Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 2

"Did Ruth direct you here?" Ruth? Millicent frowned at the name catching on to the weird friend her mother had made a year ago. She pulled at her mother's hand making the latter's eyes turn to eyes that could shoot daggers.

"You're still around that woman? Ma, how many times have we told you to stop listening to her advice. What's this place that she has recommended huh? Don't you care about your children anymore and didn't you say you were Christian. What are we doing at a place that looks like a chanting home?" A loud scream which erupted from the building startled both women, and it caused Millicent to take a fearful step back. It was a woman's voice, and it sounded so shrill like that of a wounded animal. She saw fleetingly, the fear on her mother's face.

The young man spoke in a severe tone before any of them could react.

"Woman, are you coming or not? We don't have time." Millicent stared in anger as her mother took a step forward.

"Aba, this is for your own good. They can help you get a good husband easily. Maybe something is blocking your path." Her mother had never seemed any more crazier than at the moment. She had changed a lot after her father passed away. Now she was struggling to get out of the hold of her mother.

"Regina Bruce Arthur! And how are they going to get me a man? Have they ever created one before?" This might have been the only time she had been rattled enough to rudely challenge her mother and she regretted it immediately after she had done it, and at this moment, it was probably the guilt that made her comply with her mother's wishes. Max had definitely been in the same situation and that is probably why he ran out at the first instance.

"Mimi, please." Now she was persuading her and all Millicent could do was grunt and follow the man and her mother into the dark room, already planning her escape.

Once they entered, she couldn't help but stare at how clean and opulent the interior of the building with the rusty exterior looked. There was a great chair that looked like the semblance of a royal throne at the top of the raised dais and a young man who looked to be in his forties clothed in a golden wear sat on it watching as other men and women dressed in a similar attire as the one who ushered them in stood between the aisles beside the seat where many people sat waiting for their turn to go to the man on the throne.

"What is he? A pastor or a king?" Millicent muttered spitefully to her mother.

"Let the two women who just entered come first." Again she was startled by how chilling their voices sounded and she turned back to see if anyone entered behind them.

"He's not talking about us is he?" But Regina, who was delighted to be able to cut the long queue and be attended to first, ignored her daughter's comments and dragged her to the podium where the request had sounded from.

"How may I help you?" Millicent refrained from visibly looking appalled when she cast her eyes on the weird look that the man threw to her. She distracted herself looking around wanting the meeting to be over so she could escape the nightmare her mother had thrown her into. Another shrill scream sounded from a room like an animal or this time a woman being tortured. Where was this place and did the government even know about it? She questioned herself. Her legs crossed and uncrossed themselves several times in her anxiety and she could hardly sit comfortably.

"She needs to get married." At this point she had no reason to fight her mother. It was evident that whoever the man was, he was a scam for a pastor or whatever cult it was. She had tuned them out and was utterly surprised when her mother pulled her up and pushed her toward the man. He was indeed handsome but he was also old. She wanted to ask what was going on but the man had already grabbed her hand and was taking her into a door.