The Lion’s Den - S01 E14

2 years ago

The Lion’s Den - S01 E14

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 14

Seeing the door being locked by her uncle, Agatha knew very well what was about to happen next. She had stayed with her uncle for some time and she recalled very well how he used to beat them up together with her cousins. She also remembered how she slapped her cousin, the daughter to the uncle, a year before when she had ill treated her child. It was all clear that uncle had no age limit when it came to beating.

Agatha then stood up and ran to the kitchen where her aunt was. This was to have herself shielded from her uncle’s beating. She stood behind her aunt fidgeting as the aunt wondered what was happening.

“Uncle wants to beat me” she answered her aunt.

Before the aunt could say anything else, the door budged open as the angry uncle carrying the army belt walked in looking like a wounded buffalo. He then made advances in readiness to bypass the aunt and whip Agatha.

“Just hold it there! What do you think you are doing?!” Shouted aunt shielding Agatha.

“If you know what is good for you, just get yourself out of the way” uncle Malema charged.

“If you also know what self respect is, then you won’t beat no one here. Just think of it how people will view you after beating her.”

“Are you trying to lecture me?”

“No, infact let’s go to the bedroom we talk. I don’t want these children to hear what I have to say.”

Uncle stood there looking at aunt intently and then shifted his eyes to Agatha then back to aunt. After giving a deep breath out, he walked away from there heading to the bedroom. As he walked passed the sitting room, Agatha’s sister was there also fidgeting thinking he could be dealt with too.

Aunt looked at Agatha and asked her to stay calm as she was going to calm her husband. She reassured her that no one was going to beat her up. After that aunt walked heading to the bedroom were she found uncle Malema sitted on his arm chair.

“So now you have the audacity to get into my way?” Asked uncle.

“If it means protecting my daughters, I will do anything for them. Are you not even ashamed to raise your hand on such a grown up girl child? It’s so embarrassing and disgusting. I won’t take it anymore. These are adults. They listen by being talked to and not beating.”

“But she has disgraced our family with what she has done and as a soldier I need to straighten her up.”.

“What? ‘vi usoja va uphuwa uko!’ Will beating her remove the disgrace on your family? No. It will add another disgrace of big men with gray hair all over beating married daughters.”

“So are you saying I should just let her be?”

“No, what you should do is to help her. She has come to seek for help from you and not to be beaten. She has trusted you that you can help her with this. Help her.”

Uncle Malema sat there quietly seeing the sense in what his wife was saying to him. He realized that anger doesn’t solve issues but reasoning and patience. He stood up and walked near his wife after which she looked at her intently.

“What should I do to help her?”

“Yes, listen to her and ask her how she feels best to help her. If she has no idea of what to do, you are a parent and chewas say ‘akulu ndi mdambo mozimila moto’, do the round table discussion with the affected parties”.

“Yes I know that but it feels so heavy to sit and talk about a woman who has cheated on her husband. ”

“I know she is wrong but you still have to discuss this issue and sort it out”

“I think I need to call her parents”

“You can call to inform them about the issue but it’s you the go-between to help sort out the issue. When you chewed that dowry you thought everything ended there. This is the work for that money you chewed” she said.

“But you are talking like you are not happy with me having taken a share of that money”

“Sorry. Dont mind that just do as I say. Go and apologize. Talk to your daughter who is out there.”

Aunt then walked to the sitting room where she found Agatha outside the home almost leaving as she saw no use of being there. Aunt called her back and reassured her that he won’t do anything stupid but talk as adults.

She reluctantly went back into the house and sat on the same couch as earlier together with her sister. Aunt also sat down on the couch which was between them and where uncle had sat. A minute later, uncle Malema walked back into the living room slowly. She sat down and took some minutes before saying anything.

“Agatha, I think you know me very well with my temper and how I used to do my things. I was just overwhelmed with the story. But let me say, am sorry for my reaction. It’s embarrassing. I hope we can now start on a new level.” Uncle said sincerely.

With the help of aunt who was calmly and maturely probing Agatha further, the discussion went on well till they two parents felt they had gathered enough information to deal with the issue.

“So I will inform the uncle to Edmond so that we can table this issue out soonest. And for the sake of tradition, you should come and stay with us together with your kids meanwhile.” Uncle said.

Agatha knowing how difficult it will be to withhold the shame from the parents there, she asked if she could continue staying with her sister. Without any hesitation, the aunt allowed her to stay there at her sister.

After that discussion, Agatha and her sister bade farewell and left the place. They could feel peace overcome them with increasing distance away from their uncle’s place. Though it was not an ease journey, as already expected, they felt it was worthy it as there was some hope in the way the issue was heading.

“Elo Agatha the way I feel like beating that man. Ni opusa mudala uja. One day nizakamumenya kuipa” said the sister to Agatha. (That man is stupid. I will beat him badly one day)

Agatha did not even answer knowing that she was saying what will never be possible. It was just a rhetoric chat which was there to just make an awkward silence leave them.

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On the next day, the uncle to Edmond who was the go-between called him to his home so that they could talk about the issue at hand. Edmond was not ready to address the issue as he was getting more provoked with the issue. But the uncle being someone he respected very much, he had no option but to go and see him to talk about the issue and see the way forward.

They sat outside the house under the shade of the tree so as to catch some breeze as they went on talking. Before going any further with the discussion, the uncle scolded him for not telling him the challenge edmond was having at his home. The uncle mentioned that he was the Pinnacle of all challenge settling in his marriage by the virtue of being the shibukombe in his marriage.

“If not for the uncle to your wife who called me, I wouldn’t have known a thing. Anyway away, from that, tell me everything from the beginning to the start.”

Edmond started narrating the ordeal as a man would narrate it. As we all know that men are really reserved when it comes to spilling out their emotions, Edmond made a summary of everything just like a master summarizer would do. The uncle then probed further on areas where he felt he needed some clarification. Edmond answered all the questions to the satisfaction of the uncle. The uncle then went on reasoning with him trying to see how best they could sort out the issue amicably.

“Am glad you have told me everything on this issue, so now what is your stance on the issue? Do we continue with the marriage or divorce?”

Edmond gave a deep breath out and then responded to uncle his stance on the issue as asked. They then agreed on to follow the uncle to Agatha so that they could talk the issue out. The decision was not easily arrived at as Edmond insisted that the uncle to Agatha and others to follow them since they are on the erring side.

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There was silence in that room where the two uncles to Agatha and Edmond, Edmond himself, Agatha herself, Agatha’s sister, and the two aunties had sat around the table. Edmond was not showing any signs of an emotions on his face. Agatha tried to look at her husband’s face but the face was void. Formless. No nothing.

“Chete chete sausa nyama, can we now start talking about why we are here.” The uncle to Agatha started.

The discussion slowly started getting momentum as both sides started trying to present their case. It all went on as both parents tried to establish a general ground to discuss on.

“We have now talked about all we needed to know. Am glad we are all open meaning this discussion will be fruitful. So asebele, we need to know what is your stance on this issue, are you going to forgive us?” Asked the uncle.

“Let’s hear from the owner?” Said the uncle to Edmond.

“Okay, I really struggled a lot with Agatha to get where we are. She has supported me a lot in my endeavors. I have errored a lot to her and she forgave me. She is a wonderful lady who has made the days spent with her amazing. She is beautiful in her personality and physically” Edmond spoke before being interrupted.

“Edmond,spare us that poem and tell us the decision you have made” said the uncle.