chapter 1 *FAILED MARRIAGE*

Soon after I've been released from Agodi prison in ibadan where I had served a seven-year jail term for a race that I did not commit, I found myself in the street looking for job.

The incident that led to my being jailed was a funny one. Before then I had a beautiful girlfriend called Bimbola whom I had promised I would marry. this promise has been sincere because I really loved her. apart from the good manners which I had valued greatly, she was beautiful from head to toe. So serious was I about this that I had approached her parents about the matter. it hadn't been easy at first because I've had to dislike me completely. although people who didn't like me were often forced to agree even to their own pain that I am a handsome person, my would-be father-in-law had once said out off malice that I was a very ugly person who should not marry her daughter.

It had taken me almost three years to convince him to accept my proposal for it was towards the end of the third year that I made a headway.

This happened One night when I spent 3 hours pleading with him.I still remember his words of acceptance. He said 'I agree and do not agree!' Although his words were not a complete acceptance, I knew he was eventually going to agree because it was the kindest thing he has ever said about the issue. The following day Bimbola came to announce to me that her parents had completely consented to our marriage.

As a result of this good news I had to travel from ibadan to Yandev, my village near Gboko with all my savings to inform my parents, that I have found a girl to marry. As soon as I revealed that this girl did not come from the same area with me, members of my family reacted as if I had open a container of fuel gas on them. My mother was the first open the floor. She openly shared tears and cursed her gods for giving him such a son as myself. 'Why should you even think of marrying an outsider?' elder brother yelled.

'This is madness!' screamed my elder sister. 'He is joking!' another one wailed. 'Don't bring a stranger to this family.' 'we will send her packing!', shorter another from the backyard.

My father did not show any attitude to the whole thing and did not Express any opinion. In fact I was a fool to think that you was in support of the idea. it was only the next day after I had returned from a visit to a friend's house to meet all members of our extended family in my father's house, that I knew that my father had started his own war against me. There were aunts, nephews, cousins and several other relation whom I had not seen for long. On my arrival, even before I could greet them, I was told by the oldest man in our family -Nathan shefun- to sit down in the centre of the family members who had formed a semi-circle in the centre of the compound. I thought they were going to ask me to defend my choice of an outsider for a wife, instead I got the thorough dress down from every one of them for planning to marry a "stranger" as old man Nathan shefun had tagged my choice. At the end of the volley of abuses from the family, old man Nathan shefun laid a formal curse on me to the effect that if I defied the family injunctions and married the girl, I was going to suffer ex-communication from the family along with my children and children's children for ever and ever. I have known what happened to Daniel, a victim of my family ex-communication and I dreaded it in spite of myself. so as a result of my fear of this terrible form of family reprisal, I knew even on the spot there that my proposed marriage to Bimbola have failed.

when the family has dispersed I went to my room and lay on my bed thinking about my predicament. Bimbola was a girl I could not do without. I did not know the true meaning of love until I met her. How could I open my mouth to tell her that I was no longer going to marry her.