Welcome everyone,My name is Moran,the author of this book,thank you for giving it a chance. The setting is entirely fictional and so, the countries,names and places follow suit. Enjoy the story and thank you for reading once again♥️
By the way, Trigger warning ahead in most chapters;sexual assault, physical assault etc. If you are triggered by such acts please refrain from reading ahead. However I promise you won't regret reading.
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I am Shiba Ada Fuli,born as the third child to my mother Hali Deria and father Dwanti Fuli. My father has three wives and 13 children in total.
My mother is the first wife having given birth to my elder brother Funa Ady Fuli, second elder sister Sima Fuli and finally me the third child. She got some womb complications and the town doctor declared that she would never give birth again,you can say I narrowly escaped not being born.
My father's second wife is Nada Jino and she has two sons named Gundi Fuli and Polly Fuli respectively and two girls named swanti Fuli and Twina Fuli.
The third and last wife is wonga Ani and she has six children in total. Four daughters named,yopi fuli,Soni Fuli,Zuri Fuli, Joki Fuli respectively followed by two sons named Hudi Fuli and Dwan Fuli. I guess you can say she is fertile indeed,my only prayer is that she stops giving birth after the last child,it is becoming a camp out here.
In my country Muni,a man is allowed to marry as many women as he pleases as long as he can take care of them. We are not Muslim either,I always have to clarify this everytime I tell someone about our customs.
My father was a town clerk,we used to have money at the time. I remember being showered different gifts in form of dresses,toys when I was like 5 years old. However,all good things come to an end, due to a failed project in town,my father lost his job and he was denied any government position from then on.
My father had many Fields and cattle but he sold some off inorder for my brother to finish his studies. He is now a doctor in country Huner, which is neighbouring our Muni country,he rarely comes home now as he is working hard to send money home for my father's treatment,who now has some kidney issues and my younger brothers' necessities.
As for my second sister and I, our education stopped at that time. My father said that since we are women,our husbands would take care of us and studying was a waste of time.
What could I say,I loved education but I also knew our family's current condition,I couldn't be selfish even if I wanted to.
My younger brothers go to the town government school which fortunately is free from any school fees. The only necessarily requirements are books,pens and a school bag.
My younger sisters' fate is also the same as mine and Sima,their future husbands were marked the target of their responsibility as well.
Being gifted in sewing, I am in charge of making my younger brothers' school bags. My second elder sister Sima got married last year to a very good man in our town and she is expecting her first child.
When she is free,she normally stops by and helps me with the sewing.
Today,we are celebrating the new year, normally,most families would slaughter animals for barbeque, roasting,frying and giving away. However,that is out of question in our home.
Father had sold off most of his cattle to send my elder brother Funa to school and also for his treatment. The remaining were left incase of an emergency.
The new year was just like other days in our compound. I was heading towards the granary to get some flour for baking some bread when I heard an excited voice calling me, turning around, I saw Tanti wero, my childhood friend running towards my direction.
"Shiba!" Tanti shouted.
"Tanti! Slow down. You seem so excited,any good news?" I laughed as I asked. Tanti has always been lively and cheerful since childhood. She always made everyone laugh.
I saw Tanti shly smiling before saying" I am getting married!"
I was very surprised, Tanti had previously said that she would only marry the man she loved and no one would ever force her to marry any other man.
"So quick?who is the man?do I know him?" I immediately inquired.
" Do you know Zire Guyi? We used to go to their house in our childhood. He was overseas,now,he is back. When we met,we both liked each other" Tanti said.
Of course I knew Zire,his father was among the top richest men in Muni. Tanti was lucky this time, the man she set her eyes on had to be promising. I lovingly became envious.
"Isn't he older than you though?" I asked. I now suddenly recalled that when we went to Zire's house,the boy was almost or equal my elder brother's age.
"So what?what matters is that we like each other,my parents and his also reached an agreement. Our marriage has been set." Tanti said as she helped me pick flour from the granary.
We walked together whispering and laughing. I then saw a potable basket covered with a transparent cloth in front of our house.
"What is that?" I asked.
"I bought,beef,roasted chicken and some vegetables,I am getting married and my best friend has to also celebrate !". Tanti excitedly Said.
I gently smiled,Tanti knew my family's condition,she just didn't want to bluntly tell me that today was a new year celebration and I know you can't celebrate it like other families, so I bought these for you.
"Thank you. I wish you a blissful marriage" I said as I picked up the basket. We then headed inside the kitchen. I took over the cooking immediately and Tanti helped me with washing the vegetables as we discussed her marriage partner.
After cooking,I saw two small heads peeping,it was swanti and Gundi,my younger siblings. They might have sensed the smell of beef.
I placed some bread,beef and vegetables on two plates then told them to come in and eat.
In our household,each wife had a different compound. The entire family would only meet during family meetings and functions. However, I was now the older sister in the house as Sima had gotten married.
I was also in charge of making my younger siblings bags and they personally came to pick them up from my mother's compound.
My younger siblings liked spending time in my mother's compound than their own,they told me that by being here,they wouldn't get spanked or scolded by their mothers.
Apart from that, swanti,my younger sister was a foodie,she normally came knocking on my door at the slightest smell of food. I always wondered,if our family was wealthy,how heavy would swanti be by now. Poverty might have been a blessing in disguise.