A Weakness Called Love: Memoirs of an African Housemaid

CHAPTER 27: LET ME HAVE HIM

One drama down but as we all know villages are full of dramas. Everybody is in everybody’s business, that is what keeps everybody entertained. It is our way of life. Back to my life as usual. I haven’t seen Mudi since i came back and it’s been 3 days, what a patient and reserved girl I am. Not every girl has a sense of control as I.
Today I dressed in my most beautiful clothes, I went to zakiyya’s house to spray some of her perfume. Jafar had given her perfume when he came. Then I went to fetch Shatu so we can go get Mudi together.

Shatu herself was impressed by how I smelled. We went to Mudi’s house and I waited for her to get him. She went inside to call him. She was taking forever to do a simple task. I waited for a while. I was anxious to see him. Now my mind starts playing tricks on me. What if He doesn’t wants to see me? What if he has changed his mind? Perhaps that was why she was taking too long. How can Mudi reject me after all we’ve been through ? I thought. But I will not let him slip through my fingers without a fight. So I bravely walked into the house. I waited until I went very close to their door, then I said my Salam with a haughty attitude. Hafsat should know I’m not here to joke around. If she thinks she can stops a tornado then she is clearly mistaken. I’m the tornado here. I know she must be behind all of this. The she devil is at work. I should have known when Mudi hadn’t contacted me after I came back. Although he only came to my house once, I was the one we visited him all the time. But the witch has something to do with it.

Hafsat answered, wearing my most intimidating frown I went inside and sat down beside Shatu. Shatu was surprised, however she just smiled. I talked to no one. My eyes were set on a clay vase that was in front of me.

Hafsat broke the silence and said
“Peace be upon you, how are you Ladi?”
“Fine” I said curtly

I had sat for about 5minutes when Mudi walked in. Immediately I saw him, I walked out. I went to the neem tree outside his house and waited for him. After waiting for 12minutes Mudi walked out with Shatu. The two were conversing. When there reached where I was, Shatu took her leave. Then She took off.

Seeing Mudi, my heart melt a little.I have dreamt of this day for a very long time. The day I will be reunited with my true love. All the anger I felt vanished. I managed to question him
“I waited for you, what took you so long?” I said softly
“I was in the bathroom when Shatu came” he answered

I made eye contact with him, I smiled and bowed my head, while I rocked my body from side to side. My hands hugging my petite body. I stole another look at him, when I saw him still looking at me, I felt chills all over me. I had Goosebumps, I giggled at my discovery. I love it when he looks at me.
“Ladi yar drama, Ladi tawa(Ladi drama queen, my Ladi)” He said smiling.
I pouted.
“I have longed for you. I have missed you beyond words. Your absence took so much oxygen from my lungs. I could not bear the agony any longer. I had to see you. “
Embarrassed by my declaration, I covered my face with both my palms.
He then laughed. A laugh that revealed his porcelain white teeth. I couldn’t took my eyes off this rare beauty. This made him laughed even more. Even the sound of his laugh is seductive. I wonder how a person can be so damn captivating.
“stop laughing” I managed to say with a pout.
“okay” he said
We were quite for a while. My heart started beating very fast. I don’t know what came over me but I  reached for his hand. Then I looked into his beautiful eyes that were covered with his captivating lashes. He then covered my fragile feminine hands with his huge manly ones. I never knew I could be that happy. Thanks to Mudi, now I know.
I went home extremely happy only to meet a catastrophe. My mother and father were waiting for me. They wanted to talk to me. Guess about what! About Mudi.

My father started shouting
“Ladi you have humiliated me enough, stop playing around with Mudi. Why do you want to destroy our family’s kinship. You will not marry Mudi for as long as i live. That’s a promise. We are the talk of town. Everyone looks at me as a fool, a weak stupid man that represent the will of women. I will not have this nonsense. If Mudi was the only man to remain on the face of earth you will never marry him. Understand this now. I shall find a better suitor for you.”
I was drenched in my tears. My mother was looking at me sympathetically. He continued
“I have had enough. Enough is enough” he roared as he stomped out.

I could not keep quite anymore.
“mother you have to do something, I have to have Mudi, no man can replace him, please talk some sense into Father. I will die if refuses us. How can I live without my beloved. My heart cannot take it. He has my heart. He is my breath and the air in my lungs. Refuse me anything but not him”

I said while I sobbed. Asabe and people in my household were watching us. It was not the behaviour of a good girl to be talking about her romantic feelings in front of her mother and so openly. But I did not cared, besides I was not a regular or normal girl. I am Ladi, Mudi’s Ladi.

“ sorry my daughter, I have tried. May be you should think about it. If you take heart God will provide you with a better suitor, who will love and cherish you, who will take care of you. You will grow old together. Perhaps you may even have the Privilege of being his first wife” my mother said.

Maybe she thought she was consoling me. But what she did was quite the opposite, it was like she poured hot water all over me. It was she stabbed me a hundred times .
“ I will, kill myself” I shouted
  Now I wasn’t sure if I’m serious or threatening her.
She froze immediately, her eyes welled up, but she fought back the tears. She looked scared as if she saw a ghost of her nemesis.

"Calm down" she shouted
"What good will it do, will it get me my Mudi, what is the point. I will marry for love and nothing else. I won't let anyone ruin my life. If not I will rather die, I will jump into a dry well and kill myself or j will run away from home and resort to prostitution" I said as I sobbed.