CHAPTER 164

" I am eagerly waiting for the engagement function this evening" said Ruth smiling who immediately left the living room. 

She did not want to think about anything else. She just wanted to privately prepare for the engagement party. It was her first time since she joined adulthood that she was going to preparing for her wedding.

Ruth decided to go to the balcony to rest. She knew that nobody would disturb her there. She felt that she had gone through a lot of pain in such a way that she needed to be happy and alone at the same time. 

Faith who was eager to know more about Ruth's decision followed Ruth to the balcony. Unluckily, Faith found Ruth crying as soon as she arrived.

" What is the problem Ruth? I thought that you were happy a while ago. What has suddenly changed? Is it because of Martin?" Asked Faith filled with lots of curiosity.

" You are right Faith. I don't feel bad that I am going to get married to Ryan. I feel bad that I wronged Martin and when I went to seek his forgiveness, he became pocessive over me rather than forgiving me. I don't know if Martin and I will be able to live as cousins someday. After all, my mama and Aunt Akeshia lived as siblings most part of their lives" said Ruth feeling a little bit sad.

" Why should my brother's affairs bother you? Martin is growing old but you, you are still a young lady. Soon Martin will be a dying man. Why waste all your time and effort on such kind of love? That love was truly not meant to be" said Faith in a teasing manner.

Ruth looked at Faith angrily. She felt that Faith was interfering with all her ability to think and imagine things. 

" Yes! You are really right Faith. As much as I want, I cannot seem to forget about him because he holds a special place in my heart. Martin was my first love and will always be my first love. No one can dare ever take that position away from him. He was a good husband even after marrying me at a very young age. There was no single day that he mistreated me and made me feel worthlessness. Although sometimes we quarreled and he needed to beat me up, he was still not hard on me. He never treated me as a worthless woman" said Ruth smiling.

" He is different from my Papa Tupfer.  He knows how to handle a woman whereas my Papa disrespected women. There was no single day that my Papa made me feel that I was a woman. He always made me feel that I was a trash before he chased me out of the closer gates. This was because he realized the fact that I was another person's child. My mama on the other hand was forced to live like a servant in her own house. I hated my own father since then" said Faith and this time filled with lots of hatred. 

" What about Mr. One? How is Mr. One?" Asked Ruth.

Ruth did not ask that question to tease Faith. She was just concerned about her and the fact that she felt Faith needed to be close to her own father. Ruth felt that it was a high time for Faith to put a smile on her face. Sh had gone through a lot and living with her father was what Ruth felt was right and maybe her idea of not wanting to have a spouse would change. 

" I don't know what to say about Mr. One. I don't know if he could have been a good father to me. I know he is perfectly fine and the only thing he cares about is my mother. That is the main reason he accepted Tere's proposal about the huge war that is going to befall us soon. He wants me and my mother to regret the fact that we did not choose him but chose to stay with our loved ones"  said Faith feeling a little bit sad.

" Is there nothing we can do about it to change his mind?" Asked Ruth filled with lots of curiosity.

Ruth knew that there was a chance to stop that war. She knew that if she got married to Ryan then Martin would stop pursuing her but rather decided to accept Tere in his life. Akeshia on the other hand needed to be convinced to go and live with Mr. One accompanied by Faith as well. That was the only route that which if taken into consideration, then the two towns will remain to be at peace with no town attacking the other as supposed siblings. 

" I cannot do anything about it Ruth. If you are thinking that I can consider going to leave with Mr. One, then you are mistaken. I will never do that because to me he is nothing but a total strange and strangers like him deserve to live a lonely life" said Faith.

" But....." Said Ruth but Faith suddenly interrupted her.

" Let's not talk about my father. I do not really want anything to do with him. He has caused so much harm in my life and now he is about to cause it when he decided to work with Tere in order to be able to initiate that huge war. My family is here, you and Aunt Naomi aee my family and I will forever be greatful for that. But please! I am begging you not to ask me to go to town one and live with Mr. One I can't even stand a single day with him in my life. Are we on the same page?" Asked Faith .

" Yes! We are on the same page sister. Today you have proved to me that water can be thicker than blood" said Ruth nodding her head in agreement. 

Faith immediately went towards Ruth and embraced her. Till now, she still took Ruth as as her sister and she was glad that Ruth still took her as her sister too. This often made her to  be fillled with lots of happiness. 

Akeshia who had been listening to them while hiding herself at the corner of the balcony was filled with lots of anger. She now realized that the sisterhood between Ruth and Faith was the only thing that was making Faith to choose family over her.

Akeshia therefore felt that she should do something in order to break that bond that was existing between Faith and Naomi. She knew the fact that Ruth had one weakness in her life. She had a weakness of getting angry faster and making hasty decisions without even thinking twice.This made her to feel that if Ruth managed to chase Faith out of town, then there could be nowhere Faith would want to go rather than the closer gates.

Akeshia immediately left to Ruth's room. As soon as she arrived, she decided to search all over Ruth's room and therefore tampered with everything on her room till she found Magdalene's necklace in Ruth's room which was written Magdalene's name on it. In Olam town, such necklaces's meant something. 

Akeshia immediately took the necklace and decided to go to Faith's room to wait for her. Fortunately, Faith arrived at that instant and was astonished to see Akeshia.

" Mama! What are you doing here?" Asked Faith filled with lots of curiosity as went and sat beside her mother on top of the bed.

" I am here because I want to gift you with something. A necklace which belonged to your dying bereaved grandma" said Akeshia as she took the necklace and put it around Faith's neck. 

" Stop! Why should I wear grandma's necklace?" Asked Faith.

" Because it is today that I remember your grandma left this for you. She still loved you no matter how much we all felt she considered us as outcasts simply because we were not of her blood line. She was still my mama even till death" said Akeshia as tears welled down her eyes.

She knew that this mall step would cause a rift between Ruth and Faith. Therefore, she needed to make sure that Faith was chased out of mambo town that evening. Unfortunately, Ruth entered Faith's room clapping her hands. She overheard everything that Akeshia was telling Faith. This happened after they both left the balcony and decided to go to their rooms. Ruth was astonished when she went to her room and found out that everything was tampered with.

She decided to go to Faith's room in order to inform her about everything but was astonished when she saw Akeshia putting on the necklace on Faith's neck. That was when she overheard everything and decided to enter the room while clapping her hands.

" Aunt Akeshia! I know that you understand what that necklace means. Anyone who wears that necklace bears the ownership of closer gates abd yet you knew that my grandma gave it to me before she died. She gave ownership of the closer gates but I have never claimed it because I always felt that Martin was the right person to rule that land. Why then have you decided to steal it from me? You could have just told me to give it to you in order for you to give it to Faith. I am totally dissapointed in you" said Ruth who left the room. 

Faith immediately removed the necklace from her neck filled with lots of anger. She stood up from her bed and immediately slapped Akeshia out of anger which was a taboo in Olam community.

MARRIED AT SIXTEEN.