Chapter Eighteen: Escape

Back at Ndokula, Fantah had waited three long years for any word from her stranger, but none came. The last time he came to see her, he promised the whole family he would soon be back. They prepared for the wedding and waited in vain for him to return. It was an embarrassment that could not be quantified. At first, the villagers pretended to ignore everything, out of courtesy and respect for Malam Buba. However, as time passed, the whispers grew louder.

Fantah felt uncomfortable in her own skin, living in that village. Even her own father was against her. He was always yelling at her and making hurtful comments like, "That is why you are still not married" or "You are too old to be living here with us."

A year after the embarrassing incident, they got tired of waiting and married Diddi off to her fiancé, Murtala, who had braved the Sharo for her. It made things worse for Fantah. The villagers couldn't stop talking and pointing fingers. She had watched, with mixed feelings, all her peers getting married, then their younger sisters, and even their younger sisters' younger sisters. It was embarrassing and soul-crushing. She also witnessed them giving birth to children while she remained single and grew old, waiting for Hayah.

Malam Buba could not even attend village meetings or any other gatherings with his mates because someone was always making hurtful comments about what happened to his daughter. He was embarrassed and ashamed, which naturally turned him against her. And that evening, he had had enough.

"Fantah, you better bring someone to marry you, or else I will force you to marry whomever I want!"

"Father, Hayah said he will return..."

"Shut up!" He cut her off. "That useless man could not even honor his promise. He took my daughter for a ride and then abandoned her. That is not a very royal behavior, is it? You have brought shame on this family."

"Father, it's not like that..."

"I said, shut up. You have one week to bring someone, or I will announce in the village square that I am giving you out to anyone interested, for free!"

"You cannot do that, Father!" She snapped at him.

"Shut up!" He gave her a hard slap on the face, and she fell backward, her head reeling from the pain. Her mother came running out from the hut to hold her and comfort her.

"Please, Gorko am, wadu Munyal," she pleaded with her husband.

"Mi wadata!" He yelled back at her and stormed out of the house, while Fantah was crying, and her mother was trying to comfort her.

Everywhere she went, people made fun of her as if she was some joke. Even little girls who used to fear her now bumped into her and sang in jest when she passed them at the stream or market.

However, what hurt her most was how much she missed her stranger. Despite everything, she still could not bring herself to hate him. She loved him so much that she was willing to accept him back into her life the very moment he returns if he ever comes back.

She prayed and prayed, crying herself to sleep every night. The weight of her loneliness and shame brought her to the brink of despair, and she even started having suicidal thoughts.

As she was returning home with the cows the next evening, her father was seated in his usual dinner place in front of the house with his brother Ballo. She knelt and greeted them. Her uncle answered her greetings, but her father didn't. So, she got up and went inside. When she brought their food later, she overheard them discussing a marriage between her and Sa'adu in a few days. It was to be a low-key marriage with no celebrations whatsoever, and he would not bring any dowry. Her world was shattered into pieces. The last shred of dignity she had was finally gone. She ran back to her mother, crying.

"Wadu munyal bingel am, stop crying," her mother cooed.

"How could he do that to me, Dada? It's not fair."

"I know, but Fantah, considering everything that happened and how the villagers are humiliating us, I think this is the best option that we have. Don't you think?"

"No Dada, I don't want to marry Sa'adu. I don't love him."

"Oh hush, girl! What do you know about love? You have not lived long enough to know how cruel life can be, believe me. Love is when you find someone to care for you no matter what. And it's better to be with someone who loves you than someone you love."

"What? That doesn't make any sense."

"Well then, I am sure this will. You are going to marry your cousin on Friday, whether you like it or not!"

…………………………………..

As soon as they had had breakfast the next day, Fantah ran to Diddi's house. It was a small Ruga located at a corner of the village up on a hill. Unlike most young boys who got married early and continue to live in their parents' house with their wives, Murtala, Diddi's husband, worked hard and built his own Ruga far away from his parents. He wanted to be alone with his wife, away from meddling relatives. He was a very proud man, and he worked his fingers to the bone to justify it.

As she approached the Ruga, she was impressed by how beautiful it looked. There were two large domes; probably one was for Diddi and the other for Murtala. There was a smaller one for grains, and just like their father's compound, the cows had their own place at the back of the compound. It had a beautifully designed raffia fence of different colors, and the entrance had a gate made from woven cane. She peeked inside and noticed how clean the compound was. It was swept so clean that you could see the stylish marks that the broom left behind. It was deliberate. That was Diddi's signature style of sweeping. There were some wild flowers growing in neatly arranged shapes, and she noticed that they had been recently watered. An open kitchen was by the side, and if her guess was right, the toilet and bathroom should be behind the hut.

The house was located on top of a hill, which allowed anyone in a standing position to have a scenic view of the planes. It was breathtaking! It was the beginning of the rainy season, and the sight of green grasses and trees looked like someone had placed them in their positions. The sky was pregnant with clouds - although she had a feeling it was not going to rain immediately - arranged in deep purple and gray colors, making the whole view picture-perfect.

Standing there and taking all this in, she felt a deep pang of jealousy. Not because she wasn't happy for her sister. No, that wasn't it. It's just that this was what she had wanted for herself all her life, exactly like that. Not a big house, or servants, or guards, or royal treatment of any kind. This was what she wanted. A cute little Ruga on a hill to share with the man she loves and to raise their children, peacefully. That was all.

She was far gone in her thoughts; she didn't notice Diddi coming out from behind her hut.

"Fantah!" She squealed in her sweet innocent young voice, then ran to open the woven cane gate and hugged her. Fantah could tell that she was pregnant even though it wasn't obvious yet; she had gained some weight. Her skin was lighter, and she had a beautiful glow on her face. And this time, she truly felt a tinge of jealousy for her sister.

"Diddi!" Fantah hugged her too, and without any warning, tears started flowing freely from her eyes.

"Fantah, are you alright? Is everything at home alright?"

"I just missed you." She lied, and they both cried.

Then Diddi led her to her hut where Fantah opened up and told her everything that had been happening to her.

"I know," Diddi said. "I have heard a lot. I have had cause to constantly defend myself everywhere I go because of it, even from my in-laws."

"Oh, Diddi, I am so sorry."

"No, it is alright, Fantah. You are my sister, and I love you. I can't stand seeing you suffer like this. I wish there was a way I can help."

"Baba wants to marry me off to Sa'adu next tomorrow." She burst out crying again.

"Well, don't you think it's better than staying single and waiting for your stranger? He may never come…"

"He will. I am sure of it!"

"Alright, alright." Diddi tried to calm her down. At that moment, she heard a gentle salutation at the gate, and her husband walked in. She heard him open the big water pot under the guava tree and pour some water inside. They were low on water supply, and he had gone to the stream to fetch water. Unlike other men who insist on only their wives fetching water for the house from the stream, Murtala preferred to go himself. He loved his wife and thought she was too delicate to carry a heavy pot of water on her head, especially in her current condition.

"Aha! Addirawo, mi homnima." He smiled shyly and greeted Fantah as he came into the hut.

"Gorko amin mi homnima." She gave out a little laugh and knelt to greet him.

He was about to leave again when Diddi asked him to stay and went ahead to tell him about the situation on the ground.

"So, what are you going to do now?" He asked Fantah.

"I don't know. Even if I am going to marry Sa'adu, I need to hear from my stranger to be sure he doesn't want me anymore, because I am not sure that is the case. Maybe something happened to him. Maybe his wife is using black magic on him. Who knows? I just need to know."

"Then go." Murtala said.

"What?"

"Go and find out before the marriage."

"But the marriage is in two days' time."

"Then, leave tonight. What do you think, Diddi?" He asked his wife.

"I agree. You need to leave tonight, Fantah. If they don't see you, the marriage will not take place."

She was quiet for a moment. "I think you are right. I will have to leave immediately. I know my way to Balda and where to find him." She was suddenly very nervous.

Murtala got up and reached into the topmost pot on a stack of pots that were arranged carefully in the room. They were given to Diddi as a wedding gift by her mother. He brought the pot down and opened it. There were some coins in it, and he counted ten and gave them to Fantah.

"What…? No, I… can't…"

"Please, take it and go to find your beloved. Believe me, I understand perfectly well what it's like to be in love, and I don't know what I would do if I was denied being with the love of my life." Fantah burst into tears again.

"Come on, stop that, Addirawo. You need to go home and get ready. Leave when your parents are asleep. I will wait for you by the stream and escort you to the forest, ok?"

"Ok. Thank you."

He turned to his wife. "I must go back to work now. The water you asked for is outside."

"Thank you, my husband. Allah hokku sa'a."

"Amin." He said and left.

"So, Fantah, you know what to do now. Make sure to sneak out through the back entrance as soon as Dada goes to sleep, ok?" Diddi warned her.

"Oh, my sister." She hugged her and continued crying.

[End of Chapter Eighteen]