Chapter 8

She stared at the old ceiling, almost ripped out by the rain, her mother has being alone after the death of her father. Her mother’s name is Otuosorochi, she is old, in her 80’s, she is very quiet, and doesn’t look for trouble. Otuosorochi married at a young age, her husband was mean and brutal to her, she lost three pregnancies because of that, Ada survived because Otuosorochi went to her parents house to have the children. She was married from a neighboring village into her husband’s village. When Adaugo came in that afternoon, Adaugo was crying with swollen eyes, she tried to find out why she was crying like that, Adaugo told her everything she passed through in Njoku’s hand, how Njoku married another wife, how she adopted onye-ocha chi because of hr childlessness….Otuosorochi looked at her, waved her head and told her to stop crying “You should have told your husband, he is your husband and should be respected” she said as she was wiping her tears “Your husband is your crown as a woman, men are the most important species in our village because our tradition made it so”

“Nne, I wonder what Erimma will do, her husband kicked her out”

“Erimma came in before you. She and her children are sleeping in that hut”….Otuosorochi said as she pointed at the hut in front of her hut. Her husband was wealthy before he died. He was the best hunter and he built 5 huts in his compound hoping he would have a male child. Otuosorochi’s luck is that her husband doesn’t have any surviving brother, they died before him, no surviving relative too, the tradition of the village is that if a man don’t have a heir, his properties automatically go to his brothers.

“Let me go and see Erimma”, Ada said as she stood up to leave

She walked straight to Erimma’s hut, Erimma must be hurting, she thought. Her plans have been ruined, infact, their plans. She knocked once on the door, Erimma quietly opened, she stepped out and gently closed the door because her children are fast asleep.

“Ada, what happened? Why are you here?”

“My husband threw me out. What of you?”

“My husband threw me out too” she said

“What of the kids?”

“They are sleeping inside.” She said and looked away

“So sorry about that, we are in this together”. Ada continued “Do you still want to be going to onye-ocha’s chi?”

“Yes Ada, that is why I came to your parents house. I can’t go to my village. I want to learn onye-ocha’s language and go to his country with my children. What of you?”

Ada stared at her and inhaled deeply, “I think I will do that with you. I will just learn his language and go to his land” she said “See how the king respect him and Chinedu, I want that too”

“Then let’s do it”

“yes”. They laughed and walked straight to a bench close to the kitchen to continue their gist.

“Ehee, what of your friend, Aisha?” Ada asked as the walked slowly towards the bench

“My friend Ada, Aisha is fine oo, but she is suffering”

“What do you mean?”

“Her new born baby girl died oo, , ha choro ibi ya ukwu”(They wanted to circumcise her)”

“May our chi forbid this wickedness”, she said as she snapped her thumps to make a sound “nawah, a na ebikwanu nwabyi ukwu?(do they even circumcise women?)

“My sister, that is their omenaala oo, and they cannot change it. The baby bled to death”,

“Ewo, ariri nwaanyi ibe m(the tears of my fellow woman)”, the sat down “But, I never knew she was pregnant”

“Yes” Erimma responded as she gently and unconsciously massaged her left knee “ Aisha has body, so it will be difficult for pregnancy to show, I was even surprised when she told me”.

“So, gini ka o ga eme ugbua a?(What will she do now?)

“Nothing oo, onye nwuru nu, anwola(a dead man is a dead man), they will bury the child according to their culture, and I do not know their burial rite, especially for new born babies”…..

“Eww…” Ada folded her arms across her breast as she sighed in grief “If they are from this our land, they would just bury the baby girl at the back of the house. May chi accept the soul of this innocent child”.

“Iseee”

Erimma glanced at Ada who was unconsciously sighing in grief with her hand still folded across her chest, “Mama Bomboy is trying oo”, she said just to bring Ada out from her state, but Ada was not listening, she was lost in thought. She tapped her, Ada shivered a bit “Ada, nke a I na echezi karia onye nwa ya nwuru?(This one you are thinking more than the person that lost her child?)

“Erimma, the stress of carrying a pregnancy for 9 months, giving birth to a child, only for the child to be accidentally killed as a result of their omenaala is heart breaking, o na agbawa obi(it breaks the heart).”

“Yes I know, grieving will not bring the baby back”

“I understand Erimma, some people are praying to their chi for a child, while some are accidentally killing a child”

“What can we do about it? We cannot do anything about it”,

“I know Erimma, I wish there is something to do” She sighed again

“Ada, mama Bomboy is trying oo” Erimma changed the topic again

“How?”

“When I came, I saw mama Bomboy speaking with onye-ocha”

“Eziokwu!?” Ada was shocked and surprised at the same time

“Yes. Mama Bomboy have learnt onye-ocha’s language”

“I envy her oo, honestly. That is what I am aiming for and I doubt if her husband knows”

“I doubt too, her husband think she is just cooking for the onye-ocha as the woman leader direct”

“ I wish they treat women the same way they treat our men, omenaala bu omenaala” Ada said as she twisted her lips

“Yes, Ada. Since I am no longer in my husband’s house, I will take my kids along. We will learn this onye-ocha language and go to onye-ocha land”.

“Yes, I support you.”