By Amie Sillah Opportunism in Marriage Baa He tried every means to discourage Burang but he is determined. He went to his best friend Alhassan and intimated his problem to him. He is from a middle class family and has brothers and sisters who work and live there with their spouses and they send remittances to the family home including his university fees and that of his fiancée, feeding and other incidentals; by cutting the family nonessential budget Alhassan was able to lend money to Burang to continue his education. Burang He decided to take the bull by the horn by doing menial job to pay his loan; what type of job did he do? The Gardener Alhassan’s eldest brother has a compound at Tranquil and needed a garden boy, therefore he decided to give the job to Burang. Alhassan “You are a determined, focused young man who needs assistance and your situation is temporal as soon as you get qualified you’ll have a good job; your elder brother my friend does not value education but you do and I’ll help you; also don’t mind feeding; my brother’s house help Marie will give you food.” Burang He stooped down but Alhassan asked him up. “What can I say to you? I am overwhelmed. My elder brother has the means but he does not want me to be independent, he wants to enslave my future and I’ll not allow that.” Alhassan “It is only God we should stoop before and not human beings like us. And another thing, your salary will be D2000. 00 per month plus social security. Your loan repayment can be D1000.00 per month; is that okay by you?” Burang “More than okay and I’ll also save D500 a month and use the other D500 for my daily needs excluding food and shelter.” The deal was sealed. Baa He was furious and saw his younger sibling as hypocrite. “Look at that boy trying to give me bad name in the eyes of the public but we shall see.” Burang Since their school days he befriends a simple working class girl from the neighbourhood Mba Jonsaba, very brilliant in school but did not have the means to continue to the Sixth Form or go to university, from Grade 12 she preceded to vocational school and did computer studies and office management. She managed to have a temporary job as an office secretary to a small family business and took care of herself and her family. Three Years On Burang graduated but stayed for another three years before he was able to put hands together and started petty trading business to make ends meet but Baa refused to employ him. Another Plan Baa is now a big boy, social being determines social consciousness; he now has a ‘better plan’ for his younger brother. He became very nice to him and Burang became suspicious that he is up to something. Baa “What are your plans now that you are graduated and still no decent job in sight, was I not right to encourage you to follow my path? ‘The donkey kicks its kid for correction but not for hatred.’ I still have a better plan for you.” Burang “I am all ears.” Baa “I have a rich girl wife for you.” Burang He jerked from his seat and sat back properly. “What do you mean you’ve married a ‘rich girl’ wife for me? Baa “She is the daughter of my importer friend, Sir Jack. Angela has a PhD in academia, Masters in Management and company law. She is more than good for you; her dad has a conglomerate and she is the General Manager of her dad’s group of companies. Say yes and you’ll become rich as me.” Burang “Hell no! I already have a fiancée whom I was with since our secondary school days. She is the one I am going to marry and not your so called rich girl.” Baa “What type of family is she from? Who are her aunts and uncles? Any graduate or rich person among them?” Burang “She is from a working class family, they are not rich but she has their honour and dignity; she is chaste, honest and contented and above all I love her.” Baa “You have to choose between me and her!” He posited. Burang He visited Alhassan and explained everything to him. “He wants me to swallow my pride and marry a rich girl he found for me; thus betraying my long time partner who has always been there for me all these years, can you imagine that? I’ll not do it and I don’t care how he feels, he wants me to be a gold digger like him.” Alhassan “Look before you leap is my candid advice, yes it is said that ‘blood is thicker than water’ but is that always the case? Here it is interest that overrides any other consideration; never betray Jonsaba if you do you’ll regret it.” Difficulties Burang is finding it difficult to pay his rent and to feed, he went to his brother for help but he made it conditional. “Leave that Jonsaba of a girl and marry my choice or else!” Burang He went and paid Jahanke a visit and intimated his problem to her. “I cannot pay my rent or feed myself. Since I graduated I have no decent job, I engaged in petty business but it incurred debts which further enslaved me. I asked my elder brother for help but he refused and instead asked me to leave my partner and marry his choice of a girl and I was with this girl since our secondary school days. I cannot just betray her as we are very compatible.” Jahanke She is a very good person as she gave him listening ear and empathize his case. “I just cannot get it, how could your elder brother be so callous as not to help his only brother when he can afford it? Come let me show you.” She took him to the Boys’ Quarters and showed him the duplet. “You can squat here for a while until you sort yourself out; your condition is temporal, remember you are a graduate.” Moves In He immediately moved in as his former landlord squeezed his neck. Burang praised his sister in law. “It is not an insult but you are so different from my blood brother.” Jahanke “It is okay, I’ll talk to him.” Did she? To be Cont. ]]>
