Tainted Hearts

chapter eight

"Baba Ndevu" Belinda said frightenedly when she saw the dark man enter her compound. He wore a red chitenge and had two red and white stripes on each of his cheeks

Baba Ndevu was the live incarnate if the monster the women of Bonomali told their little children about to make them sleep. His presence shocked her to the core, she wondered what he was doing at her compound.

"What are you doing here" she asked carefully not wanting to anger him. In Bonomali, there was nothing worse than angering a man, a powerful one at that.

"I need a new wife"  he said getting straight to the point, "where is that daughter of yours?"

"What do you mean" Belinda asked, "she's in London studying, you yourself gave her permission did you not"

"I gave her permission to go learn and come back to be my wife" he said angrily, "not for her to fall in love with a white man."

Belinda laughed hysterically, the witch doctor was certainly mistaken.

Mwiza did not like white men heck she didn't even like light skinned men. Even as a teenager, before she knew she was betrothed to the man, she preferred dark skinned boys to light skinned boys.

Light skinned men were considered feminine, the darker the man, the more manlier he was. It was for this reason that Mwiza, like all the other girls in the village preferred dark men.

Baba Ndevu felt insulted, instead of taking his claims seriously, the woman was laughing hysterically. So he did what every man of the village would do whenever he felt a woman had disrespected him, he slapped her.

"You think the gods are lying?" He asked her as she sobbed loudly. By now a small crowd of women had gathered to see what was going on. "You think the gods are fake he said as she continuously slapped her"

Belinda cried out for the other women to help her, but each of them stood in their place. They had long ago realized that sticking up for each other only caused pain and suffering. It was better for each woman to suffer alone.

"Enough" Temwani shouted "leave my mother alone or you'll regret it"
"Your mother disrespected me" he said angrily
"That gives you no right to slap her"he said leaving no room for arguments

Baba Ndevu knew better than to test the new headman. Temwani was the best hunter and wrestler Bonomali had. He could easily overpower and kill him.

"Next time you hear from your daughter tell her I want her here or else you can kiss your lives goodbye" he said angrily as he walked out of the compound.

Temwani picked up his crying mother and called for her sister wives. When he was sure she had stopped crying he asked them to prepare hot water for her,so she could take a bath and relax.

"What Happened?" He asked when his mother had entered the small sitting room freshly bathed and wearing a clean chitenge. "Why did that thing come here"

Temwani loathed Baba Ndevu. He was the man who had no respect for women and was going to take away his sisters youth.

"Don't call him a thing" Belinda said faking a smile, "he's going to be your brother in law soon"

"Hes old enough to be my father" Temwani said scornfully "my brother in law wouldn't dare slap my mother or any other woman"

Belinda smiled sadly. She had mad a lot of mistakes in her lifetime but if she had done one thing properly, it was raising her children. She stood up and walked to Temwani, caressed his cheek and said, "I love you, I've made a lot of mistakes, agreeing to let Mwiza marry him being one of them but atleast I didn't make a mistake with you"

"What's going on mama" he said ignoring his mother's act of affection
"He wants Mwiza to come back and I think she should" she said quickly hoping Temwani did not here her

"Mwiza is not coming back until her course is over if I have to kill that snake believe me I will"

"Temwa" she begged "please"

"No mother, He's taking away Temwani's youth the least he can do is let her live her dream. Mwiza is not coming back until she finishes her course and if somehow you do manage to convince her, I will kill the both of you mark my words"

"I'm your mother Temwani" Belinda shouted
"My mother wouldn't do this" Temwani replied

"She's fallen in love" she said so softly that Temwani almost didn't here her
"What?" He asked confusedly
"Mwiza has fallen in love with a white man that is why he wants to marry her right now"

"That can't be" Temwani laughed, "that's not my Mwiza"
"Laugh all you want" Belinda said "but the gods don't lie"

"Mwiza could get pregnant for a white man child" Temwani said  seriously "and I'd still support her, this is her life and you've taken enough of it as it is"

"So we'll start a war over one person?" Belinda said "listen to yourself. You have an entire village to think about"

"That one person is my sister and your daughter" Temwani said disappointedly
"Your father would never approve of this" she said when he stood up, "I thought you would make an amazing leader but unlike your father you're not a natural born leader"

"I spent my whole life trying to get father's approval" he said with disdain, "Father and you were never natural born leaders. You use other people to your advantage that's not being leader mom"

"Don't do something you'll regret dear mother, if Mwiza calls you will tell me immediately and will definitely not tell her about what transpired today" he said as he began to leave the room

" She deserves to know" Belinda shouted when he reached the door

"She deserves to live and that is what she's going to do" he turned and said, "of anyone tells her about this I will make them pay, excuse me"
He left a flabbergasted Belinda in the room wondering what was going to happen to her village

Is Temwani wrong??
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