? MMESOMA’S
DILEMMA ?
Chapter 7
“Uju, Paul, we need to talk”, Aunty Kainene said as she stood up.
My father led all 4 of them to the gazebo, and my siblings and I, minus a sleeping Dubem, watched throu-ghthe window as they sat in the gazebo.
Are they planning my execution?
“I cannot believe you told grandma that!” Ezinne said grinning, Dozie was smiling too.
“Now, we have a good idea what she will do and I know that right now you are unbothered about getting disowned because it is impossible, but your semester would be messed up if you resume late”, she added.
Sigh.
“Any ideas on what we should do next?” Dozie asked, keeping his eyes on the staircase just in case Grandma decided to make an appearance.
“I honestly don’t know, right now I need sleep, I feel so drained and I cannot think well”, I said with a sigh.
“My own is, who called them here, I because when I told mummy and daddy they were here, they looked very shock and they were not acting”, Ezinne said as she carried Dubem and we walked upstairs to our rooms. We pa-ssed the room grandma was staying in and hurried past it, I was thankful that our rooms were far from hers.
I don’t know when I slept off, but I was woken up by someone knocking on my door.
“Meso open for me . I just want to talk”
Mummy?!
I sat up immediately
. This did not feel right, my mom wanted to talk not kill me she was sounding so calm. What had changed?
Then I remembered that the Arsenal was in town and clearly I and she were on the same team now, I am so sure aunty Kainene would have told mom that I am so stubborn and disobedient because I am my mother’s daughter.
Which is actually the truth, stubbornness runs in our veins.
I open for her, she comes in and I immediately close the door behind us.
“Obim, I know you are very surprised to see but neither your father nor I called them. This engagement has been decided before you two were born, your grandmother and his made this union and believe me she would do anything to see it happen, so please stop being stubborn and just agree”, she said.
Wawuuu.
I looked at her in surprise, she was holding my hand and looking into my eyes, she reminded me of a woman without many choices. She had to make sure I agree or she and I would face my grandma’s wrath which, from experience, I knew would not end well.
“Wow! This is so wow! So they cannot even consider us first, whether or not we will even love each other, whether we can tolerate each other, they did not even know how things will work out or which family would produce which child.
. They were just busy making plans ba?”
I was angry and really trying to keep my voice low, my mother was no longer looking at me.
“Obim, I do not want wahala at all, so just agree to the marriage, please. He is an amazing catch for any girl; I would want him if I were your age, what is your problem sef? What has suddenly come over you? When did you get so stubborn, ehn?” she asked.
Her questions were just flying over my head; my own was that this whole matter was much bigger than I thought.
“Also, I think you should stop trying, you and I know that it is only if he breaks the engagement that it would end, you do not have a say, neither do I, plus I think he is an ideal choice for a in-law, he will take good care of you”, she said, smiling as if Afam was the best thing to happen to me.
“Mummy, I am not disputing that he is a catch o, I am just saying that I do not want to marry him. Ahan! It is not fair na, I have not even graduated, I don’t even know what I want to do with my life and my wedding preparations are already being finalized. You people are wicked sha”, I retorted.
She sighed, let go of me and stood up.
“Ada, you heard your grandma, you know how she likes to give small-small messages on what she would do to anyone who disobeys her. She has let you know that if you reject this proposal then she would ensure you are cut off from this family and I know that does not bother you, but please it bothers me, I do not intend to cut off ties with my first child. Ada, please think about me and your father, biko, we really just want all this drama to end”, she said and left my room quietly.
Leaving me to think of my life and how once again a boy whose surname was Chibueze was turning my life upside down.
My phone buzzed, reminding me of Whatsapp. I closed my door before checking my messages. Dara had been flooding the group chat and our private chat with messages. She had not called though; she knew I would not take my phone to where my grandma was.
I opened our private chat first.
Dara : The Arsenal has truly arrived! Babe, do NOT let them see your fear o.
Dara : I saw a guy at the mall today. Total hottie!
Dara : Girl, why are you still offline, is the inquisition going on there? Have they killed you already?
Dara : Are we going to see in church tomorrow? I am going for second ma-ss so I can have an excuse to stay back later.
Me: B, calm down, I am still alive! See you in second ma-ss then. You must sha gist me about this hot boy.
Dara : Alleluia! She lives!
Yes baby, I live, for now.
*****
Now that Dara was finally a-ssured of my continued existence, I had to also tell them of what mummy had revealed to me.
Me: Guys, listen up, this is important.
Ezinne: What happened? I saw mommy enter your room, I hope nothing worse has happened?
Dara: What’s up b, hope all is well?
Me: No, all is not well and it just got worse. Well, mummy and daddy did not call the Arsenal, someone else did and I can swear it is that Mrs . Chibueze.
Ezinne : Babe, chill, don’t be so sure. Maybe she heard gist na.
Dara : Girl, how? This just happened yesterday. Except she is a witch, how she want take know?
Ezinne : Isn’t she a witch?
Dara : Lmaoooo.
Me : You guys be serious joor. Lmaooo.
Me : Anyhow sha, grandma is more involved in this than we thought o. She is at the centre of all this. Mummy said that this engagement had been planned nefore we were born, clearly this is a case of friends who really wanted their grandkids to marry each other.
Dara : Wawuuu! From what I have heard about her she would definitely do everything possible to ensure this marriage happens.
Ezinne : She has already put her plan in motion na, she threatened to disown Meso if she rejected this proposal.
Dara : What?!
Me : Yeah, and she says that except I agree, there is no way I am resuming school next week, that is the one that it is really scaring me. I have to resume early
. Not the one I will go and resume by 2nd week and I will be looking for note and bed space up and down.
Mummy said the engagement was not something that was decided today; in fact it was decided long before either Afam or I were born by our wonderful grandmothers, I am guessing his paternal grandmother too.
Dara: Say what now?!
Ezinne : No wonder she is so involved in this.
Me: Yeah, mummy made me un-derstand that there is no use fighting because she would make sure she wins and I will not lie I am terrified, I need to get out of this house by the end of the week, not only so I can resume but also so I do not lose my mind, which is bound to happen with her on premises.
Ezinne : Okay, calm down, we would figure something out. For now though, just stay out of her way and out of her wahala. Een if aunty Kainene is trying to rope you into an argument, do not let it work. They will just capitalize on anything now just so they can mess you up and get you married.
Dara : Wow. This one haff pa-ss be careful. Your grandma sounds like that boss in the Devil Wears Prada
Me : Yeah, we know, she is annoying asf.
. I am so hungry.
Dara : Go and eat na.
Ezinne : You are funny o. She cannot try that one, even I am not going for dinner, anything to avoid those women. Dubem would represent the Agu children at the dinner table tonight.
Dara : Lmao! Okay na, I have to go now, my mum is screaming my name.
Immediately, mommy began to scream Ezinne’s name and she went offline too. I was in no mood to talk to any other person; I wanted to eat dinner then continue sleeping. Then, I wanted to wake up and realize that all this was a dream and instead I was preparing to go back to school and planning ways to keep Dara out of too much trouble.
But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
Maybe I was over thinking everything, who knows, maybe my fate was to find love in an arranged marriage and fighting it would only mess things up for me. But I could not help it; I just had to think about it all the time, I wondered if Afam was un-der the same pressure I was un-der, although I really doubted it, because looking at the facts, one would see that he was perfectly fine with this union, I was the one claiming HIV positive and pulling tricks out of my hat.
If only I had been born in a regular home where my biggest worries were getting good grades and waking up early enough to chores.
Those were also very important worries of mine, but nothing trumps trying to get your fiancé to cancel the engagement you had been roped into prior to your birth, definitely nothing could beat that.
My phone began to ring, it was a strange number and I ignored it. I would call the person much later when I am feeling less depressed, but the person did not get the hint and 4 missed calls later I was picking the call.
“Hello, I am in no mood to talk right now. Who is this?” I said, instantly regretting my words as soon as they left my mouth. I began to apologize but the person shushed me.
Hey! Do not shush me!
“Meso, are you really going to marry him?” the caller asked.
Gods of my ancestors! Tobenna Chibueze was calling me and he sounded so tense.
“Tobe, are you sure you should be calling me and sound all hot and bothered? This union is not really my decision to make, abi have you not heard the latest gist? This union is bigger than any of us; it was made before we were born. Simply romantic and cliché right?” I asked rhetorically, rolling my eyes.
“Meso, I do not want to lose you to him, think about this, I would anything to help”, he said, sounding so desperate.
“You don’t say dude”, I thought to myself as I hung up.
There was a way to leave this house, for school, after all.
Tbc…