THE ROOT OF A CYNOSURE

Chapter eighteen

Fahad

I was not only dumbfounded but felt like a doofus as I recalled how I tried to gesticulate to make her understand the things I said. How could I have known that she understood everything I said.

" I - I am surprised." I said, almost stammering. " You speak very good English..."
" Tell me the meaning. I could not find it in Oxford dictionary." She cut in.

Wao !She even had a dictionary.
" It means a verse having the complete number of syllables in the last foot but it also means complete. I meant you are perfect and complete."

She looked at me straight in the eye for a split second then took off her eyes.
" What do you want from me?" she asked firmly.
" Everything. I want you ,your heart, your body, your soul. I don't want to date you, I want to marry you. I want to take you away from this place, take you far away and into my world, into my life because I want to be acatalectic and only you can make me attain that level."

" You speak like the Americans and you called yourself Fahad Yar'adua."
" I am a Nigerian.A Bakatsine from Yar'adua. I spent most of my life in the United States."
" And you want to marry me ?" She shook her head. " You can't marry me. What about all the educated , sophisticated girls in the city?"
" It's you I love . I love you."
" I am a cattle rearer and not educated. "

" I don't care about that. Besides ,don't think I will believe you if you say you are not educated."
" I am not."
" Your English is polished."
" English is language. Speaking English does not make me educated."
" Now you get me confused."

" A lot of white people live around here and so many come for tourism. This has been going on for years." She paused, peeped at her cattle then came back. " We used to serve as tour guides, but I was privileged to work for a white couple as a maid. I was only twelve and she refused to accept me at first. She said I was too young and it was child labour. Her husband convinced her to pick me. She was very nice. I did little or no work . She thought me how to read and write.

I love reading and she had a lot of books. Most of my family members speak English. I stayed with them for three years. I was home-taught and she decided to enrol me into a school for formal education. My family got mad. They said she wanted to destroy my life. How could a girl go to school? I was going to become a prostitute. It is against Islamic laws. So, I was taken away from her. I came back home and back to the family business, rearing. I chose to rear cattle instead of hawking milk and millet cakes.

Most girls hawk while the boys rear. I hate hawking. This is what I do everyday."
I fought the urge to cry. When did I become so soft?
" So, you never got a formal education."
" I never got it."
" Please marry me, let me take you away. I will get you the best tutorial, get you a stromg foundation and go to school. We could move to Ameriaca."
" You barely know me. Marriage is a big word."

"Sometimes you stay with people for years and realise you don't know them. I feel so cool with you."
" How did you leave the other day?"
" What day?"
" The day you passed out."
"Oh.'" I felt a bit embarrassed . " I woke up around ten and had to trek back."

" Where do you stay?"
" Wukari Luxury Suites."
" I kept wondering if you survived it, then I saw you the next day."
" But who got me lying near the tree."
" I - I dragged you there. I'm sorry but I could not lift you so I put a piece of sack under you and pulled you. I gave you a local remedy, then protected you from snakes and left. That was the best I could do for you."
" So it was you. Thank you."
" You know little about cows."
" I was trying to be a hero. I wanted to impress you."

She chuckled for the first time. I could not believe cattle girl was sitting with me.
" It was funny though." She giggled.
" Why did you have to go through all these? You go through all that and I never even talk to you but you still never left. I tried to chase you away ."
" I am your captive. I am your servant. I just want to serve you."
" But you know I can't marry you."
" Why ?"
" Who I marry is not by my choice. Our parents choose husbands for us. I was betrothed to someone many years ago but I hate him. I keep bringing excuses and they keep postponing it. My grandfather supports me. He is the most important person in my life right now. He wanted me to get educated. So when I pop up an excuse, he backs me up. "