The Six Suitors (#5)

Welcome!

Hi! We are back again with our newest series. I hope you are all well. Last time we met Mohamed, this post will focus on Khalil! Who’s your favorite suitor so far? Enjoy!


When Khalil married Fanta, Oumy was upset. He knew the consequences of marrying a second wife, but he took the risk anyway. He met Fanta at Oumy’s surprise graduation party that her family threw for her. At first, he was not invited, but Oumy’s youngest sister invited him the day of. His family in-law did not approve of him, and marrying Oumy’s best friend made it worse. 

It was cliché the way they met. As he was grabbing a plate from the food section, she was grabbing onto the same plate. Their hands touched for a slight moment. He apologized quickly, but couldn’t help looking at her. He was struck by her beauty of course, but what happened next was the reason for wanting her. She laughed, and grabbed the plate. 

“Don’t worry! I’ll serve you, go and have a seat please.” 

Oumy had never said those words to him. Fanta was born to be a wife. His wife. Now, two years later, Fanta and Oumy lived in the same house. He stopped two sisters from speaking to one another. Did he feel guilty? Of course not. However, he felt lonely in his own home. Oumy would take care of the house on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Fanta would take care of the house the other three days. The quietness of the home made him yearn for kids. But, he had lost hope when Oumy could not have children and Fanta did not want to have any.

His solution was to marry another wife. Third times a charm right? Maybe Jeneba could give him children. Or maybe Fanta would become jealous of her and decide to finally have her own children. But, he needed to win Jeneba’s heart.

“Salaam everyone! My name is Khalil Ahmoud. There’s no need for me to introduce myself. Jeneba I’m here because I want to marry you. When you marry me, you will know the type of man I am.” Khalil said.

Jeneba scoffed. “Okay, since you do not want to introduce yourself, I’ll start asking you the questions.”

“Do you believe that women’s rights are human rights?”

Khalil blinked, wondering why he was receiving the hard question. How was he supposed to answer this? Didn’t women already have rights? No? What rights do they even need?

To get Jeneba, he needed to say what she wanted to hear. “Yes, I believe that women’s rights are human rights.”

Jeneba gave him a small smile. “Okay. What makes you angry?”

Khalil was always angry. When he would come home and his wives did not prepare him food. When he would touch his wives at night, but they weren’t in the mood. When he wanted to spend some quality time with his wives, and they would make themselves busy. He felt so lonely, it was as if he did not marry two wives.

Clearing his throat, he said, “I do not get angry easily. I am a very patient man, Jeneba. When you become my wife, you will not have to worry.”

It almost sounded believable. He couldn’t care less. He needed a younger wife. Someone that would make time for him.

“That’s all, Khalil. Thank you.” Jeneba turned to look at her uncle, Tonto Ali.

“That’s it? You only asked me two questions Jeneba!”

“You want me to ask you another question?”

“Yes, how is it fair that the other men get all the easy questions?”

“Okay, Mr. I do not need to introduce myself. How many wives do you currently have?”

Khalil’s mouth slightly opened. What did he get himself into?

Next suitor. Hamza. The Desperate Man.


What do we think about Khalil? Look out for Hamza’s story!

Written by Diaka Thiam

The Six Suitors (#4)

Welcome!

Hello my wonderful readers! We are back with our newest series. I hope you are all well. Last time we met Thierno, this post will focus on Mohamed’s story. Enjoy!


“For twenty-seven years, I have given myself to you. I have done everything for you Aladji and this is how you repay me?”

Mohamed always heard his mother say this after his father brought home a new wife. His father would always introduce them as his “aunts.” At the age of 13, he finally understood. When he saw his father sneaking out of his mother’s room to go into Tanti Anta’s room, he knew. There was no need to question it. His three aunties had their own room in their mid sized home, but when the siblings started to arrive, they had to move into a bigger home.

His father was a charismatic lawyer, always knew the right things to say. But he struggled with being honest. Mohamed’s mother tolerated it all for twenty-seven years. Every time his father brought home a new wife, he would lie to her and say, there was a sister of his from Senegal that was coming to America. The first “sister” he brought was twenty-one. His father went back to Senegal to marry her, then brought her to America. The entire family kept it hidden from his mom.

Mohamed knew he did not want to get married, especially to Jeneba. However, Jeneba’s father was a rich man with plenty of connections. There was an important man Jeneba’s father was in connection with, and this man is the only person that could advance Mohamed’s career. His father and Jeneba’s father were awfully close, which is how he knew about her looking for a husband.

“Mohamed Diop, please introduce yourself.” Tonto Ali said. Mohamed stood where Thierno once was, and cleared his throat.

He felt Jeneba’s gaze on him. It was now or never. “Greetings everyone, my name is Mohamed Diop. A few things about me– I am twenty-six years old. I am currently an accountant for this major company in our city. I am getting a bit older and I have decided it is time to settle down.”

Now, it was Jeneba’s turn to speak. His hands were a bit clammy. None of the suitors knew the types of questions Jeneba was going to ask. The suitors were told to just be themselves. Whatever that meant.

“Mohamed, what is something that differentiates you from the other suitors who have introduced themselves?” Excellent question. Well, he was definitely wiser, but he did not want to sound too cocky. He needed to win her over, and he had to do it by any means necessary.

He smiled. Women couldn’t resist his smile. His mother always told him how handsome he was. He hoped Jeneba paid close attention to his looks. It would give him plenty of points.

“I would make a lovely husband. I can cook very well, so you wouldn’t have to worry about that. I have a well paying job, so you never have to worry about income. One day I hope Allah grants me children. I love kids. To be your husband, Jeneba, would be an honor.” He smiled again. Award winning smile.

Jeneba’s eyes widened. “Wow, um okay you mentioned that you can cook. What African dishes can you cook?”

Was she for real? Was that really a question? Would Omlette be considered an African dish? No, he could not say that, he was already on a roll.

“I can cook thiep (jollof rice), soup kandja (okra soup), and definitely attieke. All of your favorites, beautiful.” This was too easy, and the words came out smoothly. If there was a lie detector, he would’ve been thrown out and no longer be considered a suitor.

Jeneba scoffed loudly, baffled by Mohamed’s answers. “Okay, last question for you. What would you do if your family does not accept me as your wife?”

But why was he the first suitor to receive the hardest questions? He had to be very creative. “If– emphasis on the word if– my family does not accept you, I would simply leave them. You would be my wife, and I vow to spend the rest of my life with you. I would fight to be with you every step of the way. My family can no longer dictate whom I can be with, let alone marry. My love, I assure you that you have nothing to worry about.”

Mohamed bit his bottom lip, stopping himself from grinning. There it was, the final statement. The statement that will advance his career. Soon, he would become Mr. Mohamed Sy.

Jeneba’s husband.

Tonto Ali approached Mohamed. “Thank you for your answers, Mohamed, you may have a seat.”

Next suitor. Khalil. The polygamist.

Woah! What do you think about Mohamed? Look out for Khalil’s story in the next blog post 🙂

Written by Diaka Thiam