𝐈 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘
@𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐧
𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟒
They said many years ago, your paternal great-grandfather was married to a very beautiful woman who was dedicated to a River goddess.
It was said that anyone who marries that woman was going to be very rich because that river goddess gave that woman plenty wealth, it was said that she and her descendants will be wealthy forever.
This woman fell in love with your paternal great-grandfather, so he married her…
She loved your great-grandfather so much that she even bought him a horse then; you know in the olden days, it was only very rich people that can afford horses, so she got her husband a horse and she also made great-grandfather rich and very influential by her diabolic means.
When your great-grandfather became rich, it got into his head…
He became very proud and pompous then he went and married the king’s daughter who later pushed that woman out of his life, your paternal great-grandfather forgot about all she went through for him and how she single-handedly raised him into affluence.
The woman felt betrayed she was heartbroken, devastated, and bitter.
The pain and trauma of everything even made that woman die of a heart attack, but before she died, she laid a curse on your great grandfather’s family that any girl child born into the family who will ever get married will also be forgotten and treated badly by her husband the way she was treated too, she lay the curse and seal it with plenty rituals, ever since then, the curse has been active against all female born into this family.
This is a family secret we have battled with for ages we have done everything to break this curse but to no avail, is only the men that can marry correctly and stay married.
Jesus! I screamed again mama, I am confused right now, Mama, Papa, I turned left and right to look at both of them, how come nobody told me this all this while.
Papa cleared his voice and said Chioma, we were waiting for the right time to tell you and that time that we have waited for is now that you want to marry, in this family any girl that must stay in her husband’s house will have to go without proper wedding, no dowry, no formal wedding…
How?… that I should move into his house without him marrying me correctly?
Yes! That is the only way out…
I want to marry… and stay married; I will go and not return…
Mama continued… that is why we need you to cooperate with us so that at least you will go and remain in your husband’s house, I am tired of seeing my daughters out of their husband’s houses after wedding. Please, my daughter, you are going to do as I say…
Ehenn! Mama, what are you saying… I was so eager to hear what she wanted to say…
Don’t let them come for your dowry…
Just move into his house you have our permission as your parents to do that, and we will give you our full blessings to go and live with him without any dowry paid; you can even do a court wedding later on in life, no problem but no formal wedding, no dowry should be paid, please…
My eyes started blinking uncontrollably, mama! I screamed what! …
That I should move into a man’s house and start living with him without due process…hey!
Me that like weddings so much like this, me that have been dreaming of my wedding day, so this is how I will get married… I asked myself…
Yes, daughter Mama replied that is the only way you can go and not come back…
Don’t you see Chineye, your Cousin, that was what she did, she went and has never come back, Amara, Solomon’s daughter too did the same things all your cousins who are in their husband’s house now none of them did anything dowry… see Obinna’s daughters and your father’s daughters who insisted they must marry correctly are the only ones suffering this evil because they refused to listen…
I warned your elder sisters about this, and they told me the same thing you are saying now, they said they cannot do without a wedding and all that… today where are they now…
Chioma, we are your parents, and we know what is good for you, just do as we say, move in with him, no dowry, no wedding biko…
Chioma, I cannot stand you going into marriage and coming back to meet me here in this house again… I cannot stand it… I cry every day because of your sisters, people outside are mocking me, and you can’t join them again… if you must marry, then no wedding, no dowry just go and live with your husband you have our full backing and blessings…
Do you think that I am happy as a mother, my mates are going to their daughter’s house to do Omugwo, my own is not like that, please don’t let me die before my time, Nnee, please just do this for me, mama begs…
𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫; 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐛𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?
𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
This decision will be hard for chioma