A wife from my village

A wife from my village by IZUNWAONU

            In our village we all had different behaviors, as different as the way we ran our lives. But there was one thing common to all: that was love for one another.  I was a close friend of one such man,  Emeka Joe. He was married with four children; three boys and a girl. His wife was doing well but that was a wife his parents found for him. That same evening I came back from Emeka Joe's house, I told my Mum to get me a wife.

            My Mum was very happy and she promised to get me a good wife. I was dedicated to marry  Adanna the girl my Mum suggested to me. She was a daughter of a teacher in a small village a little far from my house. My mother, as all the Igbo mothers, was very tender and concerned; she made sure she found a good wife for me.

            One Sunday evening Adanna visited us, she really dressed like a woman from my village. The last time I saw a young woman dressed as a woman was ten years ago when I was in St. James Primary School. As I never meet her without experiencing a heartfelt pleasure, I stayed and talked to her, leaning over the back of our chair at the sit out. After some time, she seemed a little confused, and ceased to answer me with her usual ease of manner. I was struck with it.             “Heavens!” I said to myself, “can she, too, be uneducated.

            I was engaged in observing her lip and did not notice that my Mum was at the end of the room whispering to her to be smiling. I sprang from my seat and approached her, she did not even notice my presence, until I knelt at her feet, took her hand and spoke some reassuring words to her.

            Being engaged in conversation, I did not notice the presence of my Mum, until I told her that she would be my wife. I was then first attracted by the picture of a lady's hand holding a plate of well cooked food, coming down to me, and on raising my eyes I almost discovered that the owner of the hand stood before me.

             When my Mum saw that I was interested, and series of investigation conducted, my Mum said to me,

             "A marriage is for life, for better or for worse. This is the person that you have to care for and spend the rest of your life with. We are not like the English where you can just leave your wife and marry someone else or divorce her. In our culture you always have to stay with your wife and look after her." Divorce was rare in my village. It was a big decision for one because it was going to be difficult for one to find another wife after the divorce.

            Then, when the bride price was to be paid, there was a ceremony in which we had fixed at Adanna's compound. Toward the evening that day, we set out for Adanna's house. I was sure she had already gotten everything prepared.

            I remembered the conversation I heard with her from the evening before and Adanna's words was echoing in my mind.

             "I love you, and I will be faithful to you."  

            "You know I love you very much, and if you will grant permission, I will do everything possible to go back to Europe with you." I said to her.

            Looking through the window of my car, I saw a young Lady standing near Almond tree at Ifekwo village square. I looked and looked at her, and I knew, as clearly as I know that I was not myself That I loved her more than anything I had ever seen or imagined on earth was what i said which I regretted. She was very sexy almost naked. She had on a pretty white perforated dress; her hair was curled; she looked as if she was waiting forsomebody.

            I asked my driver to stop then  went down to meet her. How she attracted me I could not explain. Without wasting any atom of time, I proposed to marry her but she started crying.

            "Please stop crying,"

            I said while I tried to catch my breath.

            "I hope I didn't hurt you."

            "No, you didn't hurt me," she told me, "at least not too bad. But where are we going? She asked.

            I looked up at her face then bit my tongue, searching for something else to say. I knew I was in big trouble, but then told her we were going nowhere.   

            "Do you think that you can pay for my bride- price?' She asked care-freely because she did not I thought she did not know me very well."

            "If I can't then I will borrow. I have many people who will be ready to lend to me, interest free.' I said in like manner.

            "It seems you're already intoxicated by alcohol. How on earth do you think you will pay my bride price from borrowing? Then after the payment I will follow you and starve to death simply because I want husband." She said.

            She was like "mamaiwota" and her appearance made me change direction. I told my driver to revise that we are no longer going to Adanna's house.

            I was sure Adanna was already waiting for us but I was not sure of what she did when she did not see us. I came home again telling my Mum that I have found another wife; a wife I did not know her name and where she came from.

            Prior to the day, I saw in my dream where.... To be continued