An Arranged Marriage - Episode 5

 

Father didn't show up all through yesterday, or even today, I'm sure the reason will be that he stole from his daughters. 

I don't know why I'm surprised, I knew, always knew it wasn't beneath it. 

I slowly walk around the house, waiting for them to get back from work, Anaya, works as an admin assistant in an office, far away, into the town, Aroofa with her beautiful face and mild ways works as an assistant in a beauty shop, I can see great things for Aroofa, of only she dares believe in her own beauty. Aroos, my sweet strong Aroos works in an hardware store as an assistant General manager, I wish I could give them a better life. 

Wish I could hunt down that demn that decided to hurt my sister. 

I go down the stairs, dinner  prepared, waiting for them to come home so we can eat, I don't leave the house, I can't leave the house, I do sometimes, when its too drastic, that's when I leave the house. 

I wait by the door, leaning on my cane and waiting for them to enter, knowing the precise moment they should. 

But nothing happens. 

I glance at the clock, watching it as it goes round and round, striking six, then a quarter past six. 

My stomach grumbles and not totally because of hunger, I feel a dread settling in, it's not unheard of for them to come back late, later than normal but not this late. 

My back is aching from the strain of standing and looking out the door, it's past seven now and still no sign of them. 

I begin to think that I will have to go out and look for them but Aroofa walks into sight, Aroos behind her, Anaya herding them from behind. 

My body settles, that one leg I have out the door, stops, they lift their eyes and when they see me standing in that position, about to leave the house, alarm climbs into thier faces. 

Aroofa looks me over, trying to see If I have any sign of being hurt in my body, Aroos looks like she is inside her head, Anaya looks at me with cool calm. 

"What happened?" I ask when they get to me. 

"Papa happened" Aroofa says, clearing the doorway into the house. 

"What do you mean papa happened?" 

"He turned up at Aroos 's working place and carted her somewhere, she won't tell us where and why." 

Aroofa retorts, sounding frustrated, just like the way I'm feeling now. 

"Aroos, where did you and papa go?" She just shakes her head, heading up stairs to her rooms. 

I look to Anaya. 

She looks back at me, her face a wall of ice, the animosity of yesterday still there, at best I and my sister are alies against the dark cloud that is my father . At worst we are enemies, I wonder sometimes if she considers me worthy enough to be an enemy. 

I don't say a word, just dish food onto the plates, waiting for them to get refreshed and come down stairs. 

I don't wait long. 

They all do, even Aroos. 

The promise of dinner propelling them to thier seats. 

I wait until they are eating before asking the question uppermost on my mind.

"Where did papa take you.?" I ask Aroos, she tenses, Anaya looks at me with furious eyes, as of asking me to stop pushing Aroos. 

When she doesn't answer, content instead to eat her food, Aroofa answers. 

"I saw him being her back in a fancy car, he was wearing fancy clothes too" What has papa done? I feel dread settling in my stomach. 

"Aroos?" 

"He wants me to get married" She says, quietly into the room. 

I don't dare breath, the rage pouring off Anaya is enough to choke the air from the room. 

Aroofa makes a noise of distress. 

"What?" I whisper. 

"He, he says that I must, If I want any sort of future that is not entrenched in poverty" 

She says and I feel my heart beating very fast, I clench my fist into my dress, to stop them from trembling. 

Not once in all of the 25 years I've spent on earth have I felt a rage so deep or so keen. 

I feel a kindred anger coming from Anaya and I Vow in my mind that I will kill my father, make sure that he dies a slow, painfilled death. 

"I don't want get married Anadia" she says quietly with a fear borne from the dread of being with a male specie. 

This is what I was trying to avoid, this fear of men. 

My stupid father did not know that and he went ahead to introduce her to another man, one I'm sure is as lecherous and as hate-filled as they come. 

"Did you meet this man?" She shakes her head. 

"Do you know where papa is staying?"

"I think it's in some fancy hotel or something" She says. 

"Do you know the hotel?" 

"It's the one he took me earlier" I nod again, my mind moving, how did my father get money to get himself an hotel room? 

When I refused to do anything about him almost killing me and ending my career he still lived with us, living but not taking care of us. 

It was up to me to get the bills paid and make sure that there was food in the fridge. 

He stayed with us but sometimes he will go a whole week without seeing us. 

I made it clear in very certain ways that I and my sisters are off limits and he's trying to sell one off now? 

I do not understand. 

Does he not have any fatherly feelings or is he just daft? 

Now his refusal to come home for the past few days is more understandable, and I'm willing to bet it has something to do with the land documents he forged my signature into getting. 

"It's fine Aroos, you are a grown woman, no one can force you into doing what you do not want to do, and trust me I plan on doing something" 

"What are you going to do?" She asks me. 

"Will you trust me?" she watches my eyes before nodding. 

"Eat and get to sleep, I will take care of it" I say and she nods, I refuse to look at Anaya. 

I'm going to take care of this little problem, it's the least I can do for my sisters.

AN

Thank you for reading. 

Please let me know if there are any gray areas. 

I hope its more understandable now. 

All episodes of this story can be found here >> https://www.ebonystory.com/story/an-arranged-marriage

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Read " Love ~ Hate Relationship " by the same author ( Bebe Ernest )