CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

Two days later, Ikem was seen walking home so dejectedly. He kept talking to himself and gesturing with his hands. Urunma was sitting and painting her nails at the front of the house when Ikem walked into the compound. She saw him and became concerned. She has never seen him in this state before.

“Obim, this one your face is like this, what is it?” Urunma asked.

“Chai! Ikem, I tara nsi aboki!” he cried out and shook his head.

“Obim, what happened?” she asked.

“Baby, do you know that Amadi only sent me one hundred thousand naira?”

“Gini? Did I not say it? I said it. One hundred thousand, for what? It’s not even enough for buying the cigarette for the youths. Chai, that your brother is very wicked!” Urunma said.

“Amadi, you have really insulted me. Now I know the kind of brother I have. Do you know he is probably spending millions, preparing for his own wedding?”

“Before nko! You better wake up o! If things are like this now, what will then happen when he finally gets married? Hmmmm, you won’t even see shi-shi. Chai, afo tara nwanne gi a mmiri,” she said, clapping her hands.

“Amadi! Amadi! Amadi!” Ikem said as he pointed to the sky as if Amadi was there. “We shall see.”

“What are you going to do now?” she asked, curious.

“Don’t worry. You said we need at least three million for our wedding?” Urunma nodded.

“It’s too small. We will use five million,” Ikem said with all assurance.

“Obim, I trust you. I know what you can do,” she said and threw her hand across his shoulder.

The next day, before the cock crow, Ikem sneaked out of the house and journeyed to the shrine of Osuorji. He got there and saw the Chief Priest busy with some rituals beside his shrine. He sat down on the ground to wait for the Chief Priest to finish up with what he was doing and attend to him. Just then, an owl screeched from a nearby tree. Ikem jumped at the ghostly sound. He realized that it was an owl and sat back on the ground, but his heart was beating frantically. He became worried about the owl’s visit and the omen it possesses.

“I sense bitterness in your heart. What troubles you?” the Chief Priest broke into Ikem’s thought.

“Wise one, indeed my heart is troubled. My one and only brother has made me an object of ridicule. With all the money he has, he has decided not to help me. He derives joy in giving me peanuts so that I will never amount to anything. Wise one, please I want you to help me,” Ikem stated.

The Chief Priest began immediately to sing a native song and dance around in frenzy. Ikem was surprised how energetic the old man danced. Just as abruptly as the song and dance started, it stopped.

“What do you want Osuorji to do for you?” he asked Ikem.

“I want my brother, Amadi, to be my slave. I want him to do anything I tell him to do.”

“Then you have come to the right place. But it will cost you a lot,” the Chief Priest said.

He sat down on a low stool in his shrine and began to make some incantations. After the incantations, he brought out a small jar from one of the calabashes.

“Here lies the solution to your problem,” he said as he raised the jar up. “Put all the contents into your brother’s drink. The moment he drinks it, he will be your puppet. He will begin to do anything you tell him to do. But know this, if he fails to drink it, the charm will backfire. Your brother will never do anything for you again. He will never give you his money until death. Are you willing to take that chance?”

Ikem thought for a while before saying, “I am willing.”

“Then drop your sacrifice before Osuorji,” the Chief Priest instructed him.

Ikem brought out the whole one hundred thousand naira his brother sent to him and dropped it at the shrine.

The Chief Priest began to spit into the jar in his hand. He then threw it in front of the human skulls and said to Ikem, “Pick it up and go.”

Ikem picked the jar and thanked the Chief Priest before leaving the shrine.

On his way home, Ikem kept thinking about the untold wealth that awaits him. But the other words of the Chief Priest kept re-echoing in his head. He couldn’t imagine what life will be like if Amadi stops giving him money. For that, Ikem vowed to make sure that nothing stops his plan from being successful.

After that day, Ikem began to carry himself as a rich man. He believed that his plan will definitely work. He has decided to use his brother’s wedding period to carry out the plan. Fortunately for him, Amadi fixed a date for his wedding and invited him to come to his house two days before the day. On the day Ikem left Umuebe for Lagos, he told Urunma to begin the preparation for their own wedding.

Ikem got to Lagos and called his brother from the park. An hour later, Amadi drove into the park. He saw his brother and hugged him. He observed how emaciated and unkempt his brother was and became worried.

“What happened? Why are you looking like this?” he asked.

Ikem smiled but did not answer the question. “You people are really enjoying here o! Look at all these tall, tall buildings, ehmmm, ski scraping,” he said.

“They are called skyscrapers,” Amadi said, smiling. “I’m happy to see you, Ikem. Let’s start going, you must be hungry after the long journey.”

“Yes, yes, I’m already dreaming of food?” Ikem said.

They entered the car and drove straight to Amadi’s house. As Amadi drove into his compound, Ikem released a loud wolf whistle. He was amazed by the structure before him. He came out of the car and placed his two hands placed on his head.

“Chi…………ne……….ke……………..mee eh! Brother? Is this where you live?” Ikem asked.

Amadi chuckled and stood near the car, watching his brother as he moved around the compound.

“This is heaven and paradise joined together,” Ikem remarked as he continued feeding his eyes with the beauties of the house. He went to Saint Anthony’s statue, kneeled before it and did the sign of the cross.

He followed Amadi into the house and continued screaming in amazement. He finally settled down and asked after his brother’s wife-to-be. Amadi assured him that he will see her the next day.

“So tell me, how is your barbing salon business going?” Amadi asked.

“Very well, very well,” Ikem said, avoiding his brother’s eyes. “I told you that the business is the best so far. Do you know I have opened a second shop and I’m about to open the third one?” he continued with his lies.

“Is that so?” Amadi asked, impressed.

“Yes naa,” Ikem boasted.

“I am happy for you. Keep it up. After my wedding, I have a bigger plan for you. By the way, you did not update me on the woman you want to marry.”

“Ah! That’s true. I have made my intentions known to her parents. And I have decided to wait for you to finish yours before I will do anything further.” Ikem said.

“That’s ok. How I wished our parents were alive to witness this moment of our lives.”

“May their souls rest in perfect peace.”

“Amen,” they chorused together.

The following day, which happened to be the day before the wedding, Ikem woke up very early and began to tidy up the house. He scrubbed the entire house and then went out to the compound and began to wash the cars. Amadi woke up and saw that the house has been cleaned. He was impressed. But when he saw Ikem washing cars, he ran out and stopped him, telling him not to stress himself with the task. Amadi scolded Akpan, the gateman, for allowing his brother to wash cars. Later that morning, Amadi took Ikem to one of the best restaurants for their breakfast. From there, he took him shopping.

They came back home around 1 pm. Ikem took the clothes his brother bought for him to the room while Amadi sat in the sitting room to watch a movie. After trying on all the clothes Amadi bought for him, Ikem reached into his travel bag and brought out the small jar the Chief Priest gave him. He put it into his trouser’s pocket and went to the sitting room.

“Thank you, brother. All the clothes are just perfect,” Ikem said, sounding as excited as possible.

“I’m happy you like them,” Amadi said. “Please, go to the kitchen and get that juice in the fridge,” he told Ikem. “I’m really thirsty.”

Ikem thanked his stars and hurried into the kitchen. He brought down two glasses from the kitchen cabinet, set them on the kitchen top and then filled each with juice. He moved stealthily to the door leading into the dinning section and checked on his brother. He saw that Amadi was engrossed with the movie he was watching and would not come into the kitchen. He went back into the kitchen, brought out the jar from his pocket and emptied its content into one of the glasses. He placed the two glasses on a tray and gently carried them to where his brother was seated, making sure not to mix them up. He handed the poisoned glass of juice to his brother.

“Let’s toast brother, to a new dawn in our family,” Ikem said.

Amadi collected the glass of juice from him and raised it up for a toast. After the toast, Amadi moved the glass to his mouth but the doorbell rang at that moment. Amadi brought down the glass and asked, “Who is that?”

“It’s me,” Olaedo said from outside.

Out of excitement, Amadi stood up immediately, his eyes fixed at the door. He bent down to keep the glass on a side stool near him but he mistakenly kept it at the edge of the stool so that it fell on the tiled floor and shattered into pieces. Amadi did not take a look at the broken glass because he was more interested in opening the door for Olaedo.

Meanwhile, Ikem froze immediately the glass fell from the stool. For a second, his heart stopped. He felt the impact of the charm backfiring to him immediately. He knew he was in a mess. As if to prove him right, Amadi’s attitude towards him changed immediately. He turned back from the door with disgust written all over his face and anger flashing from his eyes.

“Why are you standing there moping at me like an idiot? Will you dry that juice on the floor,” he yelled at Ikem.

As Ikem was leaving, Olaedo asked, “Honey, who is he?”

“Is he not that useless brother of mine I told you about,” Amadi said.

Olaedo felt maybe there was a misunderstanding between them and so did not bother to ask what the problem was. Throughout the rest of the day, Amadi treated Ikem like a slave.

After the wedding, when it was time for Ikem to go back to the village, he approached his brother and begged him for money as transport fare. The moment he mentioned money, Amadi got angry and almost pushed him out of the compound. Ikem went to a shop where they sell clothes and sold some of the clothes Amadi bought for him. He used the money he realized from the sales to travel back to the village.

______———Ω——————

Urunma has almost finished the preparation for their upcoming wedding and was waiting for money to start executing her plans. She has told everyone about it and made endless lists for her husband-to-be. But then, Ikem refused to speak to her since he returned from Lagos. He had not yet recovered from the shock of his failed plan and the ill treatments he received from his brother.

One morning, he went back to the shrine and explained his ordeal to the Chief Priest. Since there was no way to undo what has been done, Ikem was eager to do more.

“Wise one, I have heard what you said,” said Ikem. “But since it has come to this, I want you to tie the womb of Olaedo. Let them never hear the cry of a baby in their home. And for my brother, Amadi, let him never think of adopting a child or even marrying another woman. Wise one, I want this to happen so that when both of them die, everything they have will belong to me and my unborn children.”

The Chief Priest shook his head continuously as Ikem spoke. When Ikem finished recounting all his wishes, the Chief Priest looked up at the sky as if he was examining the clouds. He looked down on the ground and then he looked at Ikem before releasing a heavy sigh.

“This is a difficult one,” the Chief Priest said. He made some incantations and asked Ikem, “Are you ready to embark on this journey of no return?”

“I am ready, wise one,” said Ikem.

After series of incantations, he said to Ikem, “Go and bring anything that belongs to your brother and his wife and your case will be settled.” Ikem thanked him and left.

Ikem started making plans to travel to Lagos. Since he had no money for the journey, he approached Okonta, his friend, and borrowed some money from him. Without telling anyone, not even Urunma, of his plans, he travelled to Lagos. He arrived at Amadi’s place late in the afternoon and was let into the compound by Akpan. But he was unable to gain entrance into the house because the entrance door was locked. So he sat in front of the house and waited for his brother and his wife to return from work.

Olaedo was the first to come back. She was surprised to see Ikem in the compund. She greeted him in a respectful manner and opened the door to let him in.

“How is my brother?” Ikem asked.

“He is doing great,” Olaedo answer.

“I hope he is treating you well,” Ikem remarked.

“Yes, he is. If you had come here next week, you wouldn’t have met any of us,” Olaedo revealed.

“Why is that?” Ikem asked, alarmed.

“We will be going for our honeymoon outside the country,” she said.

“Oh! That is beautiful. I am happy to hear that.”

Amadi drove into the compound when Olaedo was serving drinks to Ikem.

“That must be my brother,” Ikem said.

“Yes, it’s him,” Olaedo said and went outside to welcome her husband. Ikem stood up to greet Amadi when he stepped into the house.

“Ikem, I didn’t expect to see you so soon. I hope all is well?” Amadi asked.

“Yes, all is well,” Ikem replied.

Amadi went upstairs, accompanied by Olaedo, while Ikem remained in the sitting room.

During dinner, Amadi asked Ikem the purpose of his visit.

“You remember what I told you during my first visit,” Ikem began. “Now that you are through with your wedding, I want you to accompany me to see my in-laws for the wine carrying ceremony.”

“Have you fixed date for it?” Amadi asked.

“Yes brother, the Friday after next,” Ikem said.

“I won’t be in the country by then. You will have to get some of our kinsmen to go with you,” Amadi said.

“Ok brother. But I will like you to support me financially.”

Amadi immediately became upset, “You are aware that I just did my wedding, which cost me a fortune. And now I am about to travel outside the country, which is another expenses. Don’t you have sense? Every time you will open your mouth as If I pluck money from a tree. Please allow me to eat this food peacefully.”

Ikem pretended to be hurt by his brother’s words. He stood up from the dining table and went towards the visitor’s room, which was the room he stayed in.

“You shouldn’t have talked to him that way. He is your only brother,” Olaedo said calmly to Amadi. But he ignored her and continued eating.

As Amadi and Olaedo were at the dining, Ikem sneaked into their rooms upstairs. He first entered Olaedo’s room and quickly searched for her personal belongings that he will take. He saw her comb on a dressing table in front of a large mirror. He picked up the comb and saw some strands of hairs tangled between its teeth. He took some of the hairs and left.

He entered Amadi’s room and became confused. He looked around but he didn’t see what he could take without arousing suspicion. He picked up the trouser he wore that day and wondered if he should cut a piece of cloth out of it. As he was feeling around the trouser to determine where he could cut the piece from, he noticed that the pocket was bulgy. He dipped his hand into it and brought out a handkerchief. He grinned viciously and left with his booty. He then waited impatiently for morning to come.

In the morning, Ikem prepared to return to Umuebe. He brought out his bag and sat at the sitting room, waiting for his brother and his sister-in-law to come down. Olaedo was the first to come down because she had to prepare breakfast. She was surprised to see Ikem already dressed up and ready to go back to the village. After they exchanged greetings, Ikem pleaded with her to notify Amadi that he was leaving for the village and needed money for transportation. Ikem and Olaedo were still talking when Amadi came down. He learnt that Ikem was leaving and was not bothered a bit about it, instead he bid him farewell. Olaedo walked him to the gate when she realized that Amadi will not do that. At the gatepost, she gave him some money and apologized on behalf of his brother. Ikem thanked her and left in a hurry.

_________———Ω——————

Early the next morning, Ikem re-appeared at the shrine and presented Olaedo’s strands of hair and Amadi’s handkerchief to the Chief Priest. With those the Chief Priest began to perform the rituals. At a point, he stopped and turned to Ikem.

“She is already with a child,” the Chief Priest said, looking Ikem deep into the eyes, waiting for him to give the go-ahead for the next line of action.

Without giving it a thought, Ikem said, “Kill the child.”

The Chief Priest shook his head and continued with the rituals. After the rituals, the Chief Priest assured Ikem that Olaedo will never be pregnant in her life again.

“What if they decide to adopt a child,” Ikem asked to be certain.

“Your brother, Amadi, will never think of nor agree to adopt a child, neither will he think of getting another wife,” the Chief Priest said, looking into the empty space before him.

Ikem, being assured that his plan will work out, thanked the Chief Priest immensely and promised to return with more gifts.