One day, a man from Nuku land who lived in a distant city came to the village and saw Kamo. His name was Bako. Immediately when he saw her, he fell in love with her. It was love at first sight. Bako made up his mind then that she was going to be his bride no matter what. He was a very wealthy businessman and his sole aim and purpose of coming home was to find a wife. He made the making of Oma-enyo his bride his priority. He even sent three of his friends to the village to try to persuade Oma- enyo to marry him but she turned all of them down. “My friend, you have to forget about that girl because you cannot marry her,” Amingo told him. Bako was very surprised and asked him why he had said so. “We have lived in this village since our childhood days so we know the truth of what we are telling you. You cannot marry that girl,” Omenyi told Bako. “You people are not telling me anything,” he said in an astonished tone. “The fact is that the girl will not marry you. She has rejected more than twenty suitors if I am not mistaken,” Obohi added. “Oh, if that is the problem, I don’t think I have one. I know how to get her myself. I thank all of you for the assistance you have rendered, but Oma-enyo must become my wife,” Bako said and left them. Oma-enyo telling her suitors that she does not want to marry them “My daughter, what is the problem with you?” Mr. Modu asked Kamo. “You have rejected all of the men that have come to ask for your hand in marriage. Look at this last one, a well to do businessperson from the city that you turned away. Are you sure you are okay?” he asked in an astonished tone. “I want you to accept that man because you are not getting any younger. Please my daughter; I want you to make me proud. This man is very respectable, very wealthy and handsome. Marry him so that you will also be happy. I and your mother will be happy as well,” Mr. Modu said. “Father, I promise I will think about it,” Oma-enyo replied. “Think about it,” Mr. Modu said nodding his head. “Now I know something is wrong with this girl.” “Kamo’s pride has really spoilt her,” Bisi said as she was talking with Gbemi. “I don’t blame her. It is because God gave her beauty that is why she is doing shakara,” Gbemi said. “Is she the only pretty girl in this village? Am I not also beautiful?” she added placing her hand on her waist and posing to display her own beauty. “My dear, you are very pretty. Look at me too,” Bisi said posing exactly as Gbemi did. “You are beautiful too,” Gbemi added. “My prayer is that she gets married and leaves this village so that men will start coming our way too because it seems it is only her that they are seeing,” Bisi said. “As if we are not virgins ourselves,” Gbemi cut in. Bisi placed her hand on her lips and screamed, “Oh my God! How did I fail to figure this out since?” she said shaking her head. “Are you thinking of what I am thinking?” Gbemi asked. “Her mother!” they both yelled out in unison. “That wicked woman has used a charm on her so that she would be the only maiden that the men would be seeing,” Bisi said. “Look at me, Atakpo the palm wine tapper that I despise so much has been the only suitor in my house to ask for my hand in marriage, and I heard not less than thirty suitors have visited Mr. Modu’s house to ask for Oma- enyo’s hand in marriage,” Gbemi said. “That is not all. I also heard it said that Bako the wealthy trader who came home with that big car has made marrying her his priority too. The most annoying part of it is that she rejected him,” Bisi said. “What does she have that I don’t have?” Gbemi asked scrutinizing herself. “God knows I must get married whether she likes it or not,” Bisi said soberly. “Bako is a very wealthy man that any girl in her right senses would take as a husband. He has everything it takes to build a very good home. He would provide me with money, shelter and food. Above all, I would be very happy cruising around in a car of my own,” said Gbemi. “I think since he has already seen her, he will never be able to look to either of us as a possible wife,” Bisi added. “I love the name Bako,” said Gbemi with a smile. “Are you sure it is the name you love or is it his wealth?” Bisi cut in sharply. “That is exactly what I am thinking my dear,” Ajuma said. She had been quietly listening to what they had been saying but had not contributed anything to the conversation. She had also been nursing a secret admiration for Bako since he had visited the village, especially when she heard that he was living in the city. “Are you now talking?” Gbemi teased her. “I was beginning to think that you were dumb because you have been so quiet. Is it because I said I love the name Bako that you are now talking? Are you sure you don’t love his wealth too?” Ajuma, Gbemi and Bisi discussing about Oma-enyo “Please talk about what you know,” Ajuma cut in defensively. “I don’t have any idea of what you are talking about. I am just being me and I can never be like you claiming to love a man’s name simply because he is rich.” “Look at who is talking! I know you like Bako simply because he stays in the city. I know how you have been nursing the ambition of going to live in the city,” Gbemi fired back. “You can’t be serious,” Ajuma responded in a voice filled with pretense. “I am not a pretender and I don’t pray to become one. I don’t want to know any other thing. All I know is that I just love that name simply because the person bearing it is very wealthy,” Gbemi said again. “The person bearing the name?” Bisi asked surprisingly. “Have you forgotten that there is a mad man in the market square also called Bako?” Ajuma could not conceal her amusement and she laughed aloud. Gbemi became so annoyed that she nearly slapped her. “Enough of this Bako thing,” Bisi said again. “He is not even thinking of you girls. Rather, he is busy begging Oma-enyo who does not even want him to be his wife. You girls should be thinking of how to assist in getting Oma- enyo wedded first before thinking of how to marry Bako.” Back in the house, Oma-enyo’s mother sat her down one night to counsel her. “My daughter why are you doing this to me?” her mother asked her as she was talking to her. “I know you don’t want me to die without seeing your children. I am afraid because with the way you are going, I am going to die without seeing them. What is the problem with you that is causing you to refuse all the suitors that are coming your way? If I guess correctly, you have now refused more than thirty suitors. I want you to think about the fact that you are not the only girl in this village. There are a thousand and one girls out there in our village earnestly wishing, willing and waiting to be in your shoes. Why not consider this Bako of a man. He might be your dream husband?” Kamo just kept quiet listening as her mother speaks so that her mother would think that her advice to her was touching her inner spirit. “I am glad she is going to have a change of heart,” her mother said to herself. “Tell me your problem. I am your mother; whatever it takes, I am going to help you.” Oma-enyo frowned and turned to her mother. She had not been looking in her mother’s direction all the while she had been talking. In fact, she had been avoiding looking her mother directly in the eyes because of the tears that had started forming there. She knew that if she saw those tears she would end up crying too. “Mum, I don’t know what is wrong with me. I just feel I have not found the right man yet.” Her mother was taken aback by her statement. “Are you telling me that of all the men that have come to ask for your hand in marriage, you have not seen any that is suitable for you?” “Yes!” her daughter replied. “Even Bako?” she asked again. “Please mum, not again. I am tired of hearing about this Bako of a man all the time.” “My daughter what are you doing to yourself? You must try to change your attitude because it will certainly have a bad ending if immediate and proper care is not taken. I am your mother and I know what is good for you. The people in the village are saying that I spoilt you by giving you pet names. They are saying that the names have caused you to become so proud and full of yourself. You now think that nobody is worth having your love or friendship,” she concluded amidst tears. “Mum, stop saying such things because those people out there are just talking rubbish. They don’t know what they are saying. They are simply jealous of me, the pride and jewel of Nuku kingdom.” “Cut the crap!” her mother yelled out bitterly. “You are the one who is ranting nonsense.” Oma-enyo became very furious then and walked out on her. “My God, what have I done to myself?” Mrs. Modu said putting her hands up to her heart as if saying prayers. She now knew very well that she was the cause of her daughter’s problem. Even her husband had told her so, that she was the cause of Oma-enyo’s problem. Her problem now was to see that her daughter gets married even if it was to somebody with only one leg. All of Mrs. Modu’s friends had deserted her because they felt that she and her daughter were causing their own children havoc. Because of this she could not go to anyone for advice or counsel. She did not know what to do. She knew she had a difficult problem, but the solution to her problem was just not coming. “If only I had known that I was going to be a subject of ridicule in this village, I would not have allowed all of this to happen.” She remembered vividly how she used to tell her daughter that she was a Queen and it was only a King that was worth having her as a wife. “I guess she is now waiting for the King,” she muttered to herself. Five years later, Oma-enyo finally became very tired with her situation. She had been abandoned by all of her friends. Men were no longer coming for her hand in marriage. “Now I know I have a problem,” she said to herself. “Mum and dad have complained bitterly about my being single. My friends have complained too, but now most of them are happily married. The most annoying part in all this is that some unmarried maidens in the village still feel I am responsible for their singlehood. Now I must do something,” she said to herself. “Mummy please I want to talk to you,” Oma-enyo said as she sat on the bed in her mother’s room. “Thank God,” Mrs. Modu said silently in her heart. “I knew she would eventually come to her senses.” “Mother please, I want you to tell me what to do now because I am not getting any younger. I have been foolish and stupid all this while.” “I am now ready for marriage,” Oma-enyo said in a calm voice. “Mummy I want you to pray for me so that God will bring a good husband my way.” “That has been my prayer for you for you all these years my daughter. You don’t know how your words today have brought me hope. I have been thinking I was going to die without seeing my grandchildren but you have given me a renewed hope because you are now ready to get married. Your husband will come soon because you are very beautiful. That is why I nick- named you Oma-enyo. You are a damsel and a beauty to behold.” Mrs. Modu talking to her daughter “I want you to tell me what to do because I am tired of hearing all the gossips,” Kamo added. “You do not have to worry yourself because God will bring you your husband. Thank you very much my daughter, I love you so much,” Mrs. Modu replied. “Thank you mum and I love you too,” Oma-enyo said as she left the room. The news of how Oma-enyo had finally realized her mistake and had repented was spreading throughout the village like a harmattan wind. The young maidens in the village could not conceal their laughter when they discovered that she too was also fragile. They had come to think of her as a macho woman. Oma- enyo now cried in her room all the time because the young men were no longer looking her way. “I just pray she has not missed her chance to find a husband,” mama Obaje said as she was talking with mama Ajuma. “That is true, I heard that she has rejected more than fifty suitors,” mama Ajuma said. “Yes, that is true. God knows she was too over-confident of herself. The men in the village and those also coming from the city to look for a wife here in the village have all heard her story, so they dare not come to ask for her hand in marriage. They do not want to be embarrassed and injured like the others have been. They are finding it hard to believe even when people tell them that she has repented. They do not want anything that would cause them havoc or insult because they are looking for a wife,” mama Obaje spoke. The most frequently told story about Oma-enyo and her suitors was an event that occurred with Atabo. Like every other young man in the city, Atabo came to the village to search for a good wife. Oma-enyo never wanted him, but Atabo kept pestering her. One day when he came to visit, Oma-enyo asked him to wait. He was smiling and saying I will wait for you my dear. Before he could make another statement, Oma-enyo took some hot water that she was boiling for Eba and poured it on him. Atabo tried to dodge the assault but it was too late because the hot water splashed on his face. It took the intervention of a local surgeon before he could regain even one of his eyes. He was permanently disfigured because he was looking for a wife. Now no man wants to have anything to do with Kamo again. Oma-enyo pouring hot water on Atabo Atabo’s friends in Nuku land had advised him to stay away from Oma-enyo, but he had refused to listen. He was hoping that she would accept him. “Oma-enyo has rejected other men that are doing very well in the city. Why would you think that she would accept a proposal for marriage from someone like you” Abutu had asked him, “Do not worry your head my friend. I am the man,” he had confidently replied. The news of how Oma-enyo had nearly killed Atabo caused every mother in the village to warn their sons to stay away from her. Some people had even said that she was actually married to a Marine spirit and that was the reason for her actions. Kamo became frustrated because people no longer wanted her as a wife for their sons. They used the incident with Atabo to dissuade their sons from having anything to do with her. “Listen my son, I don’t want to lose you yet because I love you. The last person to ask for her hand was scalded with hot water. Who knows what she may do to her next suitor? Your proposal to her might be greeted with acid,” Mama Bade said to her son. Bade had come to the village with the sole aim of marrying Oma-enyo. He was already dreaming of the day that he would call her his wife. Mama Bade had heard that Oma-enyo had changed but she was still scared. “Maybe her Marine husband would kill my son,” she thought to herself. Ten years on, Oma-enyo was still unmarried. She then knew that a husband was never going to come for her. She was never going to have children of her own because she had attained menopause. All of her friends were happily married with children in their respective homes. She blamed herself for all that had happened to her. When she could no longer contend with the shame and the grief, she committed suicide. Mrs. Modu could not cry as she read the suicide letter that her daughter had written for her. It was from reading the letter that she discovered that her daughter’s greatest dream on earth was to have children of her own. Mr. Modu read the letter and he called a village meeting because he was an elder in the village. He told them that his daughter had instructed him to apologize to the whole village for the wrong she had done to them. Everybody present in the meeting read the letter and felt pity for Kamo. The king also felt pity for her and he decided that her name would not go unremembered because she was indeed a beauty to behold in Nuku kingdom. A statue of Kamo was built in the village square to serve as warning to young girls to beware of having too much pride. Kamo had written under her letter that pride is nothing because it will end with grief and failure. It is very unfortunate for me that I realized this late that is why I failed to achieve my greatest dream which was to have children of my own. Statue of Oma-enyo in the village square Oma-enyo was the beauty of Nuku land. She was supposed to be the pride of her land but her inner pride destroyed and killed her. She was supposed to be an epitome of simplicity, beauty and character. She died unfulfilled since her desire of having her own man and children never materialized. THE END FIVE LESSONS FROM THE STORY 1. Do not be too proud of yourself. 2. Learn to give room for people’s ideas because it might help you. 3. Do not be wicked or treat people bad because you think they are not your level, type or mate. 4. Be friendly to the ugly, blind, poor and lame. 5. Do not be too conscious or over confident of yourself.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 13:00:57 +0000
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