CHAPTER three

TINA

"And that is what happened." My mother ended her long speech and I just hawked at her.

"So, in summary, you went to church to pray and whilst praying heard another woman praying the same prayer but in her case for her son. So, you meet her after the prayers and started a conversation with her, where she told you her problems and you said yours. And, after her showing you her son's picture and how financially stable he is you decided to give my hand to a totally stranger you don't even know yourself? I mean that sums it all right?" I asked in believe.

"She is not a total stranger. She is Maame Rose, the women's organizer in church. And she also saw your picture and was impressed. I also told her you are the owner of Time and Chance Restaurant and she was truly overwhelmed." She said as if that solves it.

"But do you know her son? Apart from the picture you saw, what do you know about this man. For God's sake mother, he is thirty-six and unmarried, that should tell you that there is something wrong with him. He is either enjoying sleeping round with women far too much to settle down or his thing isn't working." I couldn't believe this.

The man lived far from his mother so how could she believe that his mother knew him that well. This was my future we were talking about. I couldn't believe her.

"Listen, if you had ever brought a man home, I wouldn't have done this. I might not know the man himself but there is a wise saying that an apple does not fall far from the tree so just like how responsible his parents are, I believe he is the same. Besides, we went to the pastor about our arrangement and the pastor assured us that you two were destined for each other. And we all know that God does not lie."

I couldn't believe this. My mother had given me away to a stranger and her explanations were not making sense enough to me. I mean who does that. I did't have a blind faith like her so anything I would say at the moment would feel like I was speaking against her man of God and I was not ready for the argument that would arise because of that.

I stood up and made to leave. "Well mother, you listen to me, I am not getting married and that's finally. You believe in what your pastor said but I don't and I am going to live my life the way I want because the last time I checked it is my life and not yours."

With that I left the house and drove off to my apartment at Amakom.

I couldn't believe she made me drive for seven miles to listen to this. I wanted to stay at her place for the night but I couldn't stay after this. I went to my house and after settling in, I called my first brother. He was the wisest among us and my mom treated him like the man of the family so she listened to him most of the time. If I was able to make him see the situation from my point of view, he might help me dissuade mother.

My bother listened to me as I told him all my worries and what our mother was planning but he said nothing positive. It seemed to me like mother reached him before I did and he had already chosen the side he wanted to side with. I didn't blame him because I knew our mother very well and whenever things didn't go her way she tended to blackmail you emotionally.

"Listen to me Tina," my brother began after listening to me pour out my soul and contionusly begging him to help me out. "You are the last born and we all adore you. We love you and we want the best for you. Mom has told me all that she is planning to do for your sake. It is not easy stooping so low as to ask a stranger to marry you as if you are deformed or there is something wrong with you. It is not easy for her too. You are the apple of her eyes and she loves you dearly that is why she wants to help you secure your future. You are now financially stable and all that is left is for you to settle and have your own children and your own family. What is so wrong in her wanting that for you? Look, I understand you concern about you marrying someone you don't know but that is why you are not alone in this. We are not selling you neither are we abandon you. You won't be the only one in this marriage. If things turn south remember you have brothers, we will come over to beat him up." he said.

"But brother what if he is a psychopath or a killer? By the time you are aware, I will already be dead." I tried.

"Don't talk nonsense dear. Nothing like that will happen. If he lays a finger on you, I will burn down his family house with his entire family in it. You will be fine. Besides I have started my investigations on this guy and things look good so far so, nothing will go wrong." He tried to assure me. But it made me even worry the more. The what ifs were getting many in mind.

I voiced out many of my concerns but he was convinced everything was going to be alright. I guess I was the only one who was worried that I was going to marry a total stranger I still didn't know and I was going to live with this total stranger probably for the rest of my life.

Then my brother told me that if I stayed with the guy for at least a month and I still did not like him then he would take me from him and I could live my life the way I wanted and no one would border me anymore. It wasn't really a solution but it was the most positive thing I had heard so far.

The wedding I gathered was going to happen in three weeks' time and I was to use that time to get to know him. the case was closed and there was nothing I could do about it. So, I called my mom and we made a deal that if in those three weeks I was able to find substantial evidence that he was bad then the whole thing was going to be called off. She agreed with the conidition that if I proved the man was bad at the end of the weeks, I should come up with a man at the end of that three weeks.

I agreed right away. I would deal with the other man I was to bring later but for the time being I just had to do everything humanly possible to make this 'future husband of mine' evil in my mom's eyes.

What a plan! Even though I was yet to see him, my first point to use to disqualify as my future husband would be that he was ugly and unattractive in every way. Only that I ate my words the moment I asked my mother to send me his picture.

He was handsome and attractive in every sense and that was surprising. Why was he still single? This spiked my interest.

This was going to be really interesting because a man like that who was single would definitely be one of the two reasons I previously pointed out to my mother; either he was a womanizer or his thing wasn't work, or maybe he was gay. Who knew? I was going to find out all the reasons why we were not compatible whilst making him hate me too. This was going to be fun.

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