Eki sat in front of her mother, her heart heavy with the weight of everything swirling in her mind. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Mama,” she began softly, “why did you marry papa?”
Isoken, who had been quietly sorting grains, paused and raised her head to look at her daughter. “Eki, why are you asking me this now?”
Eki sighed, her voice trembling. “I just don’t understand. He’s so… so… useless! He doesn’t do anything for us, and I’ve watched you struggle all my life to carry the burden. Why would you marry a man like that? Didn’t you see what he was like before?”
Her mother’s expression softened as she set the grains aside. “Eki, life is not always what we plan. When I met your father, he wasn’t like this. He was hardworking, caring, and full of dreams. But life has a way of changing people, my child. Challenges broke him.”
Eki frowned, her voice sharper now. “So you stayed? Even when he stopped trying?”
Isoken smiled faintly, her gaze distant. “Because I loved him, Eki. And because sometimes love isn’t about perfection; it’s about perseverance. I stayed because I believed in the man I fell in love with. Even now, I see glimpses of that man, buried under his failures.”
Eki shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t want that, Mama. I don’t want to end up like you, stuck with someone who doesn’t deserve me.”
Her mother reached out, placing a gentle hand on Eki’s shoulder. “You won’t end up like me, my dear. You’re strong, determined, and wise. But don’t let fear or anger blind you. Not all men are like your father. And not all love stories end the same way.”
Eki sniffled, wiping her face. “But Mama… Oduwa. I don’t know if I can trust him. Everyone keeps saying things, and it’s so hard to know what’s true. I don’t want to get hurt.”
Isoken nodded knowingly. “Oduwa is not like the others, Eki. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the way he respects you. And more than that, I see the way you look at him. You may not say it, but your heart has already chosen him. Don’t let rumors steal your happiness, my daughter.”
Eki sat quietly, her mother’s words sinking in. For the first time in days, she felt a sense of calm wash over her. Her mother was right—she had been so consumed by fear and doubt that she hadn’t given herself the chance to see the truth.
She stood suddenly, a faint smile on her lips. “Thank you, Mama. I needed this.”
Isoken smiled back. “Go, my child. Don’t let life’s uncertainties keep you from happiness.”
Eki leaned down to hug her mother tightly before turning to leave. Her heart lighter, her determination clear, she set out to find Oduwa.
YOU ARE READING
when strength meets love
RomanceEki is a strong, hardworking young woman who has sworn off men after being hurt too many times, including by her own father. Raised in the small, cursed village of Ikoka, she's vowed never to marry and believes that the world would be better without...
