Child Bride

CHILD

BRIDE

RITA MICHAELS

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents were the product of the author’s imagination, or they were used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 RITA MICHAELS

All rights reserved.

FOR MY HUSBAND AND MY TWO WONDERFUL CHILDREN.

Our traditional values dictate girls are meant for marriage, and when the men decide we are biologically ready, we are married.

Mereso Kilusu

CHAPTER ONE

It started as a regular day. My friends and I prepared for our usual trip to fetch some water. We often converged at my house due to its closeness to the stream. Other teenage girls of the same age, walked along the narrow path leading to where we headed, chatting and laughing; some walked in twos, and some walked in threes like us.

Amongst the groups of girls that walked to the stream, I noticed a particular set following us closely, and talking in hushed tones. I ignored them. We walked to a spot, and sat down to chat before fetching our first pots of water. I knew someone was watching me.

I turned, and caught them glancing at me, whispering inaudible words. At first, I thought they referred to either Amina or Sadia. The two teenagers I knew so far involved in a forceful marriage to elderly men; my friends.

Sadia, I said in a whisper. Those girls have been whispering and glancing at me for a while now. I heard my name mentioned a couple times, but wasn't sure they referred to me." Sadia and Amina glanced in the girls` direction, and caught them watching us. The girls quickly turned their heads away realizing they`ve been caught.

Let's go find out what they want from you. Sadia said, and we rose from our sitting stones beside the stream, left our water pots behind, and headed toward the girls. They saw us coming and resumed washing their clothes, immediately.

They looked up as we surrounded them. I was five feet, six inches tall, with a slender physique, and towered above them all.

I do not appreciate you talking and glancing at me. What do you have against me? I said, feigning anger.

We have nothing against you. One of them replied. We only feel sorry for you.

Sorry for me! Why are you sorry for me? You don't know me. I said, sincerely angry this time.

O yes! Another interjected, we know you quite well, and know you will be married soon." One of the girls said.

Who is getting married? I was furious; you must be out of your twisted minds! I blurted out in anger. You rumor mongers! You always look for something to gossip about in order to occupy your lazy minds. I said, dashing forward to grab one of the girls by her shirt, but Sadia stopped me.

Ask your mother. It's true. One of the four said, again. I took off like a mad little girl. I walked briskly and half ran. Tears welled up in my eyes. My heart pounded rhythmically.

My throat constricted from holding back tears. Imaginable thoughts went through my mind. I must calm down a little, just a little bit to avoid having a heart attack. It cannot be true. It has to be one of those baseless rumor teenagers spread during their idle discussions. I thought in my mind as I raced home, leaving my pot at the stream, and stirring up red dust from the sandy ground. People stared as if wondering, what the urgency was.

My caring mom will not possibly give me away to a man, old enough to be my grandfather. She cannot give her first child and daughter away, because our millets would not produce enough grains this year. I thought.

I ran the rest of the way home from the stream. On our doorsteps was a pair of male slippers. I knew its owner. My uncle's He must be visiting to see how we are surviving, or so I thought. He always visited once every month since my father's disappearance to God knows where.

Since my dad abandoned us to poverty and hunger, my uncle took it upon himself to provide the necessities for survival. He had a family of his own. He did his best to fill the void my dad left in our lives.

I stopped and took a deep breath, literally placing my right hand on my chest to calm down before opening the curtain that prevented passersby from looking into our barely furnished living room, which only contained a long couch, a love seat, a wooden center table and a dining chair. On the wall hung my parent's wedding picture frame, and our baby pictures, me, my younger sister and brother who were ten and six years old respectively.

Aisha, you are back already! my mother said, half-enthusiastic and half-nervous. She looked at me as I walked and found myself a spot to sit on. My younger ones already sat and listened in on the conversation.

Uncle Momoh, I wasn't expecting you today, I said happily, glancing around our living room; thinking he brought any goodies as he always did. There wasn't any sign of gifts in sight. I rested assured that they must have kept it in the bedroom. He looked a lot older than he did the last time he visited, which was a month ago.

I came to see how you are all faring, and I had to discuss something with your mother, he said then cleared his throat. My heart skipped a beat, and I almost threw up the little breakfast of corn porridge and bean cake I had in the morning.

Can I go get some water to drink? My throat is very dry, I said, almost pleading for them to give me the go ahead, which I knew they would, but I wanted the reply quickly.

You may go, but return immediately you finish drinking. Your uncle must return home soon. He already spent time here while you were at the stream. My mom said. I ran out of the living room to the kitchen, which was separate from the main house in the back yard. I was not thirsty. I just wanted to get more air into my lungs before listening to the news my uncle was about sharing. I was more nervous after what I heard at the stream I had an inkling, but I chose to push it aside, I hoped it wasn`t what I thought.

I took a white plastic cup inside the yellow basket meant for clean plates and utensils, in the corner of the round, mud, walled kitchen, dipped it in a clay pot of water, and brought it out. It was cold, exactly what I wanted to calm me down. The clay pot always does its job, and that is to keep the water cool for drinking.

My hand quivered as I took the cup to my lips, the water spilling onto my dress in the process. I managed to get a sip of it when I heard my name.

Aisha, how long will it take you to drink a cup of water? Your uncle is waiting, hurry up! My mom said as I quickly gulped the remaining content in the cup, some of it running down the side of my mouth, and onto my chest. I hurriedly placed the cup back into the basket after patting my mouth dry with the helm of my dress, and hurried to the living room. I sat down and listened to what he patiently waited for me to return before speaking.

Aisha, my uncle began, I`ve discussed this with your mother already. I do not see the need to sugar coat it. I have sustained you, Farida, and Sani for years, so I as the decision maker after your father left you all, have decided to marry you out to Alhaji Umaru, the rich merchant. He will take care of you, and further your education from where you stopped, he said, and I broke down, crying.

Uncle, please, I don't want to get married yet. Am just thirteen years old. I said, crying; I will find something to do after school. I can fetch water for our neighbors, weed their farms, and run errands for the elders around us. I could even hawk some wares in the market except, we do not have enough harvest to sell. I can do anything, but please do not send me away from mom and my siblings.

I pleaded with him, and knelt on the ground, I shuddered without control. I pictured my departure from home, and the tears poured without holding back. In my culture, it is weakness for a man to go back on his words, and I knew he was not an exception to my culture.

My mom watched and cried silently. I could see her wiping tears off her eyes with the ear of her long, dyed, designed, wrap around cloth that she wore from her chest, extending down and ending beneath her knees. She usually wore it on hot days, and it was a hot, sunny day in South Sudan. My younger ones also joined me as I knelt and begged my uncle not to marry me off to an old man.

Aisha, look at your mother, he said; gesturing to her. The only way to make her happy again, and have enough food and clothes is to marry. You are not going to die there. You might not like him now, but you will, after living with him for a while. I chose him for you. He is a good man. He will pay a huge bride price and some cattle for your mother and younger ones to live on. You should be happy to take poverty away from your family, especially as the first child and daughter of the family, he said and looked at my mother, waiting for her to nod in approval, to what he said, or add some input in it.

Aisha... my mother said and started weeping. We all cried; it turned into a crying Fest. My uncle sat as he had made up his mind already, and no matter how much fountain of tears we shed, he wasn`t backing down on his decision.

"You know how much I wanted you to finish school before getting married, and all the promises I made after your father deserted us, I meant them all. If draught had not taken food from our table and clothes from our backs, and if my foot was okay, I would go to any length to see that I continued from where your uncle stopped, but I cannot.

I`m sorry I have failed you as a provider, and I apologize on your father's behalf, too. If we had known life would deal us this blow, we would not have brought you children into this world to suffer," she said, sniffling. Her eyes had turned red from crying.

I got up from my knees, and my younger ones did likewise. I went to my mother and embraced her, wiping tears from her eyes, and then my uncle spoke after sitting silently; watching us cry.

You make it seem like she is facing a firing squad, he said to my mother who calmed down as well as the rest of us. The marriage is in one month. You still have enough time with one another’ he paused, and then Maimuna, he called my mom's name, make sure she is properly dressed for the occasion when the time comes. I will give you some of the money for the bride price to see that important things are taken care of. I already have the bride price, which Alhaji paid yesterday morning, and Aisha; you are now engaged and should not be around boy. You belong to Alhaji Umaru from now onward," he said.

I sat on my mother's laps and stared into space. Pictures of the wedding day and thoughts of losing my friends played in my mind. Tears started flowing all over again. My uncle rambled on to my mom. Finally, he got up and told me not to cry anymore. I was a blessing to my family, and I should look at it as such, otherwise, I would be miserable in my husband's house, taking away my concentration on my wifely duties, which could spell problems. I should keep in mind that, any attempt to run away could mean replacing me with my younger sister. He said his piece and left.

I was heartbroken. My mother held me tight and told me, it was neither her choice, nor her desire to see me married at the age of thirteen. I believed her, and I knew things were falling apart quickly. My younger ones were growing and needed balanced diet. Our clothes were in tatters from constant wear and wash with the cheapest soap affordable, which, of course contained undiluted chemicals resulting in dry and rough palms. We washed with our hands. We couldn`t afford a television set let alone a washing machine.

The roof was falling apart. The thatches saw better days, and were full of holes. During the raining season, we huddled in the corner of the mud house as the water dripped from the roof directly on the spot our dining table stood. We devised a method of placing a bowl under it to keep the floor from getting overtly wet. The worst - case scenario was when it rained continuously for five days. Water