Everyone in the village were either happy for her or envious of her. What started as an acquaintance had quickly blossomed into the stage of marriage. Mary was now going to get married to this wealthy young man who stormed their village just a few weeks ago in a show of wealth. He had met her at a crossroads, having forgotten which way to take and from there, it all kicked off. Mothers watched in envy as this young rich man paid frequent visits to Mary's house, berating their poor daughters for their lack of good luck. They usually asked themselves, what did Mary have that their daughters did not have? From frequent visits, it graduated to a marriage proposal which was speedily accepted much to the joy of Mary's parents and to the dismay of her peers and their envious mothers.
It was time for the ceremony and Mary's home was a beehive of activity. The young man wanted a quick traditional marriage ceremony citing his waiting job and several other important engagements in the city. He had not come with any family member other than a friend of his, but Mary and her family paid no attention to that. He was rich and he lived in the big city, having a car, fine clothes and a lucrative job as an accountant. That was more than enough to render the absence of family members irrelevant. Like Mary's mother said, 'it is two of them that wants to get married not the two families'.
Just after dawn, the groom was already present at the home of his in-laws. It was his intention to speed things along as fast as possible. He had notified them that the white wedding would be done in the city, but he had bought their approval by promising that the entire family would be transported over when the time comes. His presence so early in the morning had made preparations move much faster than they had planned. He didn't have to say a word. He only had to stalk around the compound with an air of importance and then greet and be greeted by various family members. It was cue enough for everyone to immediately deploy to his/her responsibilities. Their rich in-law was in a hurry and no one wanted to annoy him by moving lackadaisically.
When the ceremony finally began, most of the village was in attendance. Seats were of no consequence. People didn't mind standing throughout the duration of the ceremony just so they could catch a glimpse of the superior-aired rich man that hardly gave more than a stiff smile and an Elizabeth Windsor wave. His beautiful car was there for all to see and between murmurs of awe and envy, they alternated their gaze between his face and the vehicle. He wasn't that handsome, this young man from the city, but whatever flaws or defects he might have had or was yet to have, his money had swept them all out.
Those who were opportuned or rather blessed to be identified as his in-laws were now walking on clouds. Their style and manner had changed, they had caught the infection of superiority and were not hiding it in any way. Envious mothers bit their fingers and made angry faces behind their backs, but to their face, a good relationship had to be developed and nurtured. Nobody would be stupid enough to work his/her way to the bad side of this 'illustrious' family. In all eyes, their in-law was perfect. No one saw anything wrong with him and the few who thought him pompous wisely kept their opinions to themselves.
As the festivities went on, it was easy to see how impatient the young man was. Despite his calm and straight-backed demeanor, it was not hard to notice him fidgeting in his seat and his eyes darting every now and then to where his bride was supposed to pass through. According to custom, she was being held back and further decorated to increase her desirability in the eyes of the man. Mary's mother, Agnes thought this impatience of her prospective son-in-law charming and romantic. It was an open secret that he and Mary had been practically inseparable ever since their first meeting and this impatience was only a confirmation of his undying love for her. She felt extremely proud, being the mother of a girl who had gotten such a young man so infatuated.
Soon, it was time and Mary was ushered in by the local equivalent of bridesmaids. The man soon took official possession of his wife and the remaining part of the ceremony was a blur. They wanted it over and done as quickly as possible, so they would have each other to themselves. But time seemed to move abnormally slow and they waited impatiently. Finally, it was time to go and wife and husband and his friend jumped into their car and amidst so much farewell tears, hugs and prayers from family, friends, foes and well wishers, they drove off. Their marriage life had just begun.
* * * * *
"Agnes," the quiet husband of the middle-aged woman called as she was about to leave the sitting room for the kitchen. She turned around and he beckoned to her. "Sit down," he said shortly.
"What is it, Papa Mary?", she asked as she took her seat beside him.
"When last did you hear from Mary?"
"Hmm," she sighed dejectedly. "I've heard nothing o. Ever since she left with that young man to the city she has forgotten us."
"Hmm," he sighed in his turn. "But if we have not heard from her, how would we know that she has forgotten us?"
"Hmm I don't know o. All I pray is that she is okay and comfortable. Even if she has forgotten us, let her be comfortable.. at least."
"You are always praying and hoping. This is not a matter for prayer, Agnes. You have not heard from Mary for two years now."
"Eh.. but what will I do na?"
"Don't you see the way people are looking at us nowadays?"
"Yes o. They are starting to lose respect for us little by little. Ever since Mary and her husband left, they have not sent us any kobo, eh, how do they expect us to survive? People are starting to see our secret and very soon, they will start to laugh at us. The other day, Mama Chioma was saying that perhaps that young man is not even rich as he..."
"Ehhh it's okay," her husband broke in. "Complain cannot help this situation. We have to find a solution. You have to go to the city to see how Mary is doing."
"Eh?", Agnes blurted in surprise. "Where will I go in the city?"
"You are supposed to know where they are staying..."
"Is it me or you that supposed to know?"
"What do you mean by that?", he asked angrily.
"Are you not the father? Why did you not ask the young man for his address in the city?"
"If you are a responsible woman, you will not wait for me to ask first, you will do it by yourself."
"Ehn yes. Do it by myself. Is it me that collected the drinks and bride price by myself?"
"Woman, you better watch your tongue!", he growled fiercely and she fell to grumbling inaudibly.
He kept completely silent and scowled as he stared at the wall opposite. He seemed to be deep in thought. Agnes was not comfortable with the silence. He was wasting her time and she had several things to do, but she dared not walk away. She shifted impatiently and made several sounds to distract him from his scowling meditation. At last, after what seemed like a lifetime, he spoke.
"The day after tomorrow, you will go to the city and look for Mary," he said in an authoritative tone of finality.
"But where will I go na?"
"Go to your sister that is a nurse in the city and tell her to help you."
"But how..."
"Woman, I have spoken!", he clipped.
With a sigh of frustration, which was originally a hiss converted to a sigh at the last minute, Agnes got up and left the room. It was useless arguing any further with him. In fact, it was too risky.
* * * * *
Agnes was now in the city. She was getting closer to reaching her sister's house, but it had not been easy getting here. She was armed with a small paper that had her sister's address in a heiroglyphic-like handwriting. The problem was that she could not read very well, having dropped early from school to get married and also, everyone who had seen the paper had given a different interpretation of it. She was directed back and forth until she met a tricycle rider who seemed to have a talent for decoding illegible handwritings. He carried her as close as possible to her destination to the chagrin of her fellow passengers and gave her directions on how she would get to her sister's house. She had been there ten years ago and that was her last visit. Things had changed in the environment, the roads were paved and everything was different though not so clean. She looked around in awe as she walked.
As she traversed the street, she kept glancing down at the paper in her hand as if she could read what was written on it. She knew her destination was No. 14, that was what the tricycle rider had told her, but for the life of her, she just could not recognize 'No. 14' in what was written on the paper. Everything was just muddled together like grasses. The tricycle driver must have special eyes. She sighed and gave up trying to identify No. 14 on the paper, putting it in her bag as she walked on. The numbers on the houses were large and clear, so it was not difficult to know exactly where she was at any point in time.
She was now at No. 8 and her eye had caught sight of a tattered and crippled beggar sitting by the roadside and raising his plate toward her as she approached his position. He was babbling in a language she did not understand, but one thing was sure: he needed money. And she had some change somewhere in her bag. She stopped and reached into her bag for the money and his babbling pattern changed. He seemed to be praying for her now. Retrieving a note, she stretched it out to him. He quickly let go of his empty plate so he could take the money with both hands and that was when she gasped in shock. He was affected too by her sudden gasp, but she had not moved her hand away, so he made to take the note out of her hand. But she recovered quickly and pulled it out of his reach. He looked up at her, wondering the reason for her resistance.
"In-law!", she exclaimed. It was now his turn to be surprised. He squinted at her for a while and then seemed to have a sudden jolt. Calmly, he picked up his plate, gathered his slippers and held them in his hands. Like flash, the 'crippled' beggar was on his suddenly healthy feet running faster than an Olympic athlete down the street! Agnes went after him without thinking. She was no match for him, but still she did not think of stopping.
"In-law!", she shouted after him. "In-law! My daughter! Where is my daughter?!"
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