Chiamaka listened to her mother but refused
to understand. She had sworn that she will follow her personal conviction and
the wish of her headmaster against the wish of her parents. Her mother had
begun to notice her reticence and was feeling uncomfortable because she knew
she would eventually take the blame. She had cautioned Chiamaka when she
noticed that she was becoming resistant to her counsels telling her about the
eventual brutal reaction of her father when he would come to notice her stand. DIARY OF A GIRL CHILD....EPISODE I
Chiamaka begged her mother to cover for her and promised that she will marry
Mazi Nnabuike when she was a little more mature. This had partially consoled
her mother who had managed to convince her husband that they should give their
daughter a chance to know how to perfectly read and write her names so that she
can serve as an accountant to Mazi Nnabuike when they got married. Her husband
had asked why she had wished that their daughter should continue school when
like all other girls, they had gone to marriage even before they completed
primary school. “You know Mazi Nnabuike has many farmlands which yields so many
farm produce and he makes a lot of money from them. It will be good for someone
to keep the records so that they can know how much they make in a year. Mazi
Nnabuike himself will be happy to know that his youngest wife cares about his
wellbeing so much so that he will not hesitate to pay her school fees. This had
convinced Chiamaka’s father and eventually Mazi Nnabuike himself. But
Chiamaka’s father still nursed a fear that something might enter the head of
his daughter and she might behave funnily when the time came. He was guardedly
cautious when he therefore accepted his wife’s suggestion. More so, he had
noticed that the rest of Mazi Nnabuike’s wives were as bare as any blank sheet
of paper. The position of her daughter would eventually place her on a position
of advantage.
When Chiamaka had passed her Common Entrance
Exams and had gone to secondary school, Chiamaka’s father had called her and
given to her a perfect lecture on marriage and its benefits, not directing to
her his intentions. But she knew. Her mother had time and over again talked on
the subject. Anytime her father mentioned the subject, she begged her mother to
promise her father that “one more year.” Chiamaka’s mother was a perfect lawyer
to her though she too was convinced that it was going to last only for a while.DIARY OF A GIRL CHILD....EPISODE II
Chiamaka had carried her qualities into
secondary school where her teacher of sports and physical education had quickly
observed with keen interest the talents imbedded in her. He had decided to
train her privately because he saw a future that no other girl had in the
community. He was not mistaken. Before long, she had been selected to represent
her school in the up-coming National Federal games to represent her
school and region.
Coincidentally, she was going to represent
her school just when Mazi Nnabuike had come to her father to insist that the
marriage rights must be performed. Mazi Nnabuike was also having a feeling that
he could not explain to anyone in particular. He had mounted pressure on
Chiamaka’s father and he too could not resist any longer. When it had been
announced to her that she would be married to Mazi Nnabuike soon, she wept. Her dreams were
going to be shattered in front of her own bare eyes and she would become like
any other girl she had seen and known grow up in the village. Chiamaka met her
mother once more to try to convince her father and Mazi Nnabuike to give her
some more time. This time, it was her own mother who refused. ‘Ogini ne me gi?’ her mother thundered
“What do you want to do with that book? Don’t you think I have tried for too
long? How many women have you seen going to school? Are you different? You will
go to your husband’s house next weekend. No more, no less.,”……
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