Girl Child

Sunrise, sunset, a new day begins in the Iruson family with the sound of a painful scream from a woman in labour. Mr. Iruson Ichibor, the head of the Iruson family, could be seen moving about like the tail of a gecko. Shortly after, the midwife came out, and Iruson rushed to her. "How is my wife and my baby boy?" he asked. All the midwife could say at that moment was, "They are fine." Suddenly, a voice was heard. "A girl! A girl!" The same words were repeated three times, and Mr. Iruson's face showed his disappointment at his wife and the newborn baby girl. Five days had passed, and Mr. Iruson was still not seen by his wife, while the preparation for her baby's naming ceremony was ongoing. It was the eighth day, the naming ceremony of Mr. and Mrs. Iruson's newborn baby girl. The ceremony began. Drinks and food were served, and Mr. Iruson was seen at the scene just once. The celebration was over, and everyone went to their various homes with Osaro on their lips, the name given to Mr. and Mrs. Iruson's baby. --- Osaro had become a year old, and with the help of God and her mother's care, she was able to walk at nine months, which was unusual for kids her age. Mr. Iruson was still as disappointed as he had been on the day of Osaro's birth and could not even perform his fatherly duties towards her. Her mum became her parent. As time flew by, Osaro's second birthday was already as close as the nose to the mouth, and her mum was going about preparing a special present for Osaro, while her dad was busy with his own special "birthday present." It was the D-day, and Osaro was seen roaming about from one edge of their big compound to the other. "Osaro!" her mum called. She hurriedly went to her mum with a big smile on her face, and an even bigger joyful smile appeared when the present was given to her. It was a box of soft toys and building blocks. Osaro's joy knew no bounds, but would it last forever? Not long after the encounter with her mum, her dad, Mr. Iruson, arrived with a pack of candies and a soft, angelic teddy bear. Osaro, as a kid, hurriedly rushed to the candies and started digging into them before her mum arrived. Mrs. Iruson was shocked to see her husband with their child after a long time of being absent. She then thanked her husband for making Osaro's day, kneeling on the floor. "Papa Osaro, thanks for the..." She couldn't finish the statement because of Osaro's sudden cough. She turned to her daughter, only to find out that Osaro was not able to breathe properly again. She called out to her neighbour, and Osaro was taken to the nearest clinic and admitted instantly. After all the tests had been carried out, the doctor told Mrs. Iruson that her two-year-old daughter had been poisoned. All that was ringing in Mrs. Iruson's head was the name of Mr. Iruson. She hurriedly told the neighbour to stay with Osaro and went home. On reaching the house, she met Osaro's father drinking and celebrating that his problem was gone. She turned the table over in anger and said, "What has she even done to you?" Without a word, Mr. Iruson left the scene, leaving his wife without remorse. Mrs. Iruson was seen in the ward with Osaro, and after some minutes, Osaro could finally move and speak. With happiness, Osaro's mother called the doctor and was told that they would be discharged in an hour after a proper examination. "Osaro, my God exists," said Mrs. Iruson as she looked at her daughter. --- Many years had passed after the Osaro poisoning incident, and she had now grown into a beautiful teenage girl at the age of 16. "Yesterday was the best day of my life," said Osaro to her childhood friend, Omege. "Why won't it be, when the dream of every girl has been fulfilled by you? You celebrated your sweet sixteen yesterday, and every teenage girl in this community rejoiced and enjoyed with you. And here you are saying it's the best day of your life. Of course, if not this, what else did we expect to be the best? Or maybe a marriage ceremony?" "You have now passed your boundary," said Osaro as she pursued her friend into their compound. "Osaro! Osaro!!" Mr. Iruson called, and she quickly ran towards her father's direction. "Call your mother," he said. Osaro left to call her mother. "Mummy! Mummy! Father is calling you," she said as she quickly left to continue her chase with Omege. Mrs. Iruson was seen with her husband discussing when a loud voice was heard. "No! She is too young, and I would not allow it while I live." "She must marry Mr. Okhizu," the other voice replied in a harsh tone, as Mr. Iruson was seen walking out of the room. The sun had set, and Mrs. Iruson was still sober due to the discussion she had with her husband. "Mummy, what happened?" Osaro asked. Mrs. Iruson quickly wiped away her tears and faced Osaro. "Nothing is going to happen to you," she said. Osaro hugged her tightly, and they both wept. Later that evening, Mr. Iruson came with some elderly people into the compound, with only one of them looking like someone around the same age as Mr. Iruson. He called out to his wife and their daughter, Osaro. Mrs. Iruson offered the guests some salutations while Osaro followed her lead. They were offered water and some drinks as the discussion began. "These are the kinsmen of Mr. Okhizu, Osaro's husband-to-be, and this is Mr. Okhizu," said Mr. Iruson. Mrs. Iruson was perplexed because she could not believe that Papa Osaro could stoop to the extent of giving their daughter to his age mate. All she could do was accept and try to be happy. Mr. Okhizu was introduced to Osaro, and marriage rites were performed, with an agreement stating that Osaro would be given to Mr. Okhizu on the next Eshili festival, the Beans Festival. These rites were the beginning of joy for Mr. Iruson and also the beginning of sadness for Osaro. --- Sadly, the day which Osaro had prayed would never arrive came by, and the house was full of sadness. "Tomorrow is Eshili, so make sure she is beautifully dressed and adorned with hair beads on time because Mr. Okhizu said he and his people will be here early," Mr. Iruson told his wife, who at this moment could still not hold back her sorrow. "Yes, Papa Osaro. She will be properly adorned," said Mrs. Iruson as she continued weeping. "Osaro! Osaro!! Osaro, open the door!" was the cockcrow of the Eshili festival in the Irusons' house. The door opened as Mrs. Iruson went in with Osaro's beautiful wedding dress and jewellery. "Good morning, Mom," Osaro said as she burst into tears once again. "It will be fine, my child. Just as your name says, my God will exist for you in everything," Mrs. Iruson said as she dressed Osaro for her send-off ceremony. People were not invited since it was not a happy occasion, so it was just the family of Mr. Iruson and that of Mr. Okhizu who were present. Osaro was led out by her mother to her father and was later taken away by the Okhizus, saying goodbye to her family and friends in a sorrowful manner. After Osaro's departure, Mrs. Iruson was taken to the clinic because she was dizzy, and she was later confirmed to be expecting. Mr. Iruson's joy knew no bounds, meanwhile, Mrs. Iruson was still very sad about Osaro's departure. The Eshili dance ceremony finally arrived, and Mr. Iruson was seen as the happiest and most fulfilled man at the ceremony. Mortar and pestle sounds could be heard at a distance, and palm wine was tapped, making the ceremony more fun and lively. One could hear the sound of drums from afar, just as Mrs. Iruson could feel the pain of her daughter even when she was absent from the Eshili teenagers' dance. Mr. Iruson shared and celebrated with everyone, stating that he had sent his first child off and another bouncing baby had come. But to Mrs. Iruson and Osaro, this was the worst Eshili festival ever. --- "Good morning, our wife," said Oge, Mr. Okhizu's sister, as she continued her duties. Osaro's face could tell that she was not happy, and she could not do anything rather than cry and continuously obey her husband, which made her even sadder. "Osaro!" a loud voice called out to her as she quickly ran in the direction of the voice, only to see that it was Mr. Okhizu who had called her. "Yes, sir," Osaro answered with an almost unnoticed sound, and this made Mr. Okhizu angry. "I told you, anytime I call you, your response should be 'Yes, my husband,'" he said as he took his seat and asked Osaro to sit. "Osaro!" "Yes, my husband," she replied, almost weeping. "Good..." "I called you this morning to list my rules and regulations for you so that you can understand me better." "Yes, my husband," Osaro said. "My number one rule is what I have let you know already, which is the response to my call. Second, you must behave like every other lady, even when you're not comfortable with what I tell you to do, because that is what your seniors, your co-wives, do." "Yes, my husband," said Osaro as Mr. Okhizu continued with the list, and Osaro departed afterwards. "Ohh, today is just too fast," said Osaro as she did the dishes. "I can't wait to have my night's rest." "Osaro! Osaro!!" Mama Adanna, Osaro's co-wife, called. "Yes, Mummy Adanna. I am here doing the dishes," she replied. "Ohh, okay. I want to let you know that it's your turn to keep our husband's bed warm tonight since it is also your welcoming night into his room. I also know what you might be going through because Omona was like you when she was married to Papa Adanna's brother, and today, you can see that she is used to life in this house." "Okay, Mummy Adanna, but what do you mean by it is my welcoming night, and why do I have to keep his bed warm tonight?" "You won't understand since you're still very young, my dear. Keeping the bed warm means you have to perform your wifely duties to your husband and prepare yourself for motherhood." Osaro became overwhelmed with sadness as she realized what was expected of her. "It is time, Osaro," said Mama Adanna as she held Osaro's hand and led her to the dressing room. "You have to make sure you are perfectly dressed and charming for your husband, my dear." After getting ready, Osaro moved to Okhizu's chamber and waited for him to come out of the bathroom. "Ohhh, what a beauty," Mr. Okhizu said as he drew close to Osaro. This made Osaro very uncomfortable, and she started crying as she remembered her mum's words, which were to always be submissive to her husband and not argue with him. She immediately stopped crying openly, but she continued weeping. Mr. Okhizu approached Osaro, and she remained frightened and uncomfortable. She could only obey as she had been taught. "Osaro," Mr. Okhizu called. "Yes, my husband," she replied through her tears. The night continued, and Osaro endured what she had been brought into the house to face. Afterwards, Osaro departed and returned to her room. "I hate you, Father," Osaro said as she entered her room.