SOMETHING BIGGER THAN LOVE

Season1 episode 1

Ada is your sister, Mama Obinna said this to her son often.?Take this to your sister,? she said, handing Obinna the black polyethylene bag that contained Ada?s dress, the one she?d helped her mend. ?Tell Uchechi my sister that I?ll now see her at the market tomorrow.?The thing is, Mama Obinna called everyone close to her either brother or sister. It?s usually that way?their real names at first then they become too familiar and she quickly adopts them.Probably that was why her son, Obinna, never believed Ada was his sister.When they were little, anytime Ada came around?and it was often that she did?Mama Obinna would give them okpa inone plate.Then, little Obinna in the influence of that rebellious attitude of growing boys, would grumble in protest.?Mechie onu osiso!? Mama Obinna would snap at her son. ?Shut up and eat with your sister!?When Obinna reluctantly dropped back to the floor to join her, Ada would smile at him? as though she had only been entertained by the little boy?s folly? before swallowing her food.In the smile, she looked like an adult bottled up inside an infant?s body.Obinna has come to understand that smile now?that feeble bending of her lips with her eyes narrowed, a calculated representation of unknowingness on the outside, yet abundance of knowledge in theinside.He?d come to understand now, too, many other things she usually did that was not very easy to discern. Hers has always been that of complex expressions.She was never the easy kind to read, so the feeling of being the only one quite able to, at least, always left him glad.***?Ada,? Ujunwa murmured beside Ada again. ?Ada, it?s him.?Again, Adaku pretended not to have heard anything, not Ujunwa?s whispering, not Obinna?s beckoning whistle.She ran a finger across her wet forehead to stop the water from her metal bucket from trickling into her eyes.It was the drier months of the year and the road to the borehole now seemed wider, with the lush vegetation that used to fringe it all gone.?Ada, chelu! I was calling you.? He was with them now.Running was easy for him. Even so, he walked with so much confidence one couldeasily assume him a prince, which he was not.He had slight bowlegs, and Ada had once told her friends; Ujunwa and Ogechi, that that was what gave him his quick gait, like the bowlegs of nwamkpi, her mother?s sprightly odd-legged he-goat.Anything to make him look less exceptional.Her friends? assessment of him has always been that of approval, and many times awe.They talk about what strong arms he?s got, his perfect nose, his well-cut lips and sparkling white teeth?sometimes, too excessively, it made her more jealous than proud.?Ogini, what is wrong with you?? He held her arm now, firm, yet careful not to cause her bucket to fall. ?Why do you ignore me???Obinna, hapum aka. Leave me.? She didn?t stop walking.He grabbed her bucket. In the season, waterhas become very precious, so she stopped.?Obinna, what is it?? she said. ?I said you should leave me alone! Or do you want my bucket to fall??Her voice was raised and her face swollen in a frown, but he knew better. Talking in higher voice did not necessarily mean she was angry with him. He never really thoughtthat she was capable of getting truly angry with him anyways.?Erm, I think I will be going now,? Ujunwa muttered. On her face, was that awkward smile of someone who suddenly walked in on a scene of domestic violence.?No, Uju stay!? Ada told her friend.?Uju, take your water home. I?m sure Nne will need it now,? he countered. His eyes were on the girl, the bold eyes that speak only of dominion, dominion most often tempered with gallantry.?Yes, yes,? Ujunwa flung out. ?Nne had food on fire when I was leaving, I must go now.?Ada shook her head, aware that her friend has just lied. As Ujunwa walked away, she turned to him with ferocious eyes. ?Gini, what is it??Now he used a voice not even her anger could resist. ?Obim,? he called her.She inhaled deeply and threw away her face.He carried her bucket from her and loweredit to the ground. He took her hand and drewher gently out of the road.As she felt the pillar of fury she has spent so much energy to build crumble at the mere sound of his voice, all the hard work gone, she felt like slapping herself, so forcefully she would see stars.She blamed herself now. She should have run off on sighting him or better still taken the other path that she was sure he wouldn?t follow. Only that she was not so sure of that either; he knew her whole.It had amazed her the way he easily made her weak. Vulnerable, like a cornered rodent.She was the strong kind of beautiful girls. The kind that knows how to handle her admirers, no matter in what number, age or size they come. She?d rather confront them than dodge them.He was the only one capable of crumbling her defences, with things as easy as a single word, or just a calculated stare!With a bit of regret, she has finally come to accept things as they were. But that does not mean she had given up trying anyway?she is still Adaku, after all.?Ada, what is it?? He was staring at her. ?Tell me.??I told you to leave me alone,? she said.His face changed. ?You are really angry withme,? he said.She took away her face, clucking and blinking hard.He held her at the shoulders. ?Gwa m, tell me please. What is it??She wanted to speak, but two girls were upon them.They were carrying plastic jerry cans instead of buckets?tall, slender, yellow cans that once were containers for cookingoil.Unlike the other people that had to suffer a long queue to fetch, Ada fetched from the tap inside the compound.Chief Ozua, the short, stocky man that built the borehole, had wanted to marry her at some time.She had refused, but according to the wealthy chief, she had refused differently?maturely in his own terms? and they became friends afterwards.?Dalu kwanu,? the girls chorused, their eyes gliding past them with feigned disinterest.Ada was sure they would gossip, but she didn?t care. And neither did him. Their gossip has become too common it has nowturned tasteless.The tale of the two children deceiving themselves with what they did not understand used to be a hot topic everyonein Obeledu was interested in. Some called itinfatuation, others mere madness of youth.But overtime, as more and more mouths continued to taste it, the matter turned flat.Ada looked back, another woman was trudging up the road with a mighty bowl that screamed greed on her head. The tap has started to run eventually, she could see now. ?Let?s go,? she said to him.He gave an understanding nod and bent to lift her bucket. She placed her aju cloth on his shaved head and he dropped the bucketon it.That night they met under the avocado tree behind her house.That was where they first had it, deep knowledge of themselves. He had pestered her about it for months, and that night she came with an extra wrapper. She didn?t say anything to him. She just spread the wrapper on the ground and allowed him.He had been grateful.?So tell me, what got you so upset this evening,? he asked. She was leaning to the tree while he stood facing her. He smelt of the floral scent of bathing soap.?When were you going to tell me?? she said.?Tell you what??She turned suddenly to him as if enraged athis pretence of lack of knowledge. ?That you are leaving for the city, Obinna!?It wasn?t her intention that much concern showed in her voice. She decided to go on nonetheless. ?You are not going to Enugu, orOnitsha, or Asaba, you are going to Lagos, Obinna, all the way to Lagos!?Guilt splashed over his eyes and for once they lost their boldness and dimmed. ?Who told you that???Is that what you are going to ask me now??He quickly took her arm. ?Don?t be that way, I am not sure I?m going anywhere yet. Yes, Mama talked to Ahanna, but no agreement has been reached yet.?She quietly slipped out of his grip. ?Obinna, your brother sounded so sure so do not lie to me.??Forget that one, he is just over excited.??And you are not???I can?t be.?She was quiet.He took her hand again. ?How can I be, Ada? How can I even feel normal that I?m leaving you???So you are really sure that you are going then??Feeling caught, he didn?t say another word.?Ada, come,? he finally said. He folded her up in his arms.She let him.She always liked that part. Many months of carting away goods at the Nkwo market hasgotten his arms bigger, his thighs firmer andhis chest, broader, with that embellishing sprinkle of hair. He was what comes to mind when one mentions a strong, sexy man.?You must understand why I need to do this.It?s been over four years now since we finished secondary school. I have no hope of writing JAMB, let alone someday going to the university.?She turned her eyes up at him. ?Obinna, you are losing hope already??He snorted, a faint smile lingering on his face. His excellent dentition afforded him a nice masculine smile. When he smiled broadly, he created the impression of a toothpaste commercial. ?Those were only childhood dreams, Obim, it was never meant to happen.??Who said???Me becoming a lawyer?? He threw out a laugh that meant more than amusement.She appeared puzzled. ?Why do you laugh???Even if miracle happened and I somehow found myself in UNIZIK or UNN, what kind of lawyer do you think I will be when I can?t even speak good English? Eh? Charge and Bail??She frowned at him. ?Didn?t you pass English in your WAEC???I did. A miracle I still owe you for.??Did I write the essays for you???You told me what to write.??Then, is that not what the university is therefor? The teachers tell you what to do and you do them, is that not it??He appeared to consider this for a while.She stared at him.?I heard they are not called teachers in the university though,? he came through at last.?Teachers, lecturers, all the same.?He smiled at her and hummed. He turned her fully to himself so that they now faced each other. ?Forget about me. The universitywas never meant for people like me.? He brought his face down to hers so that their foreheads met. ?Don?t you think you can get enough education for the both of us??She smiled to that? a sudden smile that seemed automatic. Somehow, the statement settled her. The way he?d used ?us?.Then it hit her again?he was leaving. To Lagos! ?There won?t be any us anymore when you leave for Lagos,? she told him, shifting.He did not fake his shocked face?she knew. ?What do you mean by that?? he asked.?You are going to Lagos to meet those Lagos girls that wear tight trousers and draw scary tattoos on their laps and breasts, who do you think is going to stay here alone and wait for you???I don?t understand.??What I?m saying is that once your bus to Lagos leaves, I?m going to choose any of my numerous suitors and get married.?His heart started to beat faster.She seemed aware of his torment. She continued nonetheless. ?Who is it going to be now sef?? She narrowed her eyes, pretending to be in thought. ?Okwudili? No.? She shook her head. ?Okwudili lives in Asaba. I don?t trust those boys in Asaba. Hemust have gone to drink from the mighty breast. Evil money, kpa. Maybe Chuka??She shook her head again. ?Chuka that stays in Onitsha and says Bebe instead of Baby. I think I?ll prefer someone educated. Yes, Mathew. Someone like Mathew, heard he is in the university again, for the second time, studying for his masters???Stop!? he gave out. ?Stop this rubbish, Ada!?She obeyed at once, obviously been waitingfor the reaction.?You are not marrying anybody except me!? he said.She liked the authority in the words, but shewasn?t done yet. ?I am not marrying any manfrom Lagos,? she said.?What is that supposed to mean? Do I comefrom Lagos???I mean once you travel to Lagos, consider whatever we have meaningless.??Ada, stop this. Your words are hurting me.? His voice was now low.She turned away, a strange feeling of satisfaction clouding over her. She was happy to know he still cared just as much.He came to her. ?How can you be saying these things to me, eh?? She heard him swallow. ?Why? Have you no mercy for my heart??She didn?t say a word.?Ada?? He waited, but still nothing came from her.?Ok, fine! I?m no more going to Lagos,? he said. ?I will stay here and we get married in this village and start up whatever life we can manage here.?She turned to him, a look of compassion onher now. ?You can go to Lagos,? she told him. She joined her fingers together. ?I will wait for you here. I?m just afraid, that?s all.??Afraid of what?? He took her wriggling fingers, separated them and joined them to his. ?That I may leave you for some Lagos girl who wear same clothes I wear and greet people by joining lips together??She nearly smiled. ?We have never stayed away from each other, you know that. Are you not worried??He exhaled deeply. ?I am, Ada,? he admitted.?I really am, but Ahanna said if I work hard enough, I can get my own place in less thantwo years.??So???So? I will come and pay your bride price and carry you to the city.?She liked the way he said carry. She imagined herself on his strong, muscular back all the way to Lagos. ?I might be in school by then,? she said.?There are better universities in Lagos. Haven?t you heard of UNILAGOS??She smiled. ?I want to go to UNIZIK.??Why? Is the education there better???I don?t know.??Anyhow, there must be a way.?There he goes again. She slipped half of herlower lip into her mouth.She never liked that he was not the one to reason deeply, never considered anything both ways; success and failure. He was always quick to pick the former.Sometimes, it made her think of him as scared, though most other times brave? the times everyone seemed uncertain and without hope and he would appear the only one still strong in heart.Like the day he saved Echezona from the well. When the little boy fell in, the echo of his scream disappearing with him into the deep pit, everyone was running helter-skelter, full of confusion.But he seemed very much in control when he reached for the tall bamboo. Even after the third dip and the stick still came out without the boy, he continued trying, as though he was sure that something was going to happen eventually.Success would eventually come.And he finally saved the day.She drew near and nestled against his chest.?All will be well,? he told her and folded her up...Should this story continue?

Episode 2

Ahanna sold clothes at Oshodi market in Lagos.He told Obinna that all he needed was just N30, 000 to start. He?d be travelling to Cotonou with him to buy the clothes.?Clothes are so cheap there [Cotonou] you?dwonder if they were made of sand,? he said to Obinna. ?But once you enter Lagos, you must shine your eyes. To survive, you must be as sharp-eyed as a hawk. I ga epu anya ka nkwo!?Obinna had stayed quiet all the while Ahanna talked about Lagos, with a faint look anticipation on his face, as though afraid to show Ahanna how disturbed the stories about Lagos has made him.Ahanna told him about Area Boys, ?ndi nwe obodo??street owners?as he described them, who sit in clusters all around the place causing mischief and extorting money from people, about the traffic that could hold one for hours, the omoniles? whocame to pull down people?s structures when they did not settle them for the land they bought.Obinna?s jaw dropped when Ahanna mentioned this. ?Chelukwa, nwanne?wait, brother, are you telling me that after buying land, you must settle some people before building on it???Dey there na!? Ahanna said in pidgin.Obinna understood his pidgin, but could notspeak it. He thought Ahanna had learned it fast; it was barely three years he left Iruowelle for Lagos.Then he saw Ahanna smile?grin actually? and immediately had the hope of hearing now the good things about Lagos, praying they far outweigh the near horrifying ones he?d already heard.?But ashi dey o!? Ahanna said. He?d lowered his voice and Obinna knew whatever ashi meant would be bad.?What is ashi?? He too had lowered his voicewhen he called ashi. They were in his houseand although Mama Obinna was in the kitchen at the far end of the backyard, her good hearing was legendary.?Ashi na?ashawo dem!?Finally, the horror slapped Obinna?s cavities open.He?d heard the sickening tales of ashawos before? rotten girls who stood half-naked on the streets at night selling not leather or plastic, but their bodies.He?d heard their stories from Father Jude during one of his soporific sermons, Mama Ozioma during a gossip about her young cousin who had just returned from Lagos wearing trousers, and then Teacher Nwokolo, and even Principal Eze at the Community Grammar School.But it wasn?t the mentioning of prostitutes that got Obinna so very shocked, it was the large smile on Ahanna?s face when he said it, the show of great happiness, as though ashawos were a rare precious gift God has blessed Lagos with.And now he began to wonder what Lagos really is, what it does to people.Four years ago, Ahanna would never had asmuch as shown a single teeth at the mentioning of prostitutes.He?d have pitched a long hiss and curse and curse. But now, with that smile, it was obvious, he too may have patronized them, or even be a regular customer.Mama Obinna appeared with the tray. ?Ngwa, food is ready,? she said.She used her foot to pull a stool nearby to their front. She placed the tray on it. ?Let mebring water to wash your hands with.?Ahanna rubbed his hands together. ?Thank you, nne.?Two plates sat relaxed on the tray. One, the flatter one, had a mound of fufu on it and the other, sizzling egwusi soup.The vapour rising from the round plate steadily watered Ahanna?s mouth and the urge to start eating before Mama Obinna returned with the water nearly overpoweredhim.But Obinna was not very much around. His mind bore a different thought, a heavy one.?So you have your own house in Lagos now?? he asked Ahanna.Ahanna grinned, the proud smile people used to accept praise. ?It?s God, my brother.?Obinna smiled and shook his head, impressed.Ahanna wondered if Mama Obinna has gone to Ama-Oji to fetch the washing water.Finally, the plump woman returned with a red bowl half filled with water.Ahanna thrust his hand into the bowl beforeMama Obinna could drop it on the table, carrying it from her.Obinna watched him devour the fufu, one big ball after another.Ahanna has dug away half of the whitish mound before Obinna finally washed his hands and joined him.***Ahanna?s face puckered as he tried to pick his teeth with a broom stick Mama Obinna had brought for him when he demanded fortoothpick. ?Nnaa, mehn, thanks for the food,? he said.Obinna did not respond this time. This was the third time Ahanna would thank him for the food. Now, with a feeling of near dismay, he wondered if there was food in Lagos at all too.?So how big is your house?? he asked.?Mm???Like how many rooms does it have???Rooms???Yes.??Oh, rooms. You will see when we get there.?Obinna inhaled deeply.***Adaku felt different.For once in her life, she felt out of control. Emotions whirled up inside her in turbulent currents.Emotions she hardly recognized, let alone knew how to tackle.It was her Obinna that was leaving, leaving her to Lagos.Now, all of Lagos she could picture was an enclosed space, room-size or a little larger, filled with women, women of all ages desperate for men, men like Obinna.Handsome men. Tall men. Strong men. Men with a nice smile and beautifully-set eyes.Now the door of the room open slowly and Obinna walked in.The women screamed, running to him. In a matter of minutes, they had devoured him, leaving him unhealthily thin. Skeletal.She shuddered and commanded herself to be still, to take charge and be in control. Like always.But her inner strength obviously failed her, and a moment later she was deep in thought again.Her mother?s voice jolted her back to life.?Ada!??Adaku!??Maa.??So we won?t eat tonight, okwia??Even though Uchechi was at the other end of the compound, a sizable distance from the veranda where Adaku was sitting, her voice seemed to cause the ground below Adaku?s feet to vibrate.Uchechi was a large woman. But because she was tall enough with proportional distribution of flesh, people did not easily call her fat. Adaku had her mother?s curves only shorter.Uchechi often teased her that whoever wasgoing to marry her would pay double for herbride price.Whenever Uchechi said that, Adaku would picture herself tying a wrapper above her chest like a married woman, sweeping at Obinna?s compound or preparing his food, while humming gently to ?Dim o - dim o - dim o!?Her mother was coming close. ?This girl, I said, won?t we eat tonight???Mama, we will.??By sitting there all day holding your chin like someone whose suitors did not come as promised.?Adaku?s eyes ran up to her mother.?The fire is not even up yet. Binie, go and make the fire and let me bring yam.?She turned and started toward the barn. Adaku got up, untied the wrapper above herblue gown, tied it back firmer and dragged toward the kitchen.?Ugochi, bring me matches!? she called.?I?m busy!? Ugochi?s thin voice came from the sitting room.?If I meet you there, eh?if?? Adaku had turned to head indoors when Ugochi appeared at the doorway with a box of matches, a big frown on her face.Adaku jerked the matchbox from her. ?Anu ofia?wild animal!?Ugochi murmured something before turningback inside.?That?s your business! Hope the soup pot is clean otherwise that your pointy mouth will depart from you this evening.?Later that night??Papa, I need money for my JAMB form.?Papa Adaku dropped his ball of yam fufu back into the soup and turned to his daughter. ?JAMB form??Adaku nodded.Now even Uchechi was staring at Adaku. ?So what happened to marriage?? she asked.Ugochi laughed. ?Obinna is travelling to the big city and now she suddenly remembers school.?She was on to another laugh when Adaku?s palm met her cheek with tremendous force.The laughter died prematurely. Slowly, it was replaced by muffled sobbing.Ekene started to laugh.Ugochi tweaked his ears.?Ayi!? the little boy groaned.?Ugochi, Ekene, go inside,? Papa Adaku said.He exchanged glances with his wife, that brief eye contact peculiar to parents that bore deep communication.As the door banged shut behind Ugochi andher little brother, Adaku knew what must be done. ?I?m sorry, Papa. I???Why do you suddenly change your mind?? her father cut in.Adaku was not happy. She?d preferred her father talked about it, scolded her or even punished her.Gone were the days she enjoyed her father?s excessive indulgence.She was an only child for long. Ugochi arrived when she was already seven, and Ekene two years after.Even now that she was only some months to nineteen, she knew the connection she had with her father hadn?t changed any bit.She had remained her father?s favourite.That had been the reason when she told him that she?d want to get married first and then go to school from her husband?s house, with her husband, Mr. Onochie?s protest lasted only a few days.He worked at the Local Government; he knew well about the importance of education. But he finally indulged his daughter, like was usual of him.But now that Obinna has suddenly decided to change the earlier plans, Adaku couldn?t really fathom why she was not furious at him.Why she had not stored hot water in a flask and then walk to his house and pour it on his head.?Adaku,? her mother called.?Mama.?Uchechi shifted so that she was now closerto her daughter. ?Something is wrong. Gwam, what is it???Nothing, Mama.? She folded her hands together. ?I just want to go school.??How much is the form?? her father cut in, aswas his quick manner of speech.?Four thousand five, Papa.??Remind me tomorrow morning and I will give you the money.??Papa, dalu.?They finished their meal in silence.Later that night, Uchechi knocked and entered her room. She tied her wrapper above her breasts and she smelled pleasantly of cream and talc. Her neck was white with it.Adaku rose and shifted for her to sit.?Ada.? She felt her forehead. ?O eziokwu? is it true???What, Mama???That Obinna is travelling to the big city.?She inhaled deeply. Her mother?s eyes remained on her. And she finally nodded.And at that moment, the sadness hit her like a blow. She swallowed hard, but she didn?t push it down. It sprang back up her throat with great force and she began to cry. Her mother clutched her to herself.?Kwusi, inu?stop. Ozugo?it?s ok.?They remained in embrace till her sobbing subsided. Her mother released her.?Everything will be fine,? she told her as she rubbed off her tears. ?All will be well.?She kept nodding to each word, as though the more religiously she nodded would mean the more certain that her mother?s words came true; that all became fine.Obinna would cancel his trip. That it was announced on the radio that Lagos has become too filled it could no longer accept any more people.When her mother left, she lay back into the soft mattress and cried some more before drifting into the unawareness of sleep.

Episodes 3 and 4

They brought wine today.It was meant to be a small occasion, smaller than a normal wine-carrying ceremony. They had come with just two elders; one was Ichie Okwu, an elderly kin and the other Amaechi, Obinna?s uncle.Ichie Okwu was tall and thin. He walked with a stoop, while Amaechi, short and round in his big polo shirt and broad brown trousers, bounced beside him.Behind them, Obinna, his mother, his younger brother, Uzochukwu, and Ogechi, Amaechi?s wife, strolled along.He was carrying the wine? a round gourd with fresh palm leaves stuffed to the mouth. It was said that the leaves would stop the wine from frothing over, but it still frothed anyway.Bees buzzed around the mouth and once ina while Obinna waved around to drive them off.?Faga agba gi?they will sting you,? his mother said.He smiled and continued to drive the bees.He looked at his mother and smiled again, differently now? shyly.His mother smiled back at him with her lips turned down. ?Ndi di agaba? husbands are moving,? she murmured.Her eyes met with Ogechi?s, and she began to chuckle. She leaned to Mama Obinna?s ear. ?He should not forget to leave her with child before travelling,? she whispered.Mama Obinna laughed?a short he-he-he laugh that made it difficult to tell if she was truly amused at what the tall woman had said or just found it ridiculous.Obinna heard them and turned away with a smile.The smile lingered on his face. He was happy.When his mother had suggested they carry wine to Ada?s parents and pay her bride price before his travel?to secure her fully? he?d felt awkward.?She will wait for me, Mama,? he?d said to his mother. ?She will, I know.?Mama Obinna had hissed and told her son he knew nothing.But now that they were on their way to their in-law?s house, he was happy. An exciting feeling of security swamped over him.To be tied to her in marriage, the perfect assurance that she?d wait.That she must.?Brother?? his little brother called. ?Don?t you think I should have carried my own wine too??They turned to look at the boy.?Uzochukwu, why do you think you should have carried wine too?? their mother asked.?So that we pay Ugochi?s bride price too.?Obinna was smiling. ?You want to marry Ada?s sister???Not really,? the boy said. ?I don?t really like her. She talks too much, but she is the only one I can marry. I asked Ada?s friend, Ujunwa, to marry me and she laughed at meand said that I am still a small boy.?Ogechi burst into laughter.Mama Obinna was smiling and shaking her head.Obinna placed one hand on his little brother?s shoulder. ?Nnam, don?t worry, when the time comes, you will find a very good girl to marry, inu???That will be as beautiful as Adaku?? the boyasked.Obinna nodded. ?Even more beautiful.? He nestled the boy to his side.***Onochie and his wife, Uchechi, received their visitors well.Three long benches were set under the orange tree in the front of their compound.Four elders came from their side, two with their wives. The women all dressed well, in expensive or expensive-looking wrappers, blouses and matching stiff-fabric scarves.Clothes that smelt heavily of camphor, indicating how very sparingly they were worn.Ichie Okwu and Amaechi joined the other elders on the bench. They had all greeted inthe way titled men do, slamming the back of their palms together, three times before taking each other?s hand.The ones with animal skin fans used them.Mama Obinna and Amaechi?s wife joined Uchechi in the backyard.The jollof rice was done, hot, spicy and reddish. Uchechi was transferring it into a fat yellow cooler with a stainless steel plate. Another woman beside her was washing cups and plates and another rinsing them.Mama Ukaa, the lanky woman well famed throughout the entire Iruowelle for her perfect ogiri, was at the fire place, quenching the cinders with water. She would sprinkle some water and the fire would give out a squeal as if in pain, raising a dust of ashes.Uchechi stood and hugged Obinna?s mother. ?Nwanne ayoola ogo?a sister has turned an in-law!? she said, and they laughed.?Is the rice not too much?? Mama Obinna asked.Uchechi hummed. ?Just wait till they start coming.? She sat down to her work again.Mama Obinna pulled a nearby back chair and sat beside her.?If not for the short notice, I?d have preparedugba. You know na, ugba eji mala nwa Akwaeze [ugba with which they know a daughter of Akwaeze]!??Awuu!? Mama Obinna inclined her head. ?Ada mmadu!? They slapped their palms together.She looked round. ?My wife nko??Uchechi hummed. ?That one? She has been in her room all morning with her friends.? She joined her thumb and index finger together in the air. ?Ordinary pepper she would not help me grind.?Mama Obinna was laughing.Uchechi dropped an open palm on her lap. ?Hope your son is aware she doesn?t know how to cook??The women burst into laughter.?That one is no problem, my sister,? Mama Obinna said. ?I will gladly teach her.?Uchechi gave a small, slow nod, as if in pity.?Ngwanu, God will be your strength. Even the goats and chickens know that I?ve tried!?Another bout of laughter.***At the front of the house, Papa Adaku brought out a tray of kola and dropped it on the table in front of the men. ?My brothers, kola has come,? he said.In the tray, were five large kola nut seeds beside a mound of garden egg fruits. Ugochi, Adaku?s younger sister, came out with a flat plate, a jar of groundnut butter and spoon. She dropped the items on the table beside the tray.?The king?s kola is in his hands,? an elderly chief said.The others nodded in support, muttering.Adaku?s father picked one kola seed from the tray and gave the elderly chief, saying a proverb about the king respecting the presence of an elder too.The elderly man took the kola from him, leaned forward and cleared his throat. He began to say the prayers and the others chorused ?Ise!? at the end of every line.When he was done, he broke the kola and threw the pieces inside the plate. ?Ha!? he exclaimed. ?Oji udo?the kola of peace! Nwanne ayana nwanne ya?a brother should not move without the brother!?They nodded and called him his title. ?Eziokwu-bu-ndu!?Soon, the women came to join them.From the louvered window, Ada and her friends peeped at Obinna. He stood now with his best friends, Obiozo, Uche and Ahanna.He was talking and Ada wondered what he was saying, if it was about her. She was surprised to realize he was different today; he looked different.She saw him differently. The fact that he was going to become her husband that day created an aura of respect, esteem.?You are marrying the best, Ada,? Nwamaka said, in that tone of voice that showed she was both happy for her and jealous.Ada turned to look at her. ?But he doesn?t have money,? she said, yet not appearing to be sad.?Did you say money?? Ujunwa threw in. ?Whois talking about money these days again? Haven?t our girls all tried it and saw it led nowhere? Happiness is the main thing, my friend. Obinna will make you happy.?Nwamaka nodded fully, indicating her full support.She understood, perfectly, for she had beena victim of ?money marriage? herself.Azuka who had been sitting on the bed all the while they peeped got up. ?I?m yet to understand how people can be truly happy in marriage without money though,? she said.They turned suddenly to her.She looked unapologetic. ?Yes,? she affirmed. ?You see, marriage is an expensive institution, like a company with workers, it needs money to grow. When there is no money, the workers can only stay a few weeks, months highest, before they revolt.?They were staring at her.?I don?t believe you, Azuka!? Ujunwa was first to speak. She wanted to continue in the same quick pace, but paused.It was Azuka that has spoken; she needed to give a very reasonable reply to silence her completely, and also to stop Ada from thinking about it.But Adaku was not any bothered. Not when it was about marrying Obinna. She had never been surer of anything her entire life.She gave Azuka a small smile. ?I think, Azu, that when the owners of the company are bonded enough, they will always work something out.?Her eyes lingered on Azuka, her lips still slightly curved in the smile.Azuka flattened her cheeks and did not say another word.Soon, her mother knocked and said it was time for her to come out. She turned to her friends and they giggled with excitement. Except Azuka.The trio hugged themselves before stepping out.She was amazed at the crowd that had come. They had hoped it to be a small occasion, but then, it was an eating and drinking occasion.There is a popular saying in Obeledu that you don?t know how many friends you have till you call a party.She stood in the middle, hands folded in the front. Her friends stood behind her, smiling and shy.One of the elders, Ichie Akunne, who was her father?s eldest brother, stood and calledher. ?Omalicha, come.?She walked close to him and knelt.Ichie Akunne poured out a glass of wine and gave to her. ?Stand, my daughter. Go and show us your husband!??Yes, nna anyi!??And if he is not here, come back let us go to Nkwo and buy you a man,? another elder said beside them, cackling.Adaku stood and looked round.He was easy to find. He smiled at her and her fingers around the cup quivered a little.She started to move, one graceful step after another.?Omalicha!??Asa mma!??Elelebe eje oru!?They were calling her, extending their handsin false desire.Finally, she knelt before him, drank a little from the cup and handed it to him.The crowd cheered.FOURHe came early to her house.His trip was the next day. He?d promised to spend the entire day with her today.As if that would change anything. But she had agreed anyway.They went two trips to the borehole together. And then he helped her split wood.He took the axe and she stood behind him, watching.Each time he lifted the axe, his arms firm in the air as they clasped the tool, his left foot holding the wood secure to the ground, she thought about how much she was going to miss him, those arms, those thighs, his chest, his lips.His touch.And now he turned to her and smiled; that smile too?she quickly added that one. She bit her thumbnail off and hugged herself.Her mother came out and smiled at the huge pile of firewood.It was enough to last them a month. She thanked him and gave him a lump of dried meat from her stock.He was putting it in his mouth when Ada jerked it off and ate it instead.She was laughing as his face crumpled like he was going to cry.?Nnaa, don?t mind her,? Uchechi told him. ?There is another.? She gave him another larger lump of meat.He put it quickly into his mouth and flashed his tongue at Ada.Ada stopped laughing.Obinna started to laugh and she picked a stick from the ground and pursued him.Uchechi was smiling and shaking her head.Her family accepted him, and it wasn?t just because he frequently came around to help them with the firewood, or water or cut down their ripe palm fruits.Or because he never collects money each time he carried Uchechi?s wares at the market, even when she insisted, aggressively so, sometimes forcing the note into this hand, he would still return it.It was because he was hard working. And his family, though poor, was good.Papa Adaku had once said to the wife, when the trouble of getting their daughter to see reason why she shouldn?t wait for someone so young for marriage seemed to overpower them, that in any case they should be happy at least that it was him, that ?at least? they are sure their daughter won?t die of hunger.***After she made jollof rice with the dry fish her mother brought out, they sat together under the shade of the mango tree at the other end of the backyard to eat.He took a spoonful of the yellow rice, blew at it once and threw it into his mouth. ?Aw!? he screamed.??What?!??Oku!?She frowned at him. She used her spoon and levelled the rice so that it cooled faster.He picked a lump of fish from the plate and threw into his mouth.She slapped his arm. ?Mind yourself, Obinna.?He liked the way she had called Obinna? quietly, affectionately, the failed attempt of someone who was only pretending to be angry.There was silence for a while. Now his eyeswere on her. She met his gaze and they held briefly, then she turned away. ?So will you write me?? she asked him.?No,? he said.Her eyes came wider. ?You won?t? Why???I?m going to be very busy,? he said.?Busy???Yes!??With what?!??Ha! You?ve not heard? Ahanna said the girlsin Lagos never get satisfied. Like dogs, theykeep asking for more, more, more and more!?He looked and saw her expression. He felt amused but did not show it.?Ayi!? He screamed when a glass of cold water splashed over his face.She dropped the glass back on the table with force and carried the plate of food to herself.?Ada! Why did you pour water on me??She didn?t say a word, instead she began humming in the way little children do when they want to show they are eating something tasty.He stared at her. He picked his spoon and tried to eat from the plate. She shifted. ?Ok, now I can?t even eat??More humming. ?Allow me to eat! Maybe you have not heard, the men in the university never get satisfied too. I must eatbefore they kill me.?He was staring at her.Such jokes got to him easier, she knew.?Oya, ndo?sorry!? he said.She nodded. ?Better.? She dropped the plate back on the table.?I will write you every week, inu?? he said, hisvoice distorted by chewing.She laughed instead, a dry ?he-he-he? chuckle that surprised him. ?Who will even have time to read your letters when I will bebusy with my studies in the university?? she said.Now he laughed, so loudly she stopped to stare at him. ?What?s so funny?? she asked.He wanted to say something and then started on another bout of laughter.?Mkpi!? she called him, her face swollen in a frown.?What do you know about the university?? hecame through at last. ?Eh, Adaku Onochie, answer me??She rolled her eyes at him. ?What do you mean by that???Do you know how many times you will evenwrite JAMB before you finally get admission, eh? You think you just write one JAMB and fiam, you get admission, just likethat. Look, let me tell you, you have to write JAMB at least four times?? He put up four fingers in demonstration. ?Ano! Four times, before you can even talk about getting admission.?She turned her hand round her head and snapped at him. ?If it is charm, it will not work for you!?He laughed. ?But, Ada, seriously, were you hoping you just write JAMB today and tomorrow you are a university student???Once I pass, I will get admission,? she said.?Taa! Pass fire! Better go and ask Ukamaka your friend. She has written that JAMB more than five times and yet she is still here with us. I heard she now has her own special locker in the exam hall with her name on it. I?m sure this year, they will register her for free.?She didn?t want to, but she laughed. Then she turned serious. ?Am I as dumb as Ukamaka, gbo??He didn?t respond.He was now staring at her.At that moment it hit him what he was going to miss.The love.The friendship.The laughter.Tiny sands of fear settled on him.He began to wonder if his trip would tell badly on their relationship. If it would spoil this wonderful union.He thought of her in the university, a large compound filled with young boys; disco boys in their saggy jean trousers, broad T-shirts and bandanna, each trying to grab her as she sashayed through their middle, desperate to defile her.To take away her glow and leave nothing for him.Her voice jolted him back to life. ?Obinna!?He turned suddenly to her, looking lost.?What are you thinking about?? she asked him.?Nothing.? He said nothing quietly.?Don?t worry, I will wait,? she said.?Mm, what did you say???I said I will wait for you.?He was amazed she understood. No one knew him like she does.?I don?t trust university boys,? he said.?I don?t trust Lagos girls either.??Ha, you know I can?t do that.??What if they keep asking for more, and more and more??He smiled and his dimples sank deep into his cheeks.Later that evening, they went to the avocado tree and felt each other. It was intense, the deepest they?ve ever had, as though doing it that way would keep them satisfied till whenever they would meet again.

Episode 5

Adaku stared at the big bus, reading the inscription on it? THE YOUNG SHALL GROW MOTORS?over and over again.At the right, a man was loading passengers?luggage into a hollow space at the lower part of the vehicle.Obinna studied the items carefully.Food items abound; palm oil in various types of plastic containers, bunches of unripe plantain and banana, coconuts and avocado.Again, he wondered if there was enough food in Lagos. He still did not know why Ahanna didn?t allow him carry the plantain bunch and yam tubers his mother brought out.His small ?Ghana Must Go? was pressed firm under his arm. It contained only his clothes, and his money.When the man loading the bus asked him tobring his bag so that he?d find where to put it, he?d declined, shaking his head.?Oga, bring your bag na let me know where best to put it!? the man, dark and short with dirty jean trousers folded to his knees, barked.The white flip-flops he was wearing had circular holes at the back of his feet.He came closer. ?Oga, give me your bag.??No,? Obinna said, clutching his bag firmer.With all the stories he?s been told about Lagos, he decided it was best to carry his bag himself. ?I will carry it myself,? he said.He looked at his mother. Mama Obinna wasexpressionless. She did not know what wasbest?to give the bag to the man or for Obinna to carry it himself.But she trusted his son?s decision, and said nothing.Ahanna was smiling, that near-mocking display of amusement common to city people when they find everything villagers do funny.The man was still staring at Obinna.?Mr. Man, go and load the other bags na!? Adaku snapped at him in English.The man quietly turned away.Finally, a fat man climbed into the driver?s portion of the bus and honked the horn. Thesame man that loaded the vehicle walked to the door and announced, ?Enter according to the number on your tickets!?Obinna was staring into the piece of paper in his hand when Ada took the ticket from him. She looked at it and said, ?Sixteen. Your number is sixteen.? She gave him back the ticket.He looked at her, their eyes met and he turned away. He bent toward Uzo, his younger brother, and whispered something to him. The boy nodded understandingly.?Nna m, bia?my boy, come,? Mama Obinna said.He went and hugged his mother. They stayed a little longer together. When they separated, the man calling out the ticket numbers was on number eight already.Adaku?s eyes were straight into the air. They were blank.He walked close to her. She quickly clung to him even before he could get close enough. He heard her draw in a noisy breathand wondered if she was crying. But he knew her better. He released her and held her shoulders.?Obim,? he called her.The tear wouldn?t have come if he hadn?t called her that. He wiped it off for her, at the same time fighting to hold back his.But it eventually dropped, and they quickly clung to themselves again, as if not to allowpeople see.?Obinna,? her mother called.?Sixteen!? the man calling the tickets shouted again.?Go,? she said to him, releasing him.?Number sixteen! Where is number sixteen??As he turned, she quickly reached inside the pocket of her gown and brought something wrapped in white paper. She thrust it into his hand and turned away fast.He turned to look at her.The man was now yelling. ?Sixteeeeeen!!!?Ahanna called him from inside the bus, waving.He finally dragged to the bus and climbed in.As she saw the last view of their bus disappear down the tiled road, her tears couldn?t hold again.They flowed down her face like an open tap.His mother came close and embraced her. ?Ogadicha mma,? she told her. ?All will be well.?But she knew it won?t. All will never be well with him gone. She knew for one that she wasn?t going to sleep that night, and that particularly scared her.?Don?t cry, my brother?s wife,? Uzochukwu said, coming to stand in her front.She wiped her face and produced a smile.?Don?t cry again,? Uzo repeated.?Thank you,? she said and nestled the boy toherself.***The road to Lagos was a long one.Even though he had a lot of questions, he didn?t ask them.He didn?t want the other passengers to realize it was his first time to the big city. As Ahanna had told him, once they know that you are new, they would extort you.He looked round the bus; the people he wastravelling with all looked docile and he wondered when he?d meet the bad ones.The area boys.The omoniles.The ashawos.He was not eager though. He wished now that Lagos would be as quiet and serene asthe bus was.He looked out through the window, the vegetation he could see now was different. There were no palm trees, only short trees with lush canopies. He didn?t see houses. He did not know where they were now.Ahanna had told him when they got to Onitsha and Asaba, but now he was sleeping.Many of the passengers were too. In his front, a large woman was snoring. The way her head hung loosely down, he wondered if her neck bone was still intact.He did not want to sleep. Maybe there was just one bad Lagos person among them that would come and steal his money while he was asleep.He felt a headache and quickly pressed his bag to be sure the money was still there.It appeared it was.Forty thousand naira.Ninety-eight thousand was all he saved from his wheelbarrow business and other meagre jobs he did. He took 48 and left Ada with 50.His mother had given him ten thousand extra to add to what he already has.?Use that and pay for your fare,? Mama Obinna had said.He had taken the money and added to the Fifty thousand he gave to Adaku.He told her she would only tell their mother about the money if things got so bad, out ofhand, and she couldn?t get his message.He pressed his bag again. He could feel the wrapping there, he was sure.But with slight dread he realized that sleep would soon overpower him like everyone else.The elderly man sitting beside the snoring fat woman in his front has now joined her inthe same posture, both of them looking like a couple at a strange wedding.***He didn?t know what happened, how it happened, but when he opened his eyes, the bus was not moving.Ahanna tapped his shoulder again. ?Wake up.?He pulled up and quickly checked his bag; everything appeared to be intact. He exhaled.Maybe there is really no reason to be so scared of Lagos, after all.Everyone was going down the bus.?Are we in Lagos now?? he asked.?No,? Ahanna said. ?Let?s go down.??Why???We are at Ore. We go down and eat before we continue,? Ahanna explained.The food was very expensive. With just N150, he could eat the best of whatever Madam Stainless had to offer at Nkwo market.So when the girl that served them said theirbill was N800, he turned suddenly to her. ?What did we eat that came to that price?? he asked.The girl looked at him and turned away in the most unconcerned manner.?O bulo, am I not asking you??The girl hissed. ?Oga, your money is eight hundred.?He got up. ?Nekwa, see this small cockroach o! Who do you think you are putting on that face for? Look let me tell you, I have a girl like you as wife at home. Afuller, prettier girl that you can?t even talk to!?Ahanna paid and asked him to follow him, that he should leave the girl alone.He tried to explain, but Ahanna only gave him that village-people-mocking smile again and he felt remorseful.Maybe he?d over reacted.Maybe he shouldn?t have raised his voice. Adaku wouldn?t have liked it too. Truth is, he was feeling all sorts and he couldn?t helpit.He turned to look at the girl as they walked away.She smiled at him and shook her head: mockery tamed with understanding.They got to Lagos at late evening.From Jibowu where their bus stopped, they boarded a yellow bus to Oshodi.Obinna was amazed at how the yellow buses never actually stopped fully and passengers had to jump in, women and the elderly inclusive.He was relieved he had jumped in safely. Ahanna was more experienced.An okada carried them from Charity Bus Stop to Number 16.Obinna wondered if people lived in the houses he saw. They were in poor shape, almost pitiable, much poorer than the ones in Obeledu. They were all too closely packed and he wondered if the people living in them swept compounds. If there was any compound to sweep.Ahanna paid the okada man. He took the feeble notes and counted them. ?Oga, una money na 250,? he said, his hand stretched out to Ahanna to return the money.?250? From Charity to here???Abeg, pay me jor!? He shook the note to mean Ahanna should take the money back fast, as if the quicker he returned it ensuredhe got the complete pay.?Nwoke m, that?s what I pay,? Ahanna said, turning to beat his bag to send out dust. ?I live here and I go out every day.?Obinna saw the man park his motorcycle to the corner of the road and get down.His eyes ran to Ahanna. He looked unworried, prepared. He wondered if he haddual personalities now; one adapted to life in Obeledu and the other for Lagos.He stretched out a N100 note to the man before he could get close to Ahanna.The okada man collected the money and murmured a curse in Yoruba before climbing his okada.Ahanna told him he shouldn?t have, that that was how okada men in Lagos behaved and that he should get used to it.?Forget that he spoke Yoruba o, he might even be our kinsman,? Ahanna told him. ?This is what we see in Lagos every day; youhave to get used to it.?He began hoping he would.He looked round.The street as small as it was, was crowded.Dusty cars lined each side.Hawkers with food items he?d not seen before walked past with their trays.Lanky shabbily-dressed men and boys with rectangular boxes which they strike once in a while to create a ringing noise? to create attention, he was sure?passed too.A thin man in dirty clothes walked past witha rectangular metal cart. About twelve black, 25-litre jerry cans were arranged in it.A young woman tying a wrapper ran out from the nearby compound and called, ?Mairuwa!? waving.There were shops, kiosks with boxes of Indomie, Omo, long bars of green soap, arranged on a table in their fronts.Bright-coloured sachets of detergents, Nutri-C, Milo and CowBell, hung on nails on the doors.There were so many children in the street, most of them half-naked and dirty, but they were all smiling and playing and running around.?Let?s go!? Ahanna said to him.His voice was loud, almost on the verge of harsh, and again he thought that he was different in Lagos, behaved different. He searched for the reason, and couldn?t find one satisfactory enough.It probably was the journey, he tried to comfort himself with, even though he thought differently.They crossed to the other side of the road and filtered through a small gate, barely wide enough for two grown-ups to pass at the same time.Obinna was surprised to see so many people in the small compound. A middle-aged woman sat at a corner, washing in a big bowl. The thin baby on her back was wailing.Once in a while she nudged the baby, but it never stopped crying.A man and a woman sat on a short bench by the wall, holding hand fans. They tied thesame kind of wrapper and Obinna knew they were a couple.There were even more children in the yard. He wondered where they all lived, if there was another bungalow behind the near-dilapidated one he was seeing.He didn?t understand why Ahanna would decide to buy a house that old.?Papilo!? the tenants cheered as they saw them. Ahanna smiled back at them. A tall, skinny young man wearing only a pair of boxer shorts came out through the central passage. ?Papilo!? He held his hand up in theair in greeting. Ahanna shook hands with him.?Welcome, where bread?? he said.?How you dey?? Ahanna replied.?O boy.? The young man was scratching his head, forehead lined.?Papi darling!? a thin female voice called.Obinna turned. A yellow girl was coming outfrom a small building at the other end of thecompound.She held a red bucket and a yellow soap dish. A damp, faded-blue towel covered herfrom the chest down. Obinna stared at her. She joined her two legs together on a flat stone outside the structure and poured water on her legs.?Ife mi, bawoni?? Ahanna said.?Fimile jor!??Aa-ah.? Ahanna was smiling. ?Wetin I do now na???Shebi you run early morning go your village without telling me.?Ahanna laughed. ?No worry, we go talk about that one later.?Obinna?s eyes were still on the girl. He didn?t know if he?d call her pretty or not. Shewas fair, the kind people in his village wouldcall, ?ocha-ka-omaka?fair beauty.?The girl looked at him and did something like a smile. ?Who follow you come?? she asked.?Na my brother,? Ahanna said.?This your brother fine o!? the girl said. She was staring at Obinna. ?Arewa omokunrin omo-igbo.?Her eyes nearly got Obinna embarrassed. He wondered if she was one of the prostitutes.They entered through the central passage. Ahanna?s room was at the far end. The rooms faced each other, an architectural design Obinna had not seen before.Ahanna pulled the curtain, a loose faded white fabric, and asked him to come in. ?Nwanne, welcome,? he said.He looked round the room. A small naked mattress was at the corner of the wall on top a carpet so threadbare he couldn?t tell what colour it had been.Ahanna pulled a plastic chair for him. ?Sit!?He took the seat, his eyes still exploring the room. As if there was anything to explore. He was sure the Akira TV on the table no longer worked, owing to the thick dust film that lay on it.Ahanna picked a small radio from the table and turned it on. A female voice was reading the news. The current governor justheld his second-term campaign in one of the major markets and people were trampled as they hustled to get the rice andsalt he brought.Ahanna pitched a long hiss. He grabbed theradio and turned it off. ?Nonsense!?Obinna stared at him.?These thieves only remember the masses when it?s time for election.?Obinna inhaled deeply. He was used to that phrase, people calling politicians thieves. But he thought thieves were everywhere, that everyone was capable of stealing. Thatnobody?s stealing was better. He didn?t want to keep quiet. But he was tired.When his father was alive, Asika, his father?s friend, always aggressively protested the governance of the then local government chairman. He spoke bitterly of how he squandered the money meant for the community water project.But when his father gave him fifty thousand naira to help him procure cheap corrugated iron from the market in Onitsha where he owned a shop, Asika returned after many months, saying the building materials dealers have stopped selling at that rate.But he didn?t return his father?s money.?Change into something else so you can go and have your bath,? Ahanna said to him.?Ok.? He stood up. He removed his shirt and pulled down his trousers.Ahanna gave him a towel and a bar of Premier Soap.?Can I go out like this?? he asked, gesturing around his boxer shorts.?Sure.??Ok.??We?ll get water outside. Let?s go.??Wait, can I get some tissue??Ahanna turned to him. ?Tissue? You wan go toilet???Yes. That stew we ate at that stop is making my belly turn.?Ahanna gave him a look, scratching his head.He didn?t understand. ?If there is no tissue, give me newspaper na,? he said.?That?s not the case.??What then???You can?t go to toilet now.??Ah ah, why??Ahanna dropped one hand on his shoulder. ?You see, my brother, we no dey shit for day time for this place.?Obinna found this hard to grasp. Ahanna continued before he could put a question through. ?You see, since last month our soak-away spoil, na short cut we dey do.?He did not know what short cut is.He did not bother to ask either.To Be Continued...Please care to drop a comment.The more the comments the faster the episodes come

Episode 6

She thought she wouldn?t sleep, but she did.After dinner, she?d entered her room quietly.She didn?t join the others to watch Super Story on NTA. Later, Ugochi knocked on herdoor to inform her a movie of Mr Ibu has started showing.On the bed, all but her face was buried in her yellow kiri-kiri-star wrapper.She told her younger sister that she wanted to sleep, needed to sleep.Ugochi left and she turned to the wall and closed her eyes.Their intermittent laughter jarred on her head.She was tempted to unwrap herself and go out to the sitting room to see what was causing so much laughter, what Mr Ibu was doing on the screen, but she held herself.She tried to think, imagine what he [Mr Ibu] was doing now. She got nothing at first, andthen she saw a huge pot belly. Mr Ibu wore only white underpants, dancing round on the road while the children that gathered round him laughed loudly at him.She saw herself among the children now, laughing out loud like them.She was smiling on the bed, when suddenly the image of Obinna walked past the scene in her mind.She turned to him. She was about running to him when he waved at her to stop. He didn?t talk. He only gesticulated with his index finger?turned it round in the air?in the way people do to mean they will be back shortly.She nodded; she understood.He would be back soon. He was only going to fetch something down the road and then he?d be back.She felt unusually calm, settled.In a short time she was snoring gently on the bed.***The short arm of the round clock hanging on the wall opposite her bed has moved some points now.She was now sprawled on the bed, one arm here, one leg there.She wasn?t snoring, but her breathing was deep. She was dreaming.She saw that he is back already.Obinna was back.Something had happened to their bus on the way and they had to turn back. He knocked on the front door.She stood and walked to the door, but when she opened it, it wasn?t him. It was Ozoemena, the loutish boy that go about the village stealing and causing trouble.Then suddenly it was him, Obinna. Her Obinna.She wanted to touch him and suddenly it wasn?t him again. He was now Nze Ofili, herfather?s friend with his large hairy nose. Excessive use of snuff has turned the nose hairs yellow-brown.His faces alternated on and on till she crossed herself and began to cry.Then he came and held her. The touch was his, she knew immediately.She looked up; it was really him. He held her and murmured something into her ear, something she didn?t hear or understand.But she felt calm under his grip now, a heavy feeling of peace settled on her.But, suddenly, he was gone again. In the weird manner of dreams, he?d melted into smoke and drifted away.She woke up; the bulb above shone a bright yellow in her eyes and she squeezed her eyelids.She remembered she hadn?t turned off the switch. NEPA always restored power late atnight and she always turned off the bulb before sleeping.She hadn?t prepared before sleeping. She hadn?t put on her flimsy night dress and applied talc to her neck.She didn?t beat the bed with her wrapper to send out sand from the sheet before lying down.It hit her again now, the new change to her life. To everything she was. Used to be. She feared she might never be herself again.But then she remembered; he?d be back. Hemust. She has given him an ultimatum.She shifted to the wall, reached up to the round switch and turned the nub up.Sudden darkness fell over the room. She fumbled around for the pillow, clutched it tight and closed back her eyes.***He did not sleep.So many thoughts kept him awake. The mosquitoes didn?t help issues, and so was the heat, and then Ahanna?s turbulent snores.The room was dark. The burning candle on the table beside the bed was only able to cut out a small circle off the darkness.He normally slept with the light on. Sometimes, his mother came in in the middle of the night to turn the light off, but only a short while and he?d wake up and turn it back on again.Adaku had told him, once, that it was strange and he told her he liked it.?We will be sleeping in different rooms then,? she told him, and he quickly grabbed her and said, ?We will always turn the light off, inu??Now in Lagos, he prayed he?d ever see a glowing bulb again. Even if it is the murky ?half-current? glow.Ahanna had told him when they came back from ?short cut? that they don?t normally expect electricity till past midnight, on Saturdays!?Well, sometimes, Sundays too,? he added, ?but it is rare.?It was late at night when Ahanna finally toldhim they can now go out and do the short cut.His tummy was threatening to burst. He?d been sitting all the while with his legs crossed, battling to hold down the cramps.With relief, he followed Ahanna outside.They walked down the road to the large central gutter with fast-flowing water.Ahanna stepped on the edge of the ditch and pulled down his shorts.He was watching him.Ahanna crouched, his ass to the opening. Soon he gave out a low growl and he heard a thump in the moving water.?Oga do na!? Ahanna said to him.He tore a part of the newspaper he was holding and spread it on the ground.He crouched and deposited his release.Afterwards, he folded it carefully as one packaging food. But he was reluctant to throw it into the gutter.What if the water didn?t carry it and people saw it in the morning?They will open it and from the distinctive village smell, they will know that it is his.?Oga, I don go o,? Ahanna said. ?You wan chop am?? He has wiped himself and pulled up his pants.He eventually threw in the package and followed Ahanna.He was not sure how to feel, learning that he?d be doing this every day, till the ?soak-away? is repaired.He wished it was something he could do now, so that in the morning he would pull off his shirt, gather his tools and set to work. Like he did the morning after a huge wind blew away the roof of their kitchen.Ahanna told him he should be grateful, that theirs was even better. Better than those living in places where gutters with fast-moving water was not found.Later, he would learn how the women used small ?penta? buckets half-filled with water to do theirs. They did it in the bathroom andthen poured it into the sewer through a small crack.Because that somehow appeared more moral to him, he joined them and felt a littlerelief.Now he opened the side pocket of his bag and brought out what Ada had given him. He rubbed the white package and brought itclose to his chest.Then he smelt it. Strangely, it smelt of her, her Joy flower perfume.He tore it open slowly. She had used tape.He saw a necklace and held it up in his hand.The candlelight was dull, but he recognized the necklace.He remembered it?the tiny sliver-coloured beads strung to a stretchy cord.It was from her grandmother, she?d told him. She never removed it. Not even when they were making love and it obstructed hismouth from getting to her nipples.Once, he?d wanted to pull it off in the quiet, casual way clothing is removed during sex, but she?d held his hand and shook her head.He stared at the necklace, and then straightened the paper.He saw the pen marks on it and sub-consciously thought it was ?I Love You' like they often did when they exchanged paper bits in class at Community.But now he managed to read the writing under the dim light.And he read it again, and again. And again. ?Bring It Back!?At first he didn?t understand the ?It?, what it referred to, and then he did. The necklace. She meant the necklace.And she had added an exclamation mark atthe end of the sentence to mean it was an order.He drew in a deep breath.He folded the necklace in his palm and breathed into it. The pleasant smell of her filled his nose.He opened the hook and wore it over his neck.In the morning Ahanna told him why he?d brought him to Lagos, why he?d chosen him among all the other young men that desiredto follow him.Why he?d chosen him even over his own cousin, Uche.

Episode 7

Ahanna told him his rent has expired.He did not allow his shock to settle on him before he continued.He told him he needed someone to stay with, someone hardworking and trustworthy, someone like him, so that they could work hard together and pay the rent, since the landlord had been kind enough to give him a 3-month grace.?Nwanne, this town is haaard!? Ahanna said to him. ?Very haaard.?At first, Obinna thought nothing. His mind was blank.Then anger surged through him. His skin became warm.But he knew not who he was really angry with: Ahanna, for deceiving him; Lagos, for being so haaard to live in, or the landlord, for asking people to pay rent in a house without soak away.He imagined him a short man in a long native attire and red cap shouting at his tenants, threatening to throw their things out if they didn?t pay their rent after a week.That man was Deh Okolo in his village. One day, one of the tenants he was screaming at had beaten him to pulp, packed his things and left the same day.His heart lightened a little now. He thought, at least, that Lagos landlords were different. It appeared they did not shout, theway Ahanna had said ?he was kind enough to??And the man had really been kind to give a 3-month grace. Deh Okolo gave one week, yet with persistent shouting.After the long speech, the truth, Ahanna finally gave him a chance to ask a question.Before he could say a thing, he went on to add, ?Nwanne, don?t be too worried, everything will be fine?, as if to ensure he did not get violent and beat him up.But he did not. He only nodded and his chest rose and fell in a deep sigh.He already knew what that last statement was ? consolation.And he hated to be consoled. People sayingsorry to him when he is injured, telling him not to worry when he is sad.The day his father died, he?d gone to the back of the house to join the boys digging the grave.He preferred to join them than stay with his mother in the front yard where the people that trooped in donated pity to them in large bundles.But the boys had asked him to go back, to leave the job to them.He picked his ete and machete and started down their farm. He knew none of their palm trees had ripe fruits?he?d cut them all?but he would climb one, the tallest one, and cut down a few fronds for the goats.People saw him and were screaming, thinking he was going to kill himself. Boys finally ran after him and overpowered him. They carried him back home.That was when he began to cry, telling themto give him back his ete and machete, to allow him, that he was only going to cut some fronds.?Do you have any plans?? he finally asked Ahanna.Ahanna tilted his head to stare at him.Then his lips quivered and broad smile came over his face.He had made the right decision. He was theright decision.He stretched his hand and Obinna grabbed it in an energetic handshake.***Ahanna took him to his shop when it was full morning.He had expected to see a shop when Ahanna had said shop, but when they got toOshodi, busy and bustling like it was the only market in Nigeria, what he saw was only a space, as small as where Mama Amaka would display her awalawa peppers and tomatoes at the Nkwo.Ahanna greeted the other cloth sellers. They called him Papilo too and he shook hands with most of them, introducing him to anyone that bothered to ask as his brother.He asked him to wait at the space so he could go and bring his wares.He returned with a large bag. He helped himput it down.Ahanna spread a broad sheet made by joining sacks together on the ground. After he set up the clothes, a huge pile of shirts, skirts, trousers, bras and pants, he joined the others in chanting, ?Come and buy!??It has fallen?f-l-a-t!??Bend down and select your fine-fine top here, fine-fine jeans here, fine-fine pant, justtwo hundred, two hundred!?He rang his bell. ?It has fallen!?Obinna observed him for a while before joining in the sales, calling of customers, convincing them to buy and packaging whatthey?d bought for them.At the end of the day when they got home, Ahanna was amazed when he counted the cash.He re-counted the bundle of notes again, giggling as he lifted one weak note after another, wetting his fingers occasionally with the tip of his tongue.?Nnaa, mehn! We sold today o!? he shook Obinna?s hand in a way he thought was a bittoo violent.He smiled. He was happy that Ahanna was happy.Afterwards, he asked him how he always managed to convince people to buy, especially when he was sure he never saw him join in the shouting and chanting.But each time he looked, he would see that he was speaking with a customer who appeared obedient and listening.Even though he knew what he did, he did not know how to explain it to Ahanna. It was the method he used at the Nkwo, whenhe stood with other barrow boys and instead of joining them to reach out and call customers, he would be quiet.He would then pick a face, and with his eyes and well-timed smile he would beckonthe person to come. And most times, the person would come, and would eventually hire him.He had applied the same technique in Oshodi and it appeared to have worked justfine.People are the same everywhere, he realized. You have to give attention to get attention.Later that night, because he was happy, Ahanna took him to Madam Golden.She was Igbo and made Igbo dishes; oha, egwusi and onubu.He ate onubu with fufu. Though he complained that the onubu leaves were too stalky and over-washed, but he preferred it to the ewa goyin and Agege bread he took in the noon hours.When Ahanna had beckoned the woman with her pot and oil container in a tray on her head, he?d thought it was fio-fio.He liked the bread though. It was soft and stretchy?near-elastic?and surprisingly cheap.But he didn?t like the mashed beans with the palm-oil sauce. It nearly nauseated him and he dropped it aside and ate only the bread. He was surprised at how Ahanna enjoyed the meal and had to even order for extra beans.Sales were good the next day too and the days that followed.One evening, they were munching on hot akara and Agege bread when Ahanna laughed and told him that it was like Ore is buying his market.His teeth got trapped in the bread. ?Ore???Ore na, the girl in room four.??Oh, is that her name???Yes.? Ahanna bit off a chunk of bread and threw a ball of akara into his mouth. ?You should be careful though,? he said, his voicenow distorted by chewing. ?You know she isa Yoruba girl.?Obinna?s eyes ran up to him. He did not understand the reason for the warning. He did not understand the stupid things Ahanna was saying.How could he even be saying stupid things like that when he knows that he is a marriedman?He touched the necklace on his neck now and drew in a deep breath. He started on his food again.For all he knows, he has no idea of what Ahanna is talking about.He is the one that even noticed the poor girlis buying his market in the first place. As if he had anything on sale.Though he couldn?t swear he hadn?t thoughtabout it once; the stares, the smiles, and the quiet way she said ?Obinna, good morning?, each morning they saw each other.He only began to worry when the food presents started. The first real discussion they had was on a Sunday morning when she asked him what his favourite food was.He was near the narrow gutter at the edge of the compound, washing his singlet when she came close.A small tray of beans was in her hands. She was picking out the chaff.?Obinna, can I ask you a question?? she said.He looked up at her. She was wearing a short gown and her yellow skin shone in thecalm sun.He saw the two thin marks on her cheeks and felt upset. He did not understand why someone would spoil such fine skin with marks he did not understand what purpose they served.He had a razor mark below his belly too, butit was from the treatment of a stomach ailment he had when he was small.?Ask me,? he said.?What food do you like well???Food I like well,? he repeated, eyes turned up in thought.?Yes, favourite food for you.??Ukwa,? he finally said.Confusion flickered in the girl?s eyes. ?Uka???Not uka, ukwa. You don?t know it??She shook her head.?Ukwa is Igbo food. We cook it with corn and dry fish.??Ok.?She shook her tray slightly and blew off chaff. ?So you don?t like rice.?He appeared thoughtful again. ?Rice is just normal food.??Normal? As in how???Everybody eats rice. It?s not a special food.??Ok, so your uka is a special food.??Ukwa, not uka.??Ukwa, okay.?He was surprised her English was good, better than what he?d expected.?Do you go to school?? he asked.?Mm??He regretted having asked. He was still battling with what next to say when she said, ?Oh you mean if I go to university??He nodded.?No, but I have WAEC. And I do part-time program at Yabatech.??Good.??I work at Regis Media. Receptionist.??That is very good.??Yes. I was working with Apex before but I left. This place I?m working now is better.?He nodded, and as if to please her, caused himself to feel more respect for her, because he now knows she is a student at Yabatech and has worked two jobs.He imagined Regis Media now, a small printhouse in Ilupeju, a mighty company where not everybody could get employed in.She was leaving when, suddenly, she turnedback to him. ?You eat rice at all??He nodded. ?Yes.??Ok.? She left.Later that evening, she brought them rice, beans and fried plantain.He thanked her, but did not eat the stew because there was too much pepper in it. He watched Ahanna devour the meal.Again, he feared one day he?d become whatAhanna now is, Lagos would turn him into ittoo, a voracious omnivorous monster.Two days after, Ore brought them moi-moi made with whole eggs, her first food he truly enjoyed.?Nice girl,? he said to Ahanna as they ate.Ahanna nodded, but he could not say if the head movement was to agree to his remarkor simply another indication of his savouring of the meal.He was humming and his eyes were narrowed.?So this is how she always brings food for you?? Obinna asked.Now Ahanna drank some water. ?Nwanne, no o. In fact, this started when you came. I told you, she is really liking you.?Obinna suddenly felt his tummy full. It was like the chewed moi-moi in his belly had suddenly turned into something else, something heavier.Something stony.He began to suspect Ahanna might be in league with the girl on whatever mission she was on when he began excusing himself.He would leave the room for them and go outside.At first, they appeared to have a lot to talk about, exchanging tribal stories.He told her the story of a bad man in his village who had killed his brother and gone ahead to swear the iyi, thinking his counteractive medicine would protect him. ?He die after four months from ibi, swelling of scrotum.??Four months?? she said. ?That is far.?He appeared surprised.?Ogun is sharp sharp. If not gun, machete or accident.?He shook his head, amazed.?Sango uses thunder.?He shook his head again. But one day, they seem to run out of talk and she touched him.

Episode 8

He knew her bride price had been paid and also who had paid it.But he did not care. He was his enemy afterall.He?d seen her pass on her way to the tap, but he waited till she was coming back up, now burdened with her filled yellow jerry can.She sang happily as she approached; she had seen her JAMB result earlier that afternoon. 292 was her score. She will get the admission, she was almost sure.After looking at the result slip for many minutes, as if to be sure the 292 really meant her exam score and nothing else, herfather had shaken her hand like she was a man his age before hugging her.Her mother hugged her too and in that her self-possessed manner of not always acting so surprised towards things like that about her, said, ?Obulozi ada mu? Is it not my daughter again??Now the boy jumped out of the bush to her front.?Jesus!? she screamed, startled.?Kpoo ya ozo!? Ozoemena crossed his arms on his chest.She scowled at him. ?Ozoemena, what is it??He ignored her.?What is it?? She wanted to go the other wayand he quickly moved in and blocked her again.?Ozoemena!? She looked back. The narrow ezi-ama path was as lonely as it always were. She wished now she had followed theother road that was wider and better used.?Ozoemena, let me pass now!? Lines have appeared on her forehead.?Taa! Pass where???Heey! I will shout o!??Shut up!??Ozoemena!??Ada ojoo!??Ozoemena!??Ada ojoo!?She tried to go the other direction and he followed her again.?Ozoemena!? I will shout o! People o???If I hear pim eh???What will you do???Ok, continue asking me question. Let me hear pim from you, ordinary pim and you will know if you will get to your father?s house whole.?Her forehead creased further. Her neck hurtbadly from the weight of the jerry can. ?Ozoemena, what did I do to you? Eh, what???Are you asking me?? He stared at her face. ?Do you want to cry?? He began to laugh. ?You see your life now? Shebi that time you were following Obinna around like ijiji na eso nsi [flies running after faeces], insulting everybody as if you are a god, it didn?t occur to you that a day like this will come eh? That one day he would leave, abi???Ozoemena, let me pass na. Oya, please!??He-he! Did I just hear please? Adaku Onochie said please? I must be dreaming.?He made to look back.She tried to run, but he caught her by the hand and drew her back.Her jerry can fell in the process. The water-filled container thumped hard on the baked ground, bounced a few times but did not break.She quickly bent and straightened it. She rose and shot him an ugly scowl. ?Ozoemena Mbachu, what do you want??He shrugged. ?Just two things. Two things!??What???First, you have to go on your knees now, and then??Her laughter made him pause.She clapped her hands. ?Me, Adaku? You want me, Adaku Onochie, ofu ada Onochie, to go down on my knees for you? Inukwa! Nke gini jiri me, what are you???Ok. I can see you have not changed.? He thrust his palm to her face.?Jesus! You slapped me, Ozoemena???Mka kabu mbido?this is just the beginning.?She dived into him, head first. ?You slapped me eh? You must kill me today!??Hey-hey-hey, who is beating my brother?s wife?? Uzo and his friend, Jideobi, were running out of the bush, their catapults swinging on their necks.They came close and Jideobi flung the two squirrels they?d killed aside.?Boys, leg,? Ada said to them.The boys grabbed Ozoemena?s legs and thenext minute he was on the ground. Adaku balanced on him as they held down his hands.He wriggled underneath them.Adaku was feeding him with sand and leaves when she heard, ?Ogini! What is going on there???Uzo, now!? she said.The little boy fell to the ground and started to cry. His friend knelt beside him, pretending to be helping him.Now Ichie Dumije was close. ?What is happening here?? he asked again.On his shoulder was the long palm frond he?d cut for his goats. His in-curved machete was clasped in his right hand.Adaku drew in a sobbing breath. ?Nnaa, we were just returning from the tap when Ozoemena ambushed us and started beating us.?Dumije turned to Ozoemena. He was wipinghis face and spitting. ?Nwokem, is that true???Ichie, don?t mind them o! They have been the ones beating?? he abruptly paused, ashamed to finish up.?Ehen, continue.? Dumije may have wondered why he looked dirtiest.?Ichie, nothing,? Ozoemena said, finally.Dumije stared at him. ?Ozoemena! Ozoemena, so you have not changed? I thought that after Igwe?s warning that you have finally decided to change.??I have changed, Ichie.??Taa!? Dumije barked. ?Ngwa, gbafuo?disappear!?Ozoemena started to walk away.?Ifulo,? Dumije was saying, ?okpukpu azu?fish bone?yet he won?t allow the entire village to rest.?Ozoemena turned and Adaku flashed him a tongue. She smiled at the boys.Dumije turned to her and she quickly cleared her face.?Hope you are okay?? Dumije asked.Ada nodded. ?Yes, Ichie. You came in just on time to save us.??Ngwa, you all can go now. Always be careful, inugo.?She nodded again. ?Thank you, Nnaa,? she said.?Thank you, Ichie,? the boys chorused.Adaku bent to carry her water.?Do you need help?? Dumije asked.?No, Nnaa, I can carry it.? She put back her aju, lifted the yellow can and balanced its side on her head.?Greet your father,? Dumije said as they began walking away.***In Lagos, business blossomed the first few months.The boys made enough money to repair the TV, buy another stove, some pots and change the carpet. They also bought a sheet for the bed.The first time Obinna cooked, egwusi soup, Ahanna had teased him that he should havebeen born a woman instead. He told him that not even Ego, his sister, could cook that well.The hundred and twenty thousand rent money was complete now too.They couldn?t wait for the landlord to return.He?d travelled to Ibadan to see his other tenants. Obinna wondered if any one of them owed him rent like them too.His relationship with Ore had also blossomed.The first time she?d touched him, inside the room, he?d gently pushed her hand off and quietly left the room for her.The second time, a week or so later, he took the trespassing hand, held it tight and told her to listen.She obeyed and after he drew closer and narrated to her all about his wife in the village, she nodded, smiled and told him she understood.She also told him his wife was lucky and he smiled, and felt extremely good within.Slowly, their relationship melted into a platonic sweetness.He stopped being afraid each time he was alone with her. They played together and joked often.She taught him how to say ekaro, ekaso and ekale. How to eat Agege bread and ewa by first turning the ewa and oil sauce into a smooth brown paste.He tried it and liked it.He told her to always say odi mma whenever he asked her kedu?She helped him write his second letter to Ada. That evening, she told him to cancel the ?I Miss You? he?d written at the end of the letter and write something like ?ThinkingOf You Always? instead.He didn?t understand her reason, but he?d agreed.She also told him to draw something on theletter, a funny image he was sure would make her laugh.He hummed and turned his eyes up in thought.He finally drew two chicken legs on the paper and wrote underneath it, ?How is Nkoli doing???What is Nkoli?? Ore asked him.?She will understand,? he said, smiling.***Ahanna first told him about Okechukwu andhis business deal on a Saturday night.They had just finished eating and were lyingon the bed, their eyes to the ceiling, waiting for NEPA.He?d found something fishy about the deal?buying bags of baking powder that has surprisingly gone scarce in the market?but he?d agreed, majorly because Ahanna sounded very excited about it, and the fact that he really did not know much about Lagos and its deals.More relieving, they were not to pay the hundred and sixty thousand naira immediately. They would pay in parts, comfortably spread over three months.Okey had said they should follow him to themarket to confirm, but that Chief was a veryhonest man.That he?d imported the powder by mistake and now he wanted to help people with it, young people like them who needed help. Young people struggling to make it in Lagos.They?d gone to Alaba with him with a small sample of the powder?a smooth, sweet-smelling white dust.A man was ready to pay N150, 000 for one bag immediately if they had come along with it.Since people discovered the powder could be used for so many other things other thanbaking, it had disappeared entirely from the market? the man told them.He took the small sample they brought and gave them N10, 000.***The next day was Sunday.They followed Ore to her church? The Redeemed.Before Obinna?s coming, Ahanna used to attend Miracle Mountain Ministries in Isolo,the pastor was called Pastor Sharp-Sharp, from the quick-working nature of his prayers.But Ahanna stopped going after many months and nothing changed for him.Pastor Sharp-Sharp was sluggish in his case.He agreed for them to follow Ore to her church now that Obinna has come and it appeared God has finally remembered he existed.Obinna liked the church, the way the choir sang Igbo and Yoruba versions of every song, as though a competition to find out the tribe that would out-dance each other.He also liked the cold malt he drank as a ?first-timer?.Later in the evening, he was outside washing when a tall young man passed him,walking into the central corridor.He had looked up to greet him, but discovered the man was not in the mood.He seemed in a hurry.He bent down to his bucket again, but he soon heard noises.

Episode 9

Obinna dropped his wet shirt back into the bucket. Rubbing his hands on his knickers, he ran into the house.The noise was coming from Room Four. Ore?s room.He put his ear to the door. Ore and her visitor were arguing in raised voices.He tried to listen, tried to understand what they were arguing about, but there was just so much Yoruba going on.He finally decided to think that was how Yoruba people argued?after all, he?d always thought they talked a little louder than average.And he was the only one that had run to Ore?s door.He was turning to leave when he heard the sound of a hard slapping and the accompanying squeal of pain.It was Ore that was slapped, he knew at once.He pounded the door. ?Ore?? Again. ?Ore, areyou inside???Obinna, please help me, please!? he heard and the next second, dull sounds of repeated blows followed by Ore?s cries.It appeared his presence had only angered her tormentor the more.He tried to open the door; it was bolted from inside. He drew back and came back to it with force. The door flew open.He dived at the guy beating Ore on the bed and flung him away. He held Ore; her mouthwas bleeding. ?Are you okay?? he asked her.Ore pointed to his back. Before he could fully turn, the stool had slammed into his head.He reeled and fell away.?Obinna!? Ore was running to him when the guy that had hit him grabbed her by the hand.He said something in Yoruba. ?Shebi oun leleyi.?On the ground, Obinna shook his head and staggered back to his feet. He lunged towards the guy and both of them locked ina tight struggle of muscles.Ahanna flew into the room then with another neighbour. They separated the fightand the other tenant who was Yoruba too started asking Ore what happened.The visitor straightened his shirt, pointed at Ore and murmured something and then walked away.Ahanna asked Obinna if he was okay.He shook his head, eyes rolling, as if to reset his brain back into order.Later in evening, as Ahanna handed him a blister pack of Panadol, he reminded him that this is Lagos where heroes don?t last.He nodded and swallowed the tablets.Ore would later tell him that the boy used tobe her boyfriend and that she just told him she was no longer interested in the relationship when he got upset and slappedher.?Why did you tell him you are no longer interested?? he asked her.Ore said nothing and walked quietly away.***Adaku was surprised she wasn?t having the normal anxious feelings associated with checking results.The day they?d gone to pick their WAEC, she?d felt so nervous she nearly threw up.When she finally got the envelope, she?d given it to Obinna to open and tell her only if she should cry or not.Obinna had opened the folded paper gently,glancing up at her from time to time.The white sheet of paper straight in his hand, his eyes widened in horror.Adaku felt a hard pound in her chest.?Ada, I?m sorry,? he said, his voice low with sympathy. He folded the paper back, shaking his head slowly. ?All others were good, but you failed English and Maths.?Adaku suddenly felt like crying.He extended the envelope to her, deep concern on his face. ?Don?t be so sad, I?m sure you will do better next year.?She breathed hard and took the envelope from him. She made no attempt to open it.?You don?t want to open it?? he asked.She shook her head, her lips compressed.He started to laugh.Her eyes ran to him.?Open your result jor!? he said. ?With that much A?s, I?m sure Principal Eze will preach with your name at the assembly for months!?She slowly straightened the paper, her heartstill thudding.And then she smiled, and slapped his head. ?Mkpi!?He was chuckling.?Let me see yours,? she said.He gave her. She nodded as she whispered each grade: C5, C6, C5, B2, C4, D7?She turned to him. ?D7 in Geography??He nodded. ?Didn?t touch that map sheet.?She handed it back. ?Good result.??Thank you.?They hugged and walked home holding hands.But now that she was on her way to the Computer Centre in Adazi with her scratch card and printout, she was surprised she wasn?t feeling the usual prick of anxiety at her sides.She stared boldly at the computer screen as Emma typed in her details.He was smiling, both at her and at the screen. She didn?t understand the smile, she didn?t bother to try either.?So which other schools did you choose?? he asked her.?Just UNIZIK,? she said.He turned to her. ?Only UNIZIK???Yes.?He left his eyes on her for a while, and then on a consoling note said, ?You will get it?, before turning back to the screen.Adaku gave a perfunctory nod.?Awka is close,? Emma added.Another nod. ?Yes.?He finished typing and submitted.They waited, staring as the short bar at the top of the page slowly filled with green.The loading got to the near end and paused. An error page popped up instead.Emma looked at her with guilt, as though hewas somehow the cause of the poor network.He clicked on the back link and re-submitted.?Wow!? he screamed even before the page could fully load. ?You are admitted! Nne, you have admission o!?She did not know how to feel. A complex mix of joy and something else flowed through her.Then suddenly the smiles on Emma?s face started to die.?Zoology,? he murmured. ?Ada, they gave youZoology.?She peered at the screen and it was really Zoology.?What courses did you fill?? Emma asked.?Pharmacy,? she said.?Haa.? Emma hissed, in the way people do to show they are very sad about something.?You should have asked me.? His voice was now low. ?You should have asked me. UNIZIK does not admit for Pharmacy yet.??I didn?t know,? she said.?Haa.? Emma swayed his head and hissed again.Adaku stared at him, wondering why he seemed so sad.Zoology, she knew had to do with animals. She wouldn?t mind it at all.After all, she owned a hen called Nkoli who she pretended to talk to.When Nkoli in her manner of doing things the inexplicable way, decided to hatch her chicks in the kitchen roof, she was the only one Nkoli allowed to touch her babies and bring them down for her.And truly she did not like Chemistry which she knew is the bone of Pharmacy that much.She had only chosen Pharmacy because her mother had asked her to study ?doctor? so that she?d finally find a lasting cure to her periodic arthritic pains.Because she knew she could not stand the sight of human blood, she?d opted for Pharmacy instead which she hoped would be an adequate substitute to medicine for her mother.She looked and Emma?s eyes were still on her. ?Emma, print my result,? she said.?Ok.? He turned to look at her again before bending to set up the printer.The concerned look was still on his face as he handed her the printout and gave her herchange.It was as though he couldn?t imagine someone like her studying that course.?Thank you. Bye-bye,? she said.?Bye-bye,? Emma said, his voice so low she barely heard him.She did not turn to look, otherwise she would have seen how he swayed his head in the way people do to show pity.***Today, the two boys were exceptionally happy.They were meeting with Chief today. They were finally going to get their wares and couldn?t wait to start selling, making millions.After they told him their money was complete, Okechukwu had told them Chief would be returning to the country in a week,and that was today.They have so many customers lined up already, one even said he needed four bags straight and was going to pay double if need be.The baking powder was the scarcest thing in Lagos now anyway. Not even in Alaba International Market, could you find any more than 20grams to buy at once.But this evening they were going to get the 10 bags they?d paid for.?Obyno, I done leave you go!? Ahanna was already outside.From inside the room, Obinna heard him strike his leather flip-flops against the wall to clean them.He hurried with his shirt.?Let?s go,? Ahanna said as he came out. The Ghana-Must-Go they?d use to carry the bagsof powder was folded into four and held under his armpit.The bike they took stopped them at Oshodi Express. In his blissful spirit, Ahanna waveddown a taxi.When Obinna gave him a surprised look, he told him to keep quiet and better start adjusting to the new life of money and comfort.The taxi driver said he?d collect N3000 'last' to take them to Lekki where Chief lived. Ahanna did not protest. He gestured to Obinna to enter the car.He hesitated.?Nwokem, enter na! Na so the poverty done do you reach??Obinna held the front door handle to open it.?Enter the back!? Ahanna barked, nearly startling him.He joined him as he entered, mumbling thatthey have to enjoy what they paid for.Obinna did not understand why staying at the back meant more enjoyment than the front.He would have preferred to sit in the front. He liked to stick his head out to look at the tall buildings and busy traffic.He was annoyed when they got to the bridge and he could not see the ocean well.The silent sea spread over the horizon like an endless dark-grey blanket. He wondered if the small figures on tiny wood structures he saw on the water were really people.He held himself not to gasp at the sight of the tall buildings that lined the ocean.But when he saw a slim structure that towered high into the sky perforated with over a thousand windows, the gasp flew outof him without his notice.?That?s NITEL Tower,? Ahanna told him.?How do people climb it?? he asked.Now Ahanna smiled, the double-faced smile of city people. ?They use elevator.??Oh.? Though he did not know what an elevator is, how it looked, he didn?t bother to ask either. He hated to get that smile from people, Ahanna least of all.Finally, they were in Lekki, the part of Lagos that looked nothing like Lagos. Where the day appeared to move at normal speed andpeople looked more human, not like the crazed figures he saw in Oshodi.The houses looked like they were built for people too.The air felt like air and he saw trees and grasses and even a grasshopper.The taxi stopped them at No. 11.Ahanna ?settled? the taxi man and they walked towards the gate?wide and black, made from smooth metal. He raised a handand struck the gate.They waited.Ahanna knocked at the gate again.A small, square hole opened on it and they saw two eyes. Then a portion of the gate slid back and a young man in blue and black appeared.?We are looking for Number 11 Adebayo Street,? Ahanna said.?This is Adebayo Street, how can I help you???We are here to see Chief.??Chief??Okey appeared at the gate then. ?Boys, wetin happen na?? he said. ?Chief done dey wait tey tey!??We are sorry,? Ahanna said.As they followed Okey in, Obinna wondered what he would have said had they not used a taxi.He stared at the house in awe. Whoever that was strong enough to mould something like that in Lagos is worth his respect.Inside, they sat on the cream-colored couch and waited for Chief.Obinna felt uncomfortable surrounded by so much expensive things: the glass table with silver legs, the gleaming dark-green tiles, the wide TV, the?Chief appeared and his eyes ran to him.They quickly stood and greeted him with a bow.He was in a long loose robe, a tall large man with elegant slowness. He did not drink from the glass of wine in his right hand; a fancy black walking stick was in his other.He sat down on the couch facing them and dropped his glass of wine on the table. He inclined his walking stick to the arm of the chair.?Sir, I have brought them,? Okechukwu said.?I see.??Good afternoon, sir,? Ahanna greeted again.?Good afternoon, sir,? Obinna joined, as if to be sure Chief did not sense any disrespect and decide not to help them again.?How do you do, young men?? he asked them, his voice wealthily calm.?We are fine, sir,? they chorused.He asked them what they?d like to take and they said, together as usual, that they were ok.Chief nodded and asked Okechukwu to collect the money from them.Ahanna handed him the black package.Okechukwu counted the money and nodded at Chief.?How much is there?? he asked.?One hundred and sixty, sir.??Ok. Go in and get them the products.?Two at a time, Okechukwu brought out the 10 bags of the expensive powder for them?transparent 5kg sachets.Ahanna packed all into their Ghana-Must-Go and they thanked Chief and left.When they got home, Ahanna placed the bag under the TV table and spread a wrapper over it.He changed his shirt and walked to the call booth at the end of the street to call the people interested in the powder.He called the one that disturbed them the most first, the one that said he was willing to pay double the price.The number returned unavailable.He tried another and it was same.After the third number and none was able to connect, he walked back to the house smiling.To Be Contined...Please if you are with me just say "Hi"

Episode 10

Zoo-gini? Which one is that?? Uchechi?s nose was wrinkled as though the mere sound of the course itself added a foul smell to the air.She did not wait for her daughter?s response before she went on. ?Why didn?t you fill the doctor I asked you to fill??Again, she did not wait.?Okay, since you don?t want doctor again, why didn?t you fill engineer, or even lawyer? After all, Mama Nkechi?s second daughter, Uzoma, don?t you know her? She is in one of the universities studying lawyer now. Andshe is only a few years older than you.?She turned her eyes round the room, as if tobe sure every object in the sitting room washearing her, bearing witness: the framed photo of Jesus Christ on the wall with one hand on His glittering heart and two fingers of the other hand held up, the wide Toshiba TV with two long, silver arms of antenna forming a V on it, the faded-red armchairs and the centre table covered with a white lace fabric.Her father sat down on the chair, looking onin silence.Adaku was more interested in what he had to say. Uchechi, her mother, she knew would always be Uchechi.Now Uchechi was quiet too, staring at her husband. She has said enough; it was now time for Papa Adaku to buoy her comment by agreeing with her. It wouldn?t change anything because there was almost nothingthat could be done now, except, maybe, to ask Adaku to wait for next year to retake JAMB, but his agreeing with her would somehow make her feel better.Mollified.But Onochie was taking too long to speak.?Papa Adaku, won?t you say something???Sit down, Ada,? Mr Onochie said, finallyAda obeyed immediately. Her father was the exact opposite of her mother. Most times, this made her exceptionally glad, for she?d always known only an Onochie could marry an Uchechi.?With my little education,? her father started,?I know the course has to do with animals. Can you tell us more??She was staring at her father now, examining his features; his dark and thick brows, his bright-white eyes, straight nose and finely-cut lips, all in a clay-coloured complexion. She admired him.?Adaku??She stirred. ?Papa, Zoology is the study of animals. I love biology and Aunty Rose once said it?s a very nice course.?She felt a twinge of guilt for having lied. Aunty Rose, their Biology teacher in Community, praised her each time she did well in a test or practical. One day, she told her that a biological course would be her best bet in the university. But Aunty Rose never specifically mentioned Zoology.?Hey!? Uchechi clapped her hands. ?So when others are going about calling themselves mothers of doctors, lawyers and engineers, what will I call myself? Eh, Adaku, ngwa nu, tell me, what? Mother of an animal trainer, onye ozu aturu?shepherd!?She looked at the other picture of Jesus Christ hanging on the wall opposite her where He was surrounded by white, woolly sheep, as if to be sure she hadn?t upset Himwith her comment.?Will you be able to get a job with the degree at all?? her father asked.?Yes, Papa. There are many places one with a Zoology degree can find employment.? She swallowed hard, hoping she hadn?t lied again.?Ok. Go inside and celebrate your admission. Everything happens for a reason.??Thank you, Papa.?She hugged him and took the other way out,as if scared Uchechi?s disappointment might drive her to violence and she?d strike her.***Ada was surprised to see how different the school looked now. It had only been some months that she was here to write the Post-JAMB exam.The paths have turned overgrown and manynew buildings were under construction.At the Bus Stand, she stopped a plump girl in a blue skirt to ask for direction.The girl?s skirt seemed to have bundled her hips and thighs into one round body part.?Please where can I find First Bank, I need to pay my Acceptance Fee,? Adaku asked her.The girl turned excited. ?Are you a new student too?? she asked.?Yes.??Which department??Adaku wished she hadn?t asked. ?Zoology,? she mumbled out.?Geology???No. Zoo. Zoo-logy.?The girl?s eyes flew wide in excited surprise.?Serious? Zoology?? Unlike Adaku, she called Zu-logy and not Zuo-logy. ?I?m in Zoology too!??Really???Yes!?Adaku found something melt in her. She never imagined it?d be that easy to find another Zoology, least of all one that screamed it so boldly.She asked the girl her name and she said Mary.?You???Adaku.?As they walked to the bank together, she asked Mary if she is happy to have been given Zoology.Zoology is a course schools give after all, not one people choose by themselves.?My dear, this is the fifth year I?d be writing JAMB,? Mary said. ?I am tired.?Now Ada wished she had asked her something else.?The funny thing is that I was given this exact course two years ago, but I was busy pursuing Medicine. Shebi I would have beenin 200-level by now.?Not knowing what to say, Ada shook her head slowly.She was beginning to understand it now. Zoology is one of the courses people ran away from at first, only to come back to when they are ?tired.?Somehow, she found herself suddenly different. Her Zoology had come first and fresh, and she was accepting it in its prime. She hadn?t gone ahead to continue trying the other courses. She has not become tired and desperate.She managed to twist this feeling into little hope. Because she wasn?t ?exhausted? yet, she was going to do something different with her Zoology. Something more energetic.She and Mary entered the bank.As they stood in the long line with other newly-admitted students, she wondered why they had to pay to accept an offer of admission they?d written two tests for in thefirst place.More like collecting money for the prize winafter a strenuous competition.The cashier was exceptionally nice to her. He was slim and dark. His grey shirt was well ironed, but she thought it was too broad for him. His black tie matched the shirt well too, but she thought it too long.In her eyes, no other man was, could be, perfect. Only one.But when the cashier revealed a set of clean white teeth in a cute smile, she saw, for a split second, a little of Obinna in him.?Hmm, Zoology,? he said, looking at her details on the screen. ?I read Botany.?She smiled back at him.Later, she would come to learn about the other equally unattractive cousins of Zoology: Botany and Parasitology. And the diligent wannabe?Microbiology. The proud Biochemistry and the mendicant Science Education.Glimpsing on her smile, the cashier?s broadened, like her smiling back offered him great satisfaction. Perhaps it had.She has a very cute smile, after all.He called her zoologist as he handed her her printout. She said thank you.?Can I have your number,? he asked.She smiled at him and walked away.Outside the bank, as Mary battled to get reception on her ?open-and-close? Bird GSM,it occurred to her that she?d be needing onetoo.She wished Obinna had one now. Instead ofhandwritten letters, they?d hear each other?svoices.Her father had bought two Trium GSM phones some months ago, for himself and her mother. But Uchechi had rejected hers saying she doesn?t have the time to be saying hello to anybody, that whoever so wanted to speak to her should come to her house.She called GSM a new form of madness.So she had given the phone to her, but Adaku never thought about using it. The only person she would have been calling had no number.Or does he now?She concluded she was going to start usingthe phone when she got home. After all, shewas going to need it now that she was moving into the hostel.***Ahanna was no longer smiling as he walkedinto the compound.At the corridor, Obinna was bent over the round, green stove, turning the rice with a long spoon. He?d made it two days ago. A Jollof rice that came out yellower than intended, due to inadequate use of tomatoes.They had had to gather everything with them to complete Chief?s money.?Welcome,? he said as Ahanna walked past.He wanted to ask him if he succeeded in contacting those he?d gone out to call, but Ahanna had disappeared through the door before he could turn again.Some minutes later, he came into the room with Ahanna?s plate of rice and meat and sachet water.Ahanna had taken two spoons of the rice when he dropped on the carpet beside him and asked, ?So were you able to contact them??Ahanna hummed, mouth bulged with food.Obinna concluded the hum meant yes and said ok.The next morning, Ahanna told him it was now time to go and confirm.Obinna gave him a curious glance before bending to carry the bag.At Alaba, they couldn?t locate the shops they?d visited before with Okechukwu.The shop line looked different, as though people had left and new people came in.They finally entered a shop. A young man in white singlet and jean trousers rolled up to his knees sat on a plastic chair in the shop fanning himself with newspaper.Ahanna greeted him and asked him if he knew Mr Kayode, the name of the man that had told them he?d pay double for the powder.The young man?s eyes went narrow in thought and then he shook his head. ?There is no Mr Kayode here.?Ahanna turned to leave, but Obinna held him. In a quiet voice, he asked the man if heknew about any baking powder that sells forN100, 000 per bag.?Hundred thousand for baking powder?? Theboy was staring at them with a crooked frown. ?Can I see the powder?? he said finally.Obinna brought out one bag and gave him. He opened the sachet slowly and took a bit of the powder with one finger.Smelling it, he started to laugh. ?This is custard na!?Something hammered Obinna?s chest. ?Custard, are you sure??The boy put his white-stained finger to his nose. ?Smell it na! Custard! Vanilla flavour!?He continued to laugh and then started to call people around, to come and see another mugus that had fallen. The most recent mugus.Ahanna disappeared.Obinna bent and carried the bag, but couldn?t find Ahanna again. The people thathad gathered stared pitifully at him. The women among them murmured consoling words. Some of the men laughed hard in amusement.Sweat poured off him. He felt like crying. Heprayed the ground would just open up and swallow him.At home, Ahanna was lying down on the floor, wearing only his boxers. His eyes were wet and reddish.Obinna dropped the bag by the corner of the wall. He put a small quantity of water in the kettle and lit the stove.He dissolved a small part of the powder in a stainless bowl. When the water boiled, he held the kettle to the bowl.He stopped pouring when the mixture started to turn yellow and he confirmed that it was really custard. He took the bowl outside and flung it away with the hot food.Back in the room, he couldn?t find Ahanna again. ?Nwanne!?He ran outside, to the backyard. Ahanna was sitting on the well.He joined him. He battled with what to say.But Ahanna started before he could put anything through.?Can I tell you??Obinna shifted a little closer. ?I?m listening.??I did not come to Lagos to sell clothes on the ground in Oshodi. I came to this city with five hundred thousand naira.?Obinna?s eyes came wide. ?Five hundred thousand??Ahanna nodded. ?Papa sold our land. Chief Ozua is building on it now.??Your land in Agu-oye.?Ahanna nodded again.?So what happened to the money???I came to Lagos four years ago. On August 2001. Nwoye brought me. He owned a boutique in Ikeja then. By December that same year, my own shop was already up, just next to his.?Obinna listened with all attention.?Sales were to begin the next year. But something awful happened in Lagos on the 27th day of January, 2002.??What happened???It was a Sunday. Nwoye and I had just returned from church. It was the time my belief was still strong.??What happened???We were about to start eating when we heard the first boom! A great sound like the sky fell to earth.?Obinna?s brows came together suddenly.?The glass shattered. The roof was vibrating. And then there was another. And another. The entire house shook. Nwoye and I ran down. The road was already filled with people. Everyone was screaming, running in all directions. Many were trampled. Many were hit. Then a whole lot of others drowned in the canal.?Tears flowed down Ahanna?s face now.A trickle sped down Obinna?s cheek even though he did not yet understand.?What was happening?? he asked.?Many claimed it was a foreign attack. Some said it was Bin Laden attacking Nigeria. Others called it end time. It was later that the real truth came out. The bombs they stored in the cantonment caught fire and went off, every single one ofthem.?Ahanna sniffled.?Nwoye?s swollen body was among the hundreds pulled out from the Oke-Afa canalthe next day. A pregnant woman in our compound was also found. There was a little boy in the compound, his name was Ahmed. He was the one that first called me Papilo. Once, he told me he?d grow to become a great player just like me. That unlike me, he?d pursue his dream. He?d make sure it came true. He would play for the national team and be like Kanu. But thathe would always remember me. His first coach. I believed so much in him. I didn?t believe it was his body when I saw it, dark, swollen and devoid of life.?Ahanna?s shoulders heaved, his entire face soaked with tears. Obinna was crying too.?I lost everything. The shop was razed down.?Obinna took his hand and pressed tightly.Ahanna looked at him and gave him a slightnod, but his tears did not stop coming.?I thought I wasn?t going to survive it.? He sniffled. ?But I did. I survived. But this one, brother, I am no longer sure. I am not sure any more.?Obinna drew closer and Ahanna clung to him, vibrating with tears. Obinna rubbed his back. ?We will survive,? he told him. ?Nwanne, we will survive.?For those we lost that day?we remember.

Episode 11

Adaku pointed from the taxi window. ?That?s the one.?Soon, the white 504 Peugeot came to a haltin front of a black gate. On the wall beside the gate MILAN HOSTEL was printed in white.?Is this the place?? her mother asked.?Yes.?Her father came down and her mother followed.Adaku carried her snake-skin hand bag and joined them.The taxi man said he needed to park well and they stepped aside as he did.He came down and opened the boot. He carried out her large wood cupboard first. Abrand new family-size mattress was tied to the car roof.Adaku walked to the car. She was about to lift the big bag that contained cooking utensils when her mother waved at her to step away.?Nne, hapu? leave it,? she said.The taxi man carried the bag out. Pots, plates and spoons jangled as he lowered it to the ground.The taxi driver and her father were taking out the yam tubers together when two malestudents; one on a shirt and boxers and the other a singlet and jean trousers came to help.They were dark, slim and surprisingly of the same height, though they did not share any facial resemblance.Ada glimpsed on the face they made when they saw the food items: over a dozen yam tubers and still counting, half bag of rice, half bag of garri, beans and cartons of Indomie. It was an expression she recognized, that subtle show of surprise tinged with mocking amusement.They greeted her parents with lively smiles and lifted her things.She followed and showed them her block and then her room: Block D, Room 8.When all was inside, she thanked them.?Onoo, choolufa ife nu?find something for them,? her mother said.She used Onoo, shortened from Onochie, insituations like this.Her father dipped into his left pocket and pulled out a bundle of N500 notes. He gave each boy a note and the eager smiles hanging around their faces spread over. They chorused ?Thank you, Sir? with a bow and walked away.?Nne, there is work here o,? her mother said, looking round the room and the bags on thefloor.?I think you and Papa should start going now,? Ada said. ?I will take care of this.?Her mother shook her head. ?Mbanu, olu ehika? there is so much to be done.?She stared at her mother. She knew Uchechi. There is so much work to be done,but she?d rather keep announcing it than bend down to touch anything.She knew she couldn?t wait to get back home. She knew she still wanted to go to the market. She?d complained about why it had to be on an Nkwo, of all days, that she?d be leaving for school.Her father had asked her to stay if she didn?t want to go, but she shrugged and said, ?Mbanu, how can I choose market overmy own daughter???Nne, are sure you don?t need help?? Uchechi asked her again.?If you want to help her unpack, then do so!? her father barked. ?Stop asking stupid questions!?Uchechi opened her palms. ?Do I know where to begin???Start anywhere!?Now she raised a hand. ?Eh-eh! Papa Adaku,bikokwa, don?t shout at me.? Her voice dropped to a murmuring. ?I know you still think you are at home. This is university o.??It?s ok, Papa,? Adaku said. ?I will be fine.?Her father pulled out the bundle of money and gave her.?Thank you, Papa.?Her mother unzipped her yellow purse and brought out four N200 notes. ?Nne, tikoo? join this too.?She collected the money and thanked her.Uchechi leaned toward her and whispered, ?Okwa I chetalu? Hope you still remember all I told you??She nodded.Her mother nodded too. ?Good. Once they come, tell them you are married, inu? If theypersist, oso ozigbo?run fast! Do you hear???Yes, Mama.??Good. Don?t even give them chance. You see those two that came to help us take your things inside, don?t think they are your friends o. Don?t give anybody chance. That?s why I asked your father to give them something so that you don?t feel like you owe anybody. You don?t owe them, inu?Another full nod.?Good. We will be leaving now.??Stay well, Ada,? her father said. He hugged her.Her mother opened her arms wide and hugged her too. She held on a little longer as if it was a competition and she needed to be sure she won.She kicked the side of the Indomie carton as she turned. She hissed and twisted her face back to Ada. ?Nne, are you sure the work won?t be too much for you???Mama, I will be fine.??Mama Adaku, let?s go!? Her father had opened the door.?Nne, let me run. Your father has started again.??I wonder how he will sleep this night,? Uchechi was murmuring as she walked through the door. ?I don?t know between thetwo of us who carried you in the womb for good nine months that he wants to start shedding??Adaku banged the door shut.She inhaled deeply, leaning her back into the wall. Gently, she slid down till she dropped on the half bag of rice sitting to thewall. She shut her eyes.A knock on the door jerked her eyes open.She opened the door and two girls entered.One wore a blue female singlet and tight lemon-coloured shorts and the other a multi-patterned gown that stopped at her laps.?Welcome, newbie!? the one in gown said.?Thank you,? Adaku said.?Welcome,? the one in shorts said, looking round the room.?My name is Candy,? the one in gown said.?I?m Debby,? the other said.?I am Ada.??Ada? Nice,? Candy said.Adaku looked at her. From her expression and the brusque manner she?d spoken, she knew the girl didn?t mean what she said.She didn?t think her name was nice.Adaku pushed her cupboard to the wall andlifted one Indomie bag on to the top.It was Nweke that had made it for her. He?d used white wood as she requested.Candy and Debby exchanged a look as they studied the things in the room.?So, A-d-a, don?t you have any other name?? Candy asked.?No.? Now her no was brusque too.She did not like the way the slim girl had called her name, almost sounding as the ?ada? for ?fall?, like she was a foreigner who did not know how to call Igbo names.She also did not like the way she spoke her English...with a fake unidentified accent.More angering to her was that the girl looked like someone from Nsukka.Debby tried to smile. ?Ada my dear, what department are you in???Zoology,? Adaku said.?What?? Candy again.?Zoology, don?t you know the course?? Ada said, starting to unzip the bag that contained utensils.Candy took a step to her. ?You mean you are in zoology???Yes, what???Ha. Never seen anybody in that Departmentbefore.??What is your own department?? Adaku asked her.?Pub Admin.??Ok.?Debby put up her small smile again. ?Anyways, Ada, we just came to say hi. We saw you and because you are pretty, we want you to be in our clique before the other girls come to steal you off.? Her face flushed with pride. ?Our clique is the classiest on campus.?Ada was staring at her, no clear emotion onher face.?You should see it as a favour,? Candy added.?Thank you,? Ada said, finally.?We?ll leave you to get settled now,? Debby said. ?We will come back for you later.?She nodded?a nod that meant more than agreement.?Bye, sis,? Candy said, following Debby.At the door, she heard Candy murmur to herfriend, ?There is so much work to be done here.?Ada wondered if the slim girl was referring to the bags in her room or her.***The next day, the boys left back to Lekki very early in the morning.On the way, Obinna concluded he was going strip Chief naked and sit on his big stomach while Ahanna counted the money he?d given back to them to be sure it was complete.Ahanna knew better. He had told him at home that there was no need coming back, that they weren?t going to meet anybody.Obinna had insisted. ?Will he run with his house?? he asked Ahanna.Ahanna only shook his head, exhausted.Obinna struck the gate again now. He swallowed hard and waited.He looked at Ahanna. He was quiet, just looking.He raised a hand to pound the gate again.A voice came from inside.?Who is that?? A square hole opened in the gate to reveal two eyes. ?Yes? Who are you??Obinna stared back at the eyes. ?Don?t you recognize us? We were here two days ago to meet Chief.?The eyes blinked. ?Chief? Which chief???Chief Adebayo na. Is this not Chief?s Adebayo?s house???Which Adebayo???Is this not Adebayo Street???This is Adebayo Street.?Obinna bent further to the hole. ?Number 11???Yes, Number 11, but I don?t know any Chief Adebayo.?Obinna looked over the gate, as if looking for a way to climb it, or push it off so that they could enter. ?Chief Adebayo is the owner of this house and street. We met with him here two days ago. He collected our money and gave us fake product.??My friend, go away! The owner of this placelives in Abuja. Even, I have not met him in person since I started working here last year.??Listen to me, your master is a criminal. A big thief! Two days ago, he collected one hundred and sixty thousand naira from us, one hundred and sixty thousand, only to supply us with fake goods!??My friend, go and look for the person you gave your money. This is not a residential home!??What do you mean this is not a residential home???This is a rental property. People come here and hold vacations, meetings or anything they want.?Ahanna only stared, silent and distracted, as though only waiting for him to finish so that they?d go home.Obinna pounded the gate. ?Open this gate!?Now Ahanna pointed.Obinna followed his finger and saw on the wall - JUSTICE ADEBAYO HOMES AND RESORT.Obinna was sure they hadn?t seen it there the first time they came.Or had they??Let?s go,? Ahanna said to him. His voice was low.On the bus ride back home, Ahanna did not say a single word. He kept his eyes out of the window the entire time.It was only when they got down at Oshodi that he shook his head and muttered, ?Chai.?Obinna patted his back.At home, they walked into their room quietly.Ahanna barely responded to Shege?s greeting. The young man had shouted ?Papilo!? the way he often did to greet him, but Ahanna did not call him ?Shege-Shege!? the way he usually responded.He merely raised his hand in a half-done wave and passed through the corridor.Inside the room, he sat on the bed and pulled into the wall, legs crossed.?But, Nwanne, this is not fair o,? Ahanna started to say. ?This is not fair at all. Okey na my padi na. He was my brother. Will you ever do this kind of thing to me? Will you betray me like this??Obinna said nothing.?You won?t, I know. You are my brother. Is this what a brother should do to a brother???When is Baba Sule coming back?? Obinna asked him instead.Baba Sule was the landlord?s name. He needed to slap some reality back into Ahanna.It appeared to have worked because Ahanna stopped lamenting and turned to him.But he only stared and said nothing.Obinna walked to the pot and dished him some Jollof rice.He was eating when he walked outside to Kowepe?s kiosk and got him a chilled bottleof Coke.When he finished the meal and coke, he lay down on the mattress.He woke up hours later all sweaty.He took off his shirt and picked the bucket.From outside, Obinna heard him whistling to Fela?s ?I No Be Gentleman At All? as he drew up water from the well.Afterwards, he carried the filled bucket to the back of the house to have his bath.Baba Jude?s wife was at the other end, washing clothes when Ahanna pulled down his boxers.The woman did not mind. She kept on with her washing and her humming, occasionallynudging the crying baby on her back.Obinna has never seen the baby quiet before. He?d concluded the baby must havebeen inflicted with a strange crying disease.In the evening, they went to Okey?s ?yard? in Isolo and discovered he had left. The neighbours said he never even lived there. It had been his cousin?s room.On their way back, Ahanna stopped at Kowepe?s and bought two bottles of Star Lager.In their room, as they drank the beer, he called Obinna a fool, laughing.?Nnaa, nwanne, you no be am o!? he said. ?You no be am at all. I come village carry you because I no say my brain no complete from day one make you for help me dey reason, you still come allow this nonsense people carry our money waka.?He was smiling.Obinna was smiling too, but within he wasn?t entirely amused. Guilt pricked him. He believed Ahanna was right.He?d really acted stupidly.He shouldn?t have kept quiet, should never have tossed his reservations about the shady deal aside in the beginning.Baba Sule came the next day, looking really mean in the face. The tribal marks on his cheeks appeared to have enlarged in the anger on his face.He didn?t respond to their greeting. He was already on the phone as Ahanna tried to explain what ordeal that had befallen them.Soon, three men stormed into the compound. Baba Sule showed them their room and in a matter of minutes, all they had were scattered outside the compound.They knelt down, begging, but Baba Sule never did as though he saw them. He was so different, mean, cold and stiff.The other tenants stood by, watching in silence. They had dull expressions of pity on their faces, but none of them interfered.For the first time since he came into the compound, Obinna saw Baba Jude?s baby quiet.He found some satisfaction in that and inhaled cool air.They slept in Ore?s room that night.To Be Continued...Care to drop a comment plsssssssss!!!!