The father and the complaining loner: An illustrative tale of forced marriage
By Riak Marial Riak, Juba, South Sudan
June 30, 2016 (SSB) — Father will I be sleeping a lone in the room for this quite long? Tell me my father; if this life is good for your son, Wadas questioned his father. My son I built the hut for you, what do you want that I should give you for a roommate, see the beautiful carpets I have bought for you, see the beautiful beddings in your room, what do you want my son that I should give you? His father said…..
My father I want someone to be around me, solitude is killing me, and birds’ mockery had satisfied my flesh, and always loneliness in the house, what do you think I am my father? Do you see me like an oasis that animals use to quench their thirst? Tell me if I am your son that you had sacrificed for live-days in the jungle of silence and solitude; tell me you the father of my sister Wadas said…..
I have last in your talking known that you want someone to appease you, someone to take over your stress, someone to quench your appalling heart, isn’t so? I have understood my son that you need a roommate to share with you words, to meditate together with you. Put me on top son, your father will call back your lovely brother whom you shared words together when both of you were still young, I know you’ll love it son, his father said……
Father not only my brother will he be enough? We have been staying together with him, I’ll love his coming back but solitude will still surround my head, someone will still be missing in my life, I’ll let you know father that someone whom the spirit of love and passions has decreed will be the quencher of my affections. I wonder why I am still lonely my father, see all my friends; they’ve been in the wilderness to search for their love and found them. I still wonder my father what is preventing me from getting a soulmate. I want a wife father, that is the last piece of a jigsaw to see in my life, Wadas said…..
Hahahaha [……] son I knew you would say that; getting for yourself wife in the wilderness just like your friends, my son what is good in having a wife? Fine to agree with you, do you know that to get married is a problem? Fine, you said you were married by stress, silence and solitude. Is solitude not worth living in than to have a recalcitrant wife beside you? My son you know how good your mother had been to me, nurturing you and looking after me, but nowadays girls are not worth living with my son, that so; but it won’t prevent you from getting a wife, I want you to wait patiently, give me the chance to choose for you a fruitful wife. I have made up my mind already that I’ll not leave my son to marry outside my community; I want you to take Nyan ee Manyok as your wife and all beguiling motions will be feasted, his father said……
This madness has to stop now, choosing wife for a fully grown man like me my father will be just a waste of time you should know, I am more than a qualified to get on my way and find a wife. Daughter of Manyok is your choice, but you never know who my choice is, someone wanted good life should not be a subject to wills and an interest. You should know goodness of following your heart, just like how you’ve followed your heart to marry my mother, isn’t deeds of heart? Tell me my good father, I know Manyok’s family bathed with beautifulness and good hearts, they’re worth marrying in but none of my intentions wants there. If you’re saying such things then you’re not allowing me a freedom of choice, Wadas said…….
My son marriage is something of life, this is one of the living aspects in our society, and I love to see well your freedom, freedom to sleep happily, freedom to eat with taste, freedom to laugh with no base and freedom to breathe a choice for your life. You should go on and engage, let me know the girl you are in love with, my two sheep and three goats are enough to get for you a wife son. His father said……
I live in the world father, I stay in this compound wired by customs and traditions father, making a pot of misery for the love I have in my heart that I should marry unless from a well-structured family background, I know the procedures wanted for your son to get married that you should give more than fifty (50—-) cows to be given a girl, and you’re telling me three goats and two sheep my father, is this not better than slating for a lost love father? I want a wife, silence and solitude is the wind passing over my hut, when I hear the trilling of the birds one thing I think of is my love[…] I made many flowers over there that I want to honour her with charms and peace of heart. My father something I console my heart with are the poems I read through from Kush Poetics, that I had to go through the timelines of Wenne Madyt Deng, Riak Marial Riak and Marial Awendit to see for myself poems that are for mild charisma, and the charms of hearings. Wadas said…..
My son then take me out of that, I shouldn’t be a lie to self, telling you what I have is better than to keep quiet. I wonder where I should find as many cows as that to get for you a love of life, go on and try other ways for this way is just bliss of lie flower garden. His father said…
I have known the adornment found in love that I want to marry a girl whom love wanted to sleep beside, my father those girls you choose for us came and live rudely for her life thinking for someone else. Am I not man enough to be given peace of heart? To live happily in my own environment, I have thought so and that’s why I have refused to marry daughter of Manyok for some might have entered delicately into her soul, solitude you cannot sleep again with me, my hands will hold someone opposite a fortnight to come, Wadas said……
Want to read some of those short stories visit http://Riakmarialriakdeng.wordpress.com or like the page My House In The Village.
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