CHAPTER 1

Adaugo stared at Njoku in tears as she watched him bring out his wine skin so as to take it to the new woman he intend to marry. Adaugo never imagined her life would be like this, she had always pictured herself in the house, surrounded my her 3 male children and one female child, if only the gods heard her prayers and her wish, but the gods chose to keep silent at her plight, “the gods are wicked”, she muttered in between her clinching teeth.

Adaugo is a very beautiful lady, tall, fair, the wish and prayer of every man. Her parents gave her out in marriage at the age of 18years to Njoku who is 30 years, the marriage was arranged between their parents to seal their friendship. The union has lasted for 3 years, Adaugo is yet to conceive, Njoku proceeded to marry a second wife, Njideka, he desperately needed a child, and not just a child, a male child to continue his legacy.

Njoku looked at Adaugo, he pushed her hand with his booth, he carried his keg of wine and instructed Adaugo to move into an empty thatched house close to his own, that would be her new home while the new wife would occupy his room with him. Adaugo wept, she rolled herself on the floor for three minutes, by then Njoku had gone, she picked herself up because crying wouldn’t solve the problem, she rushed into the room, searched for the fertility cream the messenger of the gods that abandoned her gave to her, she burnt it in front of the house, screaming and cursing the gods.

Adaugo and her husband, including all herfamily members live in a Umuigo village, somewhere in the eastern part of the country, the land belong to their ancestors. Legend had it that one man known as Umuigbo came to the land with his wife, cleared the land and started procreating on the land, another legend had it that the gods created a man and named the man umuigbo and created a woman too to serve as the maid of the man.he real story, nobody know the correct story.

Adaugo went back inside the house, packed her things quickly because her husband clearly told her that he wouldn’t want to meet her in the house, she tried her best to beg her husband, but, his mind was already made up. She carried her udu(native pot)the few wrappers her husband got for her.

“Why is the gods silent? E mere m ihe ni le o siri mu mee na oge ori izu ahia(I did everything the gods told me to do). I did my ritual as requested on orie market day, a zuru m ewu(I bought goat), e nyere m oji na udu, gini mere nke mu jiri puo iche( I gave kolanut, and new mud pot, why is my own different?)”,

she thought as she walked absent mindedly to the new hut given to her by her husband. She needed someone to talk to, atleast clear her mind before meeting her co-wife, she quickly dropped her things and went straight to Erimma’s house. Erimma has been her friend since childhood, she also had arranged marriage, she has children, unlike Adaugo, but she has two female children and have had 2 miscarriages due to constant beating from her husband, her husband beat her on every slight provocation.

Adaugo met her crying, her husband beat her again. Immediately she saw Adaugo she quickly cleaned her tears with the back of her wrapper tied firmly on her breast,

“ Nne, e zo kwala ihe a ebe m no, I nugo?(Nne, you don’t need to hide that from me, have you heard?)” Adaugo said as she dragged a seat beside her ,

“ A ma m Ada, Ihe a na emezi m ihere. O kuru m ihe maka m wuru mmiri n’ ukwu ya amaghi ama mgbe m no na enye ya nri (I know Ada, this is becoming embarrassing, he beat me because I mistakenly poured water on his leg while serving him, mama Bomboy had to save me, or else, your friend would have been dead?)”

“Don’t you think that you have to report to your parents?’’ Ada asked

“O baghi uru( No need) Ha kwenyere na umu nwoke anaghi emejo, ha na agwa m na olu chi bu olu nwoke(They believe that men are always right and women must always please their husband, they will remind me that the voice of the gods is that of a man), Ada, hapu okwu (leave words),

“ Ole otu di gi mere ? (Ada, how is your husband?’’ )Erimma asked

“Husband? My husband went to bring his second wife home oo, I was depressed, so I came to talk to you and at least cheer myself up, but I ka na anya godinu akpa gi (but you are still carrying your bag of problem)

Erimma looked at her in deep thought,

“What is it Eri?’’

Erimma gave her a concerned look, “Ada, let it not be what I am thinking”

“What are you thinking?”

“I saw your husband enter that house(Pointing at a house) with a keg of wine, and you know whose house that is, okwaya?”

Adaugo stared at Erimma for a minute, then looked at the house she pointed at,

“That is Ichie Nduka’s house, that is, Ogochukwu’s house, I hate that girl, she is too proud” Ada continued “ And to think of the fact that my husband told me to move into that abandoned house close to our main house breaks my heart”

“Really? Nawah oo, Ada my friend, you have suffered, sorry oh. It’s the fault of our community, they have no regard for us, beside the voice of the chi is a man’s voice.”

“What of your husband Eri?

“I don’t know, and I don’t care” Erimma whispered to Ada, “What are you going to do once your co-wife arrives?”

Adaugo kept mute for some minutes, she was racking her brain, thing of what to say. That was a good question which was unexpected, she never thought of what she would do, she never even thought of theb first errand her dear husband would send her “honestly I do not know, it depends on whatever my husband ask me to do, he may ask me to cook”

“Cook?”

“Yes?” she continued “he is my husband and I cannot disobey him” She sighs, unsure of what she was saying,

“The sex part nko”

“It also depend on my husband, he can have me anytime he want” She looked at Erimma, her brains were obviously racking fron all angles.

“Ehee, have you heard from your Hausa friend, Aisha? Ada asked,

“Aisha? She is fine my dear, recently she had problem with the 6th wife, and you know the elders cannot intervene because they are not from our tribe”

“Yes I know. What type of problem did she have with the 6th wife and what did the husband do?”

“I didn’t get the fact straight but I knew they wanted to marry her 10years old daughter to Alhaji Musa….”

“Who is Alhaji Musa?” Adaugo interrupted

“Alhaji Musa naa, that man that own a mosque if you do as if you are going to Nkechi’s house, the man sell food stuffs and provision too”

“Ohh! I remember him, that old man, he should be in his late 60’s, he has 4 wives already na, Aisha’s daughter is too young for that old man”

Erimma laughed, she looked at Ada who shrugged her shoulders, then gently hit her leg to ward off flies resting on her legs,

“Ada, it seems you do not know these people, 10years is even old. They marry off their 7 years old daughter. Once a female child is born, bride price would be paid on her head, then once she learn how to talk, she would be married off”

“omenaala dikwa oo, chai, this small girl. So, how did the problem start between Aisha and the sixth wife? What is even her name?”

“Aisha was against marrying her daughter to that old man, the sixth wife started insulting her, calling her all sort of names. The name of the sixth wife is Aadab”

“Abeg, how do you pronounce that name?” Ada interrupted

“Its pronounced as a….da…..b, infact, anyhow you call the name, they will answer you. Their husband settled the fight, he concluded on giving Aisha’s daughter to that old man”

'Why did they leave their place? Remember, no place like home, staying with your people', Adaugo was looking so concerned, she knew Erimma would not have answer to the question, but she just asked anyway

'I don't know o, she told me that her husband who is a cow dealer wanted to take the cows to all places on earth and acquire land'

'land ke? How many places have they gone to? How many land do they have?'

' Adaugo my friend, apart from the elders, they are the richest oo, they have land everywhere, even that land beside our stream' Erimma said ' not only having land, the king treat them very well oo, sometimes he gives them food stuff'

'They are guest nau' Ada said

'Yes they are guest. Guest that are richer than owners of the land, the king even gave then land on top of the ones they have. You see that house they liv in, the king gave it to them',

'do you sell anything ?'

'No'. Erimma answered 'but a bu m onye afo ala m. I am from this land, the king has never given us, the indigenes land, except for the elders'

“Eri enyim nwanyi(Eri my girlfriend) let me leave you now” She stood up to go “Let me go and do something for myself before my husband comes home with that girl

“Okay, chi dube gi(May the gods guide you).