"Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That's what it is: an edge, a razor. It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two. Before and after. The rest of the world falls away on either side." Delirium, Lauren Oliver.
---------------------------------------------
Somewhere in Africa, 1885.
Hasnaa remained glued in front of her sister in-law's hut for several hours, praying silently to the gods above to help her sister-in-law to deliver a healthy baby. Exhausted, she stood up to stretch her numb legs. She was barefooted but she was used to walking barefoot on the soil.
After hours of waiting, cries of a newborn echoed throughout the hut followed by four ululations from the midwives. The ululations indicated she had given birth to a girl. The arrival of a baby girl was announced with four ululations and a baby boy was announced with five ululations.
A middle-aged midwife came running out of the hut to get the males of the household. It was there a culture that no man should be present during childbirth. Hasnaa let out a frustrated breath, her mind was plagued with heart-wrenching thoughts about the hardships and the discrimination the newborn would have to endure because she was female. The newborn life would be the same as that of their; mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers.
There were a time and a place for women to talk. Children and women had no say in anything. Women belonged to the kitchen and taking care of babies. Taking girls to school was a loss because girls were only meant for marriage. Every girl in the community including Hasnaa grew up hearing this.
Hasnaa wanted to marry somebody she loved but her parents were most definitely not fine with this notion. She was sold off at birth to marry Isabis, the chief of the neighboring village, she had no say in her life. She could not go against her father's wishes.
She detested Chief Isabis, he was an old man. He was thirty years older than her and to add to a predicament he already had two wives. Hasnaa did not wish to become a third wife but she had no choice.
Chief Kwame a bald man in his sixties, Hasnaa's father, her brother, and some of her father's friends came running to the hut. Some of the village heads also came along. Hasnaa knew very well that everyone would be disappointed to hear of the news that her sister-in-law had given birth to a daughter.
The life of the child would be decided in seconds and she would be sold off to one of the men for a few goats and when she came of age she would be married off. Hasnaa's sister-in-law would be another woman in the household and Jafari, Hasnaa's brother would take in a second wife. The same ending to every woman's story.
The cycle would continue until an heir was born.
They all watched as the door opened up before them and the oldest midwife came out with a bundle in her arms.
"My chief." She brought forth the newborn and bowed her head, her gaze falling immediately to the floor.
Chief Kwame and Jafari's eyes flashed with disappointment and resentment as they stared at the newborn in front of them. Both the midwives and Hasnaa watched as the men murmured among themselves, they all knew the old men were bidding on who would marry her.
Moments later, chief Kwame started giving his verdict over the child's life. "Kani shall take her in has his wife when she comes of age and if he shall be no more then Life shall marry her."
The chief and everybody who came with him left soon right after. The midwives returned to the heart and Hasnaa followed them to check on her sister-in-law. When she entered the hut she saw her sister-in-law lying on a mat in the middle of the hut, still drained from giving birth.
"She has already given birth, you have no other reason to delay your marriage to Chief Isabis. The wedding will take place after five days." Amani, Hasnaa's mother, informed her.
Marriage is different from slavery but Hasnaa thought it was the same; even worse. She had been dodging her marriage to Chief Isabis ever since she was sixteen and lady luck had always been with her but her luck had run out.
Only a few days to her Twenty-third birthday which was also her marriage day to Chief Isabis. She didn't wish to get married to him but she had no choice.
It finally dawned on her, if she needed to survive she had to run from her family and never look back.
आप पढ़ रहे हैं
Roaring Hearts(Book 1)
ऐतिहासिक साहित्यLeaving everyone she's ever known behind her, Hasnaa has to face the struggles and pain that come in been in a foreign country all alone. ***** Love makes us do stupid things.Falling in love with...
