Broken Spells
It's been a long time since I've written anything for my collection of short stories. This story is inspired by recent events and weird coincidences in my own life.
Benin Republic March 12 2004
Oseye was nervous as she handed the chickens to the witchdoctor and gestured her driver to come and bring the goat that had been strapped to the roof of the car for the last two hours. Why did she let Hawa talk her into this? Yes, she needed her man to see things through. Too many stories of women left to rot down here, too many stories of yovo men giving up because the procedure took so long and the men either fell out of love, found a new lover in the many months it took to get a provisional residence permit, or just got too frustrated being caught between the burocracy in yovo tome, white-mens-country, and the debilitating corruption in West Africa that they often didn't wish to yield to.
"Lover problems, ey", the witchdoctor spoke as he sat down on a bamboo mat and gestured to Oseye to do the same. He looked her in her eyes intensely and took hold of her left hand.
The old man took a small knife and made a cut on the back of her hand. Oseye felt it, but it didn't heart all that much, but then he took her bleeding hand and held it above the flame that had been burning beside him, a flame that was too close for comfort. She wanted to pull her hand away because it burned, but he held on tightly. He turned her hand and a the blood that had gathered in the palm of her hand as in a tiny cup, flowed into the fire. The fire flickered as the blood falling into it made a soft crackling sound. Then, finally he let go of her hand.
"Ay ay ay, my dear, he is not for you", the witchdoctor spoke as he looked intensely into her eyes.
Oseye knew the drill, she had worked selling spices in the market, making people think they have an unsolvable problem often helped to push up the price of your goods and services. She wasn't falling for it. She was a christian, she shouldn't even be here right now.
"Then I guess I came here for nothing then, thank you for your time." Oseye tried to get up, but she and the witchdoctor locked gaises and at that moment something changed in her, she felt seen, deeply seen.
"He is in love with another woman, another mewi woman, not with you, but he isn't for her either, she doesn't love him." At that moment his words clicked, he was talking about Aminata, Richard's best friend, was he still in love with her? Even now? A deep fear filled her heart. If he isn't in love with me, he is going to leave me here.
"Don't worry about that, my dear" the old men spoke as if he had red her thoughts, "he won't desert you now, not yet, not until he meets her, not until he sees her and his soul recognizes her".
Fear struck at Oseye's heart. What good was it if he wasn't in love with her that he would help her get a a provisional residence permit to live in yovo tome, what good was it if he was going to leave her the moment he would meet that other woman. If he was in love with her, things would be OK, they would have a child, get married, and he would be hers, but he wasn't , Oseye felt deep down inside the old man was right. Richard didn't love her, he loved Aminata, he was still in love with her even if he denied it to her, to himself also probably.
"Can you make him love me? Oseye didn't believe the words that just came from her lips. She was a christian, she should trust the power of prayer, why did she ask this vudun witch?
"He isn't for her either, we can make him see her when he sees you, make him love you with the love he feels for her, but it won't last because his love for her wouldn't have lasted."
"It's a start, right? What more can you do?"
Oseye leaned forward in anticipation, in an almost threatening way, hoping the old man would have something on offer. Demanding with her eyes that he would offer her a solution.
"When he meets her, he will leave. It is meant to be, no magic on earth can change that."
Oseye's mind was racing, how could she make Richard hers, really hers.
"Make him not meet her!"
Her words set something in motion in the old man, Oseye could see it in everything. His eyes, his facial impressions, his body language, everything had changed, there was something, she could see it, but he was hesitant.
Oseye kept looking at the old man for what felt like forever. Waiting for him to come up with the solution, or rather, as she suspected, admit to her there was a solution. She could see the old man was somehow reluctant to tell her.
”Tell me, I know you can do it!” Oseye blurted out, then realising she wasn’t showing the old man the respect his age and status commanded she added ”If there is a way, please tell me, fofo”
“Today we shall do the ceremony for him to see his current love interest in your eyes.” the old man spoke, but then a darkness came over his face. ”Tomorrow night the moon will enter the last quarter, if you bring another goat and one million Franc CFA, there is a ceremony we can do to keep him from meeting her. The goat and the money aren’t the only price you need to pay though.”
The intensity and the darkness with what the old man looked at her right now made Oseye a bit nervous, but she needed Richard to love her now and always, she couldn’t lose him to a woman that he hadn’t even met yet.
“Tell me the price!”
“The price is fidelity. Your fidelity. He will find her the day it falters.”
image source pexels
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