“Diola, should I just persuade myself and say no one in this world is prosperous and wealthy?” – Ifede asked calmly.
Episode 1
Ifede and Diola sat on smoothly peeled mahogany logs on the opposite end of the brightly glowing firewood on Ifede`s open compound, enjoying the exclusively steady but very gentle breeze and the seamless smile of the moon.
Village bachelors like Diola usually found refuge under the arms of honorably underprivileged humans like Ifede. All they can offer a fellow man is talk of poverty and deep blue and black cries of broken backs and swollen fingers gotten from digging. Poor men gave honorable advice regarding the path to riches contrary to the mean spirited advice from the rich who never want to be dislodged from their prestigious position.
Ifede is married to Ife the daughter of a prosperous man-Droti from the village of Amava.
Actually, the story is told of when Ife refused to eat food because her father; Droti refused the marriage between her and Ifede to take place. “Ifede is an insignificant desperate boy” Droti had remarked. This did not change Ife`s mind who in turn remarked “Love is blind”, “I love him”, “he will be my husband”. Ife was so determined that nothing could deter her from her perception of Ifede.
Her resolve was so strong that her mother could do nothing except concede to her. So long as she needed her daughter to be ecstatic, she had to do the needful. Droti clearly knew that true love comes once. Subsequently, he compromised his earlier position and asked Ifede to get a day for the traditional marriage. It did not take half a second for Ifede to announce with optimism that the next Sunday would be the marriage day. Love, patience, and determination in handling real love are key to a successful love consequently evolving in marriage. Patience results to; protection, perspective, provision, and power. So is what you want in love, to get a true life partner. Lastly, but most importantly fortunately or unfortunately, waiting has to be done in silence.
Ifede killed time patiently for the D-day wondering how his married life would be like. A cold chill ran through his spine at the thought of having to toil to raise a family for the rest of his life. Everyone in the community understood the commitment it took for one to run a family successfully. No matter what, the eighteen-year-old Ifede got the same conviction as the forefathers had and were definitely determined to go through this.
Much as mothers become jovial at the thought of their daughters getting married, some feel absurdly awkward for fear of sending their daughter away from their protective custody. Such thoughts came about as a result of suspicion on the man and or thought of immaturity of the girl in question. Lekuru, Ife`s mother was of course worried that her fourteen-year-old daughter was leaving home to set her own compound and manage her own affairs.
When Ifede`s family made it successfully in the evening for the ceremony, Lekuru who had sat up to this point in the bedroom bounced to her heels and looked out through the window as if to ascertain that it was a mistake. She was wrong. Ifede had arrived with his only he-goat as bride price. His sister- Inzizu had a cock in her hands. She was dancing, spinning; with a cock in her hand while ululating. Arrangements were made and soon the ceremony was rolling on.
The disbelieving Lekuru unhurriedly made her way into the gathered crowd and held her daughter`s left hand and begun first by letting a tear roll effortlessly and eventually turning to a sob consequently evolving into a real bust as she moved towards Ifede to give her daughter`s hand in marriage.
In Alu village giving the daughter`s hand in marriage was the responsibility of the mother. This was to signify that she totally agreed to let her helper move into her own house and start a life. Under the cheery eyes of witnesses, Ifede and Ife were joined in marriage and party time commenced. Memory is such a precious moment to escape to.
The pair have been married for the past ten years and have six children.
Episode 2 coming on Friday 16th October 2020
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