DANUSHIKI

CHAPTER TWELVE

“But I’m her mother,” she snapped impatiently.

One look from Choshi told Mhonse that she’d said enough as both of them stood up almost at the same time. Thereafter, they went to meet their daughter in the sitting room. Sarme stood up to greet her parents, but only got a response from her father who inquired whether she’d eaten her evening meal, before beckoning her to sit down.  

“Listen to me,” her father began “I’m not going to ask you who is responsible for your pregnancy, because the gods and goddesses have already revealed that to me.”

“I’m sorry, it was all a mistake” she mumbled in a low voice.

“I’m disappointed that my only daughter could have gotten herself in something like this, but since the deed has already been done, there’s nothing I or anybody can do about it.” He sighed deeply and continued looking at Sarme, while Mhonse reduced the flame of the oil lamp she wanted to carry outside for the evening stroll, her right foot kept tapping the ground softly.

“My only happiness is that Danushiki is from a noble family and his father was once a warrior like me.”

Sarme almost fell off her seat with shock at the mention of Danushiki. She couldn’t fathom out how her parents could find out so easily without ‘squeezing’ the information out of her. From time immemorial, Sarme had disliked anything related to the gods and goddesses of Shaingwa, alongside their ‘barbaric and macabre’ customs and traditions. Everything now seemed to change for a split second as the gods and goddesses she had always loathed, suddenly seemed impressive to her. She remembered how she refused to go near the sacred grove on several occasions, and only strolled past the edifice, a couple of times on Danushiki’s insistence.

A while later, she wanted to ease the tension by asking her father if he could consult his chamber, and inquire about the s*x of the baby she was carrying, before she changed her mind.

“At least now I know how potent the presence of the gods and goddesses in your chamber are, and how they function.”

She mumbled some words to her immediate elder brother Berjho, who came inside the room and asked what was going on.

“Your sister is pregnant and we’re going to meet the person responsible and his parents.” Choshi answered calmly while pointing towards Sarme.

“Can’t it wait till tomorrow… they won’t run away father, after all they’re still here in Shaingwa.”

Mhonse was already waiting for them some meters outside their house while her husband ignored his son’s last statement, and instructed him to look after the house while they were gone.

“Have you changed your cloth as I instructed you to?” He asked Sarme.

“Yes father,” she whispered, avoiding her brother’s stare at the same time. Turning to his son who didn’t seem comfortable with his decision, he asked him, “Why didn’t you ask your mother to wait until the next day before she gave birth to you, tell me?”

Saying this, he went to a corner of the sitting room, took two glinting daggers from a leather bag and strapped them to his belt, before leading his daughter out of the house. When he saw Mhonse, he held Sarme by her hand and began to walk out of the compound, while Berjho walked slowly behind them.

“We are going to see Danushiki and his parents, though I believe a youth his age should be in Cobra Land by now… none of you needs to worry, after all everyone who’s entered into Cobra Land has always come back alive.” Berjho didn’t listen to his father as he stood with his mouth open, while watching the three of them walking into the darkness. He wondered what a gentle soul like Danushiki could desire in his violent and garrulous sister.

“We’re going to see Danushiki and his parents my dear Mhonse,” he said softly to his wife when they were thirty metres from the house.

“What do you want me to do about that, she’s your daughter isn’t she, so you have the final say on anything that concerns her.” She whispered without looking in his direction.

“I have nothing to say” she added, “I’m okay with anything you decide.”

She eyed Sarme in the darkness, and soon resumed her thoughts on the possibility of meeting the Simowa women - the traditional birth attendants. She intended to inquire from them, about the possibility of safely ensuring a miscarriage for her daughter, without endangering her life. At that moment, she knew the points of her husband’s two daggers might ‘accidentally’ end up in her smooth neck, if she told him of her thoughts.

As they journeyed on in silence, Choshi and Sarme could easily be mistaken for twins or lovers taking an evening stroll. Several Shaingwans always felt amused whenever they saw them walking hand in hand. Many inhabitants quickly ascribed this show of affection to the fact that she was his last child, and a female, though Choshi cared less about what anyone thought. Thirty minutes later, as they neared their destination, Choshi slowed down to allow Mhonse, who was stomping, to catch up with them. She wasn’t the type of woman who loved to fraternize with other womenfolk, due to her introverted nature, hence knew little or nothing about Danushiki’s mother. Three sets of people passed by Choshi and Sarme before he stopped abruptly at the entrance to Darjer’s compound.

“Why did you stop…is there any problem?” She asked breathing heavily.

“I’m going to do the talking my dear, and you will not speak unless a question is directed at you when we get inside.”

“No problem,” she whispered with a scowl on her face and checked the flame of the oil lamp.

Fortunately or unfortunately for Sarme, when her father knocked on Darjer’s door seconds later, it was opened by Darjer himself. He had a warm smile on his face when he saw someone in his age-grade, standing with his wife and daughter.

“Choshi, Mhonse…what brings you all to my humble home at this time of the night, you’re welcome, please come inside.” They all responded except Mhonse who said something inaudible, and walked inside before placing the oil lamp near the front door.

“Wait,” Choshi called out to Darjer before he sat down.

 “I want you to do me a favour. Please tell your wife to come out here… it’s very important for her to be present at this gathering.”

Darjer was surprised and amused by Choshi’s request while watching Sarme concentrate her gaze on the ground, with her arms folded across her breasts. He stood up the next moment to go and fetch Harshiri while Mhonse kept her gaze on her daughter. Moments later, Harshiri came out, greeted the visitors with a look of suspicion on her face, and sat down beside her husband, opposite Choshi and his party. 

Unknown to the adults in the sitting room, Gohryo and Makiya were outside, crouching directly under the window frame and listening to every word. They knew from past experiences that their mother would never allow them to be present in such a gathering, due to their ‘young’ age.

“Now that we are complete, I’m not going to waste your time beating about the bush, but will state the purpose of our visit.” Still bowing her head, Sarme wanted to ‘correct’ her father’s last statement. She wanted to remind him that the most important person who had to be present in this particular gathering, was somewhere in Cobra Land having a hellish experience…

“Your son Danushiki, who’s also my daughter’s lover, has put her in the family way, and I came here…” He was interrupted by Harshiri who did not wait for him to finish the sentence, but rather directed her questions at Sarme who had been quiet throughout their arrival.

“Sarme,” she called at her in a gentle voice as if she was one of her daughters.

“Where and when did my son make love to you, and how do you know he’s responsible?” Sarme looked at her father ‘for protection’ and saw him nod his head before she answered, while Mhonse surprisingly said nothing. She would have loved to react even before her daughter answered Harshiri, but kept quiet when her husband’s warning kept ringing in her ears.

“It… it was the day… in the night before he left for Cobra Land, about three months ago,” she replied slowly, while Gohryo and Makiya giggled outside. Darjer held his head with his two hands, lost in deep thought, while Harshiri continued with her ‘interrogation.’ He believed the girl almost immediately. She had no reason to lie, considering her character and upbringing, and if she did, the truth would easily be revealed in less than a minute in any small chamber. Choshi, on the other hand seemed to be enjoying the entire ‘proceedings’ with his arms folded, and relaxed on the wooden chair while waiting for Darjer to speak.

“My son can’t be responsible,” Harshiri replied Sarme who seemed unperturbed by Harshiri’s behaviour, after all she’d regularly seen ‘worse’ from her own mother.

 “Both of you were just friends, and he only saw you in the market…on the way to the river…” She wanted to continue, when Darjer raised his head, stopped her and finally spoke. “I believe every word the girl has spoken…”

“So I’m the one you won’t believe?” Harshiri whispered in a pathetic tone to her husband. Before he could respond, Choshi cleared his throat and began to speak.

“I and my wife have not come here to cause bad blood between the two families Darjer, but we are here to reach an agreement between the two families on the issue… please permit me to add that the gods and goddesses of Shaingwa have never lied to any inhabitant before, and if they ever did, I’m waiting for such a person to speak up about it.”

“Listen to me woman,” Darjer spoke in a harsh whisper while facing Harshiri.

“If I’m to vouch for any female youth in Shaingwa she would be the one, because you and I know the kind of person she is, therefore the issue of lying does not arise here.”

He folded his hands, with a deep sigh, while Sarme began to feel relieved for the first time since that morning.

“You are also forgetting something. The day your son left for Cobra Land, didn’t he send us a message on a parchment which he shot on an arrow?”

“Yes he did,” she replied, angry at her inability to deny the fact raised by her husband. “If he did,” Darjer continued, “then nobody should be surprised if pregnancy becomes the end result.” He answered abruptly.

 “But the two of them have been friends for more than three years, why didn’t she get pregnant then?” Harshiri questioned in a futile and final attempt to ‘exonerate’ her son, while Mhonse held all the muscles in her face to suppress the laughter in her her. Choshi only sighed at Harshiri’s last comment, and was grateful to Darjer who replied her when he did.

“If a young boy meets a young girl, or if a man meets a woman, is it a must that the boy must sleep with the girl immediately?” Before Harshiri could answer her husband, Darjer stood up and walked to the window and instructed his daughters to get some refreshments for their prospective in-laws, and more oil for the lamp. The two girls were stunned by their father’s voice and soon tiptoed into the kitchen to carry out his instruction. While they served Choshi and his people with roasted meat and fish, Darjer excused himself and went to his small chamber to ‘inquire’ about Sarme’s pregnancy. Choshi waited for him since he was not one to be in a hurry. He’d already made up his mind for a joint meeting with him at the sacred grove if Darjer refused to believe him.