Chapter 176: Hohenfisch and Maria
Northern Kenya.
At dawn, with the sun just rising, the African plains were quiet. On the vast savanna, a dozen small stone cottages stood in solitude. Within a hundred kilometers of endless grassland, these scattered homes were a striking sight.
One of the cottages belonged to Hohenfisch, whose Southeast Asian wife, Maria, had already risen to prepare breakfast.
Maria was from the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and had been sold to the East African colony by the Dutch at a low price. People were abundant in the Dutch East Indies. In these tropical and underdeveloped regions, women were generally much more industrious than men—Maria was one of them. Since childhood, her mother had carried the burden of supporting the family.
Maria's father had three wives and more than ten children. Everyone in the family except him had to work.
Her father had inherited some property from his ancestors and had been relatively well-off, but he squandered it all. He indulged in every vice—drinking, gambling, whoring—and soon, the family fortune was gone. The three wives and all the children had to support him. Even then, he did not change his ways. When he could not pay his debts, the creditors came to his door.
After a violent beating, he sold his youngest three daughters to pay off the debt. Maria was one of them.
At the time, Maria was fifteen. She was average-looking, had worked in the fields with her mother for years, and her skin was darkened by the sun. Short and malnourished, she resembled a reed stalk.
She wasn't particularly attractive and was sold to the Dutch at a very low price. The Dutch then sold her to East Africa for twice the cost—classic middleman markup.
Of course, in this post-slavery era, they couldn't openly claim to be trafficking people. Instead, Maria and others were brought to East Africa under the guise of textile workers.
Hohenfisch was Austrian, just over twenty, and had arrived in East Africa a year and a half earlier. Like many Austrian immigrants, he was a young, strong bachelor.
Most European immigrants in East Africa were single men unless they had already started families.
According to the colony's practice, Chinese were matched with white women, and white men were matched with Asian women. Hohenfisch thus ended up with an Indonesian wife.
Of course, not all marriages were assigned. Free love also existed—but only among legal immigrants.
Take the Paraguayan women and widows, for example. The East African authorities greatly respected their choices. Paraguayan women were highly sought after by the colony's bachelors.
Between Chinese and European settlers, the matches were roughly even. Young, unmarried Paraguayan women usually chose European men, while widows with children often partnered with Chinese settlers.
Once a match was confirmed, a wedding was held and a certificate issued by the East African government.
However, Paraguayan women were in short supply. Paraguay's entire population was just a few hundred thousand, and the colony had managed to bring over only eighty to ninety thousand women—precious resources. Fortunately, the war in Paraguay was ongoing, so the colony could continue recruiting.
These Paraguayan immigrants were all settled in already developed areas. None were sent to newly developed areas like northern Kenya.
So Hohenfisch could only rely on immigrants who had arrived via less conventional means to resolve his marriage prospects.
In Mombasa, Hohenfisch and other single men participated in a lottery to draw their partners—a system the colony had long formalized.
All the other candidates were Europeans like Hohenfisch, and all were assigned Asian women. The Chinese immigrants, in contrast, were assigned white women.
In East Africa, choices were few. Hohenfisch could only pray to God that he wouldn't end up with someone too unattractive.
He drew number seven—Maria. At the time, he was quite satisfied. He wasn't much to look at himself, and just getting married in this lifetime already felt like a blessing.
That very day, the local government in Mombasa issued marriage certificates and held a symbolic ceremony. Hohenfisch took Maria home.
As of now, they had lived together for more than six months. Maria had just turned sixteen.
Life for Hohenfisch was peaceful and comfortable, and he was very satisfied with Maria. The two got along well, a model couple.
Hohenfisch came from a rural village in Austria. Honest and kind, he had only just turned eighteen when he arrived in East Africa. He hadn't experienced society and its complexities.
He had a few older brothers and thus had no claim to the family inheritance. When East Africa started recruiting immigrants, he followed a few villagers to seek his fortune.
Maria, raised by her hardworking mother, was diligent and tidy. Together, the two were a perfect match.
The name "Maria" had been chosen by Hohenfisch. In the beginning, they couldn't communicate. When he asked her name, Maria didn't understand. At home, she'd never been called anything proper—her father usually called her "black monkey."
Seeing that they couldn't understand each other and that she was too shy to speak, Hohenfisch simply gave her the name Maria.
During the first month, they mostly communicated through gestures and guesswork. But gradually, Maria learned some simple German.
After six months, Maria could now speak German reasonably well, though not fluently.
In the kitchen, Maria was kneading dough. She made a few flatbreads, a pot of millet porridge, and several cold dishes—a simple and wholesome breakfast.
"Darling, breakfast is ready!"
Hohenfisch, already dressed and washed, pulled up a chair and sat at the table.
"Maria, come sit down and eat with me!" he called out as she was tidying up the house.
"It's okay. You'll have to work soon anyway. I'll eat later—I'm keeping busy," Maria replied while folding the bedding.
"A family should eat together. Back in Europe, my family always sat at one table. And you said it yourself, I'll be working soon. There's plenty of time in a day—cleaning can wait. Sit and keep me company," Hohenfisch said gently.
Maria finished her tasks and came to the table. Watching Hohenfisch devour the bread, she said, "Slow down, don't choke."
Hohenfisch smiled. This, to him, was what life was all about.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10