Chapter 3: Mama Elsie's Greedy Dream

Veronica was in ecstatic bliss.

The moment Damian Cole stepped outside of their little modest house, excitement exploded inside mama Veronica Nwoko's heart. Everybody fondly called her Mama Elsie. She quickly rushed to the window and peeped through the flimsy curtain spread to watch Damian's sleek car disappear down the dirt road. She turned her head once again to her dear daughter, Elsie, who sat quietly on the wooden bench, her hands tightly clasped in her lap.

"Elsie!" Mama Elsie exclaimed, her voice raspy with incredulous excitement. "Do you know what that means? That is, it means Damian Cole is interested in you! A billionaire! This is our opportunity, child. The opportunity to come away from this perennial struggle!"

Elsie looked up, wide-eyed with confusion, as she exclaimed, "Mama, I don't see it. He's just a kind man who's come around here to visit. That does not mean anything."

Mama Elsie shook her head, her eyes glimmering with ambition. "No, no, no. You can't see it yet, but I can. This man is not only kind-he is powerful. And he wants you, Elsie. He wants to marry you."

For a moment, Elsie's cheeks burned as she turned away while her heart throbbed in her chest. "Mama, I don't know him well. How do you even think of marriage?"

Mama Elsie grasped her daughter's hands, squeezing hard and urgently. "Listen to me, Elsie. This is not just about you. This is about our family. Do you know what it means to marry a man like Damian? It means wealth, power, security. It means we will never have to worry about money ever again. Do you understand?"

Elsie hesitated, her thoughts on high-speed chase. For the most part, she had trusted her mother, but this was not something she was willing to take lightly. This was something very... intense.

The manipulation of Elsie

That evening, while the sun dipped below the horizon and the village began to settle down, Mama Elsie took Elsie to their small, dimly lit kitchen. It was stuffy with the usual smell of evening meals but on this occasion, Mama Elsie had other things to do. Leaning very close to her daughter, her voice was low and very urgent,

"Elsie, my child, you have to listen to me," Mama Elsie started, her tone strong yet persuasive. "You might be beautiful, but it is not all that is required. You have to use that beauty wisely to secure your future. Damian Cole is special-because he is a billionaire. If you marry him, you will find yourself basking in everything you've dreamt of. And so shall we be."

Elsie frowned, twisting her hands nervously in her lap. "But Mama, I don't think I am in love with him. I hardly know him. How could I marry someone I don't love?"

Mama Elsie's face hardened, and she leaned even closer, her eyes locked on Elsie's. "Love? Love is for fairy tales, Elsie. In the real world, it is power and wealth that count. Do you think I loved your father when I was marrying him? No. But I did the needful to survive. And now it is time for you to do more than survive-your time has come to thrive."

Elsie's heart weighed so much. That was the first time she was hearing such a thing from her mother. And she had been obediently trained to think that one did live according to one's own thoughts without ever having such thoughts. But today brought a distinct difference. Whatever she felt, the weight of her mother's expectations bore down upon her now.

'Mama, I don't know if I can do this, Elsie said in a whisper that trembled with emotion.

Mama Elsie's hands were locked even tighter round her daughter as her voice became more electric. "You can and you will! It is your golden ticket, Elsie. Can't you see? Marrying Damian means you will not have to worry for anything again. It is a life of luxury, of comfort. And so shall it be. Is that so bad? To want a better life for your family?"

Elsie's eyes swam with tears, but she nodded slowly. She was unsure what else she could do. Her mother's words were an incantation, weaving their way into her mind, convincing her this was the right path.

Mama Elsie's Plan

That night while Elsie lay in bed and stared into the cracks above in the ceiling of their tiny home, Mama Elsie was seated at the wooden table in the kitchen, with an open notebook before her. The wavering flames of the kerosene lamp threw long shadows on the walls, while its owner scribbled on, furiously, her brain in overdrive with plotting.

"First, the wedding," Mama Elsie muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper. "It must be grand, the most extravagant the village has ever seen. For his precious Elsie, Damian will spare no expense. And then move to the city. Yes, the city. That's where the real wealth is."

She stopped, tapping the pen against the paper as her mind ran ahead. "Once we are in the city, Elsie will have total access to Damian's accounts. She will need education on how to supervise his wealth, how to manipulate it. And I am going to be right there to train her so that she does not go wrong."

Mama Elsie still guided by avarice, continued to plot: "Properties, investments, jewelry - everything in Elsie's name – as a security should something go wrong. And Damian? Well, he will be drowning with love to notice."

With a satisfied smile spreading across her face, she leaned back against her chair. This was the moment. This was the opportunity to redeem the family from poverty that had wrecked it for ages. There was no chance in hell to pass it up.

The next morning, Mama Elsie woke Elsie up before dawn, her voice flooded with urgency. "Elsie, my child, it's today. The day Damian will come for you again, and be ready! Wear your best dress, and don't forget what I said. The chance is yours to secure our future." 

There went Elsie, again, head hanging low with the burden that was her mother's expectation. Well, she wasn't sure about this, but it was not as if she had a choice here. Her mother's dreams were now her dreams, and there was no turning back.