleefully married the man who ended up squeezing life out of her. Abusuapanin I had the occasion to allegorically tell you the story of a beautiful, courteous and hardworking damsel who had the onerous duty of choosing a partner. She had many suitors but the real competition was between two men. Both were handsome, hardworking and from good families. One was very sweet-tongued. He promised her heaven on earth, claiming he was as pious as Yesu Kristo himself. He also pledged to shower love on her to prove he cared for her. Being very honest, the other gentleman tried as much as possible to paint a very true picture for her. He told her life was not a bed of roses so she should not allow herself to be fooled by the sweet words being whispered into her ears. He however promised to do everything in his power to make life comfortable for her. Oblivious of the fact that the former chap was only singing the tune she wanted to hear, the beautiful lady did not even ponder (over) it before making her choice. She fell for his sweet promises and gave him her heart. For four years, the beautiful damsel saw none of the goodies promised her. The sweet promises had all turned into bitter realities. Indeed, the man who promised her heaven on earth made life a living hell for her; and the once beautiful lady who was the cynosure of all eyes became a pale shadow of herself. The damsel did her best to regain her lost beauty. She became the talk of the town as many suitors tried to snatch her away from the sweet-tongued chap; and she had to make another decision on December 7. Leading the pack of suitors was the honest bloke who lost the competition to Mr I-Care-For-You some four years back. The honest bloke did make some promises in order to win the heart of the lady. They were promises he could satisfy and was determined to redeem if given the opportunity. They were promises that could help improve the lady�s standard of living and secure her future. But Mr I-Care-For-You would not give up so easily. He could not make new promises because he knew too well that the lady wouldn�t believe him. She wouldn�t believe him because he had failed to redeem the ones he had made to her some years back. Indeed, it would be foolhardy on her part to believe such a dishonest bloke. Desperate to keep his girlfriend, Mr I-Care-For-You siphoned cowries belonging to his company and showered them on the lady. He showered her with all manner of gifts in order to delude her into believing that he loved her. December 7 has come and gone, and the damsel�s verdict is out. She has once again chosen the sweet-tongued chap over the honest bloke. She has once again been hoodwinked into falling for the freebies showered on her. Foolhardiness or not, that is her choice. The damsel has made her choice and we should all respect her decision. Good or bad, she should also be ready to live by the consequences of her choice. I have the strong belief that she has made the wrong choice. But my fervent prayer is that hers does not end disastrously like the Kwesimentsim episode. See you next week for another konkonsa!