I trembled as I heard my father's voice, and it brought me back to reality. I was sitting in the main living room of my father's house, which is mostly our father's section. The house is a very big bungalow where he housed all his 4 wives, my mother being the fourth wife and the last. My mother was his favourite after his first wife. He was very fond of both women, and he was always particular about their children.
I was already turning 24, and he was starting to get worried as to when I would get married. My father was an Orthodox man who believed that every female child should be married at least by the age of 22; anything other than that is turning into something else.
The first time we had this conversation about marriage was when I graduated from the university three years ago. He had asked one of the house helps to send for me from my mother's section because mostly that's what the setting of our household was like. Every child stays in his/her mother's section, except on rare occasions whereby he summons everyone altogether in the main living room and insists that we all bond for a while. My father was a just man; he always tried to make sure he was fair among his wives, even though he still had his favourites. He was always very fair and just among his children. I truly respect my father a whole lot; he was a wealthy man and popular. Fair to say he was the king of our neighbourhood because he was so much respected.
After settling back to reality, I heard him say, 'Since you've refused to get married according to your will, then I guess I will have to arrange your marriage with one of my famous friend's sons.' My mother, who was also present, had eyes already full of tears, trying so hard to make sure they didn't drop because she knew what that would mean to my father. I was just staring at my father with a facial expression that has a lot of meaning to it. I finally opened my mouth to say something. I struggled to find the right words, but eventually I managed to say, 'I agree to whatever you choose, sir.' The tears my mother was holding back eventually came running down her cheeks as she stood up and left the main living room for her section. My father had a big smile on his face even though somewhere around that smile I knew he was worried because truly he himself doesn't like the idea of arranging marriages for his children, and this was the first time something like this was happening in the history of our household.
As I left my father's section of the house, I found myself on the decking of the uncompleted building in my father's compound. Perhaps he was getting ready to marry another wife, or maybe he wants to put the building out for rent because with my father, you never can tell, really. He makes all his decisions himself and barely seeks opinions even from his favourite wives. The decking had become my favourite part of the compound; I find the place too refreshing since it has a cool breeze that flows around it. I sat down on the chair that I kept there the previous day I was there. I couldn't cry, nor was I happy or sad; I was just there, feeling a little bit scared of what's to come.
While on the chair, I recollected the relationships I had while I was in school as an undergraduate, how everything ended based on baseless meanings. It was either I wasn't enough or he was tired of the relationship and ended up cheating. The relationships were so tiring, and I was mostly left alone, ending up depressed, and as usual, my roommate, who turned out to be my friend, would always come and try to cheer me. One day, after one of the most painful breakups I had then, I came back to my room and told her and said, "This is the end; I'm done with relationships." She laughed and told me to stop talking like that, but I was very adamant and serious about it. I then told her that at this point I might eventually opt in for an arranged marriage if the pressure from home is high, but if it were up to me, I would not get married at all. She was just staring at me with a worrisome look on her face; I could see that she understood how serious I was getting at this point. It was at this point "I believed that marriage was meant for everyone; some people would do it and fail while others would do it and succeed'. She got down from her bed and pulled me in for a big hug and that made me feel relieved then.
Since University days, I have seriously held on to my promises and I haven't been in any relationships ever since. I have successfully chased out appropriate suitors even the ones my mother and sister tried to match make. At this point I find myself smiling at the things I have done in the last two years how I have turned everyone's effort fruitless. My father was patiently waiting for me to turn 24 so he would then interfere in the whole drama. well, he eventually did and here I am eventually getting what I thought I wanted but then the fear in my heart knows no bounds.
I was no longer comfortable on the chair as I find myself trembling again because my head this time was filled with different kinds of thoughts. What if the family of the would be groom won't like me or what if the groom was a woman beater, what if he was also polygamous in nature like my father. Ohh no , I muttered under my breath as I realized I was covered in sweats from the numerous thoughts as I tried to stand up and make way into my mother's section. Getting to my Mother's room I found her on the bed sitting there with sadness looming all over face including her body. I walked up to her and sat beside her before she could say anything I pulled in for a hug and she hugged me so tightly and I started crying so bad. She had to clean up her tears so she would be able to console me. She said " Don't cry hm, Don't cry everything would be just fine".
A knock on the door broke the hug from my mother and I as we turned to look who at who was on the door, it was my father who came in with a no expression on his face but to give the announcement that he already spoke to the family of the would be groom and they would be here in the next two days. I screamed with terror in my eyes " Haaa dad that's so fast " . My mother was just there with an increase in her tears. My father just walked out of the room peacefully as he came in. I turned to my mother and we both started crying.
Two days later, I found myself sitting at the front of the dressing mirror in my room trying to get ready as well as hide the eye bags that had formed around my eye with a little bit of make up. My sister was really good with make ups so she did an amazing job with the powder and concealer. My mother stepped in to take a look at us to make sure I was okay and there wasn't any problem of any sort. She looked at me so intense that I could still sense that she was just as worried as I was. My mother hugged the both my sister and I as she muttered a silent prayer for the both of us. Yes, my mother believes in prayers so much. She eventually made way into the sitting where I would be called into any minute as how the would be groom and his family are waiting for me to appear.
10 minutes later, I was called to go join them at the sitting room, as I stepped out of my room the fear of things I don't know occupied my mind and I was trembling again but my sister held my hands together and said it would be fine.
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