HEART OF GOLD

CHAPTER 5: SHEEP ON AUCTION

With mind clouded by a mass of jumbled thought, and a sight blurred with tears, her surrounding fading pass as her feet took her forward in the speed of a lightning.

I did not believe my father will do this to me?

You knew this will happen since the day your father married your sister out two years ago.

Yeah, but I did not think my own will happen so quick. She was fourteen then but I am only eleven nah.

These words battle took place in her head, keeping the network of her mind busy as she kept running.

Like the tide of the sea being driven by a strong wind, even so a replay of the memory of earlier events flooded her mind.

It was a serene atmosphere in the early hours of the evening. The sun had just set and birds were chirping melodiously in the background, heralding the soon arrival of night fall. 

Sitting as a lone silhouette flanked by bushes in an abandoned neighbourhood with old and worn zink roof sitting on old brick wall like a misplaced baseball cap in a cowboys head, the house was not the typical house you commonly find someone of Alhaji Sani's status. His car - a brand new (Range Rover Sport 4) - sitting a little distance away from the house didn't seem to fit into the picture. 

On a weak looking bench in front of the house sat Alhaji Sani and Mr. Alliu discussing. From the seriousness of their expressions one could tell that they were into something important.

What could bring an important man like this to this kind of house? Miriam thought from where she sat inside, opposite the door, viewing the scene with interest through a little space between the door and the door-frame of their house. 

"Miriam! Miriam!" Her father called. 

"Yes Baba (father)," she answered, running outside to meet them. 

"Alhaji, meet Miriam, my daughter, the one I told you of. She will turn twelve years in a few months," Mr. Alliu introduced. 

Turning to Miriam he said, "Miriam, here is Alhaji Sani, he is here for you," he introduced vaguely.

Who doesn't know Alhaji Sani in this area? She thought. He is so popular that he doesn't even need an introduction. Wait a minute, did father just say he is here because of me? What is going on?

She tried her best to conceal her confusion as she greeted, falling on both knees as custom demand, "good evening sir."

"Good evening beautiful one, stand up, stand up." Alhaji Sani responded smiling eerily. 

The look on his face scared her a great deal, she couldn't help the feeling of been a prey eyed by a predator.

"She is quite young and beautiful, very good, very good." He nodded.

While she felt like a sheep on auction, her father seemed to be satisfied by Alhaji Sani's remark, the huge smile that seems to be dancing on his face is a confirmation to that fact.  "Yuwa (exactly), I told you so," Mr. Aliu's voice rang, laced with pride as he picked his nose twice in rapid succession, he tend to do that a lot when he was excited. 

Turning to Miriam, he said, "Miriam please bring our guest a cup of water." 

With a wave of the hand, Alhaji Sani declined. "Never mind, never mind."

"You may leave us now." he gestured to Miriam with his hand. "Your father and I have important business to discuss."

The man exudes the aura of a very powerful and dangerous man who was used to always having things done in his way. 

What are they talking about? Why is my father behaving like this? Why is Alhaji Sani staring at me like that? These thoughts clouded her mind with confusion while her legs, as in autopilot mode, took her inside. 

Surely, there is something happening that I don't know. I must find out. She tiptoed curiously and took cover behind the entrance door where she could eavesdrop. Though she couldn't hear them loudly from her position because of the distance, she could hear them clear enough to make out what they were saying.

"No doubt she is very beautiful, though a bit too young but not what a couple of years and good food can’t fix." She heard Alhaji Sani said to her father.

Her brow furrowed, what is this man saying? She wonder.

"I am glad to hear that," came her father's response to Alhaji Dani's comment. "How many wives do you currently have?"

"Just five, she will make a total of six. You know, I am a capable man," Alhaji Sani replied, each word was laced heavily with pride.

"Good, I am in no doubt of your capability. I trust you will take good care of her."

"Yuwa, Yuwa (exactly, exactly)." Alhaji Sani nodded.

Like the cast of ray of light illuminating a dark room, even so understanding of the reality of what was happening suddenly hit her. At this point she could hear no more, so she ran away crying.

She kept running, neither cognisant of her environment nor having a knowledge of where her legs were leading her.

*** *** ***

Miriam was now seated, crying and brooding over her situation - the plight of an African girl child. Is it a sin to be born a girl in a community like this? She wondered. She could still remember three year ago when her sister, Aminatu was married to a man almost three times older than her. She could still picture Aminatu crying when she heard the news. 

She remembered the look of fear, anxiety and uncertainty on Aminatu's face during the wedding, though she didn't understand what it meant back then.

She could still remember how beautiful Aminatu looked on her traditional attire but the look on her face and her sore countenance couldn't match the beauty on her outward appearance.

She now understood what Aminatu felt inside. While everyone was mesmerised by the beauty of her outward appearance, no one saw the anguish, fear, inner battle, anger, frustration and feeling of betrayal bottled up inside. Oh! What a ugly beauty! No one cared.

What an irony? Everyone was busy making merry and celebrating but no one knew that deed down, one of the celebrant was anything but merry.

Miriam could't relate to Aminatu's feelings back then but now, she understood but wished she never did. Truly, there is beauty in innocence and bliss in ignorance.

She lifted up her tear stained face and saw Tony staring back at her. It was then she took a good look at her surroundings and realized that she was at Tony's resident, sitting at his balcony but didn't remember how she got there.

A/N: I will love to know what's on your mind. How do you see this chapter.

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