Rita Marley (not unlike Dorothy Mantooth) could be considered a saint. - By: Kee If you know anything about Bob Marley's life, you know that he was a man of his message; a messenger of Rastafari, an advocate for Pan-Africanism and the voice of the poor and oppressed. A real "Third World Hero", as he was regarded. It's also commonely known that he produced a startling number of children during his 36 year tenure on this earth. It's been reported that Bob could have fathered up to 22 children, but most have settled on the more probable 11 offspring that are recognized by the family and by the courts. 5 of these children are with his wife, Rita. I'm just finishing up Rita's memoir, No Woman No Cry - My Life With Bob Marely. In it, she chronicles their separate lives before they met, their courting, their marriage, their children, the business, his genius, his affairs, his excuses, his death... all of it. But what's also interesting, is the introspective nature of the narrative. You get a real idea of how she's feeling in each circumstance - like her pride and insecurities for example. But I'll get to the point, because after all, this isn't a book review. In short, Bob liked women. A lot. Probably too much. In the beginning he was discreet about his affairs, but the more tolerant Rita was, the more his open he became. There were several times when he'd stop by the house with a girlfriend in the car. Inevitablely, after all of their kids were born, the couple spent most of their time living apart, although they never legally separated. Normally he would spend his time in his studio/home where industry chicks, models and random women lurked just to get a chance to "meet" Bob. Meanwhile, 12 miles away in Bull Bay, Rita lived with their kids. To be fair, Bob urged Rita to move into the studio/home with him, but she knew what was going on there, and felt it best for her kids (and her diginity) to stay away. Life proved to be quite the test for Rita. In one interview, Bob was asked if was married to Rita - as they shared the same last name - and he said "No, she's my sister!" Obviously Bob has some explaining to do when he got home. He reasoned that married fathers aren't so exciting according to the industry, and that his record company has urged him to maintain a certain mistique. It's all about image and record sales, he assured her. He reinterated that nothing could ever come between them.... Ironically, even though Bob basically did whatever he pleased socially, he remained extremely possessive of Rita. He was known to pay keen attention to where she was at all times, who she was with,and what she was doing. One time he even tracked a man down (behind her back) and confronted him about his relationship with Rita. Two other times he accosted and almost attacked men who he thought too close to her. So you see, Bob would habitually flip whenever he suspected another man to be around around his wife. Guilt & paranoia are a bitch. So I pose these questions: Why is it socially more acceptable (or more expected) for men to cheat? Furthermore, why are cheating men, so territorial? Why are women SO tolerant? When is enough, enough? And guys, in your mind what consitutes crossing the line: kissing, flirting, sex, emotional connections? Why do good girls/guys finish last? Why can men dish it out, but can't take it?