A Curse For The Monroe's.

Never in the history of The Monroe's has there ever been a first-born kin born to them as a daughter. This was like a taboo to them. "Tarbo" They called it. They considered it a curse.

"It's your fault a girl is given unto us!" Lory blamed her husband.

"What nerve do you have to blame me? Were you not the one I repeatedly warned to stop eating boiled eggs?" Mila queried his wife. "What shall I answer to my people?"

"Just tell them we've been blessed with a daughter."

"Are you in your right senses woman? Do you want me to be seen as an outcast?"

"Can you not worry about your reputation for once Mila?"

"How can I not worry Lory? Tell me! How?"

"But…"

"No buts! Were you not present the day my father was boasting of Sensei's prosperity… his five successful sons…his goats, his sheep, his…"

"Yes I was but…"

"On top of that, he was also boasting of Masta's six sons, his herd of cattle and…"

"Those are your elder brothers Mila… We have our own lives to live too."

"Woman! You say those are my elder brothers, eeh! That's your excuse… What of Regun? Didn't he just get his…. What do they even call it?"

"Call what?"

"That university certificate."

"A degree?"

"Yes! Did he not get it just the other day? Yet it is now helping him travel around the world. I don't even know what papa sees in him when he despises his own origin!"

"Courting a Mzungu has nothing to do with contempt of one's origin Mila."

"Woman! Don't you know of the saying mwacha mila ni mtumwa?"

"But… how does that even apply in this context?"

"Go and ask the mwacha mila, he'll explain. I've no time for such shroud nonsense!"

"By the way… what name shall we give to our daughter?"

"Woman! Instead of thinking of how to save her, you are here busy thinking if a name to name her!"

"Save her! From what?"

"From the cruel hands of our traditions! Don't you know it's a curse to bring forth a first kin as a daughter?"

"A curse! I'd rather bear it's consequence than to let my daughter suffer from the cruel so called hands of traditions!"

"Didn't you hear what they did to Mzame's first sister?"

"What did they do?"

They buried her first born child; daughter, alive… to send away the bad spirits that the child brought unto them."

"Shindwe! Over my dead body!" She spat her saliva, "My child isn't going to suffer such cruelty! How different is a boy child from a girl child?"

"Traditions never lie Lory!"

"To hell with traditions! I'll make my child a Moses if I have to." She walked to her room enraged. "To hell with these traditions!" She continuously mumbled under her breath. "In fact, to hell with all traditionalists. Lory believed that traditions just forcefully binded people to follow what they didn't want to follow or believe in.

"Hee! Papa is calling." Mila rushed into the room with the house telephone in his left hand. He was trembling with fear and his voice was unusually soft and shaky. Drops of sweat were running down his temple; he wipes his forehead with the back of his right palm.

"Pick up then!" She was wondering what she wanted her to do after he'd bored her with her 'traditions" speech.

"You know I can't possibly do that!" 

"So you'll just let the phone ring?"

"Is it a sin to do so!" He seemed to have retreated to his usual personality.

"Mmh!" She had no words to speak.

"At least Sensei has wealth, successful sons, livestock… and Masta, he has sons! Six good sons. Look at Rogun; he has nothing like them… but he's got money… Pesa…" "Money!" He shifted to Nigerian accent.

"I have nothing to be proud of! At all! No Wealth! No son! No livestock! No… Pesa! No Nothing"

"You're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Nothing? Do you hear yourself woman?"

"I'm sorry… that's not what I meant… Just call him back. He may have something different he wants to discuss with you. Just avoid our daughter's topic like a plague."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"