The Chain on my Neck

               The Chain on my Neck

                     (a short story)

                 By Lene Ododomu

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Fatima grown up in a family of illiterate and  this was not just  her family but almost all the people in Kato village in Kaduna state. The state governor was interested in girl child education and he brought this development to the rural areas in the state, and villages like Kato was given the opportunity to benefit from the development. Before this initiative came, Fatima had finished her primary school but was restricted by the mother, Mariam from going to secondary school and insisted on pushing her into marriage. So when the state government agencies came, they visited Fatima's home and included her name among the selected girls for education but the mother against it and wants her name to be excluded from the list. 

Mr. Ibrahim, Fatima's father was not around when this happened. When he came back from his journey from Jos, he was told of this story by Kabiru, his friend who had already benefit from the development by including the name of his daughter in the list of the selected girls for education. Mr. Ibrahim became so angry and beats Mariam like slave. 

"You are a enemy of our daughter's progress and I will not allow it" said Mr. Ibrahim after beating her.

"You can't do more than a dead rat. She must get married instead of wasting her time of going to school" replied Mariam with a crying voice.

"Then you will tell me if I am the tale or the head in this family" said Mr. Ibrahim.

"That one concern you, me I have told you my own" replied Mariam with the same voice of cry.

Mr. Ibrahim been able to meet with Dauda, the personal assistant to the Commissioner of Education and linked Fatima to him. Dauda became so happy for the fact that Fatima's father wants her to be a better person in the future, unlike the mother who wants her to live a wayward life with force marriage that will jeopardize her future. He immediately called Dr. Suleiman, The Commissioner of Education and related the issue to him which he was given a direction to forward Fatima's name. 

The war continues when Mr. Ibrahim returns from visiting Dauda with the plan of putting Fatima in school.

"I won't let this happen. How can you send a girl of 22 years to secondary school instead of marriage? Or do you want to destroy her from giving birth because 50 years is monopose that's if I am not mistaken?" said Mariam.

"It is you that will destroy from giving birth or enter menopause, not my daughter, Fatima. Watch your tongue, woman. If you want to spend the rest of your life in your father's house or another man's house to produce more children, then don't serve me this issue on the table as breakfast, launch or dinner. I will not repeat myself, woman. Be warned" replied Mr. Ibrahim.

"I rather die than watching my only daughter whom I carried for nine good moths, and a daughter who took me the pain and punishment of crossing the seven rivers of Gurara before I gave birth to. Besides we don't have any other child apart from Fatima. So why can't you just allow her to get married and give us grandchildren to multiply the family?" said Mariam.

"Your level of illiteracy is too low even that of mine. I thought parents do pray that our children should be greater than us? We are too poor academically and if opportunity comes to this village through education and exclude illiterates and include the educated ones, the question is how can you be included among the selected ones for the education? To avoid being denied like sinners in the day of judgement, it is better we should push Fatima to understand the language of education. Woman, for the sake of Prophet Mohammed, please let our daughter free from the cage of illiteracy and fly in the sky with the educated ones to make this family proud. Education can add value to her life but premature marriage would ruin her life. Let's not make her to become a slave to all these wayward boys who don't have a brighter future. I am begging you with the names of all our prophets in Quran" replied Mr. Ibrahim.

Mr. Ibrahim succeeded with his decision by sending Fatima to school and she herself becomes so happy and promised to reciprocate this good decision of her father with greatness. She was admitted to continue her education from JSS 3 after she was given a test and passed it without failing anything. 

Fatima was immediately promoted to SS3 immediately after she wrote her Junior WAEC and passed the exams in flying colours with 6 As and 3 Bs. But unfortunately, bandits attacked the village and kidnapped all the students which included Fatima. When this news was announced to the village, Mr. Ibrahim fainted and cried bitterly after he was brought back to life.

Few weeks after, some men visited Mr. Ibrahim with guns in their hands and gave him an envelope. They passed their message to him that they were sent by their leader to give him the bride price of his daughter who have successfully got married to him  in the unknown forest where they live. They give him a warning that failure to accept the bride price will lead to the slavery of his daughter and also expect a visit from them. Immediately after this message, they left and Mr. Ibrahim remains mute till he was visited by his wife with her family members.

Mr. Ibrahim's in-laws came with a protest to provide their daughter. The helpless mother, Mariam gives him a threat of taking her life that's if he fails to provide her daughter. She blamed him of not following her advice of giving Fatima for marriage. She regretted by giving up on him to succeed his decision of sending her to school that put her under the cage of death. 

"Oh, daddy Fatima, you are too wicked. I warned you but you wouldn't listen. Now our daughter is a beast among the breasts in the unknown forest where she was said to have married to the king of the beasts and this means that she will soon become a mother of beast. Aha, my beautiful Fati. A daughter who is blessed with the beauty of black Africa. A daughter who carried the identify of colour of Kaduna. A daughter who is blessed with the hight of one of our prophetess in Quran. Where now is the beauty? Is she now a beauty of beast? No tell me Mr. education. Aha, I am finished" said Mariam with a bitter cry while gripped Ibrahim on his trouser.

She  brought him before him before the district head and seek for justice of her daughter by wanting Fatima's father to go to the forest and bring her home. But nothing could be done to bring back Fatima and Ibrahim end by saying:

"May Allah protect my daughter. I believe in Him and I also believe in the prophets and they can never fail me. One thing I will say is that I was ignorant of the fate of my decision or choice but Allah was knowledgeable of everything and He let it happened the way it is now, so why can't I believe in Him with humility to protect her from the mouths of the sabertooth tigers? I am not afraid to die in the course of wanting the best for my only daughter. Everybody is now on my neck, including Mariam, my wife. This means that I am already like Ishak who is lying down on the stone of sacrifice that is waiting for Allah to replace with the substitute ram".