A story to honor women. #Loh125

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Arthur and Emma got married after courting for about three years, Emma patiently waited to conceive, as everyone started to blame her for her childlessness.

Arthur and Emma visited the hospital severally as Dr.Dan assured them that they were nothing wrong with them.

A few years later, Emma finally conceived, in the tradition of Arthur, if a woman never birthed a male, she isn't considered a real woman as they felt, a woman has no place in society, all she does is cook and get married.

Well, on the day of delivery, Emma delivered a beautiful bouncing baby girl, the news broke Arthur's heart as he knew he was in trouble with his family when they heard the news, they waited for seven days and then they summoned Arthur and informed him that Emma was to be banished with her baby from the village and Arthur was to take in a new wife who would birth him a male child.

When Arthur heard the news, his heart broke because he did love his wife, but he can't fight his family, the villagers, and even the king as it was the tradition of the land.

Emma cried her eyes out when she heard the news, she pleaded with her husband and his family, but they never heeded her pleas so the day arrived for her to be banished, and so she was banished from "Odogwu Kingdom".

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Source

Emma carried her baby in her arms as she cried profusely, she was seen close to a forest, and she tried her best to ensure her baby was safe, she fed on fruits and breastfed her baby, shielded from rain and sun, even though she was almost dying.

When it felt like she couldn't take it anymore, she had lost strength from not eating healthily and the scorching sun, she wrap her baby and made a basket herself, in the basket she arranged palm fronds in it, with tears in her eyes, she found a wood which was on the floor and a stone which she improvised to be a tablet and pen and then she wrote ;

" Dear Baby, I do love you from the depth of my heart, I did all I could to keep you safe, I was banished from the Odogwu kingdom because I birthed you, my princess, they said women aren't valuable in the society, but I don't believe that today I name you "Victoria", you would make a difference in the world, Victoria I bless you today that you will grow and be great, you will outshine your equals and when you become great never repay evil for evil, if it is in your power to help, never withhold the good in your heart, I am Emma Amadi, your daddy is Arthur Amadi, find him when you grow up. Love from your mom."

She placed the tablet in the corner of the basket and placed her baby in it, she carried the basket and placed it gently on the river bank.
And then a few hours later Emma gave up the ghost.

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Arthur was now married to another woman who eventually birthed him a male and baby Victoria was seen in the river by a hunter who went out to hunt that evening.

Several years later, the hunter had cared for Victoria like his own since his wife died of complications during childbirth, he lost both the wife and baby, so he felt God has blessed him with a beautiful baby, and he did all in his power to care for Victoria, throughout her school days, all the money he earned was used to cater for Victoria.

Arthur's new wife Amaka was frustrated at the behavior of her son, he would steal and cause trouble in the village while Victoria in another village with the hunter was well-behaved, responsible, and preparing to leave the village to further her education.

After 8 years, Victoria was now a renowned Doctor, who was very kind and owned the biggest hospital in the city, she came home and built a very big house for the hunter until one day, the hunter was so sick on his deathbed after Victoria had tried all she could to save his life, let's just say it was his time to leave mother earth, he broke the news to Victoria that he wasn't her biological father, he told her to find the tablet her mom wrote her 28years ago in his safe that all she needed to know was right in there.

It broke her heart to realize that the man she had come to love so much wasn't her father, but the one who birthed her didn't value her, well she decided to visit the " Odogwu Kingdom", In search of Mr. Arthur Amadi.

When she got to the village, she was directed by an old woman on how to locate him, she followed the directives and found an old stricken hut in which her father lived when she got in there, she noticed her dad was almost dying as he was so sick and couldn't afford quality healthcare, his son had abandoned him for fraudulent acts with his peers and had left the old man to die, touched by his condition, as Amaka her stepmother was crying for help, Victoria made arrangements for Arthur to be taken to her hospital in the city and be taken care of.

After a few months, Mr. Arthur Amadi was now physically fit and thanked the Godsent, until Victoria revealed who she was to him and her stepmother, Arthur was so ashamed of himself and begged for forgiveness, he invited his family over to see who Victoria the rejected stone had now become the chief cornerstone, they were all surprised how useful a girl child could turn out to become.

Months later, Victoria built her father the finest house in town, built a free healthcare center in the community, and also provided a good job for her stepbrother, after this event, the tradition of banishing women who give birth to girls was abolished.

Source

The whole village celebrated her late mother and made a monument of her late mother at the center of the village as a way of honoring her after she had been humiliated they made it a tradition to celebrate women every 8th of March of the year, they would sing praises of women and confess of the sacrifices women go thru and how a community or household is never complete without a woman.

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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my fictional story in response to the ladies of hive prompt by @tibaire from @ladiesofhive

On March 8th we celebrated Women's Day, so we invite you to write a story in honor of women, with fictional characters, in a place that lives in your imagination, and with an unexpected outcome. Remember, your imagination is the limit.