All I ever wanted

Chapter 1: Defiant

"Ladies, of course we live here in this male dominated society, but that doesn't mean we have to make ourselves little..." Nakai spoke boldly to the group of young girls around her.

As young as seventeen years old, she had already started her journey to women empowerment behind the elders' backs. The young girls around her age listened attentively as she spoke.

"What if they don't allow me to do what I passionately love?" A younger girl asked in between Nakai's speech.

"And what would that be?" Nakai asked curiously

"Hunting," the girl laughed. "They said it's men's task"

"Well then do it ten times better than the men and see if they still consider it men's task" Nakai smiled at the younger girl. Something about her showed passion and determination, Nakai had no doubt she would make a great hunter.

"What's your name young lady?" She asked her.

"Saru," she smiled. "I'm sixteen I'm not young anymore." Both Saru and Nakai laughed at this, the other girls joined in as well.

Melody came running from the narrow dust road screaming to Nakai.
"Nakai, he's here! He's waiting to see you!" By the time she arrived, she was panting.
"He.. is... here" she finally managed to let those words out again when she got to where Nakai was standing.

All the other girls looked at Melody with eagerness.

"Who's here?" Nakai asked a little confused. Melody had been Nakai's close friend for all her seventeen years.

Melody took a deep breath before replying.

"Tamud...." Nakai immediately pulled her away..

"Shhhhhh!" She finally managed to whisper when they were away from the other girls. "Do you want everybody to hear that?" She laughed

"You literally asked me.. I was just answering what you asked," she said mockingly.

"Where is he?"

"He's waiting for you by the river, he also said you should hurry."

Nakai went back to the group of young ladies she had assembled.. "That's it for the day," she told them as she and Melody made their way towards the river.

The rest of the girls made their way home.

"Did you see that?" Maria asked her friends as they made their way home. "She tries to act like she's better than the rest of us. I can't stand her!" Maria complained

"Well if you couldn't stand her you wouldn't have a reason to sit and listen to her speak every weekend," Saru laughed.

"If I had a choice I wouldn't. You guys literally force me to come here. Plus at least I get to escape from my annoying Mbuya. But honestly, does she really think women will ever make it in this society?"

"Maria, Nakai is bold enough to even try to empower other girls.. the least we can do is comply... Do you really want to live under male dominance and work like a slave your entire life?" Saru asked.

"Of course not.. I'll get married to the King's son and I won't even have to work," they all laughed.

"That's an even crazier dream than Nakai's, but if Nakai can dream then why can't you," they laughed again. "No one has ever seen the King's son." He never visits our village."

"Rumor has it he looks like his father," Maria whispered.

"Well in that case, he must be good looking," Saru added.

Another girl added to the gossip. "Does anybody know of this man Nakai went to see?"

"I didn't here his name clearly. But probably a simple and ugly boy, not man. Nakai deserves no man.. Men want dominance. The stupid boys are the only ones that would tolerate Nakai's wannabe dreams of equality." Maria spit out

They laughed so hard at this.

"That's the most sensible thing you've said all day Maria. I'll catch you guys later," Saru said as she turned towards her home.

The rest of the girls waved and continued talking and laughing all the way home.

Maria finally reached home.

"Good afternoon Ambuya." She said as she walked past her grandmother sitting outside in the sun shelling maize.

"Aah Maria. It's a good thing you're back." She smiled and squinted her almost blind eyes to get a clear view of her granddaughter. "Come help me with this maize. You need to learn all these tasks for when you have a family of your own."

Maria sat next to her grandmother. "Ambuya, I'll just help you because I want to, not to learn. I'm going to get married to the king's son so I won't have to do all this. I'll only have to stay home and gossip all day."

Her Ambuya laughed so hard. "And how do you know that kind of life is guaranteed to you?" She finally managed to ask in between her laughter.

"Because I'm beautiful," she smiled. Her dark neat Afro hair shining in the sun. She was a light skinned black girl. She was the only one with a brighter skin in her village. This made her prettier than the rest. Her skin was always glowing especially now in the bright sun.

"Of course you're beautiful Maria, but men aren't looking for outer...."

"I don't want men, I want the King's son. They ask us to prepare day and night for the day he comes to select the fairest.. Why do they ask us to keep our skins healthy and our bodies in shape if men like him aren't looking for outer beauty." She cut her grandmother off before she could finish.

"You'll learn about that sooner or later. I see you are not ready to listen huh.." The old lady said as she finished the last maize cob.

Maria helped her grandmother clear up and they walked inside their hut.