FLYING FEATHER

She lives in the deep end of the muddy road. A slum with a population of 600 thousand. A settlement of cheap labour workers from the nearby industrial area. She can’t remember how she ended up there, all her life that’s all she knew. Being an only child to a single parent she got all the love a mother could give her child, and equally disciplined as much. Zuri is her name. Meaning “Good”. She was named after her grandmother, who was named after her grandmother's mother. Well, the name stood the test of time.

Maria-Her' mother is a local liquor brewer. The highest level of education she ever had was in third grade. That was to write her name and basic mathematics. Education was never a priority, especially for the female child. She was expected to be married off with a child and a running household by the time she turns 15, and so it was for her, as tradition calls it. When she turned 14, she was engaged and married off to Mr. Tabu. Her father's friend who was five times her age and one of the old men in the village. Mr. Tabu had many livestock, cows sheep goats and pigs amongst others. That was considered a sign of extreme wealth and power. Families would offer their daughters to men such as Mr. Tabu with little or no consideration of their daughter's opinions. Well, it didn’t matter as their fate lied solely on their parents or guardians. It was a norm that few would object. So was Maria’s fate. Being the youngest and the 12th wife of Mr. Tabu, she was forced to forget her childhood and immediately grow up. within a few months, she was pregnant and gave birth to her daughter Zuri

to be continued.........