8—Deaf ears.

Delta state, Nigeria (Cookie) 

"Have you come here to insult me?!" Mr. Oyin queried with rage. He wasn't willing to listen to anyone speak to him about his decisions. 

"No. We are only saying that the girl is too young to get married now." Mrs. Ken, Louisa's mother said. Her hands were placed on Mrs. Oyin's shoulder. Every now and then she would give Mrs. Oyin a consoling pat, who would just nod her head but still did not stop to cry. The way she cries easily is what Cookie took after her. 

"The Hausa's gives out their kids for marriage, including those who are just ten years old, so why can't an eighteen year old get married? How is she too young for marriage?" Cookie's father asked, "Rubbish!" He cursed.

Mrs. Oyin sobbed a little bit louder this time around so her husband would notice. Even if he did, he didn't spare her any concern. 

"You are not from Hausa, so why have you chosen to act like one?" Mrs. Ken asked. She was a sharp tongued woman, one Mr. Oyin had told his wife to stay away from but she won't listen. 

Mr. Oyin's angry eyes shot her daggers. If only look could kill, not before long she would have been a dead corpse.

"I don't know why you guys are even worried about Cookie when she isn't even your daughter. Leave everything to be because I'm her father and a father knows what's best for their child. The Alahji is my good friend and he has promised to take good care of her for me." said Mr. Oyin. 

"And school? Will she be able to go school?" Mrs. Oyin finally speaks.

"Including school." Mr. Oyin told her.

"He will train her in school."

Mr. Ken,  who hadn't said a thing for long since he arrived at the Oyins apartment, finally spoke. "My friend Oyin, we have been friends for a very long time before our children became friends." he cleared his throat and adjusted forward on his seat. "I would like to give you a friendly advice and I really do hope and pray in my heart that you're going to listen to me. Cookie, our daughter, is a very beautiful and intelligent lady who has a bright future ahead of her. She is too young for an Alahji. Why don't you permit her to go through higher institution first before she gets married?"

Mrs. Ken nodded in support of her husband while Cookie's mother pleaded with her gleaming eyes.

"Who says she won't further her studies? Mr. Musa said he would take care of that. Have I not already told you so?" Mr. Oyin asked, his anger spiking.

"No. I still don't want that," Mrs. Oyin disagreed, "Let her finish her studies first before getting married and certainly not to an Alahji. The man is too old for my daughter."

Mr. Oyin was about to say something rude to his wife when Mr. Ken, a calm man who always thinks before he speaks beat him to it, 

"Let's talk about Mr. John's daughter." he started. Mr. Oyin exhaled loudly, already knowing where the discussion was driving to and he was certainly not ready for it. 

"The Alahji she was forced marry by her parents too promised to train her in school but he never fulfilled that. Once she was married to him, she took in and bore him a son. The older wives of the Alahji became angry with her and sent their twelve sons to deal with her." He sighed but continued.

"We all know what happened to her, right?" He asked, everyone nodded except Cookie's father. He only puckered his lips but said nothing.

Everyone was aware of what happened to Mr. John's daughter after she was beaten severely. She ended up in a coma, where she fought for her dear life. 

"Do you want the same for your child?" Mr. Ken asked, his question directed to Mr. Oyin but it was his wife who answered. 

"God will not let such evil to befall my daughter when I'm still alive. Over my dead body." Mrs. Oyin shouted as she snaps her fingers above her head.

Her husband clenched his teeth so hard his jaws began to hurt him. He shook his legs and looked from one person to another like he wasn't the one being talked to. 

"You should know that all Alahji's are not the same." He eventually replied and hissed.

"But you do know that giving her out for marriage right now, isn't the proper thing to do. What happens to the woman she wants to become in future? Are you even considering that?" Mrs. Ken persisted.

"Enough!" Mr. Oyin shouted, standing up. He couldn't take their poke nosing any longer, "You cannot come to my house and change my mind from what I have already stamped. By the way, Its too late now, no going back." He swallowed. "Tomorrow Mr. Musa will come to pay her dowry and take his wife home."

Mrs. Oyin knew that the day her daughter would leave and be married to that Old cargo was around the corner but she never knew how soonest it was until now. She fell on the floor and wailed. 

Mr. Oyin eyes suddenly held shock in them and grew double it's size when he spotted Cookie standing there, behind the curtains. He realized now that she'd been there all along, eavesdropping on them and prying on their conversation.

It took nothing for the shock to leave his eyes which Cookie felt was also filled with guilt. Maybe he knew he was making a big mistake but was too stubborn to admit it or so Cookie thought. 

She rushed into the living room, shocking everyone seated there because they weren't expecting her. She ignored their facial expressions and knelt before her father. 

"Father please forgive me if I have ever offended you." she said with tears. He was about to move when she gripped his leg, stopping him. 

"Father please I don't want to get married." and

certainly

not to an alahji.. She wished to add.

"Please father, please!" she spoke louder.

Mrs. Oyin was also crying. They all felt hopeless. They were in pain. Cookie knew she would be doomed soon but she never knew how close She was to being doomed already.

My

life

is

over! She thought. Tomorrow, I am going to get married to an old man and live with regret my entire life.

Getting married to a man who already had wives and grown up kids was one thing Cookie dreaded the most especially after what happened to Mr. John's daughter. She didn't want thesame for herself.

Mr. Oyin kicked until he could free his legs from her grip and walked away to his room. Cookie fell on the floor and cried her eyes out.