Pandora(complete)

arranged Marriage

Bongeka was in her room going through her firm offers not knowing which one to choose, she passed her matric very good and she was looking forward to university.

"I think law is much better" She thought out loud, still battling to choose.

Someone knocked, she told whoever was knocking to come in. It was her beautiful mother.

"Your father wants to have a word with you, come." she told her, giving her a faint smile. Bongeka knew at that instant that something was wrong. Her father wasn't a great father. What he knew was drinking and bossing everyone around,and his wife always submitted to him. That's what Zulu a wife should do right?

When Bongeka's mother left the room,she quickly followed her. She knew very well not mess with her father because whenever she does, she'd get a hell of a beating.

"Greetings father" She greeted as she took her seat. She was glad her father was sober, maybe whatever he wanted to address was not that bad. It was rare to find this man sober.

"Bongeka" he called out her name

"Dad," she responded in a polite way, not daring to look her father in the eyes.

"Your mother has been grooming you to be a better woman, not it's time her teachings become useful" he says

Bongeka could not understand where this was going but yes, she has always been groomed to be a woman, her mother always told her to cook, wash, brew umqombothi (traditional beer) and many other things that were believed to be women's duties.

She kept her silence impatiently waiting for her father to get straight to the point.

"Your mother trained you very well, I sent you to school, now you have matric. The only thing you need now is a husband and guess what? I found one for you" He said with excitement while Bongeka felt like crying. Her worst nightmare became reality.

"Father please, I still need to go to school, get a job and take care of you" she pleaded hoping her father will understand her.

If she thought her father was going to change his mind, she had another thing coming.

"Bongeka, I wasn't asking you, I was telling you. The lobola negotiations are taking place tomorrow and don't worry about taking care of me, your husband will do that and the bride price will last us for eternity"

Bongeka couldn't believe that her father was selling her off, they were not rich or poor they were just a stable family that never slept hungry. She couldn't understand why her father could be this selfish. His break laying job was stable enough to maintain them, but some people are greedy by nature.

"You sold me off?" she asked with her eyes full of tears

"Since when do you question me now Bongeka?"

"I'm sorry father" she apologized but deep down she knew she was not going to marry anyone. She respected her father but one thing she wasn't going to sacrifice was her future. She didn't go to school for twelve years just to become someone's wife, never!

"You are dismissed"

She stood and bowed a little before going to her room and cried herself to sleep.

She woke up feeling cold in the middle of the night. She stood up with the intention of opening the bed covers so she could cover herself but something came to mind, running away.

She quickly packed the important things in her backpack and sneaked out, when she was about to open the front door, her father said " Where do you think you're going?"

She jumped in fear and tried to think of something.

" I was..." she is not a good liar, she tried to think of something with no luck, she can't say she was going to visit a friend in the middle of the night, besides that she wasn't allowed to have friends, apparently friends are corrupt.

Before she could successfully think of something, the broomstick collided with her flesh, she screamed in agony as her father continued beating.

"Dlamini please stop" her mother tried to come to her rescue but he didn't want to hear any of it.

"This bastard of the child is disobedient, she is just the same as her father" those words left Bongeka shuddered. She didn't know what scared her the most between the beating or what her father just said.

"Dlamini you can't say such things to her, she is just a child" Her mother says, she swore that Bongeka will never find out about her father.

"Oh, are you the one who teaches Bongeka to disobey me? Look at what she is doing"

"No Dlamini, it's just-"

"shut up!" he roared

"You know what, get out of my house, take her with you, I took you from the streets with your bastard, I gave you a home, food and a stable life. Is this the thank you I get huh?" he say

Bongeka's mother kneeled down,apologising.

"Please Dlamini, please forgive us. I promise this will never happen again"

"I said out!" Bongeka was now regretting trying to run away, now her mother will be homeless because of her. Maybe she should just agree to this arrangement.

But she still had so many unanswered questions, so Dlamini was not her father?

Is that why he was so cold towards her?

After so much begging, Dlamini finally let them stay.

"You are going to marry Nicholas, you owe me your whole life Bongeka"