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 Life of an African Girl in America 