Sun After Clouds

When Love Wins

Another day, Gboye and Aweni called Alake’s attention. They wanted to convince her further on the danger of marrying Wole.

"That boy can’t afford to feed himself with three square meals per day, let alone feeding you and your unborn children,’’ Aweni lamented, sorrow heavy in her voice. "Alake, marrying him shall be a burden you won’t be able to bear. Why do you want to make yourself suffer? Why? Why do you want people to make mockery of us?’’

Aweni was struggling to fight back tears as she spoke. She thought Alake's Adamancy was too heavy for her to bear. Perhaps, Gboye was her many years husband, she knew him like the back of her palms. He would never allow Wole to marry Alake. So, she concluded that she must pacify Alake to change her mind, yes, she must. "You must not end up with that boy. The billagerd will spite us...

"Yes!’’ Gboye spoke up when his wife had paused. "The villagers with their basket mouths will say; ‘do you know Chief Gboye’s first daughter? She has gone to marry a labourer.’ A poor labourer for that matter! I shall never condone such blind choice! Not even on my life!’’

"But...but...father, I don’t care whatever anyone says," Alake said determinedly, tears start to stroll down from her eyes, falling into her Ankara-made extra large African blouse called "Buba." "It's my life, not anyone's else. It's a free world. So, people have gotten their tongues and free to wag them about. Wole may not be rich but he possesses all the qualities I want in a man. Both of you know he is a very humble, diligent…’’

"What kind of smelling words are you spewing from the gutter you called mouth?’’ Gboye interrupted Alake angrily, violently banging his hands on the wooden bench which was carrying the three of them. Alake was sitting in the middle, so she felt the terror-striking bang straight in her heart. It made her heart skipped beats and she shuddered with fear. "Is it his humility and diligence that will put food on your table and take proper care of your unborn children? It’s only an unwise maiden like you that would reject a horseman and choose a pedestrian.’’

"I plead to you, my husband, let’s take it easy with her,’’ pleaded Aweni. ‘’ I hope she’ll come back to her senses soon. Yes, very soon. It’s youthful exuberance that is troubling her. All I’m seeing in her is a young, inexperienced lady who needs more of life training…’’

"Woman, talk senses into your daughter’s head now!’’ Gboye said in a carefree scream as if what Aweni was saying didn’t matter. He stood up and started to stamp away in anger. "She is no more a child! Admonish her!’’ She spoke from afar now, not turning back to look at his audiences as if their sight would provoke him into harming them. "I’ll have none of that labourer boy. No child of mine shall drag the famous name I have built over the years in the mud by marrying a pauper!’’

Aweni nodded in agreement, not because she thought Gboye was completely right but for the fear and respect she accorded him. In Ladele, it was a taboo for mothers to go against the fathers wish, especially concerning the kind of husbands or wives they wanted for their children. The fathers were the sole heads and paramount rulers of their homes. A protesting mother could face any punishment from the father and nobody would question him.

After Gboye has left the sorrowful looking mother and her sobbing daughter, Aweni drew closer to Alake.

"Hope you heard your father referring to you as my daughter?’’ Rhetorically, she asked Alake in grave, sorrowful tone. "Did I give birth to you alone?’’

Alake thought the question wasn’t meant for her, so kept mute. The woman knew the answer to her question already, she thought, no need of answering her.

With more heavy heart, Aweni continued talking, looking into the endless empty space before her. "Obstinate children are for the mothers, while obedient ones are for the fathers. That is one of the unfair judgments our society pronounces on us, mothers. Is it a crime to suffer nine moons of sleepless nights, and many market days of food and water tasting like gull just to become a mother? Is it an offense to carry a child in your back like beast of laden and breast feed her for three years, many nights and days, dancing without beats, just to keep your child alive? Don’t we and the fathers gave birth to the children and raised them together? Why should the blames of their misdemeanors rest on we mothers always?’’

She turned to Alake sharply as if she just got aware of her presence. "You see, I don’t want people to say I made you go astray by heaping the black, fertile earth around your obstinacy. Perhaps, I’m not saying you’re all that wrong in accepting Adewole out of love. But, one thing I’m sure of is that your father and I want the best for you. Parents that would see their child goes towards a pit, folded their hands and watch, are the wicked ones. We will never be like such parents. Never! You’re of a noble birth and deserve a better man than Adewole. Marrying this pauper will subject you to untold hardships which only love can’t bail you out of. Accept one of those rich suitors of yours and have a lasting, happy married life.’’

"But mother, I totally disagree with you and father referring to Wole as a pauper,’’ Alake countered, wiping off the tears in her eyes with her headscarf. "A person who works to feed himself is never a pauper. Moreover, haven’t you once told me how you and father got married when his barn was totally empty? It was when you both joined hands together that things became rosy over time. I beg of you mother…’’

Alake genuflected before her mother with the quickness of a hawk and said, ‘’you and father should allow us work for our own riches, too. If today is bitter, tomorrow will be better, if hard work, perseverance and true love are involved.’’

All Aweni’s pleads and admonitions to make Alake nip her love for Wole in the bud proved abortive. Her passion for him even grew stronger every passing days. Gboye stopped Wole from coming to his home or to work on his farm. But would that deter the love birds from meeting?

They had planned to use a secrete sign to contact each other. Wole would come around when the night falls and darkness hung onto the atmosphere like a black giant gown on a dwarf. And everyone had gone inside their huts. He would hide where nobody could see him and threw tiny pebbles on their corrugated zinc roof three times. That would produce sounds resembling that of a giant bird perching on the zinc roof. Nobody in the household would suspect it was not a bird that had made the sound because it was common for birds, especially owls to perch on roofs at nights. And most villagers would be scared to come out whenever they heard the sound because owls were seen as messengers of secrete witchcraft groups or evil cults.

The villagers believed when the owls hovered around with their large eyes every dark night, they were looking for whom to attack spiritually or human blood to suck in their secrete realm. Alake already knew what the sound stood for. So, she would open her louver-less and burglary-less window carefully, and crept out silently to meet Wole. The couple would then scamper to a secluded bush. They would seat hunched together at the foot of a large tree and discussed about their past, presence and future. But won’t Gboye discover these secrete meetings later?