The Bride Price: An African Romance (Chitundu Chronicles) by Suzanne Popp Read Free Book Online

roamed the sanctuary, looking for the girl who he secretly called his impala girl.  His disappointment at not seeing her among the singers was noted by Dodge, who approached Josephin the narthex shortly after the rains had started. The two men, along with the majority of the congregation, were trapped inside, until the deluge ended.   Dodge put his arm around Joseph and said, “I have been watching you for some time. I have a niece that sings like an angel-perhaps you have heard her in the youth choir.”
    “Yes. There is one girl I have noticed that is tall and has large eyes.” Joseph went into a reverie as he thought of the girl that sang so beautifully and who he couldn’t take his eyes off of.
    Eyes so widely spaced so that the white of them made you look only at her face.  She was a slim and tall girl, tall like himself.  I didn’t pay much attention to anything else, although I tried to follow the logic in the sermon, and dutifully opened to thepassages in my-new Bible It is leather bound with gold edged pages, and the cover of it is embossed in gold with my name, Leibitsang. It gives me pleasure as it is the first book I have ever owned. While I cannot read it, I can find the page number and chapter, and follow along with the reading, and depend on the pastor to tell me what it says. It feels powerful to be a man who knows book, and this is where I will record my wedding and the birth of my children.
     
    Dodge was going with what resembled a sales pitch on the family, lineage and pedigree of the girl. Joseph tuned the man out, but nodded occasionally as Dodge went on, in case there was something in his words that could help him with his pursuit of the girl.
    “You are looking very downcast, as though you have lost your best friend. I came over to welcome you to a family gathering, as my lovely niece is getting married.”
    “The Chitundu girl?” Joseph couldn’t control his voice.
    “Now don’t look so crestfallen. It is Myrna, the older sister who is having her nuptials. Your girl is still in the running. Myrna is marrying an older fellow from the north. She was in secondary school, but now she is a bride. I helped seal the deal, and it wasn’t the easiest transaction.” Dodge laughed with the memory of how this uppity girl had been trussed and brought to the altar with scarcely a whimper.
    Joseph was relieved to hear it was not the girl he admired, so let his defenses down. 
    “Where is the wedding being held and how should I get there? I am not sure what I should wear. Will they welcome me? I need your advice.”
    “Don’t worry about being welcomed. I am inviting you. Wear a sports coat, or a suit, and I will come and pick you up next Friday at the mercantile store and take you to the event.  It’s going to be in the large park next to this church. You can count on me.”
    “Do not mention me to the girl,” Dodge added.  “I don’t want to take any credit. Let her think that the caterer told you to come, and that this is not your usual habit.  She will be busy at the wedding, as she is the maid of honor, so you will see her and note if she is what you are interested in.  I can tell you, you won’t find a better family, myself notwithstanding.”  Dodge smiled at his skillful disclaimer, and thought what an attorney he could be, if he only had the desire to study those long hours. 
     
    Friday, Joseph was ready and waiting for Dodge. When Dodge didn’t show up, he hired a taxi and made his way to the wedding of Myrna and Festal.  The grounds beneath the majestic baobab and flame of the forest trees were filled with wedding guests and spectators.
    A truck with a cow standing in the back was parked under canopy of the trees, and her bellowing punctuated the service that followed. Joseph stood at the back of the seated throng of guests.  The tent was filled with visitors, all dressed in their wedding finery. He recognized the fabrics and traditional cloths of regions he had