Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
“Ada, how is your husband, ichie Njoku?” Mama Bomboy asked as she and Ada continued peeling the yam in the kitchen for cooking. Ada and Erimma came to assist mama Bomboy and clean the place where they worship chi onye-ocha, they vowed to continue until they get what they want,
“My husband is fine but I am in my father’s house”
“Why” Mama Bomboy asked as she dropped her knife and turned to Ada. Mama Bomboy like gossip, but Ada has never had that type of discussion with her before, that made her a bit tensed
“I never told my husband that I was coming to worship chi onyeocha”
“Why?”
“If I had told him, he would have kicked against it and you know how our omenaala is”
“A hotara m(I understand), so how did he find out?”
“I lied to him I was going to Erimma’s house………..”
“Erimma?” Mama Bomboy interrupted “Erimma is your friend?”
“Yes, she is my friend”
“I hear she fight with her husband, is that true?” Mama Bomboy whispered into Ada’s ear
“Mba oo(No oo), Erimma is not like that, the husband beat her everytime . You know the husband stammers and he has anger issues”
“Yes I know”, mama Bomboy muttered “continue with your story”
“the last time I came here, I lied to my husband that I was going to Erimma’s house and Erimma also lied to her huband that she was going to my house”….
“Haa, nawah ooo!”
“Erimma’s husband waited for Erimma, he then went to my husband’s house to ask Erimma to come home, our secret got exposed, I was sent back to my father’s house, even Erimma”
“sorry, that is why its not good to lie. Chi onye-ocha megidere itu asi(is against lying)” she continued “but chi can easily forgive you. Did you beg your husband?”
“Yes I did but he turned a deaf ear.”
Ichie Anyaogu passed with his walking stick, he walked straight to onye-ocha’s house, mama Bomboy and Ada exchanged glanced
“I don’t know why ichie is here” Ada apoke up
“Maybe he has a message from the king, who knows”
“Ehee! Mama Bomboy, I heard you understand onye-ocha language and you speak small, is that true?”
“Who told you that?” Mama Bomboy’s face became inquisitive
“My friend, Erimma”
“Okay. Yes I understand a little, you know I have been serving them food and serving their chi, so I learnt a little. Don’t worry, you will learn with time.”
Ada smiled and continued peeling the yam.
“Ichie Anyaogu, welcome”Chinedu greeted “Hope all is well?”
“Yes, all is well. Is Onye-ocha around?”
“Yes ichie. Let me inform him that you are here”, Chinedu left and came back within 2 minutes “Ichie, you can come in sir”
“Thank you”. Ichie walked in, he sat down on the wooden chair inside the hut while he wait for onye-ocha to see him. The hut is like a room and parlor, visitors wait at the sitting room. Onye-ocha came aou with wrapper tied on his waist and chewing stick inside his mouth while Chinedu stood beside him to interpret
“Welcome ichie” Onye-ocha greeted
“Thank you.” He said as he stare at the clock the hung on the wall of the hut.
“Ichie, is there any news from the king?”
‘No onye-ocha. I am here to beg for those things you gave to the king”.
“Oh, you mean the shoe, mirror, clock?”
“Yes.” He answered, smiling in anticipation.
“What do you have to offer us?”
“What do you want?” Anyaogu asked
“I don’t know what you have to offer us”
“I can give my ichie staff of authority”
“No, we don’t want it” Onye-ocha answered as he fixed his eyes on him
“I can give you one of my sons to serve you”
“Serve me?” He giggled “I have enough people serving I and my colleagues here”.
“I don’t have any other thing to give, please take my son to be your personal servant”
“I will think about it and discuss with my colleagues, then I will get back to get back you”. He said as he thanked onye-ocha and stood up to leave. Onye-ocha signaled Chinedu to call Williams, Jack and George for a very important discussion.
Anyaogu met Njoku on his way home, they stopped to exchange pleasantaries,
“Ichie, Ichie, you are doing well” Njoku said “Hope all is well this one you are coming back from onye-ocha’s place?’
“I told you yesterday that I would be coming here, anyway, I came to worship his strong chi”
“I am going there too to do the same thing. Did you see Adaugo there?”
“You mean your ex-wife?” Anyaogu asked
“Yes”
“No I did not see her, or maybe I did not check”
“ngwanu ichie Anyaogu, let me hurry up”
Chinedu entered with Williams, George and Jack, Mama Bimbo, Erimma, Adaugo and other workers and worshippers stared at them as ifthey saw a ghost. They did not see them yesterday, just the elders did and jack was smoking a tobacco. They wondered how someone will put hot fire inside the mouth. Adaugo left her mouth open while staring at them, looking at them from head to toe, wondering the kind of magic they are performing, in her entire life, she has never seen anybody put fire in his mouth and bring out a smoke, she has never seen someone wear that magic they wore on their legs. Jack on his own part felt uneasy, he noticed how they were staring at them, he quickly went inside, Williams was the last to enter, onye-ocha main signaled Chinedu to excuse them and close the door from outside which he did.
“I am tired here, how have you been coping with the flies, food, house, water?” Jack asked onye-ocha main as he sat down on the wooden chair close to the door while the rest sat on the long bench inside the hut.
“I like the attention I get here and we can be rich”. Onye-ocha main said.
“What do you mean by that?” William asked as he adjusted his heavy body on the bench.
“This community have oil, I mean crude oil and red oil, also, with the artifacts we are getting, we can also sell them in our country. You know how people love artifacts, including the queen. The crude oil, we all know how expensive and importance of crude oil.”
“You have a point there” Jack said as he touch his chin in thought
“Something happened today” Onye-ocha main said
“What happened?” George asked
“One of the elders came, he wanted all those things we gave to the king”
“what did you say to him?” Jack asked
“I asked him if he has anything to exchange with it, he offered giving his son to serve us”
“But we have people serving us” George said as he unconsciously threw his hands in the air
“Yes I told him that………’’
“Hold on..” Jack interrupted “I have an idea” , everyone in the room stared at him in anticipation “we will accept accept the child, then take the child to England sell him to serve people in England”
“That is a bad idea”, onye ocha main said
“No, that is a brilliant idea.” George interrupted “You told them that after learning the language, they will travel to our land, right?”
“Right” Onye-ocha main said
“Then with that idea, we take them to England, sell them to people that will help them. With that way, we will be helping them and making money from it too”
“I support it too” Williams interrupted, “tell the man to bring his son and we will give him those stuff, then we tell him that his son will go to our land, common, that will make the man happy”
“we will try with his son to England to know if it will work,” Jack interrupted, “if it does, boom! Business is set”.
“So, let’s make it a deal right?” Onye-ocha main said
“Yes, it’s a deal” they all repeated.
“so what will be y’all roles?” Ony-ocha main asked
“I and George will be taking them to England, while Williams will be here to assist you” Jack said
“That is not a good idea” Williams interrupted “Someone should be on standby in England to tell people about it and getting the list of interested persons”
“So, Jack, you will go to England tomorrow, George and Williams will be transporting them to England, while I will be here with Chinedu” Onye-ocha main said
“Chinedu?” Jack blurted out, “Won’t he sabotage this for us?”
“No he won’t because he will not have any idea what they are going to England to do, he will only know what these people here knows”, onye-ocha main continued “ I will suggest we don’t discuss this here or anywhere close to Chinedu, agreed?”
“Yes agreed”, they all chorused.
“That will be all”, he turned to Jack “please call Chinedu for me on your way out”
“Alright” Jack said as they stood up to leave.
Chinedu came in after three minutes to answer onye-ocha
“Tomorrow, go to Ichie Anyaogu’s house and inform him to come and see me”
“Yes sir”.