Will you marry me?

Photo credit: pixaby

With the recurring cases of unwanted pregnancies in Lokpanta,  the youth of Amaeke in order to protect their own made a rule that any other single young maiden found to be with child would face dire consequences including a heavy fine that would be difficult to pay. (Amaeke is a community in Lokpanta)

Making this rule I must say helped a lot of the young ladies keep their legs together or at best open them up with care and due diligence. Lol! 

The law was made for every young girl without an exception and the same young boys who would waylay these girls and sleep with them went round Amaeke to make this declaration to all and sundry.

For years everyone either seemed to abide by the new regulation or had a way of covering the result of their prohibited acts. 

No one dared question why the law was only targeted at the ladies and not at the young men as well who in the real sense were the main culprits.

A young lady was bold enough to challenge the new law and presented her case in a particular village meeting. 

When she mentioned that she had a problem with the law and asked to be allowed to speak, there was an outrage in the town hall and everyone spoke in loud voices at the same time. 

Even the young ladies were shocked at the impetus of their fellow maiden at challenging a law which was meant to promote purity and good morals in them.

She was asked to approach the centre of the hall after much commotion; she came forward holding her crutch and that was when her identity was certain to a lot of people. She was the paraplegic whose paraplegia was simply caused by Poliomyelitis. 

She was a local hair dresser who specialized in making tradition hair styles with the ‘owu’ (black thread). She was limited by her condition and so all she could do was sit in one place and earn a living for herself by making women’s hair. 

When she spoke, it was an open proposal to the men in the gathering. “Will you marry me?” 

She asked if any one of them would be willing to marry her. By every village standard, she was rich; she made enough money to take care of herself and could afford to keep a man and raise a family. She was not asking for much, just for man to keep her warm in the cold nights and most importantly make her a mother so she would have children to look after her in her old age.

She also asked the women if they would recommend her to their sons and brothers for marriage; there was dead silence in the hall as everyone thought of the question and also wanted to know where she was going with the questions that she asked. 

When no one said anything, she went on further to ask that she be exempted from the law because she had made up her mind to get pregnant out of wedlock.

She continued by saying that she may never find love and would not be able to do much about it but was willing to try and bear children who would call her mother and care for her when she becomes frail and old.

Her mind was made and she was ready for anyone who would dare stop her.

She made good her promise; she has children and continues to live a fulfilled life in Amaeke Lokpanta. One man fathered all her children and I am sure he was in that hall on that day screaming “Sacrilege!”