Husband is mine
Mize looked incredibly beautiful after the colorful traditional wedding between her and Chelule. Sitting with her mother-in-law and two of her husband’s aunts, Mama Ngoma and Kanze, she watched the traditional bean soup boiling in the pot. It was the beginning of jando as it is known in the customs of Konde. He was going to stay at home for a month, receiving advice from different elders of the Chelule clan. “Take care of your husband’s stomach and you will have won his heart,” Mama Ngoma said as she slowly stirred the bean soup. They were teaching her to cook special traditional delicacies and to be a wife in all aspects.
Mize’s parents couldn’t help but thank the gods, as their daughter had landed in the hands of a man with great fortune. She was the eldest daughter of a polygamous family. When Chelule first met her, her heart ignited and it wasn’t long before he proposed to her. Chelule reeked of rich when he married Mize. He ran business chains in the city of Sawai that also had branches in other cities. Many fathers lined up their daughters for him, but Mize defeated them all.
Chiku, the sister who follows Mize, never stopped being tormented by her sister’s envy. He had married Kazungu, a kindergarten teacher whom he perpetually compared to Chelule. Kazungu was an ardent traditionalist and staunch Catholic who never believed in family planning methods. He once seriously beat Chiku after learning that she had attended a seminar on family planning. In a span of six years, Kazungu and Chiku had seven children. It was a life of struggle since his migrant salary was not enough. His lifestyle involved living off donations from friends and family. Mize contributed substantially to its maintenance.
Mishi, Mize’s other sister, the third born in the family, has no room for envy. Being a staunch advocate of singleness, she always said, she has no time for the conventions and restrictions of marriage. “I love the freedom that single life brings,” he said. When her sisters talked about their marriages, she bragged about her latest conquests in male circles.
Six years later, Chelule and Mize had two children, a son and a daughter. A perfect number according to them. When his relative pressured him to have more children, he stood his ground. “It is better to have few children who can be given adequate care and a good education,” he said.
One morning, Mize woke up with a headache. Initially it was not serious, but persisted until noon. He sent his assistant to the nearest pharmacy to get him panadol. Although the panadol did not help ward off the pain, she still went to Keiyo’s market to review her business. It was in the cause of supervision, that he suddenly fell and was rendered unconscious. In a panic, his workers screamed for help from their neighbors, who rushed to call an ambulance. The ambulance came to a halt at Mize’s post and caused a great shock to onlookers.
Upon arrival at the Mikocheni Missionary Hospital, she was admitted to the emergency room. After the doctor examined her, he recommended that she be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. It was later discovered that Mize suffered a severe stroke that took away a blood vessel on the left side of her head, causing internal bleeding.
The frantic efforts of doctors to save his life were rendered useless when he succumbed two days after his admission to the hospital. News of Mize’s death spread through Sawai like wildfire. There were crying, wailing, dancing and songs of mourning. Chelule took it bravely, but couldn’t contain herself on the day of the burial.
After forty days of mourning, the clan had the initial task of naming who would inherit Mize, in accordance with the customs of Konde. It was a rule that when a married woman died, her younger sister, who followed her, would be the next to inherit her. Despite the widespread Christianity among the Konde people, this custom was still appreciated. Mishi, the self-proclaimed spinster, was the legitimate sister who inherited Mize. But Mishi is unwilling to give in to the pressure exerted by the clan elders. “My respected elders, do not let me fool you. I cannot put myself in the shoes of my late sister. I am not marital material, that’s all,” he said firmly.
When the elders gave up on Mishi, they called an internal meeting among themselves to determine the next course of action. It was decided to approach Kadogo, the youngest daughter of the family. Kadogo at twenty, just finished high school, waiting to join the Polytechnic course of Accounting. She is charming, her semi-dark finish could give her away as an Ethiopian girl. In the domestic sphere, she is an impeccable housekeeper. Finally, when the elders ask her for her consent to marry Chelule, she shyly says no.
The time for the “porridge feast” was approaching. The elders of the clan had asked Chiku to join them for the occasion. This is the time when these women would prepare millet porridge, mixed with sour milk, pour it into a large pumpkin, and let each person serve themselves. They made Kadogo sit in the middle, while the women formed a circle around him. Then I would get advice from each one. The occasion was abundant, and as each enjoyed their portion of their porridge, Chiku broke into a defiant mood. “Not everyone gets it. Kadogo is a mere young man, too naive to recognize the needs of a man who has just lost his wife,” he said with an authority that baffled the women. As the women tried to accept his words, he left the small hut in protest.
One night, before sleep took hold of her, she looked at the four walls of her miserable bedroom. Her husband was fast asleep and snoring. “If only he could leave this misery and taste Chelule’s wealth. I have always envied my late sister. I shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity “ she contemplated seriously.
Charo whistled and sang as he ironed Chelule’s clothes. He has worked on the Chelule farm for fifteen years. His music became more and more sweet, when suddenly there is a knock on the door. He continues singing his traditional song until he opens the door. Without much effort, Mize pushes him aside and enters the house with his luggage. Charo stopped his music and gave him a bleak look. “Ma’am, may I know your mission?” he asked as the smell of a cheap perfume she was wearing made him nauseous. “My mission is one, to stay and take care of my late sister’s children,” he said in a daring tone as he picked up his luggage and headed for Chelule’s master bedroom. She rummaged through her luggage and pulled out a cheap “see-through” nightgown she’d just bought at the market. She lay down on Chelule’s huge bed putting on a seductive forehead.
The long wait for the dispatch from the city of Kabana had left Chelule completely exhausted. “I’m too tired to even put food in my mouth,” he told Charo when he got home. Charo was confused, not knowing how he would break the news of his “visitor” in his room. Chelule was quick to notice some embarrassment and embarrassment that covered her face. “Charo, is there something you are hiding from me?” Charo staggered, but steeled himself to speak. “Sir, Aunt Chiku came over tonight and insisted on staying in your room until you arrived,” she said in a low, nervous voice. Stunned by the words, Chelule headed for his bedroom. With the click of the door, Chiku jumped off the bed and quickly knelt before Chelule, but he stopped her. “If only you would let me put myself in my late sister’s place,” he pleaded. Without saying a word he went to take a quick shower. The cold shower restored her strength and as she watched Chiku lie down on her bed, she couldn’t resist her sumptuous body. His heartbeat sped up and he found himself lying next to her. They spent the night together.
In the morning, Chelule looked at Chiku as she lay next to him, and saw a ray of beauty that she hadn’t noticed in all these years. And when the elders appointed emissaries to visit Chelule’s home that morning to set the date for her wedding to Kadogo, they did not find him in the mood to talk to them. After putting a lot of pressure on Charo to call him, he finally relented. He casually entered the living room to find emissaries whose patience had worn out. They shook hands as Chelule gave them a scornful look. “We have come to agree on the wedding date,” said one of them. “My dear elders, with all due respect I would like to return to our customs which dictate that once a woman enters a man’s home and has ‘carnal’ knowledge of her, she automatically becomes his wife,” he said while the emissaries remained. calm but shocked. On an impulse of the moment, Chiku in her usual defiance entered the living room in a long dress. “Yes, I am that woman. The husband is mine. Go tell the elders that the deal is done,” he said and returned to the bedroom. The emissaries bowed and left the house.
