Today, I, Ifewumi, am being given as wife to a man who bathes in wealth and affluence, but unlike most brides, I am filled with so much fear and anger that I can't but sit still, fondling my bridal beads and pondering my fate.
Besides the fact that I am forced to marry the one that my heart knows not, I wonder what will happen tonight at the deflowering ceremony, where the blood of my chastity is to be shown to the villagers.
You see, it is not that I live a wayward life, I only gave myself to my heart throb, Ojo, whose eyes are like the setting sun and for whose smile, the village maidens fought. Beauty rolled out of his tongue, when he spoke and my heart danced to the beatings of his heart. Surely, the gods were not offended when I gave him a bite of the fruits of my vine, especially as I was sure that he would own the whole vineyard soon.
Now, this old fool, comes to beseech my hand in marriage at a time when poverty has its claws around my parents, dragging them into the abyss of greed. They say that since Ojo is not ready to get married, they would accept a suitable suitor, in the person of Akinjagun , the foremost warrior in the land.
I am taken to his mating room, as the sun slowly goes to sleep and time for the final, most important part of the marital ceremony comes. The sound of his footsteps and the creaking of the door as he slides in, send a shiver down my spine.
I can barely see his face in the darkness, but I know he is the one and when he caresses my arms with his palm, it feels like the bark of a tree. The hair on my skin stands at attention as he climbs upon me and removes his cloak. When he pushes my thighs apart, the tempo of my heartbeat climaxes through such a maddening crescendo that I do not know when I spill the beans.
"Don't do it. You will find no honour there. " says I, in a curt whisper.
He recoils like a snake bitten by its own poison and with clenched fist, reaches for the calabash sitting by the bed, next to the white cloth, which mother gave me for the night. The drums begin to rumble, indicating the impatience of the villagers.
"What shall we tell the people?" His eyes query me with a teasing glare, as he slices his palm, bleeding into the cloth.
Then he goes out, holding up the cloth as proof of my virginity. The people scream excitedly, the drums beat loudly and the earth shudders at the dancing feet of relatives.
By this act, Akinjagun has covered my secret sins and the shame of being found out, still I cry in the privacy of my heart, knowing that a lifetime with a man I am forced to love is worse than death, which is the penalty that I deserve.
It is the next morning and I am already love sick. My temperature can compete with the sun, my body feels so dizzy that I cannot stop sleeping and my heart kicks uncomfortably in my stomach, causing me to throw up last night's dinner. Ariyo, my mother in law, looks at me like she has just caught a thief.
"Maybe I have the flu." I say in reply to the unspoken question in her eyes, hurrying away.
"Where are your monthly towels?" She calls out and I stop, suddenly realizing that since two months ago, I have not seen my womanly blood.
"The gods forbid!" Ariyo exclaims repeatedly, snapping her fingers and calling the attention of the neighbours, who drag me to the meeting of the elders, laying their accusations. Akinjagun is seated there, but I know that condemnation alone awaits me.