Shades of Marriage π₯°πππ₯Ίπ Part 1
Family is considered to be one of the most important association of every individual. A family is where warmth is felt, tears gets wiped off, bruises gets tended to and loneliness gets tackled. But is this true for all families???
I sat in the the bus melancholic and somewhat depressed. I wish I had a choice to decline embarking on this journey.
“How do I tell my husband that I don’t feel like traveling to his parents house?”.
My husband is the first child of 5 children, three boys and two girls. They are all married except for the youngest daughter who will be getting married in two weeks time. This explains why I am traveling.
My mother in-law insisted that I travel down to the village two weeks earlier to assist with the marriage preparations.
The Bride herself was still in the city because of work but my husband and his family wants me to travel to the village for God knows why.
I sat on this 18seaters bus wishing for heavy traffic so I won’t get to the village early. Unfortunately, the road was unusually free that day.
I alighted from the bike and met my mother in-law seated at the front of the house with two other women chatting.
“Good afternoon Mama. Good afternoon ma”. I knelt down as I greeted my mother in-law and her friends.
“Welcome”. My mother in-law said coldly.
I entered the house and saw everywhere messy.
“Not again”. I said grudgingly.
I took my luggage to one of the rooms and retired there. I Love Coolvalstories. I laid on the bed to rest for a while. I was so tired and didn’t know when I slept off.
I woke to my loud ringtone. It was my husband.
“Hello. I forgot to call you..”. I said.
“You got to the house and started sleeping without doing anything. Now mama is complaining that she’s the one in the kitchen preparing food for you to eat. Does it make any sense to you?”. My husband shouted from the other end of the call.
I didn’t know what to say so I just kept quiet.
“Let me hear any complain about you again. You won’t like what will happen”. My husband said and ended the call.
I checked the time and discovered that I was asleep for only less than 30mins. It wasn’t even my intention to fall asleep. I was just tired.
I rushed out of the room and saw mama and papa already eating. I greeted papa who didn’t answer my greetings.
I entered the kitchen and saw that there was no food for me to eat. Mama only prepared food for herself and papa.
I resorted to washing the dirty plates in the kitchen so I wouldn’t be useless. I was still washing when mama walked in.
“Please leave my plates. Go back to sleep”. She said frowning.
“I am sorry ma”. I said with my head bowed down.
“Why are you sorry? Am big enough to be your mother-in-law? Please o.. I don’t want trouble, go and continue your sleep”. She said as she forcefully removed the plates from my hands.
I couldn’t leave to my room. I just stood there as I watch her do the dishes.
“Why are you still standing. It’s like you are looking for my trouble. Get out of here!!! Good for nothing woman”. She thundered.
I had no choice but to go back to my room.
I laid on the bed and began to cry. I began to miss my mom like never before. She died while giving birth to me.
I don’t know what it feels like to be loved dearly by another woman. I grew up with my father and my stepmom. It was hell.
I always thought getting married would make me feel loved but here I am being treated like a rag.
I know my mother in-law is not wicked. I see how she treats and respect my co-wives.
“Why does she hates me?”. “Am I cursed?”.
With a heavy heart, I fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up hungry. I looked at the house and I saw it needed intense cleaning. I had no choice but to get to work though I was seriously hungry.
I cleaned all five bedrooms in the house. By the time I was done, it was already 11:15am. I was already exhausted.
“So, if I don’t tell you, you won’t know you should have to paused and prepare breakfast before finishing up with the cleaning?”. My mother in-law said to me while I was trying to rest.
I stood up immediately.
“I was just looking at you to see if your sense will remind you that you need to cook. You don’t seem to surprise me at all”. She said shaking her head.
“Take this money and go to the market to get things for Banga soup. if you like sleep there. It’s not like I have any expectations for you”. She said and handed me some money.
I changed my clothes and moved straight to the market. I was so hungry and decided to buy food from a restaurant before proceeding home.
Thank God I ate in the market because it was from one work to the other. I didn’t rest the whole day.
It continued till few days to the wedding when everybody started traveling home.
That was when my eyes began to see even worse treatments.
To be continued..
Judith Onyoyibo
