when strength meets love

chapter 20: ikoka village

Eki returned home with a forced smile, though her heart was heavy with uncertainty. As she approached her mother, who was resting on a low stool outside their hut, she greeted warmly, “Mama, good evening.”

Isoken, her mother, looked up at her beautiful daughter and smiled knowingly. “Eki, you’re back from Oduwa’s place? I thought you’d spend more time there. Don’t tell me he sent you away already,” she teased, a glint of humor in her eyes.

Eki blushed, averting her gaze. “Stop, Mama. I had to come home,” she replied shyly, fidgeting with her wrapper.

“Ah, so you did,” Isoken said with a laugh, leaning back. But her daughter’s distracted tone didn’t escape her notice. “Eki, what is it? You seem like you have something on your mind.”

Eki hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage. She had rehearsed this conversation in her head countless times but didn’t know how her mother would react. “Mama,” she started, her voice soft but steady, “Oduwa and I were talking earlier. He asked me to go with him to the city.”

Isoken’s expression shifted from curiosity to surprise, but Eki pressed on. “You know how hard it’s been for him here. He hates this village, and so do I. But... he said you could come with us.” She smiled hopefully, trying to mask the nervous tremor in her voice.

Isoken’s shock deepened. “Eki,” she said, her tone firm, “you know I can’t leave my home.”

“Mama, what home?” Eki asked, her voice rising with frustration. “I am your home. Coming with us will bring you peace. You’ll finally be free of all this hardship.”

Isoken sighed heavily, shaking her head. “Eki, I understand what you’re saying, but I can’t leave your father. He is my husband, and we took an oath before the gods. No matter what, I must honor that.”

Eki stood abruptly, her anger bubbling to the surface. “Mama, how can you say that? Why are you doing this? Why can’t you leave him? What kind of oath binds you to a man who doesn’t value you?”

Her mother’s calm patience remained unshaken. “Eki, I know you’re angry, but this is our tradition. I am tied to your father, not just by marriage but by duty. No matter his flaws, he is my responsibility. And when you leave, he will have no choice but to step up and take care of himself.”

Eki threw her hands up in exasperation, pacing the small space. “I don’t understand this, Mama. How can you stay with a man who does nothing for you?”

Isoken stood and placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, her voice gentle yet firm. “Eki, life is not always about what we want. It’s about what we can endure. You must chase your happiness with Oduwa. Go with him to the city, build a life for yourself. I’ll be fine here.”

“But, Mama,” Eki whispered, her voice breaking, “I can’t leave you.”

Isoken smiled softly, brushing a tear from Eki’s cheek. “You can. You must. You deserve this chance. The gods will watch over me.”

Eki hesitated, her mind racing with conflicting emotions. Suddenly, Isoken’s expression shifted to a teasing one. “But, Eki, what about marriage?”

The question jolted Eki. “Marriage?” she asked, her voice rising in shock. “What does marriage have to do with this?”

Isoken chuckled. “My daughter, you cannot go to the city with Oduwa without marrying him. Do you want the villagers to have something to gossip about for the rest of their lives?”

Eki crossed her arms defensively. “Must I get married to live with him? We can be happy without it. What’s so special about marriage anyway?”

Isoken gasped, looking around as if the walls had suddenly grown ears. “Eki, don’t say that! It’s an abomination in this village to live with a man without marriage. Please, my daughter, don’t let anyone hear you say such things.”

Eki scoffed but remained silent, her anger simmering beneath the surface. “Fine,” she said, storming toward the house. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

Isoken watched her daughter retreat inside, her heart heavy. She looked up at the sky and whispered, “Oh gods of our land, guide my daughter. Protect her from harm and lead her to her happiness.”