CHAPTER SIX

Becky tirelessly led her fellow female village mates through the scotching sunshine that heated on their backs until they arrived in the land of Ladigo. Their presence would serve in extenuating the emotional pain that had afflicted Becky, so they could not waive her request. On their way, they kept singing one of the down-hearting traditional songs that signified the immeasurable memories of the dead.

All women from the far east of Aleda loved suiting on citenge as the most regarded dressing mode. As they moved to Ladigo, they all dressed on blue colored citenge with their heads covered with black veils except Becky who suited on a scarlet dress. As once rehearsed by Owele, "There is a spark of fire in every true woman which

lies dominant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but Kindles up, beams and blazes in the dark hours of adversity." Arac's friendship with Becky had been in sixes and sevens since they separated and got married in different places. They longed from each other's sight and this was the first time for Becky to reach to her friend's homestead. It wouldn't be a big shame if she had accepted to reconcile with Arac before her death, but that was now a late regret. Neither Akumu nor other women knew the cause of Becky's scrappy relationship with Arac that had tied them apart, and all that they knew was that they were delirious in love as they kept seeing Becky's eyes being bulged in tears. She cried hysterically as she arrived with her followers at Arac's home.

Within the vicinity of Arac's home, Becky stopped the crowd and instructed them to move silently so as to offer some respect to the fellow mourners who had already surrounded the place. Akumu happily welcome them with open arms alongside her fellow age-mates who directed Becky and her group to join those who had gathered in the compound. As a custom long practiced, Becky chose the eldest woman in her sub group to lead them through the welcome prayer. After the prayer had been brought to fruition, Becky again ordered her fellow group mates to stretch their hands towards the deceased so as to invoke the blessings into the souls of the dead one. All these were done as they were still at the edge of the compound, so after finishing, Akumu then led them to join the other women from the same village of Ladigo in the sacred house where they sat on the mat. Everyone's eyes got stuck on them as soon as they entered and one after the other, they silently wondered about the dressing code of Becky's colleagues.

By the time they reached, the mourners had already discussed most of the crucial matters about the rite and as well, arranged the approximate budget for the funeral.

Various pledges had already been made by Arac's clan members and there remained only few items that had not been covered by the solemn pledges. Becky's members had not yet been introduced before the home people of Ladigo village, so when the chairman organizing committee of Arac's burrial stood up to announce the items pledged for and those remaining uncovered, he called forth Becky to have some introduction before they could depart. As a cheering leader, she appreciated Arac's clan members for their generousity and urged them to continuously maintain the spirit and and let it shine over them at all times of difficulties. Before she mentioned her pledge of five cows, she narrated the background of her relationship with Arac who had now already responded to the heavenly call. Her voice pitched sadly as she communicated her emotion. The multitude enchantingly clapped their hands in appreciation of Becky's speech and the chairman immediately nipped the meeting into a bud.

As others went back home, the clan members remained to take care of the deceased and as well, encourage Akumu. They endured the cold bites of the nights until the final day of the burrial.

The burrial had been scheduled on weekend which caught the attention of many people from both far and nearby villages. Following the cultural norms, all the traditional ways were maximumly observed throughout the session with keen attention so as to avoid the punishment and the bad lucks from the spirits of the forefathers.

This was now the time for Akumu to take care of home affairs as her aunt had been doing before her death. She had heard enough briefings from her elders. As soon as everyone departured from the burial ground and single handedly remained in pursuit of her basic needs, she didn't show signs of solitude but rather continued associating with her fellow village mates and adopted a happy life contrary to what people expected. It was hard for new faces in Ladigo to know that Akumu had no parents as she endured without interrupting her life with the evils of loneliness.

Soon when the clan members left after four days of intensive mentoring, she started a small business unit where she specialized in making small sized breads. Her intention of getting married was still dulled by her choice of staying single until the accomplishment of the stipulated five years. Many people kept thinking that she would soon get married since her lovely aunt was now no more, but they waited to see the proofs of their thoughts in vain.

Ogwang too began the agitation that this could be the right time for his pending proposal to mature. Little did he know that Akumu's father still lived and would soon remove her daughter from the foreign village of Ladigo. After one year had just passed, he started disturbing Akumu about his suspended proposal, expressed the ideals of his desire to marry her with all the intelligence that a man could ever use to win the heart of a woman. Akumu continuously denied his request and threatened to report him to her father if he continued disturbing her. She was determined to live a single life without the help from either her father, brothers or any close friend.

It looked hard for most people about the kind of life she had started pursuing; as a roadside seller, but to her, it appeared like part of her leisure.

"The death of my aunt has turned me into a garbage, where anyone can dispose whatever waste one wishes. I have always tried to maintain my dignity by following all the ways of the clan, but it seems like no one appreciates me in this community. I have heard enough and I believe I won't cease hearing all such sycophancy. All I believe in, is my initiative which will always defend me from all sorts of unnecessary beggings as an odd many people think of poor children."

She never accepted to be defeated in whatever work she engaged in, and her intention of maintaining Arac's home and guarding it from the corrupt hands of the untrusted elders stood as a big debt before her.

Akumu believed that her mother and aunt's death wasn't coincidental. Her spirits kept leading and protecting her from the unusual and evil thoughts. She never allowed their haunted imaginations to deprive her in pursuit of her happiness as many gossiped that her aunt's death could have been planned just like the one of her mother. As a reserved girl, she remained extremely reticent about her aunt's death and too, believed that death would be the only clear path through which everyone would leave the earth. She repeatedly presented coherent responses to whoever asked her about her experience in her aunt's absence with a strong cognitivity.

Marked by every society, gossiping was a common evil in Ladigo village. What if she was to be told about who might have incantated her aunt to death, how would she feel? It wouldn't still induce any dread to her though she had an excess love for her. She was now a little mature and with many encouraging words she had been receiving from various people, she gained emotional strength and nothing could cause her into a painful memory. Akumu's Pacific life modal started at her teenage period and possessed most of her late aunt's characters. She always put forward cogent reasons in support of her refusal to get married with cogitation whenever asked by her village mates. Ogwang, having learnt all these traits from Akumu, never gave up and got energized the more.

"We are coeval children, and relevantly share the same village. This is not where I was born, it's just where I grew from. My father still lives and soon I will go back to stay with him. He doesn't know what kind of life I am currently exposed to, but I believe one day he will take concern and looks for me wherever I am, before I get back home. Honestly Ogwang, you are not worthy for me because you lack many qualities that I desire from a man," Akumu commented.

"Stop! It's enough. Remember it isn't what you may be seeing in me but what you can't see which is my innate being," Ogwang interrupted. His unctuous feeling of marrying Akumu greatly increased and in his own wisdom, he thought this was the best opportunity for him after hearing that she had rejected the marriage proposal from Odinga who had been her closest friend for many past years. After hearing Akumu's proud response, Ogwang suddenly felt his mouth heavily wrapping with a spontaneously chastening utterance of expression which appeared more of vociferation.

Ogwang had just completed advanced level in the same year when Akumu's aunt died. His major aim was to continue with studies at the University level, but his hope dwindled when he failed to secure the government scholarship that could push him to the next academic level as an orphan. He was staying with his uncle; a brother to his late father in whose hands he remained submissive. His witting complicity on love was slowly killing his dream, and collaboration with uneducated village gangs and peer groups corrupted his mind from concentrating on his dream of bold academic achievement.

As a man who cared for him from his childhood and provided all that he needed to grow healthy as a child, how could he have felt if he heard about his love rumors? He was the only child at his uncle's home and wasn't looked at as a mere nephew, but rather a blood child. His uncle was an impotent and had no wife. He treated Ogwang like his own child and he was extraordinarily proud of him since many people called him, 'Ogwang's father.' When he started hearing the rumors about Ogwang's immorality, he gradually lost hope on him.

One early morning, he called out for Ogwang from his ghetto house and conclaved with him inside the kitchen. His uncle's face looked calm, physically depicting signs of happiness, while his heart spoke a different language.

"I have done my part. I single handedly raised you amidst series of difficulties. Your late father was such a drunkard who didn't care about your life. Remember how you were, before I took charge; you were skinny and many people thought you were suffering from Kwashakoir, everything about you was funny and everyone thought you would not survive. Honored are the spirits of our forefathers that you are still alive. Though you claim to have acted under coercion, I don't want to hear any statement of defense but all I want is to see your fruitful subserviency," Ogwang's uncle vividly lamented.

Ogwang remained damned in silence. He kept looking at his uncle with trembling lips as if he immensely had something to say. He wept and duly returned to his house while his uncle remained inside the kitchen. His uncle always acted coddle and would never silence his mouth over his nephew's wrong deeds.

As a young man, Ogwang thought his uncle would not be aware of his unsettled heart towards Akumu and inwardly claimed that someone could have betrayed him by leaking his secret to him.

Cocooned on his bed, he clutched on the wall and silently meditated over his uncle's words. Though he was clued-up about his uncle's statements, he felt like the words had a cloying sentimentality. After a stitch of time, he remembered that his opinion carried alot of clout in it, so there was an urgent need for him to revive his education with unbroken and consistently deemed actions. With clenched teeth, he accepted to stop following Akumu. With a spring of confidence assurance, he apologized to his uncle for having acted nasty in the past few days and promised never to repeat it again.

Ogwang's desire to study was now reactivated and at this point, he ceased following bandwagons of men who had destructive mindsets. He was such a classy academician whose pride was always reputed on his uncle.

Two months later, he went back to school, pursuing a bachelor degree in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). According to Ogwang, it was a blatantly misguided decision to pursue such a course since he had always wished to become an engineer, and that was the second time he kept seeing his dream fading off his hand.

"My plan of becoming a country's best engineer has gone awry," Ogwang whispered in awe. He had taken an avid interest in engineering, but after being dictated upon the course to pursue, his expectation became evanescent.

At the compass, Ogwang always felt a sigh of exasperation and could infuriatedly shake his head whenever he passed beside the engineering blocks. His uncle's exhortation about M&E was never exhilarating to him, but rather excruciating.