A MARRIAGE NOT MADE IN HEAVEN Alieu Deen-Conteh SLTU (Sierra Leone Teachers Union)
There is an English saying that marriages are made in heaven but my story is about marriages that are certainly not of heaven. I was born into a polygamous family with many brothers and sisters. You could easily spot out the bright potential in my youngest sister, Mbalu. She was a very beautiful girl who many described as the princess of our village – Mafaray. On top of her beauty, she was also intelligent. Mbalu was 16 and in senior secondary school and, according to her teachers, she was doing extremely well in class. Because of her beauty and brilliance, she became the focus of attraction to all. One fateful afternoon, Mbalu was sitting in the veranda reading her books, when she saw an elderly man, old as our father, approaching the house. Little did she know that this man had come to see our father on some sinister mission. Both men laughed heartily at the door as my father bade him farewell. A few days later, father explained things to Mbalu. “Come sit near me my princess. I want to talk to you,” father said, “You know that we are poor and I am getting old and can die at any time.” “Yes Papa, I know this very well. That is why I want to be educated so that I can take care of you and Mama,” Mbalu replied. She did not know that there was more to it. Father broke the news that the old man who was at our house was asking for her hand in marriage. 25
