After cutting her hair, it was time for Ola to go drink part of the water that was used to bathe her dead husband. This is always done to show that the woman knows nothing about the death of her husband but if it was to be a man who lost his wife, their would be no such burial rites. Not that Ola did not know she would be drinking the water used to bathe her husband, but she just did not know it would come so soon. "Not even a breathing space?" Ola asked herself as tears rushed down her cheeks. She stood up and followed her mother-in-law. Outside the room, different eyes with different facial expressions met her, and if eyes were bullets, Ola would have died thousands of times. As she passed them, some of them hissed while some spat on her. Some were using their shoulder to touch their cheek showing an act of rejection. Uncle Ejiro was one of those who spat on her, and she was shocked to the fullest. If it were to be Pa. Chinedu, she would not have been shocked because everybody knows that he was never in support of their marriage. "How can a whole son of Ugbana village marry a Yoruba girl?" "Ndi ngbati ngbati !" He had said when the family was delibrating on if the marriage should be conducted. Chike had stood his ground that ethnicity was no longer a barrier in the 21st century as far as marriage is concerned. "I will marry her either the elders like it or not". Chike concluded.
Her husband's body was lying right on the floor in the room where the final rite was to be performed, and just beside Chike's corpse was a calabash filled with dirty water. "Ola, go ahead and drink the water" Uncle Chinedu thundered. Ola identified the voice from behind her. It was the same voice that fought her marriage to a standstill. She moved close to the corpse, looked at the water in the calabash, and looked back at the kinsmen behind her. There was no feeling of sympathy on their faces at all, and Ola remembered she was in the enemy zone. Ola lifted the calabash, drank the whole water without a break, and dropped the calabash on the floor. She looked at the kinsmen, and their faces were filled with surprise. One of them then finally said, "the elders of our land would like to meet you now". Ola was shocked. Chike did not tell her of the part where the elders of the land meet with the widow during the burial rites. Thousands of thoughts crossed her mind on why the elders of the land had summoned her.
To her Dying Young. Is the whole burial rites killing Ola? What else would the elders of the land want to see her for? Join me tomorrow as we conclude the story. If you would like to always receive Daily Diet on your phone via Whatsapp or you have a friend you'll want us to add his/her name to our broadcast list, kindly send a message to +2348072970850. Also, read up all my past articles on my blog @ www.tyobstacle.blogspot.com
HAPPY WEEKEND !!!
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AUSTUS OFMAT NWANNE (Mr. Tackle)
Inspirational Speaker and Business Consultant,
TYO Konsult Services.
+2348072970850 (Calls and Whatsapp)
Tackleyourobstacle@gmail.com
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