Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
“Onye mere nwa na ebe akwa ,negbe turu nwa na ebe akwa” the children sang as they rallied round a crying 4 years old boy at onye-ocha’s compound, onye-ocha is yet to come back from king’s palace. Adaugo was walking out from the church with mama Bomboy, she had to hurry home before Njoku get home before her. Mama Bomboy stood after walking with Adaugo for a while
“Adaugo, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, my husband will beat me as usual and everything will be fine”,
“Beat you?”
“Yes, beat me. Mama Bomboy, its better he beat me than send me to my parents house”
“Abi? This is men’s world, men are meant to be above us but if our chi can reverse it, haa!! I will be very happy”
“Mama Bomboy, let me hurry home before I get another beating
“Okay, I just want to let you know that our chi will answer your prayers, you made the right choice.
“Thank you mama Bomboy, bye.”
“Bye”
Adaugo rushed home, she met Ogochukwu sitting down outside the compound, she sighed and was about walking to her room
“Adaugo, I am hungry”
“You don’t know the kitchen?”
“I cannot go to the kitchen because of my condition’’, she gently massaged her stomache, making her intention obvious, Adaugo sighed and blurted out “Then starve”
“Okay, go inside then I will tell our husband that you beat me and hit my stomache”
Ada shivered, she paused “Okay, what do you want to eat?’’
“I want pounded yam and egusi soup, please be fast.”
She sighed and went straight to the kitchen, she sat down and placed his hand on his chin, sobbed a little and wiped her tears, beside it is my duty…she thought.
She heard Njoku’s voice from outside asking Ogochukwu if she has eaten, she thanked her chi she came back before him, but they came back almost immediately. Njoku walked angrily towards the kitchen, Ada could see the fury in his eyes “This man, why are you just coming back now? I told you not to waste time, so you now have the wings to disobey me, abi?”
Ada knelt down crying and apologizing , she made to touch him, Njoku quickly shoved her
“You know you are useless to me”, he continued “You are just here because I don’t want the villagers to laugh at you, its seems you are tired, do you want to go back to your parents house………….” “No sir”, Ada immediately interrupted “I am so sorry sir, I branched to greet Erimma, sorry nna anyi, I will not do it again”
“I will forgive you today, if you do it again, you will pack to your parent’s house.”
“Thank you Nna anyi”
Njoku sighed and walked straight to Ogochukwu who was fanning herself wnd smiling.
“Nna anyi, how did the meeting go with the king?”
“Olaedo m(my gold), our son will learn onye-ocha language and travel to onye-ocha land”.
“Nna anyi, nke a bu ezigbo ozi”(This is a good news). She continued,“O buru zie nwanyi(What if the baby is a girl?)
“Godforbid” Njoku spit on the ground “My chi will not put shame on my face, mbanu(no). Olaedo, don’t say that again biko, my lineage cannot die.”
“Olaedo m, once you put birth to our son, we will start worshipping chi onye ocha so that our son can learn his language, then go to his land”
“Nna anyi, what of Adaugo?” She asked as she stretched her back
“Onye bu Adaugo(who is Adaugo)?” He frowned his face “She will go back to where she belong”
He saw chief Anyaogu coming to his house, he quickly signaled Ogochukwu to enter inside. Ogochukwu grudgingly stood us, and walked inside the house, but she could feel her husband’s eye dancing as he followed her with his eyes until she entered inside.
“Ichie Njoku, Ichie Njoku”He shook Njoku who reciprocated “Ichie Anyaogu, today you decided to visit me, hope all is well?”
“Yes, everything is fine”, he sat down beside ichie Njoku.
“Adaugo!! Adaugo!!Adaugo!!, this woman, is she deaf?”
“Women are like that” Ichie Anyaogu interrupted “My last wife is like that, you will scream your voice out before she answers”
Adaugo ran from the kitchen to answer him, she did not hear her name the first time
“Nna anyi, you called me, Ichie Anyaogu, welcome” She greeted as she bent slightly to greet, that is the sign of respect in the community
“I meela(thank you).
“Adaugo, are you deaf too? Tell me” Njoku asked
“No nna anyi, sorry nna anyi”
“Go and get the chair in my room and that gin on the table, wash the two cups there and bring it, I don’t want to wait for you”
“Okay nna anyi” she left.
“Ichie Njoku, I na eriputa ahu(you are enjoying), this your wife bu asa(is beautiful)” He giggled
“Iche Anyaogu, hapu ihe anyi na ahu osi so(leave what the eyes see immediately), any asa that cannot give you a child, nke ahu o bu asa?(is that one beautiful)”
“Ichie, I kwuru eziokwu(you said the truth), nke a hu bun woke ibe gi(that one is your fellow man)”
“I hu la ahuhu m na ata(you have seen my suffering)” he threw his hands in the air “Mana chi hichapu m anya mmiri, nwunye m nke abuo di ime(But the gods wiped my tears away, my second wife is pregnant)”
“Haa” Ichie Anyaogu shouted in excitement “I bu nwoke(you are a man)” he shook him “I bu nwoke di ike”(You are a strong man)
Adaugo brought everything, she retired to the kitchen while the men stared at her as if she disgust them. Ichie Anyaogu, being the oldest, pored some dirink inside the cup, and raised the glass, “ndi nna nna anyi, oji abiala(our ancestors, kola is here)” He poured little on the ground “Nke a bu nke unu(this one is for you)”, he drank the remaining one inside the cup. Ichie Njoku poured his own drink and sipped a bit,
“Ichie Njoku, what brought you to my house today?”
“What the king said today, what do you think? Are you accepting the ony-ocha religion?”
“Yes ichie, I will accept it once my wife give birth to my son. I want my son to learn onye-ocha language, and be like Chinedu’’ He turned to ichie Anyaogu “Ichie, you don’t like it?”
“I like it, infact, immediately I get home, I will take my children to onye-ocha’s house. They will be staying there”. He sipped his drink
“Yes ichie, iji okwu, iji ezigbo okwu”(you have a point, you have a good point). He dropped his cup “You will take all your children, including your female daughters?”
Ichie Anyaogu looked at him briefly “Nbanu ichie, my female daughters are supposed to learn how to cook and take care of their husband, a ga hapu omenala me wa omenelu?(are we supposed to go contrary to our culture)” He sipped his drink “ men are the providers, they carry the lineage, women are meant to serve the men, their place is always in the kitchen”
“I kwuru eziokwu ichie(you said the truth)”. They finished their drink in silence.