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"Ama!" Ama's mother's voice cut through the haze of her daydream making Ama jump. She'd been lost in thought from the moment she woke up. Her mind seeming a thousand miles away from reality.
"Pardon, what did you say?," Ama replied, aware of her mother's growing impatience. Her mother's tone was firm but Ama detected a hint of worry beneath the surface.
"I said peel the potatoes and go to the forest to fetch water from the river when you have finished," she repeated her tone firm.
"Be wary, recently I heard that a Nsanse has been terrorizing people in the forest, if you see it, pray to the ancestors and just be respectful towards it and you will be fine."
"A Nsanse, ma?" Ama asked, skeptical. "From where now? I took a walk in that forest just yesterday and I didn't see any Nsanse."
Superstitions spread like wildfire in their village, and Ama suspected that the Nsanse rumors were just another baseless fear mongered by some anxious villager who was eager to make something out of nothing.
Her mother shot her a glare. "Your ignorance will be the death of you." She uttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Just hurry up and return home, your father and I have matters to discuss with you."
Ama sensed a hint of unease behind her mother's words but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Rarely did both her father and mother have matters to discuss with her but she didn't press any further.
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Ama opened the door to her home, a clay pot filled with water rested on her shoulder, balancing precisely. She stepped inside and set the clay pot down on the floor, the water sloshing gently against the sides.
Muffled voices drifted from the lounge, piquing her curiosity. She approached the doorway, her heart sinking as she took in the scene before her.
Akwasi, the eldest son of the chief, sat with her father conversing and laughing like old friends, their conversation flowing effortlessly. "What brings you here?" She asked, her tone laced with a hint of sass.
She had never warmed up to Akwasi from the moment they first met. There was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. His charming smile seemed forced, his laughter a little too loud, and his eyes a shade too intense. Whenever he was near, Ama felt a growing sense of irritation.
"Ama, where are your manners?" Her mother chided sharply, making Ama's eyes snap towards her and away from Akwasi.
"You're eighteen now, you are no longer a child. It is time to start thinking heavily about your future ."
"Akwasi here has come bearing a proposal for your hand in marriage and we think he would make a fine husband," she said, her voice dripping with persuasion. "He's kind, hardworking, and from a good family. What more could a woman desire?"
"Everything but him!" Ama burst out, her voice tinged with incredulity.
"Hush, Ama. You knew this day would come sooner or later. You're a woman now, not a maiden," Her mother retorted.
"Ama, dear. Accepting my proposal would ensure you and your family a good life, I will take care of you." Akwasi said, his voice low and smooth, but his words only seemed to tighten the knot in Ama's stomach.
Choosing to ignore his sweet nothings, she turned back to her mother.
"But ma," whined Ama as she desperately thought of a way to convince her parents out of this absurd idea.
"Doesn't this feel rushed to you? marriage at the moment feels irrelevant and unnecessary, a loss of liberty, on my part," Ama protested, her voice trembling with emotion.
Her mother's frown deepened, growing irritated by her daughter's stubbornness.
"Freedom? Ama, don't be ridiculous." Her mother counted. "You're a woman. Your freedom lies in finding a good husband and building a life together. That is the way of our people and you aren't getting any younger"
Ama clenched her jaw, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down.
"Listen to your mother, Ama. She is right," Her father spoke up.
'i don't think you know what the definition of right is.' She thought.
Ama seethed with anger, her jaw clenching. The cruel fact that her parents were willing to marry her off to a stranger they barely knew just because of his social status.
"At least take time to think about it, and the benefits it could bring upon you and your family" Akwasi spoke up.
'i do not want to think about it'
"I have thought about it."
Akwasi's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what is your conclusion?"
"That we are incompatible," Ama said bluntly. "I would bore you as your wife."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think that?"
"You are twice my age, our interests are far different, we would grow tired of each other."
"Ama!" Her mother exclaimed, her voice shrill with shock. "This isn't a matter of choice. You will marry Akwasi whether you like it or not!" She declared. Ama's eyes widened with shock as she took a step back. She could not believe her ears.
Ama gasped, her voice trembling.
"But ma!."
"I don't want to hear it," her mother said, raising her hand, gesturing Ama to shut up.
"Declining his proposal would be disrespectful of you to not only him but the chief," Her mother stated. "Arrangements will be finalized when you have calmed down and met with your senses."
Furious and frustrated, Ama spun on the heel of her foot and stormed out of the room, to her room. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall but she blinked them away, refusing to let them fall.
She wouldn't dare cry, Not for this. Not for him. Wasting her tears on Akwasi would be an insult to herself.
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The Colonial Heart ✓ (Editing)
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