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

traveled.  The bride was beautiful and tall; young, and a little tearful. She was dressed in a simple muslin gown with a lace veil and a bouquet of red lilies.  The groom, who seemed to be in his forties, was slightly shorter in stature, even though the bride was wearing sandals.  He wore dark clothing and his nervous gestures may have made him seem older. He didn’t smile, and the deep lines at the corner of his eyes indicated long hours in the sun.  His hair was thick and cropped short, but no silver showed in it and his eyes were amber in color, with long curled lashes. Intense, and not to be trifled with, this is how Joseph would have summed him up, had he been called to do so.
    Festal held on to the girl’s hand even after placing a gold band on her finger.  The cow in the truck continued to bellow, now with continuous giant sobs of sound.  The couple turned and faced the crowd and the bride handed her bouquet of flaming red lilies to a short, voluptuous woman, who was standing beside Violet, then the family headed to the reception in the adjacent field. Joseph followed the crowd of relatives and well-wishers.
    In the park, colored papers something like small flags lined the pathways.  The food sat under small tents, and it was abundant.  The bride and groom stood against a baobab tree while their picture was taken. Drinks were brought to them and plates of meat, breads, rice and groundnuts were served to the 300 or so people gathered in the park.
    Joseph tried to get close to the sister. He caught her name as the relatives congratulated the bride. Violet.    It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.  He stood at the side, watching the event take place, and comparing it with the celebration he would have when Violet made him her husband. Violet. Even the sound of it made his heart sing.  He would provide dresses for all the bridesmaids, there would be at least five of them, and have plates for all the guests; even small napkins with their initials intertwined.  There would be music and they would dance into the small hours of the morning. 
    Just then Dodge came up to him, with no mention of the missed ride.  “So, you are becoming part of the family,” he proclaimed. “Have you met the mother and father?  They will need some persuading.  I can help you with that.  I don’t require much of a retainer. This is the ideal time to make your case, while they are still enjoying the fruits of the first pairing.” Dodge laughed at his poetic rendering of the event.  “Then the newlywed couple is off to cattle country.  But you could keep their last daughter, and her children to come, closer to home. This is a real benefit. You will have to tally up what it is you offer, if I am to negotiate this in all of our best interests.”
    Dodge gave Joseph a sideways glance to see if he was following the course of the conversation and was in agreement.  His niece, Violet, was too tall for his liking, and she had always seemed a little lackluster when it came to chemistry, for his tastes in a mate—not that he intended to tie himself down with a  woman anytime soon. Violet had stopped attending following graduation from basic school, but she had a beautiful singing voice.  Her mother doted on her and she was given to superficiality. Dodge knew the girl looked down on him, and he thought she needed to be knocked down a few pegs, but Violet seemed to have registered on Joseph’s radar. He led the young man over to Violet’s parents and introduced him.
    “This is a friend of mine who owns the store where many of these fabrics are sold,” he said by way of introduction.  Joseph bowed his head in greeting and lowered his right arm, supporting it with his left hand, to shake the hands of the parents.  They said nothing but they saw the respect he offered. Dodge prattled on as usual. The parents’ focus was on Myrna and Festal, making sure the presents and goods were loaded onto their wagon and that