Bride Prize

Two: Two kinds of young men

The pitch dark night is lighted up with appearance of the half moon. A man is seen crouching among the brushes. His anxious face comes to light as he emerges from behind a tree. He paused to catch his breath before taking a few stealthy steps to the door of a round hut to the rear of the small hamlet.

He knocked only once and waited, flattened against the mud wall his eyes darting around the quiet compound. The entire household had gone to sleep a few hours ago. After a minute or so he pushed the door and it opened and Adoo let him inside.

The hut belongs to Ornguga who had travelled to a nearby town the previous day and was not due back for another three days. Adoo was Ornguga's wife who had been under suspicion of promiscuity for some time but she had continuously outsmarted her husband. And so far, he had no evidence against her except hearsay.

Adoo sold locally brewed beer at the marketplace and had a lot of customers as well as admirers. The man she had let into her hut moments ago was Venda, a known womanizer within the community.

The hut was in complete darkness, except for the stray rays of moonlight that filtered thru the opened tiny window.

"Why did you take so long to come?" Adoo said accusingly.

"I know," Venda said, "I was just being careful. People talk a lot these days you know."

"That's nonsense," Adoo said vehemently. "Who cares what people say? People are always talking whether you do anything or not."

"It's your husband's friends I was worried about."

Adoo sat on the only small iron spring bed in the room.

"That's nonsense," she said. "If you want to be together with me then you must cut out this unnecessary fear. I told you Ornguga has travelled and won't be back until the day after tomorrow. Come and lie down."

But as Venda moved over to the bed, a loud knock came on the zinc door. Knock, knock, knock.

Venda jumped up, his eyes looking wide. He felt trapped. The tiny window was out of the question.

"Who is it?" He whispered in the darkened room.

"I don't know," Adoo said, her heart beating faster.

The loud knocking repeated against the door, this time accompanied by an authoritative voice, "Adoo! I said open the door for me."

Adoo recognized her husband's voice alright. Now this was a

tricky situation. She thought fast. A new pot she had recently purchased

for her beer brewing business stood against the far mud wall.

Without further hesitation she said, "Get inside the pot!"

Venda had no choice. A pot cage was better than being caught

by Ornguga. Luckily, the pot was large enough to contain him. He gently

lowered himself inside and Adoo covered the top with round mat tray.

It was only then that she found her voice.

"I said I'm coming, don't break the door."

She went over and pulled back the lock and opened the door,

glaring at her husband thru the darkness.