9— Flute.

Delta state, Nigeria (Cookie) 

The day got dark and it's was prettily cold outside. Cookie sat on her mother's lap with her head on her shoulder as her mother rocked her back and forth slowly to the sound of the flute played by Alex. 

They were sitting close to a fire arranged with fire woods, and watched as the day passed by slowly, wishing tommorow not to come. 

Each one of them were drowned in their own thoughts that no one spoke to the other in a long time. Cookie was thinking and searching for answers as to why her life turned out this way. She also wished there was a route of escape for her from all this. 

Cookie felt too weak to shed tears, she'd been doing so for a long time and nothing changed. Her mother was too sad to say a word while Alex just continued playing the flute. Ruth was not with them because she was helping their father with something in his room. 

As much as Cookie tried not to blame herself for her father's rash decisions, she still did. If only she had passed her exams, she would've been thinking of how to join Louisa in school and not how she would get married tomorrow.

"Mom.. Please..." she broke the uneasy silence between them but she could not finish what she had In mind to say. She was holding it back. 

"It's my fault. I could not persuade your Dad to change his mind. I'm so sorry my child." Mrs. Oyin said quietly, still rocking her daughter. 

"No it's not your fault, I should be blamed." Cookie quickly said. She knew that It was not in anyway her mother's fault. She couldn't watch the woman she loved and cherished so much blame herself for anything in the world. 

Mrs. Oyin smoothen her daughter's ebony thick natural hair with her hands, "Do not blame yourself. I'm the one who failed to give my kids the best Dad in the world." she said.

It became quiet again well except for the musical sound coming from Alex's flute. 

"Mom?"

"Yes..?"

"I hate dad." 

There was a pause. Cookie knew her mother felt sad and shocked at the same time. It was hard for her to take in everything that has been going on. She too was hurt as much as her daughter but Cookie just let those words out of her mouth before she could stop herself from doing so. But Mrs. Oyin couldn't blame Cookie for her words because it was just how her daughter felt and thought she needed to express herself better.

"I'm sorry." Cookie apologized.

Mrs. Oyin nodded her head as a response to her apology but didn't  say anything. She was still hurt not because of what Cookie said but because of the reason behind her words.

Cookie noticed the liquid following down her mother's eyes, she wiped it off for her but it kept coming. 

"Mom don't let Musa take me." Cookie wished her mother had the power to do that. 

"Please..." Cookie was saying something but her mother did not hear. All she could hear was the sound of her mother's crying voice.

Next thing they realised was that the flute had stopped playing. They felt someone's arms wrap around then. When Cookie looked up, she saw it was her older brother, Alex. 

He hugged them both like that for a long time. 

........

"Where is Cookie?"

"She is in her to sleeping," Ruth responded to her father's question. 

"It's 1 pm in the afternoon. Why is she still sleeping by this time of the day?" Mr. Oyin asked like Ruth knew the answer to his question. 

"I don't know," Ruth gave a shrug. 

"Go and wake her up. Tell her that her husband would arrive soon. She should get prepared." Immediately after Mr. Oyin completed his sentence, a knock came to the door. He went to get it, already knowing who his visitor was. 

Ruth went to inform Cookie, while their father entertained the guest. She came back few minutes after to tell her father that Cookie's room was locked from inside and she'd been knocking the door but her sister refused to open it. 

"What arrant nonsense!" Mr. Oyin cursed as he climbed the stairs two at a time to Cookie's room. 

Cookie had prayed throughout last night for this day not to come but it's seems impossible so she locked her room to make sure her father doesn't get her. She cuddled herself up on her bed, used a pillow to cover her ears and stayed there. Her heart beat raced out of fear when she heard her father's voice.

He kept banging on the door, "Open this door!"

Cookie looked around her room for a means of escape but there was none. Her room window had a protector so she probably couldn't jump out of it. The only way was through the door but her father was there requesting her to open it. She couldn't possibly do that.

"Open this door or else I will break this house down," Her father threatened.

"Break it down!" Cookie shouted, "Do it if that's what will make you achieve your wickedness but I won't willingly give myself to that your so called old smelling friend."

"How dare you call your husband to be a smelling old man? You're going to see what I will do to you once I get inside your room," Mr. Oyin said. He kicked the door again and again until the door opened.

Fear gripped Cookie's chest but it was quickly replaced with pain on her cheeks once he landed her an heavy slap that bruised her lips.

She refused to move even when he started dragging her. Cookie fell on the floor, shouting on her voice that she won't get married to the man. Mr. Oyin turned deaf ears to her plea as he dragged her by her hair down the stairs, not concerned that he might be pulling out her hair.

"You must get married to him," Mr. Oyin said all along the way as he dragged her to where Musa sat.

"Here is your wife. Have you brought the cow?" His question was directed to Musa.

"Yes. It's been tied at your backyard." Musa smiled, showcasing his colored teeth.

"Good. She is all yours."

Cookie looked at her father with so much hatred now, "So it is because of Cow you're giving out your daughter? You're a wicked man."

Because she called him a wicked man, Mr. Oyin balled his fist, turned his back towards Musa and Cookie, who was still on the floor and said to Musa, "Take her away this instant or else I will kill her in front of your eyes."