Joy’s Dilemma

“Why do you keep rejecting and ridiculing every man I bring home?” Joy asked her parents, Rev and Rev Mrs Koroma, while hitting the flower vase in frustration. With the sound of shattered glass clashing on the floor, she stood there in anger, shaking with teary eyes watching another eligible suitor of hers and his family walk away with shame and dissatisfaction on their faces because of how they were treated and rejected by her parents. “Behave yourself!” Rev and Rev Mrs Koroma ranted, as they tried to calm her down and put her under control. With tears running down her face, sweat covered her. She felt shattered and thought to herself “Oh God! Why does this keep happening to me? Why do my Parents hate me this much? What was my offense? Won’t I get married like my mates?” as she walked away to her room, while her parents tried to clean the mess she had made in her outburst. Joy went to her room, sat down, took her phone and called her best friend, Gamela who had an important presentation on campus and couldn’t make it, answered the call with a lot of excitement shouting “Baby girl! tell me everything, how did it go? When is the wedding? My best friend is getting married” Joy could not say a word, she sat down holding the phone up to her ears, her heart raced as she quietly listened to an excited Gamela who kept asking until she realized Joy was mute. “Baby girl! Talk to me, what happened?” She asked calmly in a worried tone. Joy was still mute, she wanted to tell her best friend everything but the excitement Gamela had, because she thought Joy was getting married, made a lot of things go through Joy’s mind, feeling lots of emotions she couldn’t explain or understand, it was as if her heart and the world stopped. She couldn’t take it anymore all she wanted was for the pain to stop. She threw her phone to the ground, held her ears very tightly, and started shouting from the pain her heart felt, the emotions running through her, and the thoughts that were driving her insane. “Hello! Hello!” Gamela shouted with a shaky voice and tears running down her face, she was very worried that something bad could’ve happened to Joy, racing through her campus and looking for a taxi to take her to Joy’s house. Rev and Rev Mrs Koroma heard Joy screaming and they ran to her room but the door was locked from behind, Joy! Joy! Joy! they shouted as they banged on the door. Joy did not open the door, she kept screaming while they kept banging on her door out of worry that something had gone wrong or she might have hurt herself “Dear God please keep our daughter safe” they prayed in fear. “Joy! Open the door and talk to us, we do not want to hurt you baby girl everything we are doing is for your good but as we go you will understand better”. Rev Mrs Koroma said with a shaky voice and teary eyes while her husband kept praying to God “Dear God, you know how much we love our daughter and want only the best for her, please do not let any harm befall her”. He prayed. Rev Mrs. Koroma then rushed to her room, collected her phone, and called Gamela “Hello Ma, what is going on with Joy”. Gamela asked immediately she picked up the call “We rejected her suitor and she has been acting out of rage since then, please come and talk to her. She has locked herself in we could not convince her to let us in and talk to us” said Rev Mrs Koroma as she kept crying “I’m on my way ma” Gamela answered as she dropped the call. “Driver please hurry, it’s an emergency” she snapped in anxiety. As the taxi dashed in front of Joy’s house, Gamela rushed down. Her heart kept racing as she prayed in her mind, “Dear God please keep my friend safe” whilst the taxi driver kept shouting “You’ve left your change ma” Gamela did not turn back, she ran into the house and straight into Joy’s bedroom. Gamela met Rev and Rev Mrs Koroma at Joy’s bedroom door, they were still banging and begging Joy to open. Gamela had a spare key to Joy’s room so she reached for it in her bag and grabbed it but because of her shaky hands it fell on the floor and they couldn’t find it. Gamela couldn’t take it anymore so she ran to the house store, looked for the pry bar, and took it “Baby girl hang in there I’m coming to get you” she said as ran back to Joy’s door. Gamela gave the pry bar to Rev Koroma who broke the lock, allowing Gamela in “We trust you, talk to her and calm her down she’s your friend” Rev and Rev Mrs Koroma said to Gamela as she walked in and they went back to their room. As Gamela walked in she saw Joy sitting on the floor of her room shaking, with her head pressed in between her legs, her hands firmly placed around her legs. She wasn’t saying anything, all Gamela could hear was her sobbing “Baby girl what is wrong?” Gamela asked calmly, trying to get Joy to sit up straight. Joy sat up straight still shaking, sweating profusely, her eyes teary and red, her face pale, her temperature hot and her lips swollen because she had bitten them when in pain. Gamela calmed her down, she sang for her till she was calm enough to explain “Talk to me baby, what happened?” Gamela asked again. Joy took a deep breath “My parents rejected the suitor who came to ask for my hand in marriage, I asked but they could not give me a reasonable reason why. All they could tell me was I cannot marry him, I am very hurt, to think my parents would consider the fact that I have been in many failed relationships and just accept one of my suitors but they are making things harder. This is the fifth suitor they have rejected this year. What was my offense? Am I not fit to get married? Do they hate me this much?” Joy explained with a sad face. Gamela hugged her “All will be well, God will make it happen in his own time” she whispered into Joy’s ears. “I think it is even for the better because I can’t imagine you giving birth to an ugly child,” Said Gamela as she burst out in laughter “That is a good point because that suitor was very ugly” Joy replied as she laughed along with Gamela, the two friends made jokes out of the situation and laughed very hard. A few hours later Gamela called her driver to come to pick her up, he came and she went home, whilst Joy went online to keep herself occupied and distracted. Joy noticed a particular person who had been constantly sending her messages, even though she had never opened or replied to them “Who is this? Why is he so intentional about sending me messages daily? She thought.