THE OTHER WAY ROUND (2)

Somewhere far away from Sasha and Tom was a little family of Tito and Yasmin. Their only son, Oskar was to get married in a few weeks and preparations were at its peak. Yasmin being the mother of Oskar and according to culture had to give her son out in marriage; she was busied up to her neck in getting him ready for the august occasion. As she sat to ponder on the setting of the traditional marriage which was to be held in her home she couldn’t help but be thankful that she had only one son. “After all, these days, culture and society at large favour the female children” she thought to herself.

Later that night, she called her son to sit with her and get some advice. She advised him on all she could think of; from home care to wife care and how to respect and treat his wife to-be. It was culture for him to listen and ask as little questions as possible.

The marriage ceremony was done swiftly on the twenty-third rising of the sun for the month and all the ceremonial activities were carried out and the dowry was paid for Oskar’s hand in marriage. There were smiles everywhere and Oskar’s wife looked so stock-up with pride that she looked like she was going to fly any moment. But Oskar had his misgivings; he wasn’t sure that he wanted to marry her or even to marry at all! He would have confided in his father but he had little say in the matter. He was old enough and had at least gotten his primary school certificate, his mother had made the decision and informed him of it just when he wanted to tell her of his desire to continue his education. He knew that once his mother’s decision was made, it was final. He felt so sad and he hoped his sadness was not visible. He wasn’t sure he could leave his home and family that he had been so used to and just marry someone he barely knew. “Oh! The trauma of having to submit to this pompous rat, what card had life dealt me thus?” he thought to himself. Just as he wallowed in his thoughts of misery, his father danced to his side and gave him a quick word, “Son, your sadness is palpable. I feel it and I feel the pain you feel. Be strong, it’s for the best.” Oskar ventured a smile but he was bitter. “What best could marrying off a 15 year old boy to a stranger be?” he thought to himself. Everyone obeys culture and culture would have it this way.