Maid For Marriage

89

My mother was over the moon. Planning on both sides started immediately. Even though I would be wearing traditional clothing for the ceremonies, my mother insisted on a more modern dress. I already had one from when we were supposed to do this three years ago, but ma did not want me to wear it. She insisted her sister make a new one.

We were busy every single day. Out in malls, shops, or at street vendors getting everything we needed for the ceremony. The gifts for the gifting ceremony were crazy. My in-laws were going over the top. The gifts included the usual traditional gifts, but some of the requests were ridiculous. MaRadebe requested a double door refrigerator and a new king-sized bed. Why? I have no idea. There were more requests for furniture and appliances. One of the aunts requested a whole new living room set.

Ma says it's because my lobola was so high and they knew it. Luckily, ma was in charge of the money back then and she made sure we had enough left for this. The lobola money paid for most of the gifts but a lot of it I bought myself. I had the money. That was not the issue. The issue was that it was completely ridiculous, and I knew that they were doing this on purpose.

I felt bad that gogo's gift was not as extravagant as the others, so I asked MaKhumalo what I could get her. She said a fully stocked mini fridge. At first, I thought she was joking, but she was dead serious. So I did it. Gogo requested alcohol anyway, so I bought the mini fridge. I got her a foot spa and a massage chair that hopefully fit in her home.

I bought enough furniture to fill five homes, and it was the biggest purchase I had ever made. My bank had to call me countless times to make sure it wasn't fraud. I had to get a storage locker and I had to pay for all of this to be transported to the village before the day of the wedding. I literally had to hire a truck.

"MaBhengu, you're lying." MaKhumalo said in disbelief. "I swear I'm not. One of the aunts asked for a stove. And she had a specific brand she wanted. My aunt advised me to just get everything so everything goes smoothly. You'll see the truck on my wedding day. Did you have to do this?" I asked. "None of us had to do this, and my family is rich. We stuck to traditional gifts like traditional bowls, grass mats, blankets, and food. Stuff like that. By my umabo ceremony, I had gotten to know the family well, so I bought the elders and MaRadebe extra things. This is ridiculous. I'm sure word has spread that you're rich now. I'm sure of it."
"I might not be rich after this." I joked, and we both laughed.

I had my last fitting before leaving for my own village. The huge truck full of gifts followed us. It was driven by people my brother's trusted workers. Preparations started early in the week. We had photographers taking videos and pictures of everything. I was confined to my hut until Wednesday when my uncle led me into our family kraal to show me which cow they would slaughter. This ceremony was to let my ancestors know I would be leaving to a new kraal to be part of a new family. The cow was slaughtered, and the most important part, the contents of the gallbladder, was sprinkled on my feet and forehead. This was used to report to the ancestors that I was getting married and leaving for another homestead.

The next day, I did my farewell dance for everyone, and we left. I was wrapped in a big blanket, and I was not to look back as it would be bad luck. Usually, the brides mother would not attend, but my aunt was adamant. She obviously used the loophole of being my aunt and not my mother, and I was fine with that.

We got to the Dlamini homestead at midnight Friday. Singing to announce ourselves with our clan song. I was hidden in the center of the crowd. Many delays took place in getting us in the yard, and that was what traditionally happened, giving me a chance to sneak in unnoticed. A fine would be paid for this. Once we all got shown to where we would stay, the men on both families started their singing and dancing war on opposite sides of the courtyard. It went on for most of the night.