FORBIDDEN LOVE

Chapter 3

Leila got her bag and moved out of the library,she knew she is at loss ,a full day and she hasn't read a thing ,she knew she was screwed ,she had to find a day to read ,maybe hide in her room when she gets back home.

She stopped a motorcycle and hoped on but for some reason,she felt as if her heart lingered behind,as if she wanted to stay in the library.

"Come on ,it is closed now !" She told herself abd headed home .

She greeted her mother as she passed by her and went to her room and locked her door .

There was a knock on her door ,it was her mother,"come out my daughter,come and have lunch ,have you forgotten that women don't lock them selves up in rooms ,are you a bride !"

"I will be out in a minute,mum ,"Leila replied

She put her clothes off and tied up a towel around her body ,she came out of her room hurrying to the bathroom when her mother spotted her .

"You are going to bathe now ,the food is cooling down !" She said

"But mum ,let her first bathe ."Her brother Abi interrupted their mother.

"How were your studies little sis ?"Abi asked as he poured some passion fruit juice in the glass for her .

Leila took a sip then gathered her courage together and said "very good ,I learnt a lot ."

Adu looked at his wife and children,then he said ,

"I have good news for you guys!"

Everyone extended towards him ,they were very eager to hear the news that he was about to deliver .

"Your uncles and aunties are coming here tomorrow to see us !"he said with a smile

"Ooh my in-laws are coming,I must wear my best dress ,or my new gomesi but I will have to do the chores ,oh I will wear my new beautiful'gomesi' after I cook ,my husband help me choose what do I do now ?"Leilas mother Sarah said as she was caught up in a bit of a panic .

Adu came close to his wife and in an assuring tone he said to her "come on my wife ,you don't have to worry about the chores anymore,we have a daughter,she is fully grown now ,she is a woman ,she will handle everything and for the clothes,who told you that the guests are here to see you ?They are here for her ,so put on any 'gomesi' you can find our daughter I mean the young woman in the house will find something beautiful to put on ."he finished the statement as he winked at Leila who had already put on a worried face .

Leila looked at her dad in disbelief and asked "Are those visitors really here for me ?"

Her father smiled and said "Yes your aunties and uncles are coming here to see you !"

"I am curious shouldn't the uncles be coming to see me ? Abi interrupted

"No ,no my son you are still young ."Adu said

" oh am older than Leila I thought!"Abi pondered

"Girls grow up faster than boys ,don't you know that my son ?" Their mother Sarah replied

The day went on as Abi and Adu went to the market to buy some food for the following day while Sarah and Leila stayed behind to clean the house .

It was already getting late when Leila got her phone and texted Ella

"Hi I won't be coming tomorrow we have visitors coming,I can't leave the house."

"Ooh I can't leave Sam's house either ,I am treated well as a visitor ."Ella texted back

Leila went to sleep knowing very well that she had to be up early in the morning to start the chores .

The next morning ,she could barely hear the birds chirping outside her window when there was a loud knock on her door ,it was her father.

"Wake up my daughter,bathe and pray it is already tomorrow don't be lazy ,you know I don't want lazy women don't you ?"

"Yes sir ,I will be out in a minute,good morning sir ." She said as she rubbed her eyes ,she knew it was going to be a long day .

She came out of bed bathed and prayed she raised her hands to God and prayed that her favorite aunt ,Aunt Mable would be one of the visitors.

She hurriedly went to the kitchen and started helping her mother out with the peeling,she bickered with her brother back and forth on who should pluck the feathers off the chicken.

"A girl doesn't argue with a man my child "her mother cooked her down

"By the way did you find the perfect dress for today ,you know you have to look like a grown up and don't shame your father and I ."Sarah said as if in a whisper

"I found the dress mom ,I will surely earn the both of you the respect you deserve."Leila replied in a whisper.

They did the chores quickly cracking some jokes while Sarah was giving her daughter some lectures and then they had sound of car beeps .

Abi ran to welcome the guests,Adu sent Leila to the bathroom as he went to open the door through which the visitors pass .

After bathing,Leila smeared baby oil on her skin and then put on her descent blue dress ,she gathered her shabby hair in a veil .Her anxiety grew as she had the voices of her uncles and aunties laughing with her dad in the living room.

She settled for a second when she heard Aunt Mable asking about her where abouts .

"Let me bring her out ." She heard her mother say as her footsteps grew louder coming to her room.

She opened the door and sat Leila on the bed and whispered to her "Be confident my child and be clear with what you want ,don't let them choose for you ."

Leila was confused but had no time to seek clarification as her father was now calling her to the living room .

She came out in a very humble manner walking behind her mother ,she knelt beside Sarah and greeted the guests in both Islamic culture and Baganda culture,she was called to come next to her aunties who she shook hands with .

Her uncles,were tall black Baganda man ,who were wearing Baganda thobes ,very firm in the outdated culture and very straight on point .

"Mable ask her now ,we want to know ."one tall man said looking at aunt Mable

Aunt Mable smiled and said "why doesn't she serve us her food first ,and we will see about that later ."

Sarah and Leila went to the kitchen to bring out the foot which was Matooke rice ground nuts chicken and meat .Abi held the plates and cutlery to which the tall man burst out .

"How can you bring those forks without the small basin for washing our hands ."

"It is here father ,"Leila said holding it with a jug of water .

"That is my daughter ."Aunt Marble complemented her with a smile .

The food was served fresh from the banana leaves ,Leila faced some trouble serving it as the leaves were so hot to touch .

The tall uncle turned to Adu and asked "Are you sure this one is ready?"

"Oh I know she is ."Aunt Marble replied quickly

There was maximum silence as the family was eating,and after the meal ,the tall uncle brought up the subject again.

The nervous Leila was called to sit in the middle of the family as Aunt Marble started off the conversation .

"Leila, as you have had before,the prestige of a woman is marriage, we are here because we hope you are a woman now in our family yet you haven't gotten married yet ,we don't want to be embarrassed in the tribe that is why we are here to ask you ,do you have anyone in mind ."

"Not just anyone,some one who will get our family the respect it deserves,a strong man with culture and love for the tribe ."another aunt added .

Leila thought for a while then in a very gentle tone she said "No I don't have anyone."

"The one you have won't get us the respect we deserve?"The tall Uncle interrupted

Leila was quiet for a while and then replied "No father ,I don't have anyone at all ."

"Adu you heard your daughter,we should get for her then ."another uncle said

Adu and Sarah both dumb founded looked at their daughter as if telling her to do or say something but they couldn't say anything themselves.

Leila remembered her mother telling her not to allow to be chosen for earlier in the room but she didn't have the audacity to say anything either so she just looked at Aunt Marble with pleading eyes .

Aunt Marble seemed to understand the signs and said "come on my big brother,we can't just chose for her ,just like that ,we can't give her a chance,there are a lot of men she sees at the university,she may find the one we want ,infact I will go with my daughter to the room and we will have a separate talk ."

They went together to Leila's room where a dress had fallen on the carpet to which Aunt Marble said "Is this what you are going to do in marriage?Just throw your clothes all around the room"

"No aunt ,am sorry ,I don't know how this feel down ." Leila replied as Aunt Marble was sitting her down .

"Do you know the type of man we want ?" Aunt Marble asked

"No ,aunt I don't think I know ."Leila said

Aunt Marble sighed and said "We want a Muganda man who is educated and has a reasonable amount of money,he should be responsible more into our culture and should have a car ,he must come from a well known Baganda family and he must have a high paying job,he must be able to come to your father and properly ask for your hand in marriage,pay the dowry price we need and should fund a very respectful wedding ceremony you should be taken through."

"One man ?"Leila was astonished

"Yes one man ,how many do you want to get married to ."Aunt Marble answered

Then ,they were alarmed by the argument in the living room ,the voices were becoming louder .

"Adu ,you took a girl to school up to University and left the boy !"her father was being asked

"It was Abi's sacrifice,tuition was not enough for the two ,and Leila is so bright,I can't sit her down she is our family lawyer ."Adu responded

"So a female lawyer,who will trust her with their cases ,she is going to be home ,doing chores ,bearing children when will she get time to be a lawyer come on ."

Adu shook his head while saying "Women emancipation my brother ....."

"Is the beginning of all the domestic violence you see these days,it is the mother of all evil ."the tall uncle said interrupting Adu

"What if someone wants to steal our land !we will have our daughter to protect it ."Adu responded

" Having our daughter to fight for family property will be the very first step in our downfall ,don't you understand,"Adu faced back fire once again

"She will be married off in another family,she won't be bothered by our property ,there are lots of male lawyers out there we can rent ."one man added

"If that is your worry Adu ,why don't we just marry her off to a lawyer ,we will have our very own ,a son in law to protect our property."the tall uncle said.