Igbéyàwó yiii Gbọ́dọ̀ Wáyé (This wedding must happen)

The smell of fresh palm oil still hung in the sitting room from the egusi Mama AdeJoke had cooked that afternoon...today was supposed to be a feast but it seemed even the day had other plans. Adejoke glanced rudely at her mum, sucking her teeth softly, “mtcheww.” She turned her face away and pretended not to hear her mother’s lamentations. Outside, a goat bleated lazily in the compound, as though even it knew disgrace had entered the house.“No no no…your father would turn in his grave if he could see you like this!”Mama AdeJoke adjusted her wrapper in anger, the green and gold tie-and-dye still shining brightly even after so many washings. The cloth had been bought in Oja Oba, years ago when her husband was still alive. This was Africa, fabric carried memory.“Mama leave me alone oo…I’ve told you my mind. If you can’t accept it, oh well.”“Over my dead body!” Mama Joke screamed. “Ṣé o ti wèrè ni? Have you lost your senses?”She jumped on her daughter and started slapping her. The sound echoed against the cracked cement walls of the compound house, even the neighbours who were pretending not to listen, widened their curtains to hear more. “I will kill you before you kill me! "Mama kemi who had been a silent observer in the theatrics of the day ran to pull her friend away from mudering her daughter " No no Tinu you can't kill her"“Sewa, leave me alone!” she screamed back, her gele half falling, hair-tie askew, blouse dragged low enough to show cleavage. “If it was your daughter, Kemi, that brought this rubbish home… you would do worse!”Adejoke adjusted her torn shirt slowly, stubbornly. Her yellow skin bloomed with claw-like bruises, blood shone from her lips, her mother had punched her... Jesus!!!! this woman should've come as a wrestler “Let her kill me,” she muttered.Both women froze in shockAHHHHHHHHWas it punishment from Orunmila?Had she somehow not offered enough sacrifices to Sango?What had possessed her daughter?Truly what had?She had met her husband a virgin so she was aware that it wasn't the vengeful Egúngún that was visiting the sins of the mother upon the child.“I’ve made up my mind, Mum. If you don’t like it, forget about it.”Mama Kemi sighed. “Ahahn Adejoke…but what you’ve done, is it right? Kò yẹ bẹ́ẹ̀ now. You can’t even show remorse.”“Iya Kemi please oo. We only show remorse when we have done something wrong,” she replied in impeccable Queen’s English, the accent sharp like she was still in a classroom in Ibadan.Tinu opened her mouth and mimicked her daughter.“Yenyenyenyenyen…it’s my fault oo! Olúwa mi! I sent you to school. Ahhhh! If I hadn’t, shey you wouldn’t have brought shame and disgrace to this family!”She spat into the dust floor.“Who has done this to me?” she screamed, rolling on the floor, wrapper loosening. “Ìtìjú! Ìtìjú!”( Shame ,shame) Sewa leaned in and whispered, “Maybe you can return the bride price back…”“DON’T. YOU. DARE.”Adejoke screamed as she stood up. Her voice was steady now.“That wedding will hold oo. It must hold. Ahan, did I say I won’t get married to him?”Tinu’s eyes drifted to her daughter’s stomach, then quickly away, " Marriage? To you? How would you explain it to his people? Ṣé o fẹ́ kí wọ́n pe wa ní aláìlójú?( “Do you want them to call us shameless?)“Mummy, I’ve told you. And please stop looking at my belly button piercing.”She inhaled slowly.“If a man can marry two women, then a woman can do the same.”Silence fell heavy.“I’m getting married to two men that day. My mind is made up.”Tinu collapsed, her voice cracking into the earth.“Ogun, god of iron, fight my battle…”

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