Long ago, in Nigeria, there was a very fat woman who was made of oil. She was very beautiful, and many young men came to her parents and asked her hand in marriage. They even offered dowry. But her mother always refused. She said that it was not possible for her daughter to work on a farm as she would melt in the sun. Finally, a stranger came from a far-away land and fell in love with the fat woman. He wanted to marry her and promised her mother that he would keep her in the shade if she agreed for the marriage. At last the mother agreed, and he took his wife away. When they arrived home, his first wife was jealous of the fat woman. Whenever there was any field work to be done, like collecting firewood or carrying water, the fat woman stayed at home and never helped. She was afraid of the heat.
The Fat Woman Melted Away
One day, the husband was away and so the jealous wife started abusing the fat woman. The fat woman felt so humiliated that she finally went out to work on the farm. Her little sister, who had come along with her from home, asked the fat woman not to go but she did not listen. On her way to the farm, the fat woman managed to keep in the shade. But when they reached the farm, the sun was very hot, so the fat woman sat in the shade of a big tree. When the jealous wife saw this, she again started to abuse her and told her to do her share of work. At last, when she could no longer bear the nagging, she went out to work in the sun. Her little sister tried to stop her but she went away and at once, began to melt away.
The Remains
Soon, the fat woman melted away and what was left of her was just one big toe, which had been covered by a leaf. Her little sister who had been observing this with tears in her eyes, picked up the toe. She covered it carefully with the leaves and placed it at the bottom of her basket. After returning home, the little sister placed the toe in an earthen pot, filled it with water, and covered the top with clay. When the husband came back, he looked for his fat wife. The little sister came crying and told him that the jealous woman forced her to go out into the sun, and she melted away. She, then, showed him the pot with her foot and told him that her sister would come to life again in three months. At the same time, she requested him to send away the jealous wife so that there might be no more problems for her.
The husband, then, took the jealous wife back to her parents. They sold her as a slave and paid the dowry back to the husband so that he might get another wife. The husband took the money and kept it safely. After three months, the little sister opened the pot and the fat woman emerged, quite as fat and beautiful as she had been before. The husband was very happy and gave a feast to all his friends and neighbours. He also told everyone about the evil behaviour of his jealous wife. Since then, it has become a norm in parts of Nigeria that the husband will return his wife to her parents if his wife behaves badly. The parents, then, sell her off as a slave and they give the money to the husband who gives dowry at the time of the second marriage.
