Looking at the faces of everyone I knew something wasn't right,,,,good afternoon uncle suleman,I greeted,where is your mother,he asked instead of answering,,,, she's inside,,,they all sat down ,mom and dad too were present ,,,uncle suleman cleared his throat and started,,,
Fatima,why do you want to destroy this family,why are you such a bad mother,,answer me, Fatima,,,I don't know what you are talking about,I am not a bad mother and can never destroy my own family,,, shut up your mouth,I do not blame you,,it's my brother who gave you the liberty to have a voice in the home,,,, Fatima,what use is a female education, infact let me ask,are you educated yourself,are you not a wife today ,,if your parents had sent you to school,it would have ended in my brother's kitchen,aunty said,,,the fact that I am not educated doesn't mean my child should follow same path,,,the prayer of every parent is that their children go pass the level they reached,,so I want my child to be educated even though I ammmmm,,,shut up your stupid mouth,uncle suleman and other elders shouted,,,,so you want you first son to die,,when the solution is in your hands,,Allah would never forgive you,you are such a foolish woman,,,,you want to stand as a blockage to the blessings Allah is sending to this family through Alhaji Usman,, ZAINAB must marry Alhaji Usman and that's Final,,,I turned to father,but he looked away.....
They would be coming few days from now, prepare ZAINAB into the jonuery of womanhood and motherhood....they said and left....
That night,mama went to baba,knelt down and begged,I was not sleeping I could here the pain in Mama's voice as she pleaded.
Maji na,please,you can't do this to our daughter, ZAINAB can not marry such an old man,you can not ruine our daughter's future,,, Fatima,stop this,look at the bright side of all these,we shall have a better life,we have suffered enough,let us enjoy life a little,maji na,what is there to enjoy,at the detriment of our child,,,come oh Fatima,you are talking as if Akeem is not our son too,he needs Medical attention,,we can not allow our son to die like a chicken,when there's a simple way before us,,,a simple way,you call slavery simple, haven't you heard about the fights that goes on in Alhaji's house everyday,our daughter is just a child,she would be maltreated ,yes Akeem is my son,same is ZAINAB,,let us find another way,we can not hurt ZAINAB to please Akeem, enough, enough Fatima,what do you mean hurt ZAINAB,since when has marriage become what hurt,, she's a woman,and would definitely be a wife someday,yes yes she will,but when she's older,and married to the man her age she loves,not a grandfather,,
Fatima,I have been too gentle in my approach to this matter,,,I don't want you to ever repeat this topic, ZAINAB is getting married to Alhaji Usman and that's Final,baba said and went to bed..
Mother sat on the floor, weeping,she was so helpless,I thought about my life in school,my education,my dream and wept bitterly,,I couldn't believe baba has giving up on me and my dream,,I decided I was going to plead with him the next day,I opened my eyes for a long time before I finally fell asleep in the early hours of the day.....
The next day,I served baba his food,when he had finished eating,I knelt before him,baba,you know how much I love my education,and my dream to make you proud,please baba, do not give me to Alhaji Usman I beg of you,,oh ZAINAB my child,baba said to me,you know I value your education, but,my dear, marriage is the pride of every woman,not education,you have gotten to junior high school,you have made me proud already, because no one in my family can speak or read like you do,but my child,it's high time you faced responsibility,and do the needful,your brother and family needs your help,please my child,agree to marry Alhaji Usman, to save us of this poverty,and give your brother back his health,I am asking you this favour as your father,please ZAINAB....
I looked at him,indeed my brother is dying,and papa has never asked me anything in my life,,I agreed to marry.
Alhaji Usman gave my parents the needed sum for Akeem's treatment,and my brother was getting batter after been taken to the big city for treatment,,,when he was back on his feet, Alhaji Usman and his family gave a date that they would be coming to pay my bride price, my mother was very sad,so was I...
My classmates in school weren't making the whole thing easy for me,I was always mocked by them when ever we met,so after all your so called intelligence,you are going to be the sixth wife of your grandfather's age mate,,this would always break my heart,the more the date drew near,the more I hated the idea of been a wife to Alhaji Usman,,I didn't want this,but what can I do,this man has given my brother his life back,,,I and my family were indebted to him.....
Soon it was a day to the supposed marriage ceremony,,I was very scared,mother was not happy either,that glow the mother to the bride give during their daughter's marriage ceremony was far from her...while I was lost in thought,an idea came to meeeee
Written by Rejoice Igbinovia Aluyi ♥️
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