I'm sorry to those who have been eagerly following this story. I had to be on a hiatus this week and couldn't post anything. but here's the next part.Enjoy....
3.Dande was a rich land, mostly owned by tribal communities which meant that chiefs were the highest authority there, revered by all, including the government, which would never be involved in the unwritten and traditional constitution thereof, except for very extreme circumstances... which of course never happened. You could say that Dande was a country in itself, ruled of itself and therefore was a power in itself.
And I liked that, a world within another world. I enjoyed my walks with Gogo and my talks with Khuru. I might be a very educated modern woman but this life always made me think twice about going back to the city. It didn't hurt that as long as my siblings and I were there we were treated like royalty. Khuru had been chief ever since I could remember; his father as well as his father before that, an inherited office…except it just wasn’t about the office. It was destiny, our way of life, legacy. Pity his own son, my dad had died before he could come into his inheritance. Khuru would always tell about how our ancestors had been chosen by Musikavanhu to hold the position of leadership to all our generations. We would be his eternal mercenaries, fight for his customs, be the rainmakers and read the stars...the altogether important ones in any generation because we held life in the balance. The life of our world or lack thereof would be in our hands. If rain would not come, everything would die, people would starve…and essentially lose faith in a higher power...
I believed this story, when I was ten and my grandfather had me on his lap in his hearings, I really did believe there was such a call. Then I grew up and it all faded into legend or maybe myth, fodder for my ten year old brain. And though the land was still beautifully scenic, I no longer had that awe for tradition and such.
"Muzukuru Runako, it's good to have you home”, said Khuru sitting on his weathered leather chair outside the round hut kitchen. I hugged him, because though he was chief and ultimately an African traditional man, such behaviour was beyond him but we had always had that kind of relationship especially since my parents had died unexpectedly.
“Khuru are you alright?" I was worried about him. He had lost weight and though he still had that authoritative air about him, he was slowly fading away. I didn't have a chance to ask him because Gogo and Miriro emerged from the kitchen.
"Welcome Runako, it’s been long muzukuru"
If I thought Khuru had lost weight then Miriro was like a stick.” Miriro what is wrong?”..she burst into tears as I hugged her. Gogo what is going on here? Why did you not tell me how bad it was?.”.
“Muzukuru we didn't want to bother you..”
”Gogo, she’s my sister! How could that possibly be a bother?!.”.I didn't mean to shout at her, but how could they hide this from me. Miriro obviously had psychological problems she was now dealing with. She wasn't sleeping nor eating from the looks of it, and that spelt disaster for a pregnant woman. I was panicking. What had that useless man done to her now.
"Mirie, it’s alright. Calm down, I’m here now.” That night we sat down as a family and talked it out.
“Khuru this man needs to go to jail..I've already said this a dozen times, I will not let her die in his hands! If someone won't take action then I will!.”
Miriro looked like the pathetic canine in my O level set book Mangy dog. She had bruises, lumps and wounds. Her usual calm demeanour gone and replaced by constant tremors. She wouldn’t look me in the eye. My older sister was gone and in her place was this worn out shell of a woman holding on to life by a thread.
“Calm down my child. Clearly this animal has no manners and was not raised right…how else do you explain this?”
“ Sekuru you cannot continue to excuse this man. Miriro can't you see you will die in his hands? Please let me deal with him, I promise he will not hurt you again.”
She looked at me with those terrified eyes and I could see her waver..”You are the gentlest woman I know Miri, you do not deserve the crap he throws at you..for whatever reason.” I managed to convince her and since I'm not a totally unreasonable person I let them call a family meeting.
Mucha arrived with his family delegation two days later. As much as I needed to hate him, I couldn’t. He was a handsome son of a gun, those looks that just made him likeable, rich and talk about educated. He had degrees the number of my boss's pets and believe me she had quite a few. He gave my sister everything, she had never had to work for anything she needed. I had always admired him up until my sister started hiding bruises and refusing for the family to visit her house. She became a recluse..her dimpled smiles became rare. Her two children were shy little things who winced at any kind of voice projection. One had to be extra careful with them. I never had a clue until the day Nakai my niece had cried out painfully when I hugged her.
"Nakai what happened to your back?!"I asked her and she spilled everything, how her dad would hit her mother every other day and threaten to kill her.
"Mama always says we should not hate Daddy because he will not hurt us. He's just angry with her that's all."
She then told me how she had tried just this one time to defend her mother and was rewarded with a big welt from her father's buckled leather belt, his latest weapon meting out Miriro's punishment. I was furious that I immediately had Mucha arrested at his office amidst my sister's pleas to not do it. I took her to the hospital to get checked out because I would need proof…
I would need proof that she had been abused. Eventually even against my wrathful ranting Miriro did not press charges. Gogo gave me a speech about not interfering in other people's homes even if she was my sister. I let the matter rest after I had warned Mucha that I worked at a human rights organization and had feminist connections who would make his life a living hell if he touched his wife or kids again. How seriously he took me, we would have to see. That was the last I had concerned myself with the matter. Leaning in more than that would not help my sister.
Muchanetsa and his delegation were not offered seats, they didn't even make it into the meeting hut. So they sat on the ground in their lovely suits, which they deserved if you ask me. A storm was brewing, literally..and it was summer, we did not expect rain this time of year. It’s like the weather could read my mood. I was seething!
"My son..", Khuru began, his voice like steel, “I have always treated you with respect like one of my own. Miriro is our first grandchild, we adopted her as our own together with her sister ever since their parents died. Their father was my first born son and he left his children whom I consider my heirs. And so we have tolerated you and your behaviour because Mirie insisted she loved you and assured me you had changed. But now I draw the line..it ends today. Not only have you ruined my granddaughter and disrespected me, but you have disrespected womankind and our culture as a whole. However, I am not an unreasonable man so I will let your people speak and try to understand if all this is justifiable.'
I could see the men were tense to say the least."Baba we come only as those who have wronged you, seeking to right our mistakes. Our son is remorseful, for he did not mean his wife and children any harm. Hameno zvakange zvamubata Baba.(we don’t know what possessed him)”
"For the penance we seek we bring a peace offering. Batai nepapa Baba…" He brought out a wad of 100$ bills from his pocket and the delegation started clapping as a sign of respect.
"I have heard what you have to say…Now let me hear what Muchanetsa has to say for himself.."
They were a bit taken aback for they thought Mucha would not be allowed to speak. He got on his knees and clapped, then he raised his head and spoke,"Baba I have wronged you as a son for I had given my word but did not keep it. Please forgive me. As a man I only sought to be the head of my household as our culture presumes. For not keeping my word I apologise." He paused as if to let it sink in, then in a matter-of-fact voice he continued, “Your daughter is my wife and I have treated her as such. She is mine to deal with now, because with all due respect I paid for her."
Before he could continue and Khuru could say anything, I was on my feet, “You dare come into this compound and speak to us like that! You dare to disrespect the chief of this land and the power he yields!"
Thunder rumbled at a distance, the clouds began to gather. It grew dark. I felt like there was some sort of force driving me. The rage I felt moved within me just as the wind began to howl. “You have beaten my sister to a pulp, like a dog several times…my voice rose,” and after all that you have put her through, you dare speak so despicably as if it is your right?!!"
I started moving toward Mucha and he seemed to withdraw. His elders began to clap as the wind became stronger. “Today you must learn your lesson..!”
I raised my hands into the air and my body was vibrating with power. Such rage I had never felt. Khuru’s voice seemed afar off as if it was being drowned by the thunder. Lightning was flashing every which way. I could feel Gogo and Miriro trying to hold me down. I felt raindrops and suddenly I sank into black oblivion.