Chapter Four

The sky was a shade of dark blue that evening and spotted with white that looked stained, my guess being the fumes from vehicles and industries. I and Father were going to get fuel. There has been no power supply in two days now and the weather has been fire, it was as if the earth was no longer the third but the second or worse the closest planet to the sun. The heat wasn't ordinary, it stuck to your body like gum and drained enormous energy from you that you got tired from little work. If Father and Akunna hadn't fallen out, she would have been the one going to get fuel with him.

"I hope it rains today, this heat has been sweltering." Father said, bringing his head out of the window to stare at the sky.

"I hope so too but when I think of the bad road, I become skeptical if I want it to." I replied.

"Nigeria is a sorry excuse of a country." Father was shaking his head like the state of the nation weighed on his shoulders more than anyone else. "It is only in this country that we become worried when it rains; rain that is supposed to be a blessing. Not just even the road but the power supply also, a little breeze blowing and it's darkness unleash. I pray your generation do better and right these wrongs." Father took national matters seriously and sometimes I wondered why he wasn't a politician.

"With the way they keep recruiting youths into thuggery and making the life of a thug more comfortable than those who are responsible and educated, I fear there wouldn't be so much difference." I said this sadly but would come to be proud of the youth who would risk their lives when the 'endsars' protest would go on years later.

Father drove into a filling station and just like every other one we have been to, the filling station was packed full with citizens holding jerrican and vehicles that wanted to be filled so we had to wait in line. Fuel and water was scarce and this was seriously affecting everyone.

A man in faded black shirt with pot belly was saying,

"When Buhari came and was shouting change change, we didn't bother to ask what kind of change he was talking about; whether it was a good change or bad change, we just foolishly accepted him and pushed Goodluck Jonathan away, now see the change he has brought." He lamented, holding his yellow coloured ten litres jerrican which from the label was formally used as a cooking oil container.

"Were you people not the ones saying Jonathan was too soft, he acts like a woman, that had it been a man the story of those Chibok girls would have played out differently and so you need a man, a strong man, were you people not the ones saying that? Now we have a man and you people are still complaining." Another man who was in blue and had his hair cut very low replied. The filling station burst into an uproar with everyone talking and asking him who were the people that voted Buhari in and warning him to mind what he uttered. "I know none of you will agree to have voted him in but we all know that many of you here collected packs of noodles, bag of rice, petty cash and had gone on to vote him in. Now you are here deceiving yourselves and running your mouth on how you didn't vote him in because the pack of noodles and bag of rice has finished and now your eyes are open." Another uproar emerged as he said this but the man cared less.

I was looking at Father and he seemed not in the least concerned with what was happening. We filled our own jerrican and the vehicle then Father drove out.

"Tell me something, Ama, what did we not do right with your sister?" He asked suddenly and I was lost. How do I tell him that I too am in the dark on how things has suddenly changed? "Tell me. You are her sister and she would tell you what she wouldn't want to tell us."

"I wish she would tell me too father," The words came came out of my mouth slowly, "but she has been so far away since this started."

Father sighed deeply as he drove. "I don't even understand her anymore, she doesn't listen to me and she keeps rejecting suitors, good suitors, doesn't she want to marry?" He asked.

"I don't know.."

"Don't you want to marry?" He interrupted and I was speechless. " Something went wrong, something changed because you and I know she was never like this."

I wished Akunna would say something changed too or even tell me what was wrong because change being changeable would give me the hope that things would go back to the way they were before, it would gave me hope that sooner or later, Akunna and Father would smile at each other and call the other Husband and Wife, it would fill me with hope that the gate wouldn't be banged and our house would return to its former

glory of peace and harmony.

When we got home, Mother was by the sunflowers, tending to them and covering the root with sand so they stood firmly on the ground.

"What took you people so long?" She asked.

"Hmm, fuel is now gold oh, very scarce." Father replied.

"Were you people able to get any?" She asked again and I nodded, heading towards the house.

"Is Akunna at home?" Father asked.

"No, she hasn't returned. That reminds me, Uzo was here with his uncle some minutes after you both left, you remember him right?"

"Uzo from..."

"From where Akunna learns the make up."

"Oh yes, yes, what did they come for?" Father asked and even before Mother answered and before he asked, I knew he knew why they had come but was only asking.

"They came to ask for Akunna's hand in marriage." Mother said looking at his face as if searching for emotions which he would try to hide.

"What did you tell them?" He asked.

"I told them to come back tomorrow when you would be around because such discussions aren't for me."

She replied, walking to the tap that was cemented to the fence to wash the earth off her hands.

"That is good." He walked to the pavement and sat on it. "Now it is left to Akunna to decide if this would end like the others."

I was watching Mother wash her hand under the tap and her legs spread apart and away from her hands so that the water doesn't wet her legs. Outside the gate, I could hear vehicles and motorcycles zooming past and blaring their horn at each other, cursing and shouting. The weather had gone back to being hot and I was grateful we went for the fuel because I wouldn't be able to stand another night without sleeping qas a result of the heat which made me dizzy at work. "I think of when they would start coming for Ama." Mother said. "I always imagine the next suitor who would knock saying 'I am so and so and I am here to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage' and when I would ask 'which of my daughters?' He would say 'Your second daughter, Ama' I think and imagine that every time."

Father didn't say anything, he sat still looking at the gate as if expecting it to bang any time soon then he spoke."What if she rejects him too. I haven't seen her with any man for as long as I can remember, I even asked her today if she wouldn't want to marry and her expression was like she hadn't thought of it."

Mother continued like he hadn't spoken. "I don't know if she too would reject them but at least it would be someone other than Akunna that would be doing the rejecting." Father sighed that sigh which communicated surprise, he clearly hadn't been expecting that from her neither had I. "I have gotten used to Akunna rejecting every suitor who comes that it doesn't surprise me or interest me any longer, whatever she wants to do with her life is her problem. Thank God I have two daughters. All Akunna does in this house is create problem, reject suitors and bang that gate you are staring at so it has become too predictable maybe Ama would pull this house down with her own rage if she decides to walk the path her elder sister is walking." She said in her calm nature.

"Ama is not like that...."

"You wouldn't have believed Akunna would turn out like this if you were told so earlier." She turned the tap off and walked to where he sat.

" That is true but I know Ama and I don't see her like that." Father repeated and I was happy someone hasn't allowed the behaviour of one child affect his perception of the other.

"I know too and that is why I always hope the next person who comes knocking, knocks for her but whatever she does or however she responds, at least it would be something new."

That was when the power holders restored power.