The village is a very unique place to grow up and be raised. The concept of individualism is not pronounced. Rather, there is a communal spirit that permeates every aspect of life and no one operates as an island.   

…The village was a close-knit community where people knew each other by name. No one suffered, cried, or celebrated alone. When one person failed, everybody mourned because it was assumed that the entire community had failed, and when one person succeeded, everybody else rejoiced; and celebrated…

… “Someone formulates a gossip. It gets into a second ear. Soon, the gossip bears offspring and proliferates like wild fire. With time, the gossip takes root throughout the land and turns into a folklore.

That’s the way we are” …

“How then do we distinguish between truth and falsehood?” …

In this village, only one thing represents the absolute”

“What?”

“That; which you see with your naked eyes” … (15)

 (Keke was a surviving twin; Korie was a singleton).

…Ihuaku was by told by the doctor that one of her twins had ‘vanished’. The remaining twin was ‘normal’ and healthy…

 …On the thirty-first of December, both women went into labor as estimated. Ihuoma had prolonged labor that started around nine 0’clock in the morning while Ihuaku had a rapid labor that started around nine 0’clock in the evening. Ihuaku had a bouncing baby boy at exactly two minutes before midnight while Ihuoma has her own baby boy at exactly two minutes after midnight. There was great joy and happiness in both camps. The two boys were, therefore, born four minutes apart on different market days, different months and different years…

…Okwute quickly named his son Nwokeke (a man born on Eke day) while Ike,mba named his son Nwokorie (a man born on Orie day). They were fondly called Keke and korie by the folks…

…Shortly after birth, Korie developed fever from a viral infection which was transmitted to him by his mother. The doctor gave him aspirin to reduce the fever. Soon after that, the baby had seizures, diarrhea and rapid breathing. The doctor said the child had what was called ‘Reye’s syndrome’….

 …Meanwhile, Keke was flourishing right from birth…he didn’t suffer any acute illness. He had already fought his own fight, successfully, in utero.

 …At exactly nine months, Keke stood up one day and started walking. It was a remarkable feat for a nine-year-old boy to skip crawling and start walking….

 …Korie, on the other hand, went through the normal process and started walking at the age of thirteen months. The two young boys who started life from the same vantage point had clearly mapped out different paths in their journey through life…..

 …Based on the traditional age grading system, Keke and Korie who were born in different years could not belong to the same age grade even though they were born only four minutes apart…

 …One passed through a precipitous labor while the other endured the long hours of prolonged labor. One had won a deadly fight in utero before coming into the world in excellent health while the other started a seemingly-healthy life outside the womb only to face a vicious fight for dear life…one was short; the other was tall…

 …Was their relationship a recipe for lifelong dispute and discord between them? Would they ever get along in real life?...

 …They battled each other in every social competition, every wrestling match and in every discussion. The village had never seen two individuals go after each other’s throat as they did…

 “For your information, we were born only four minutes apart,” Korie reminded him.

“If we are age mates, then become an official member of my age grade,” Keke replied.

…age grade was a status symbol that separated seniors from juniors and it was not unusual for individuals to cheat their way into a higher age grade…

 …In Umunta village, seniority in age meant everything…Korie was obviously upset by a process that made him practically inferior to Keke…The tradition of the land had become a catalyst for vengeful antagonistic rivalry between two brothers.

 …Their family backgrounds were different as well….Korie’s father was illiterate while Keke’s father was well-educated. Korie’s father, a monogamist, acquired fame through athletics while Keke’s father, a polygamist, utilized the white man’s education to soar to greater heights

.…Tradition had inadvertently placed a volatile wedge between them and they were stuck with each other for life in a small space called Umunta village.

 “A poor man can never be happy! In my next life, I will come back rich and famous,” Keke swore (16)

“Happiness is not measured by wealth. Itego could have lived a miserable life without showing it. A poor man could have been happier working in his farm than Itego was in his lavish mansion…,” Korie tried to educate him (16).

 In a place where few people had lots of money to throw around, a rich man’s burial was not an everyday occurrence. Itego’s burial, therefore, was the type that Keke had never before witnessed in his young life. Prior to the ceremony, the late man’s compound, in addition to the entire neighborhood, was given an accelerated professional facelift. (14)

  …If death and dying could be this joyful, who doesn’t want to die? This rich man’s death it turning out to be better than a poor man’s life,” Keke said to Korie (16)

“People don’t die because they want to die. They die because they’re meant to die,” Korie replied.

“When a poor man witnesses a rich man’s funeral, he begins to hunger for death. I feel like dying,” Keke continued.

“Those who plan to die don’t announce their intent with a bullhorn. If you don’t know what to do to die, I can give you some ideas,” Korie replied (16)

That night, Keke went to bed and had a dream where he witnessed a ceremony during which the same rich Itego was inducted into the kingdom of heaven with all the pomp and fanfare in a very splendid ceremony. The angels in resplendent white robes ushered the dead man into the presence of the almighty. Everything seen by Keke was beyond description…In the same dream, he saw the poor man whose burial had left a very sad mark on his soul. The same man was squatting at the gate of heaven begging for alms under the worst of conditions. No one seemed to care about him. Some of the angels even walked past by him like he never existed…

…Didn’t they teach us that he poor will die and get their reward in heaven,” he queried himself in that dream…Or, is this poor man’s heaven different from the one they preached to us?...(17)

…If Itego’s lavish burial ceremony pushed Keke to the brink of inordinate desire, it encouraged Korie to right the wrongs of humanity…(17)

…Keke understood the pros and cons of the thick forest very well…He grew up in the village. He had never been to the city. However from what he had heard about the city, there could be little difference between the city and the thick forest in terms of potential’s sand pitfalls…I want to represent the hunter that comes out of the Oka’hia with enough bush meat for the entire village….I’m going to be like Itego; in life and death…(29).

.. The city sounds like a mirror image of the thick forest…a blend of death traps and wonderful opportunities…you can’t make it big without living dangerously…one does not catch as rabbit without risking the dangers of its burrow (29)

 …Keke’s mother wanted him to go to the city to become the richest and most-educated young man in the village….a day after they got to the city, his uncle sat him down…(29)

…a child must first grow up before wearing his father’s voluminous outfit unless he wants the wind to carry him along with the outfit…a child washes the belly and thinks he is taking a bath…the visible prey you’re hesitant to hunt today, may never cross your path again…opportunities come and go  (30)

 …Keke had always lived a double life. There had always been two different individuals in him; one was real; the other was fake. You could call it real Keke and false Keke… (36)…Any time he needed something so badly, he would utilize his false nature to achieve his objectives…Any time he had already achieved his sinister objectives in life, he would settle into his accomplishment and shamelessly enjoy the fruits of his ill-gotten gains.

…There was always that one decision that would result in lifelong consequences and the marriage between Keke and Ada was a perfect example…(78)

 …The fake Keke was a charmer; an angel in human form…Keke would assume his fake personality whenever he needed something so badly and must hide his true identity to achieve his objectives…

…The real Keke, on the other hand, was a habitual womanizer who would lure pretty women into his wide fishing net…Keke would assume his real personality whenever he had already achieved his objectives and had nothing else to hide…(78)

 …Keke did not wait long after his marriage to go on a romantic spree…..if anything could have stopped Keke from chasing after women…it was his experience with a woman called Omaricha (beauty)…Omaricha was one of his concubines…Whether it was during pregnancy, in parturition or beyond, a female sexual anatomy would fulfil the same functions to Keke…they all served the same purpose as long as the woman was pretty…Omaricha was in the final stage of hanging herself on a rope hooked to the ceiling…Keke quickly jumped into action, held and propped her up in his arms, and cut the rope with a knife…she fell right into his arms…

...I have six children from six different men and none of them, except Amamihe my teenage daughter, belongs to the man I call my husband!....I’m afraid Amamihe might expose our little secret…

…Keke was badly shaken long after he had left the woman’s house…he had never come this close to having another man’s wife die in his hands…

“I’m quickly becoming the crab that conquered the great waters and seas only to drown in an old woman’s soup pot!” he exclaimed in his mind…

I can’t hide these illicit activities for ever…if you bury smoke in the ground, it will find a way to get to the sky. I better stop running after other men’s wives…it’s like going beneath the river to eat a stolen banana. The peel will ultimately float to the surface…having concubines is a form of trade without gain. I need to stop! …(80-81)

 …Keke ran into Korie, his kinsman’ at the market square…Given a choice, the two would rather not meet anywhere, anytime. But, such a choice was nonexistent.

“Good day; my age mate,” Korie greeted Keke

“Good ay my junior kinsman,” Keke responded.

Age was a lightning rod for conflict between the two. Though they were born only four minutes apart, Keke would always remind Korie of their age difference. He was older than Korie and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Korie, on his part, refused to accept Keke as his senior kinsman. Four minutes were not enough of an age difference to make him ‘inferior’ to Keke. The tradition of the land had inadvertently placed a life-long wedge between the two kinsmen…(85).

 …. that someone as wretched as you could exude such pride and dignity! …Does wealth mean nothing to you?” Keke asked in exasperation

“I am my father’s son. My adult dwelling place may look impoverished and dirty to you. But it is a place that gives me everything I could ever need in my life. I am not indebted to anyone; Therefore, I am rich by all accounts. My home is comfortable and that is where I find peace, love and happiness. Therefore, it is as good as any mansion and I could never trade it for any castle in the world…If I have a dream, it is to have a home; not a house. If I have a dream, it is to have company; not loneliness. If I have a dream, it is to eat and drink healthy; not perish in expensive and destructive habits. If I have a dream, it is to have a peaceful, loving family; not a war zone. If I have a dream, it is to raise happy, resourceful children; not rich, wasteful, arrogant and mindless ones that will grab the wall-gecko by the tail,” Korie responded…(86)

 …Keke might have conquered the hearts and minds of the world around him. Yet, the one man he could never buy over was his kinsman, Korie…people wondered if they could ever get along…(98)

 …Korie was an easy-going individual who felt entirely fulfilled, so content, so secure, so comfortable, and so relaxed. For someone who didn’t have much education and had never been to the city, one would expect him lack self-esteem. Amazingly, he was a direct opposite of what people expected of him…he shunned publicity and material things…his pride and self-confidence were so pronounced that everybody, especially Keke, practically envied his lifestyle…(89)

 …Keke blamed his wives for failing to give him a son…He was nurturing the thoughts of marrying more wives when he was visited again in his dream, one night, by the pretty widow in purple while he was sleeping next to Ada…(107)

 …why did the pretty widow always visit him when he was sleeping next to Ada and not with his other wives?

 …Who is this pretty widow? What is she up to? Is she trying to seduce me…or console me…or tantalize me…or punish me…or what? ..leave me alone; she can’t. Allow me to grab her; she can’t…who is she? What is she? What does she want from me? She makes me happy. Then, she makes me sad. She turns me on. Then, she turns me off. She comes to me. Then, she runs from me. What a woman!...(107).

 …Keke could be raving mad. He could be pulling down the house…none of that would faze Ada. One day, after Keke’s frightening behavior had forced Nana and Marina to flee for their lives, the man was surprised at Ada’s total indifference to his behavior.

“Do you ever get scared in your life,” he queried Ada

“Why should I be afraid to fall when I’m already lying flat on the ground?” she questioned him back…

…You’ve turned me into a cooking pot that has been toughened by fire. You can’t threaten me with fireworks…I have acquired immunity from years of abuse…from human hostility…from unsubstantiated rumors and false accusations…I am a free woman. You can’t touch me now. You can’t hurt me. You can’t break my sopirit…If I ever complain; it will be the complaint of a chick snatched away by the hawk. Such a chick complains not for redemption but for the world to hear its voice…(107-108)

As soon as Nana overheard that from her peeping hole, she jumped out to confront Ada. She saw an opportunity to get Keke on her side and she seized it.

“All you know is how to talk and provoke our husband. One of these days, he’s going to kick you out of this house. Remember, you are a ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil…

“Go ahead and advertise your skill in making babies! Just pray that your husband does not get smart enough to investigate the source of your pregnancy,” Ada responded.

“What do you mean by that?...

“It’s not everything a wine taper sees on top of the tress that he comes down to recount. Don’t worry; I won’t reveal your little secret…I will not be the one to bring to light what you did in darkness. My mouth is sealed,” Ada assured her. (108)

 When the baby was brought home from the hospital…. Keke quickly named him Agu (Lion)…if it was practical, he probably would have named him ‘Deity’… (114)…Agu was circumcised on the 8th day of his birth

 … Keke went straight home to confront Ada, his son’s mother…(142)…

“I’m afraid to tell you this; but your son is doing everything wrong. He drinks alcohol. He smokes. He is so disrespectful and wayward. He skips classes and sleeps around. Have you ever asked him how well he does in school; or if he attends school at all? I can’t even talk to him. He has become your partner in disrespect and revolt. We are losing this young man and we need to do something about him now! Let us use daylight to look for our black sheep”

“Are you sure you’re not talking about one of your concubines’ offspring? My son is respectful, focused and well-behaved. If he becomes a loser tomorrow, you should know where he got half of his genetics from. I know who his father is and I know that genetics doesn’t lie”

…Ada called the young man…

“Son; I called you here to ask you one simple question. Do you drink and smoke?” the mother asked him sternly and pointedly.

“Mom; this question makes me feel like a criminal. Is that what you want me to be?”

As much as she would want to give her husband the benefit of doubt, Ada was not going to play any part in criminalizing her own son. She felt guilty.

“Son; you can leave now,” she said.

Moments later, she stood up ready to leave the room. She had heard enough about her son for one day.

Keke felt obligated to say something before Ada could leave the room.

“The ear should listen when the head raises an alarm because when the head falls, the ear falls as well. We have a problem; and this problem is not mine alone. If the sky falls tomorrow, it’s not going to fall on my head alone. It will fall on our heads” (144)

That night, Keke saw the same widow in his dream…Ada was lying down beside him…

”you act like someone who has seen a ghost,” his wife reacted.

He told Ada about the mysterious but pretty widow that had made her presence known to him in life and in his dream…

“Are you sure she is not one of your concubines?” she asked.

“I wish she was! I would marry her in an instant. She is just a widow in a crowd … I like pretty women,” he confessed…

“You are the fly and pretty women are the spilled palm wine. You sniff them, and you follow them everywhere; even in your dreams” (85)

 When Keke got out of bed, he took a firm decision. He was going to find that pretty widow in purple… (162)…He came up with a strategy; to set up a foundation that would cater for the needs of all the widows in the land who were below the age of forty years… He would meet with and interview each and every one of the widows in a secluded office…(162)…

…At the end of the exercise, Keke did not find his pretty widow in purple…

…among the widows he interviewed, two of them stood out in his mind; Ebere and a young widow who could only give her pet-name as Nne… the young girl had the exact same facial features as the older widow… Keke could almost swear that the young girl was her biological daughter. The moment he set his eyes on each of them, his heart fluttered unconsciously…

…Keke went home to face Ada’s scrutiny…

…did you find your widow?” Ada asked him as soon as he stepped into the house. The question left him with no room to wiggle his way out… (167)

“Which widow? Is this how you welcome your husband home after a hard day’s work? …

“A late evening discussion is not an ideal one for endless talks. Before you move off the track, answer a simple question. Did you find the pretty widow you were looking for? ... look at you! You! You spent so much time, energy and falsehood searching for an imaginary widow of your dreams. You set up a fictitious foundation in order to bring all the widows in this land together so that you can find a widow that exists only in your shadow… someone should have told you how the crab conquered great waters and oceans only to drown in an old woman’s soup pot. If care is not taken, this shadowy widow of yours will turn into an old woman’s soup pot for a crab like you… (167) …Truth, my dear, is like the cassava stem. You cannot bend it…or else, it will break. The longer the masquerade stumps in the arena, the more likely it is for women to recognize his voice. Sooner than later, people are bound to discover the real you” …

“What do you mean by that?”

“There’s something called paranoia in psychology”

“Meaning?”

“Check out this scenario. A married man is murdered in cold blood. The murderer, fearing that the angry widow is after him, begins to hallucinate and sees visions of her everywhere; even in his dreams. He sees the widow even where she does not exist. He falls in fake love with her; not because he truly loves her but to lure her into a trap and eliminate her as well. Is this scenario something you can relate to?”

“Are you accusing me of murder?”

“Why are simple questions so hard for you to answer? What I have presented to you is a scenario; not an accusation. Do you by any means fit into this scenario? The illness that kills someone follows the corpse to the grave. There are repercussions to evil deeds…(168)

Agu was circumcised on the 8th day of his birth. Infants, both male and female, used to be circumcised without anesthesia. With time, things changed. First, female circumcision was stopped because there was too much opposition to it. Those who favored female circumcision had argued that it was an antidote against female promiscuity and unwanted pregnancies prior to marriage. Female circumcision was meant to lower the intensity of sexually gratification in girls and reduce the likelihood of girls running after young men. However, there was an opposing argument against the practice. Apart from the mutilation aspect of female circumcision, it was known to prevent females from enjoying sexual activities with their legitimate husbands; a situation that could potentially lead to extra-marital affairs and break-up in marriages. The argument against female circumcision won the intense battle and it was eventually discontinued altogether.

 Male circumcision, on the other hand, was not abandoned because removing the redundant prepuce was regarded as more esthetic and hygienic than the original anatomic structure. In keeping with tradition, male circumcision was carried out on the eight day of one’s birth. It didn’t matter whether the eight day fell on any particular market day, weekday, or week-end… (115)

ItemOmugwo, as designed, is meant to achieve multiple objectives.

First, no matter the level of preparedness, every first-time new mother is seen as inexperienced and practically clueless when it comes to taking care of her body and of the newborn baby. Both mother and child have very specific but unique needs to keep them healthy and functional.

…During pregnancy, the baby extracts from the mother everything he or she needs to grow normally. As a result, the mother becomes deficient in various body needs. The baby is a big load which the mother caries around for months. That, by itself, takes a lot of energy from the mother. The body itself undergoes several changes to accommodate the growing fetus. The womb is stretched to the limit. The bladder bears the brunt of the enlarging uterus sitting on it while the rectal veins begin to bulge, prolapse and bleed in the name of hemorrhoids. The muscles are stretched, the bones are under constant stress, and the heart is pumping harder than ever before to meet the demands of two individuals; mother and child. Adequate sleep eludes the pregnant woman. She can’t’ lie down flat without developing shortness of breath and gastro-esophageal reflex disease with resultant heartburn and indigestion. After childbirth, the woman’s body is understandably weak and the organs need re-adjustment...

…The woman going for her grandchild’s Omugwo must address the unique needs of both the new mother and the newborn child. From personal experience, she is in a unique position to understand the effect of pre-natal, intra-partum and post-partum forces on a woman. Whatever food she prepares for her daughter must satisfy the new mother’s nutritional needs and also help restore the normal functions of the bladder, the uterus and the rectum. Some of the nutrients have oxytocic effects and are known to specifically contract and strengthen the soft uterus and restore its functions…

Secondly, the woman going for her grandchild’s Omugwo must create an environment for her daughter to get the rest she needs so badly. With the mother around, the new mother does not have to worry constantly about the welfare of the newborn child;’ or that of herself and her husband. She will breast-feed her baby while her mother assumes the job of catering for the baby’s other needs. In addition…the grandmother also cooks for her son-in-law and other members of the family and carries out other domestic chores…

Thirdly, the grandmother is there as a special teacher to her daughter…she gives her lessons on the safest way ways to breast-feed, burp, and give bath to the newborn child…the newborn baby is already bonding, not only with the parents, but with the grandmother as well…(189)

…back at Keke’s house, Ada’s mother had already settled down for the Omugwo. She brought with her plenty of foodstuffs, spices, herbs, tree barks, roots and condiments. Her husband had bought big sizes of stock-fish and yams; bags of rice and even a live chicken which she took along with her…

…Ada had missed that special help and tutoring when she had her first baby. She stumbled through the entire process like a blind person without a guide. This time around, she had the opportunity to learn new tricks and correct previous mistakes and misunderstandings. She marveled at her mother’s ability to take absolute care of the household with what appeared like minimal efforts. She remembered how inefficient and clumsy she was at taking care of herself, the baby and the household when Agu was born…..

“But mom, who taught you about these ingredients, spices, herbs, tree barks, roots and condiments which I never knew were edible in the first place? How come I never learnt about them in my childhood or in school? ...

…My daughter, this is our way of life and it’s not something you learn from school. It is something handed down from generation to generation. Every one of those ingredients and spices and herbs and tree barks and roots and condiments is there for a specific purpose…

…You even handle my baby girl better than I could do it. Did they also teach you the art of handling babies? ...

…Motherhood is a specialty by itself. Most of it comes naturally. With or without assistance, a mother’s intuition is the best guide to attend to the needs of her offspring…

…Did you bring all that stuff with you when you know pretty well that we can more than afford them?

My daughter…there are three major aspects of the Omugwo; the supportive aspect, the appreciative aspect and the community aspect…

…But mom; motherhood is a much harder job than I ever thought it was…

…My daughter; motherhood is the most difficult job in the world for two reasons. It’s a non-stop twenty-four-seven job. And you have to be a specialist in everything to be able to do it… (189)

…every good thing must, like people would say, must come to an end. Ada’s mother had completed the Omugwo and was ready to go to her husband. She was sent home, generously, with lots of gifts as demanded by the custom and she went back a very happy woman indeed… (193)description

…Everybody knew how the bereaved family had sold the one major parcel of land they owned in order to bury a dead man who had left behind a wife and seven children. None of the children had grown old enough to take care of the family. The oldest among them was barely fourteen…(15).

…To bury her husband, the wife had to sell the one major parcel of land belonging to the family. Her husband’s death had turned into a double tragedy…(16)

In a place where few people had lots of money to throw around, a rich man’s burial was not an everyday occurrence. Itego’s burial, therefore, was the type that Keke had never before witnessed in his young life. Prior to the ceremony, the late man’s compound, in addition to the entire neighborhood, was given an accelerated professional facelift. (14)

 “If death and dying could be this joyful, who doesn’t want to die? This rich man’s death it turning out to be better than a poor man’s life,” Keke said to Korie (16)

“People don’t die because they want to die. They die because they’re meant to die,” Korie replied.

“When a poor man witnesses a rich man’s funeral, he begins to hunger for death. I feel like dying,” Keke continued.

“Those who plan to die don’t announce their intent with a bullhorn. If you don’t know what to do to die, I can give you some ideas,” Korie replied (16)

That night, Keke went to bed and had a dream where he witnessed a ceremony during which the same rich Itego was inducted into the kingdom of heaven with all the pomp and fanfare in a very splendid ceremony. The angels in resplendent white robes ushered the dead man into the presence of the almighty. Everything seen by Keke was beyond description…In the same dream, he saw the poor man whose burial had left a very sad mark on his soul. The same man was squatting at the gate of heaven begging for alms under the worst of conditions. No one seemed to care about him. Some of the angels even walked past by him like he never existed…

“Didn’t they teach us that he poor will die and get their reward in heaven,” he queried himself in that dream…Or, is this poor man’s heaven different from the one they preached to us?...(17) description

ItemThere was a place called ‘city. It was also referred to as ‘township’. People in the village had a vague concept of the city sand the type of life it offered. They knew it was a very distant place. To their understanding, people had to travel for days by land; or even by sea or air to get there…They heard stories of how the people living in those cities belonged to a different world from the one they lived in. They were or acted like foreigners with foreign languages, foreign cultures and foreign laws…the one thing that united all cities was that they were distant places, some within the country; others beyond. And, villagers did not routinely get there either because of the distance or the cost and labor involved. Though few people had ever been to the city, everybody seemed to know so much about it. From what the people had heard, some of the cities were small; others were big. Some existed within the country; others were located in foreign lands. One could get to the city by land, by sea or by air depending on its distance and location…it symbolize different things for different people…(18)

In broad terms, there were two groups of people with contradictory view of the city. The overzealous youth had radical views that were often based on contemporary ideas and events. The elders and a few skepticasl individuals, on the other hand, had age-old views that contradicted the philosophy of the modern world. True or not, people on both sides of the argument seemed to know everything about the city…(18)

“In the city, there is food everywhere. People consume large quantities of food and drinks. Everything comes in large sizes. They consume water and soft drinks in gallons….Dumpsters are filled with food in hotels, restaurants, school cafeteria, entertainment centers, and even hospitals…people literally pluck money from the trees…it doesn’t matter if you are a baby sitter, a hair-dresser, a mechanic, a tailor, a landscaper, a painter…sometimes, a plumber makes as much money as a college professor; or even more…The water is sent to your home in pipes that branch out into every room of the house…electricity is constant twenty-four-seven…You can’t bribe the judges…No one is above the law….Extortion and sex for grades are prohibited…There is a network of transportation systems that crisscross the entire place…The sick does not  have to provide cash payment, upfront, before services are commenced in urgent situations…young boys and girls enjoy life like there is no tomorrow…people make the best of the holidays…(18-20)

…The elders, on the other hand…spoke of the city in derogatory terms…

“In the city….people carry guns everywhere…people, adults and kids alike, get missing on a daily basis…a full-grown man will step out of his house and vanish without a trace…Drug dealers own the underworld…when it rains, people die…When it snows, people die…When the hurricane comes, it wipes out entire neighborhoods...everything has a deadline…you have a deadline to submit documents…to pay your bills…to inspect your vehicles…to renew your professional licenses…the rats are in a race; so are humans…children are abused by those who are supposed to be taking care of them…the elders are targeted, abused and defrauded…you could spend a whole life without getting to know or talk to your next-door neighbor…it is so easy to become homeless…the same technology that is supposed to make your life a lot easier is used to follow you round the clock…You are constantly harassed by telemarketers sand creditors…They will steal your identity, your bank accounts, your social security, sand divert your wages and payments…(18-20)

“The city sounds like a mirror image of the tick forest…a blend of death traps and wonderful opportunities…you can’t make it big without living dangerously…one does not catch as rabbit without risking the dangers of its burrow (29)

Keke had glamorized city life by his sudden wealth and popularity…as a result, young men and girls started seeing the city as the place to make it big in the shortest period of time…he had opened the floodgates to the city…people were no longer satisfied with their stay in the village…(52)description

…He was also called the wise one because of his age…No one knew his exact age since paper birth registration did not exist during his time…Nnanyi ukwu had seen it all and heard it all…He had survived world wars, earthquakes sand hurricanes…

The crowded brick-walled reception room where he welcomed his visitors was called The Obi and could be likened to a museum of the ancient world…The entrance door was so low that those entering the Obi were forced to bend and bow their heads as a sign of respect and reverence  to the revered occupant of perhaps the oldest room in the land…Nnanyi ukwu, in his old age, could dwell on a topic for hours.

“Tell me Nnanyi ukwu; why do you hang meat for so long by the fireplace,” he asked, starring at the fowl meat that dripped melted fat into the fireplace. The aroma was truly appetizing.

“Dry meat fills the mouth; son. It has taste, and does not poison the body”…

“Tell me Nnanyi ukwu, why do we spend so much money to bury the dead? ...

“It’s a combination of greed, rivalry and guilt….The new house and the facelift given to the compound can only benefit the greedy relatives of the dead…When an adult gets hungry, he decides to feed the child…

“Why do you think women are created weaker than men?”

“Strength, my son, is like beauty. Its meaning depends of who is doing the interpretation. A woman carries a child in the womb for nine months and bears the pains of labor... Is that a sign of weakness? ... A man is frightened by the sight of a woman about to have a baby. Is that a sign of strength?... even among men, there are differences.(24)

“Tell me Nnany ukwu, do the gods ever give us signs for us to predict what might happen in due time or in the future?”

“our forefathers were familiar with such signs…Dreams involving snake’s, flood and blood portent an impending setback of disaster…it is a good omen to interact with a mad person in your dream…to accidentally hit your right toe (or foot) on an object….a bad sign to hit your left toe (or foot)…if as living relative or someone you know refuses to look at you in a dream, that person is dead …if one accidentally breaks a keg of palm wine, a pot of soup or food items on the way to one’s bride-to-be, that marriage proposal should be cancelled…if you are going somewhere and you hear the hooting sound of an owl, you should cancel that trip….

“Tell me Nnanyi ukwu, why do we shed tears when someone dies?”

..we shed tears of guilt….guilt for all the hurtful wors and deeds that can no longer be taken back……we shed tears of fear…fear that the dead can no longer stand for us, sweat for us, dream for us, plan for us and be there for us at all times…we shed tears of lost hope…we shed tears of lost opportunity; opportunity for dialogue, understanding, reconciliation and warm hugs that could have been…(26)

…In the middle of the night, Okwute woke his son, Keke, up from deep sleep….

“Son,” he started,

“I’m doing what our fathers and their fathers before them did to drive home a message. They will wake you up in the middle of the night from your sleep to speak to you. That is because; whatever they tell you at that time will never escape your memory. I have only one advice to give you tonight. If you ever have a choice between the sweet sugar and the bitter nut, you should go for the bitter nut..(28)…the bitter nut, mu son, tastes bitter in the mouth but cleanses the body while the sweet sugar tastes sweet in the mouth but destroys the body…that which tastes good, can also kill…in real life, certain actions bring instant pleasure and gratification but ultimately ruins our lives…you can go back to sleep…you have a long journey ahead of you”.(29)

Keke’s mother wanted him to go to the city to become the richest and most-educated young man in the village….a day after they got to the city, his uncle sat him down…(29)…

…a child must first grow up before wearing his father’s voluminous outfit unless he wants the wind to carry him along with the outfit…a child washes the belly and thinks he is taking a bath…the visible prey you’re hesitant to hunt today, may never cross your path again…opportunities come and go  (30)

Though words of praise and admiration for Keke were not in short supply, everybody had his or her opinion of him…The old men in particular, were very skeptical of him…

“The same wine that tastes good intoxicates as well. We must beware of snake gifts coming from the city…one does not grab the wall gecko by the tail. It will escape and leave the tail in your hands. One who fires a gun does not chase after the bullet. I’ve spoken words of wisdom. I won’t determine what people will do with my words” (48)

“Keke has come back home with a strange city drum in his hands. They way he beats it; that’s the way the village people will dance the music for him,” an old man said when he heard the news…

…It’s easy to give a cup of water to the monkey but very difficult to get the cup back….Keke has already laid his hands on a pot of honey…(46)

…Papa, can I ask you a favor?” he asked.

“Anything son,” he replied.

“Can we make fire and roast some yams?”

“Is that what you’re hungry for? I thought young people love junk food, junk music and junk language”

“I want to be like some of my friends, Papa”

”How is that?”

“They boast of their treasured relationship with their grandfathers; how they make fire and roast yams together. You have to listen to them talk with great pride about their grandfathers who, they say, tell them endless stories of things that take place in the animal kingdom. They seem to know the names of all the animals, both domesticated and wild; how they interact with one another…”

…it’s not a simple act to roast yams. First, you need fire and you must enter the forest to fetch the wood for the fire. Then, to eat the roasted yams, you need to drink water and you need palm oil and spices to give adequate taste to the yam. You must go to the stream to fetch the drinking water. Going to the stream is often like climbing down and up a narrow slippery hill. Preparing palm oil is not a child’s play. First, someone must climb the palm tree to cut down the ripe fruit. You must carry it home and cut off the fruits from the stem. The fruits must then be grinded with mortar and pestle without breaking the nuts in order to allow the juices to flow out of them; leaving a big, mushy substance. Someone must filter the palm nut mesh through a gauze to obtain the juice which must then be boiled to separate the oil from the water. Do you still want to make fire and eat roasted yams with grandpa? ... description

…Are you new in this town? Mr. Broom is, perhaps, the richest man in town and he lives in a secluded neighborhood specifically made for him. He shares no boundaries with nobody. If this had been his neighborhood, I don’t think me and you should be lurking around here” (31)... 

…That is not his real name. He had been nick-named ‘Mr. Broom’ because of the way he made his wealth…People saw him as someone who had used a little broom to sweep another man’s wealth to himself. They nick-named him ‘Mr. Broom’….

…Keke had zero interest in education…Mr. Broom didn’t know that…

“I’ll offer you a job as an errand boy…I’m like your adopted father now…

That very night, the wife woke up in the middle of her sleep with a jerk and a scream.

“What’s the matter, honey,” Mr. Broom asked his wife.

“Oh my God, honey! Oh my God!”.

“What’s the matter?”

“That boy!”

“Which boy, honey?”(33)

“The one you just hired”

“What about him?”

”I saw him in my dream. He suddenly turned into a spear and punctured my heart. Please keep that boy away from me and from this family…

“Honey, that boy is as sweet and humble as a bee!...

“The way you’re embracing that sweet humble bee, one of these days, it’s going to sting your manhood into stupor. Remember, the bee is a small neighbor. Yet, no one pockets it; or covers it with a fist…(34).

“What can an ant do to a cow? This young man is too small for me to worry about”…

“A needle may be small; yet it draws blood. Don’t wait for this tiny ant to bite your buttock before it learns its lesson. Don’t say I didn’t warn you”(34)     (don’t say I didn’t warn you?”

..The relationship between Keke and Mr. Broom had turned into a scheming competition where smiles were clouded by suspicion and distrust. It was strikingly reminiscent of one thief trying to steal from another…(36) description

…The market square…It was traditionally regarded as the madman’s territory…

“Once madness reaches the market square, it becomes incurable,” people would say…

A madman could roam about and travel long distances, yet his ‘official’ residence remained the market square…

…As soon as Keke stepped out of the tavern with his horde of praise-singers, he came across a well-known deranged man; a lunatic (usually referred to as a ‘mad man’ by the general public). The man was known throughout the land and was infamously dubbed ‘Nkapi’ (skunk); the animal that was known for its offensive odor. Obviously, he never took a bath except, perhaps, whenever he was drenched by the rains…he had fun ripping up his clothes before wearing them…He always wore his paraphernalia of gongs, bells, plastic bottles and whistles…he danced the music that no one else could hear and the timing of his music was unpredictable…(42)

…Amazingly, none of the few madwomen who got pregnant and brought children into the world had ever been observed to abandon their children.

…As soon as Nkapi caught site of Keke and his entourage, he pointed a scornful finger at them, dances his dance and lectured the wind…..

“When a mad man plays with his own feces; it’s his family that feels the shame…if you don’t hoot unto something, your bag will do the hooking for you…Money is like alcoholic honey…When sycophants taste the sweetness of it, they begin to sing praises…When you start taping palm wine, you start taping the neighbors…Tomorrow, like a fly without an adviser following the corpse, the same sycophants will follow their godfather to the grave…nothing kills a man faster than false praise and flattery….(42)

…The madman, Nkapi, happened to be present when the title of Ezego (Money Chief) was conferred on Keke…he stopped dancing and started to lecture the wind….

“I am tall; so, I can see the future…Right now, everybody is cheering and leading Keke on…you wonder if it’s him they are toasting; of if they’re toasting themselves…I better keep my mouth shut before they accuse me of chasing birds with bare hands…(48)

…As soon as Keke’s driver zoomed off, Nkapi pointed an incriminating finger at the moving vehicle and lectured the wind …

“What is this man running from? ...he acts like a haunted being…the rich and the powerful are always running from something…they run from their tails and they run from their shadow…they run from their wives…they run from their concubines…the rich man runs a constant race; a race against time, a race against money, as race against power, a race against greed, a race against women…he runs as race to beat the system, a race to put the world in his pockets, a race to frame others, a race to monopolize pricey objects, a race to escape from a rowdy crowd, a race to use and discard the poor, as race to barricade himself with bulletproof cars, mansions and security guards…he can’t stop running even when no one is chasing him…he thinks he is the wall gecko that can run from its tail…the faster he runs, the more he’s stuck on the same spot…he runs to the very top’ only to be pulled down by little things…money pulls him down…women pull him down…lies pull him down…frustration pulls him down…deception pulls him down…sometimes, the same sycophants he nurtured…will turn around and pull him down. He checks in; and he checks out. He checks in smiling and checks out frowning…he checks in hopeful and checks out hopeless…he checks in walking and checks out fleeing…he checks in bouquets and checks out with wreaths…he checks in with applause and checks out with jeers…he checks in tall and checks out diminished…I better keep my mouth shut. If I speak now, they’ll say that I waded into thunderstorm to collect money that belongs to someone else…(64). description

..men catch girls while girls catch pockets…if you want to live long in your marriage, you must tell your wife pleasant lies. A wife’s brain is like a sieve. It filters all the good deeds and holds tight to the bad ones. Say or do one bad thing, it becomes part of the woman’s nervous system…

…you must have patience and tolerance in dealing with women. Once a woman throws her feces at you, wash it off, act like nothing happened, and get inside her shell. Then, you will begin to enjoy her unlimited supply of human milk…

…Marriage is like a snack of bitter nuts which tastes sour in the mouth but sounds delicious in the ear…A married person is like an insect that is being roasted on a frying pan. The longer it fries, the more delightful it looks…

…To survive your marriage, you must change your name to ‘sneaky’…you sneak into taverns and bars…you sneak into the hands of outside lovers…you sneak into bad habits…of drinking and smoking…you sneak into sleep when you’re actually awake…you sneak into smiles when you are angry…

…Marriage is like a cage. Once you’re hooked into it, there’s no escape…your freedom is gone…your eyesight is gone…anything you see or look at will be held against you. Your speech is muted…speak the wrong words and you’ll regret ever having a tongue…..

…You don’t understand women. They are like water and you can’t wrap them up by force…they’ll find a way to leak out…

…Women are like human dryers. Relationship with a woman dries up a lot of things…it dries up a man’s pockets…it dries up a man’s freedom and open flirtation…it dries up a man’s genuine smiles. When a man smiles in the presence of his wife, it’s hard to tell whether it’s real smile, or a polite way of keeping peace by flashing away bottled frustrations…

…They turn into virtual liars. If your wife’s food tastes like garbage, eat it, praise her for her cooking, and throw up lather behind her back…if she fat, act blind…

…When a woman gets sick, she makes sure the man gets a greater share of her sickness. Sometimes, I wonder if a husband is always responsible for his sick wife’s illness even when the illness is as minor as a common cold…

…If you think women are like pestering fleas, wait until they get pregnant. Everything becomes exaggerated especially when the husband is around….her legs are too heavy to move…you smile at, she frowns her face…you rub her feet, it’s either too hard, too soft, or in the wrong place….If you stay away from her, you’re deserting her; if you stay close to her, you’re suffocating her…if you call her a sweet name, you think she is someone else; if you stay silent, you’re hiding something…if you say something, you’re not telling the truth…if you argue with her, you’re being bossy; if you don’t argue with her, you think she is stupid…when a woman is pregnant with a child, the husband becomes pregnant with triplets…

…When a woman gets the child she wants, she does not only grow wings; her tongue turns into a sharp sword…her looks become malignant like cancer…and when she steps on the ground, her footsteps sound like steel on a hard surface…

...They can be selfish. When you snore, your wife calls it a growl and when she snores, she denies it…

…They have laser instincts…if you open and close any door that had been closed by your wife, she will tell you the time you opened it and the person that went through that door…even if a female name on your phone is that of your mother, it belongs to your secret lover…if you shake a woman’s hand outside the house, your wife will tell you whose female perfume and nail polish you brought home…each time you smile at another woman, you’re sending a secret code…(46)

…They say that women are like flowers; that all it takes to keep them happy is to ‘water’ them….you have to be a genius to find that water with the right temperature to do the job…(46)

…The first time I met my husband in the village, I was like an angel; a virgin dove that could have committed sin by simply looking at a man…I acted shy; too shy to even look at  a man’s face…the few words I spoke were muddled and practically forced out of me…when it was time to eat, he practically begged me to eat…I took a few sand-sized bites which were practically grinded with my mouth closed…he fell in love with this little shy, innocent, dove of a woman…his mother swore on her mother’s grave that I was the best gift from God…

..when I finally settled down as a housewife, the poor man started getting less and less meat in his soup…One day, I was eating with him when he literally held my hand in midair stopping me from eating the last piece of meat in the soup…

…men are so naïve about us women…my husband was so shocked the first day I told him I wanted sex...you could have seen the expression on his face!  It was like ‘is this the same chastity that I married?”…

…My husband used to think I was trying to please him each time we had sex…that was until I went from being the chased to becoming the aggressor…

“So, this thing drives you crazy, too?’ he asked.

“No; it doesn’t. I’m a piece of wood without feelings,” I replied.

“He shook his head like someone whose lamb had turned into a he-goat….

…a man will walk around the house barking orders and acting like a king without a crown…a woman who plays her role, wisely, is actually the unofficial dominant figure who has the yam, the fire to roast it and the knife to cut it…

…without us women, men can’t function…we all know what happens when a woman sits next to her husband in public…the couple communicate with their feet and hands…unknown to other people around, the wife is always pinching her husband, kicking him or stepping on his feet each time he’s about to say or do something stupid…That’s why a bachelor acts more stupid in the public than a married man whose wife is sitting next to her…

…There’s this man who sent his wife home and left her there in the village…as soon as the woman got back to the village, she found herself a handsome young man to keep her warm…when the foolish man found out what was happening, he rushed back home to bring her back to the city…

…back home, they’ll make you cook for them, wash their dishes, do their laundry and do all the house chores while they run around with nasty girls…don’t you see how quickly they learn to do those chores the moment they get to the city?

…in the village, bachelors rush into marriage…here, in the city, marriage scares them like hell…and when they are ready for marriage, they go back to the village to look for the innocent, naïve and unblemished woman…

…a foolish man went home and married a village girl…unknown to him; the girl was dating her childhood boyfriend who was already on his way to the city. As soon as the foolish man brought the girl here, she left him for her childhood boyfriend….

…another foolish man went home to find an angel for a wife…unknown to him, his angel was carrying another man’s child…when the truth came to light, the marriage shattered like the irreparable broken clay pot….

  description

…My daughter, as tradition demands, we must thoroughly investigate this man and his family before any serious discussions will take place between us and them…marriage is not something we take lightly and there are protocols to be followed…there is no doubt that they, too, will be investigating us…that is the way we are…An individual does not just marry someone… he or she marries the family as well…you cannot invite him officially, yet, to our house…you can date each other; with limitations. If there is physical intimacy, which we don’t recommend at this stage, precautions must be taken…(69)

…The initial investigations turned out nothing negative…Though Keke came from a polygamous family, his parents lived and shared their lives in a non-criminal way…there was no madness in the family…the family had no history of genetic abnormalities…there were no thieves in the family…his positives aside, what mattered most was that nothing turned out negative….(70)

…In the innermost layer, Keke and Ada would be investigating each other directly. In the middle layer, their families would be investigating each other as well As their intended son or daughter-in-law. Then, there was the outer layer where close relatives and family members would try to gather any useful information that could potentially affect a marriage proposal. The outer layer of investigation would not be initiated until Keke, Ada and their parents had ascertained the viability of the intended relationship. A code of secrecy would be strictly maintained at the early stage by prospective partners and their parents because once the information went beyond them; failure to get married would jeopardize the couple’s chances of ever finding other partners…(66)

…Keke’s family did not dig out any negative information in Ada’s family background…it was up to Keke’s family to take the next step of inviting the services of a middleman who would then contact Ada’s family regarding the formal request of Ada’s hand in marriage…the middleman was someone who must have a close relationship with all parties involved in any marriage…he could be related to one of the families, or he could simply be any person acceptable to both parties. There were very specific requirements for someone to play such a role. He had to be as person of repute whose words were respected and valued. He had to know both families like the back of his hand…If a person so qualified to play such a role were to hesitate repeatedly or even decline to act as a middleman, it would be a sign of bad omen…in such a situation, it would be wise for the aspiring couple to retrace their steps for serious consultations and possible cancellation of the marriage proposal…(71).

…After the kola nuts had been prayed over, broken, shared and chewed with alligator pepper, Keke’s father stated the purpose of their visit…

“we are grateful for the kola nut and the reception given to us…we came here with gifts and goodwill…we saw a very beautiful flower here in your compound…that flower has attracted us and we’ll love to pluck it…

...does this flower have a name? I believe we have more than one flower to our credit…

“This flower has a beautiful name. The name is Ada…

“Who among you has come to pluck this flower? …

“My son here; his name is Keke. He is the one that has come to pluck this flower with our blessing….

“You can’t shave hair from someone’s head in his or her absence. Well, my name is not Ada. It’s only proper that I summon Ada to our presence for some clarification. Nwanyioma (Beautiful woman), please go and summon your daughter,” he urged turning to his wife. (71)

“Is this the flower you were talking about?” Ada’s father asked Keke’s father…

“My son, this question is actually for you since you are the one that brought us here,” he turned around and diverted the question to his son…

“She is the one Papa…

“Ada, my daughter, do you know this young man? …

“Yes, my father. I know him…

“Ada, my daughter, you may go back to your room…

“Well, our visitors, we have heard you…there’s a saying that a palm frond does not wither as soon as it is cut off…you will go back home…this discussion will be continue if and whenever you hear from us…

“We shall be going home…our ears will be on the ground waiting to hear from you and your people. A good road is worth passing through many times…this is good road…

“May the road guide you home safely…the leg that brought you here will take you back safely…(72)

…Marriage is like two wines mixed together which are no longer distinguishable from each other...now, you have become one; inseparable and indistinct…can I now call you, my son? …from now on, you have become a member of my family and she has become a member of your family…my house is your house and my family is your family…that’s the way we are…(75)

…A few days before the exp-expected marriage ceremony, Ugonna’s mother took her aside for a mother-to-daughter talk…

“My daughter,” she started

“Certain talks are most appropriate between mother and daughter; and this is one of such talks…only a married mother will share such secrets with you…men don’t like to be pestered constantly…it drains their energy and turns them off…the easiest road to their heart is their stomach. Feed them well with their favorite meals and they will respond to your needs…don’t force a man to go shopping with you…no matter how small, disabled or poor a husband might be, the wife should never challenge his authority as the head of the household…y7ou must learn to tolerate those pastimes that make your husband happy as long as they are not detrimental to you or him…make yourself presentable and available at all times so he has no reasons or excuses to start looking elsewhere…don’t sow any seeds of suspicion between the two of you…it’s not unusual for a simple joke to turn into a big mess…be careful how you compare notes with other married women…commend your husband’s efforts, but don’t start judging your husband by someone else’s standards or methods… (173).

…Eventually Akachi was married to Ugonna…Akachi and Ugonna were invited to a quiet evening discussion by Korie and his wife…

“When a child washes his hands, he eats with the elders. You have washed your hands…we want you to go into this marriage well-prepared…there are certain steps which, if you take them, your marriage will be very successful…

Dad: “There are three parts to that road to a happy marriage. The first part begins from the very moment you see each other and fall in love…the second part begins immediately after you get married…the third part begins from the time the kids begin to come…marriage is a combination of patience and compromise…you can’t always be right or wrong…be humble at all times. Keep aside your individual lofty titles...

Mom: “You must not treat the outside world the same way you treat home…you can castigate each other at home but not outside your home

Dad: “Be appreciative of every little act of help, of favor, of effort, of love, of caring, of solidarity from your partner...don’t form the habit of accentuating your partner’s mistakes when you should be busy appreciating the numerous efforts, he or she is making on your behalf…if you appreciate the humanitarian, he does more…

Mom: “Accept your partner the way he or she is…no two individuals are the same; not even maternal twins…

Dad: “The two of you must not get angry or upset at the same time…if one’s emotion is boiled over as can happen with every human being, the partner should endeavor to mellow down and give the other room and time to cool down…

Mom: “Don’t look at the outside world for the same fulfillment you can get in your home and from your partner…

Dad: “Don’t wait till tomorrow to express your love…tomorrow may be too late already…

Mom: “Marriage is like a plant…you need to water it on a daily basis…Greetings, they say, brings cheer to the face…

Dad: “Don’t bring home your troubles from work…

Mom: “A word is never hurtful unless it is spoken…If it is hurtful, don’t speak it. If it must be spoken, dilute the hurtfulness and make it more palatable…

Dad: “What hurts one, must hurt the other and what pleases one, must please the other…

Mom: “Don’t apportion or accept blame for the things that are beyond your control…

Dad: “Don’t compare yourself or your spouse with others…every couple has their unique problems and blessings as well…

Mom: “Don’t be in a haste to solve another person’s problem while ignoring that of your spouse…

Dad: “My son, if I may speak to you man to man…a woman could spend hours doing her hair, taking care of her fingernails and mascara. She could spend hours window-shopping and when she eventually buys something and reaches home; she might change her mind and decide to return the same product that had taken her hours to purchase….

Mom: “My daughter, if I may speak to you woman to woman… sometimes they act like small children and you have to be patient with them…a husband is like an extra child to a married woman

Dad: “My son, that which a dog sees and barks at; the sheep sees it and keeps quiet…a married man is like the sheep…

Mom: “My daughter, a handshake beyond the elbow is no longer a friendly gesture…persistent nagging from a wife can sour the joys of a happy marriage.

 (176).

…While the two women were busy getting the meals ready and setting the table sat the dining room, Korie took the opportunity to speak privately to his son

“Son,” he started

“Certain talks are most appropriate between father and son, and this is going to be one of such talks… Women are like plants. It doesn’t take much to keep them happy and blossoming. But, like the plant that only asks for water, if you don’t give a woman that tender loving care, she shrivels…A woman is like the palm of the hand…the palm will massage you and soothe away your pains. But, don’t push the hand to turn into a fist. An angry woman will act like a volcano that is ready to erupt…Habits, once formed, are difficult to break. Don’t start your marriage by giving away your rights as a husband. A woman is happy to take a foot when you give her an inch…You must start off your marriage by setting reasonable limitations to what each of you must, and must not do…a woman may forget the million good things you did for her but will never forget the one bad thing you or said to her… (177)

At this juncture, father and son were interrupted by an invitation to the dining table. It was time to eat and enjoy the evening as one united family. (177)

…One might think that Keke didn’t love his wife, He did. He loved her for the positive things she brought into his life. She was far more educated than any of the wives of his age mates…she was a very pretty woman from a reputable family…without showing it, he felt threatened by Ada’s level of education and tried to make up for his low-esteem by throwing his weight around…(84)

…One day, he started yelling at Ada as he entered the house…

“It’s amazing what illiteracy can do to people,” Ada responded without even looking at him…

“Who is illiterate? For your information, I have a PhD in political science,” he snapped… 

“Who doesn’t know? It is written all over your face…it has become your outfit…you wear it on your face, on your lips, on your tongue. You have a PhD smile and a PhD walk…you feed the hungry with it…who can escape from it…(84)

That night, Keke saw the same widow in his dream…Ada was lying down beside him…

“You act like someone who has seen a ghost,” his wife reacted.

He told Ada about the mysterious but pretty widow that had made her presence known to him in life and in his dream…

“Are you sure she is not one of your concubines?” she asked.

“I wish she was! I would marry her in an instant. She is just a widow in a crowd…I like pretty women,” he confessed…

“You are the fly and pretty women are the spilled palm wine. You sniff them, and you follow them everywhere; even in your dreams” (85)

For nine months that she lived with her husband, Ada could not conceive…newly-married wives were expected to get pregnant quickly for their husbands. If a married woman did not get pregnant within two too three months after marriage, people would go into a frenzy of gossips. Her mother would begin to inspect her belly and ask questions. Her friends would start sounding the alarm. The mother in-law would begin to pester her son. Most of the time, all the pressure and stress on the newly-married woman would produce the opposite effect of what was being sought-after…. everybody was of the opinion that practically every sexual act should result in pregnancy. That was not the case; not even in the best of circumstances… (87)

…Ada was as tough as she was cerebral…her inability to conceive did not make matters any easier. People nicknamed her a ‘he-woman’… a name reserved for any woman who could never get pregnant and have a baby. In a majority of cases, despite having external female features, such women had severe infertility problems. They could be as beautiful as any woman. But, they could never get pregnant and have a baby… (88)

In umunta village, people believed in the concept of re-incarnation. Each time a child was born, the family would go to the fortune-teller to establish the identity of the dead person that had come back to life. From what her parents told her, Ada was a reincarnation of her late maternal grandmother; a woman who died long before she was born and of whom she had heard so many good things. For that reason, Ada’s mother was fond of calling her ‘Mama’ (mother)… (89)

One night, she went to bed and had a dream where she came in contact with the late maternal grand-mother whom she had never met in real life…the same late grand-mother she was told she had come back to life as…Ada was in one isolated corner crying profusely…tears were pouring down her face from both eyes

“Here you go again crying! Why are you crying my daughter,” the stranger asked her in that dream.

“And who are you, if I may ask?’

“I’m your late maternal grand-mother; my daughter…. those tears of yours are tearing my heart to shreds. Please wipe them off!”

“So, you are the same late maternal grand-mother I have heard so many good things about! … “Grandma; my heart is broken. I am barren and I can’t have a child. You know how they toss out any ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil. That’s how I’m going to be tossed out soon I am married and barren…the breast, which I’m supposed to feed on, has grown teeth”

“Take heart, my daughter; and be patient. Good things happen to those who are patient. I have my own big problem…but I have to be patient…you have no idea what if feels like to spend so may years after death trying to get to heaven. It’s like struggling and waiting to gain access to the bathroom when you’re experiencing acute diarrhea. Imagine going through this feeling day after day…month after month…continuously for years! I’m still waiting and hoping to get to heaven”

“A person, as good as you, should not struggle and wait that long to get to heaven. Do they have long lines there, too?”

“You create your own line by the way you live on earth. The fault was mine; my daughter” …I did something bad when I was alive and now, I’m paying the price”

“What did you do grand-ma?”

“I won’t bore you with the details. To avoid a long wait, you must always keep your hands clean and live a good life on earth. In life and in death, no evil deed goes unpunished”

“But grandma; you are too good to be associated with evil”

“We all are like the old woman’s wrapper; my daughter. Anytime you wash any of us, you will get plenty of dirt…you can help ma and I can help you…you must stop crying…on my own part…when I get to heaven, I will intercede for you and I will send you a sign”

“What might that sign be; grandma?’

“You will, in real life, come across someone who looks exactly like me”

“If and when I see someone who looks exactly like you, I should know that you have gained entrance into heaven?”

“Exactly!’ … and that person who looks exactly like me will bring you good news”

“What good news, grandmas?”

“A gift meant to be unwrapped, should not be poked at. Be patient, my daughter. When the time comes, you will know what the gift is” … (90)

Ada was so different from Nana and Marina…  She opposed polygamy. They accepted it. She was reserved; the way a woman should be. They were wild. She held her head high; they didn’t.  She was intellectual in her thoughts sand behavior; they were not. They were materialistic; she was not. She spoke with caution; they didn’t. They were unscrupulous; she was not. They had no conscience when it came to hurting others... she was a woman with conscience who could not go out of her way to hurt anybody; not even her enemies. They were gold-diggers; she didn’t need to be. She had seen the world; they had not. That which would excite then to death, had no impact on her. She was solid and stable while they were volatile and temperamental. Ada was like water in the midst of oil. They could not mix under normal temperature. (94)

“Why would a young girl like you want to share a husband with another woman?” Ada asked her

“Girls share the same man all the time whether they are married or not. That’s what goes on in high schools, colleges and universities. Don’t tell me you didn’t do it,” Nana replied.

“No; I didn’t”

“What then are you doing here? You should be in the convent”

“I didn’t bargain for your type of breed when I married Keke”

“If polygamy bothers you that much, it’s not too late to walk out of it. It’s only a tree that keeps standing still when one threatens to cut it down”

“Be careful how you throw words around. When the mouth precedes the leg to the warfront, the leg does return alive,” Ada warned her.

“If this is a war front, I’ve nothing to be afraid of,” Nana boasted.

“Those who rush into war tend to forget that war is death,” Ada responded

“In this relationship, we all are age mates. We are equal as wives of the same man and we all are on the same level,” Marina responded.

“If murmuring could make someone rich, the madman would be richer than his kinsmen. You could make a profession out of threats and boasts,” Ada replied. (95)

…A couple of weeks later, Keke got the good news he had waited so long to hear. His second and third wives got pregnant; both ta the same time…Nana was pregnant with twins while Marina had a singleton pregnancy. His age mates had made no secret of their intimate affairs with his ‘cooperative’ new wives as they tried to ‘rescue’ an age mate from ‘shame’…extra-marital affairs were the norm rather than the exception, especially among age-mates…unlike Ada before them, Nana and Marina were very receptive of Keke’s age mates who openly philandered with the women…(99) Keke gained his confidence back as a ‘man’…people had been whispering behind his back and giving him all sorts of nicknames. He had been called a ‘she-man’ (a name reserved for a man who could never impregnate a woman for one reason or another…(99-100)

…As threatening as she was, Nana was only interested in getting Ada kicked out of their common matrimonial home without harming her…(101)

Nana had just returned from the doctor when she saw Ada in the kitchen. She seized the opportunity to confront her once again...

“My husband’s wife, you seem to seclude yourself a lot nowadays. Don’t you like to socialize with people?” she asked Ada.

“Does the cockroach socialize with chickens?” Ada questioned her.

“Loosen up! Even if you are a ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil, you can still associate with people,” she prodded Ada.

“Pregnancy is a gift from God. Don’t boast with it”

…You seem to be aging so fast. Are you going through menopause?”

“You act like a typical virgin palm frond. You parade proudly on top of the palm tree and forget the evolution of the dry shriveled palm fronds below. Stop gloating. Nothing in life is permanent”

.. “Your tongue is like a sword. No wonder our husband treats you like garbage,” Nana said to her.

“Your husband is like a whip used to flog a slave. If he flogs me today, tomorrow could be your turn,” Ada reminded her.

“If you see yourself as a slave, Marina and I don’t see us the same way,” Nana responded.

“All winged creatures belong to the same family of birds…,” Ada tried to educate her.

…The same rain that soaks the mouse will spare the lizard. In this house, you are the mouse; we are the lizards…Nana countered.

…When the Lion becomes lame, the deer has the audacity to challenge him. You are behaving like that little creature that challenged his god to a wrestling match simply because he had a good meal. Be careful how you challenge your destiny,” Ada warned her (102)

Keke could be raving mad. He could be pulling down the house…none of that would faze Ada. One day, after Keke’s frightening behavior had forced Nana and Marina to flee for their lives, the man was surprised at Ada’s total indifference to his behavior.

“Do you ever get scared in your life,” he queried Ada

“Why should I be afraid to fall when I’m already lying flat on the ground?” she questioned him back… “You’ve turned me into a cooking pot that has been toughened by fire. You can’t threaten me with fireworks…I have acquired immunity from years of abuse…from human hostility…from unsubstantiated rumors and false accusations…I am a free woman. You can’t touch me now. You can’t hurt me. You can’t break my spirit…If I ever complain; it will be the complaint of a chick snatched away by the hawk. Such a chick complains not for redemption but for the world to hear its voice…(107-108)

As soon as Nana overheard that from her peeping hole, she jumped out to confront Ada. She saw an opportunity to get Keke on her side and she seized it.

“All you know is how to talk and provoke our husband. One of these days, he’s going to kick you out of this house. Remember, you are a ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil…

“Go ahead and advertise your skill in making babies! Just pray that your husband does not get smart enough to investigate the source of your pregnancy,” Ada responded.

“What do you mean by that? ...

“It’s not everything a wine taper sees on top of the tress that he comes down to recount. Don’t worry; I won’t reveal your little secret…I will not be the one to bring to light what you did in darkness. My mouth is sealed,” Ada assured her. (108)

One night, she went to bed and had a dream where she came in contact with the late maternal grand-mother whom she had never met in real life…the same late grand-mother she was told she had come back to life as…Ada was in one isolated corner crying profusely…tears were pouring down her face from both eyes

“Here you go again crying! Why are you crying my daughter,” the stranger asked her in that dream.

“And who are you, if I may ask?’

“I’m your late maternal grand-mother; my daughter…. those tears of yours are tearing my heart to shreds. Please wipe them off!”

“So, you are the same late maternal grand-mother I have heard so many good things about! … “Grandma; my heart is broken. I am barren and I can’t have a child. You know how they toss out any ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil. That’s how I’m going to be tossed out soon I am married and barren…the breast, which I’m supposed to feed on, has grown teeth”

“Take heart, my daughter; and be patient. Good things happen to those who are patient. I have my own big problem…but I have to be patient…you have no idea what if feels like to spend so many years after death trying to get to heaven. It’s like struggling and waiting to gain access to the bathroom when you’re experiencing acute diarrhea. Imagine going through this feeling day after day…month after month…continuously for years! I’m still waiting and hoping to get to heaven”

“A person, as good as you, should not struggle and wait that long to get to heaven. Do they have long lines there, too?”

“You create your own line by the way you live on earth. The fault was mine; my daughter” …I did something bad when I was alive and now, I’m paying the price”

“What did you do grand-ma?”

“I won’t bore you with the details. To avoid a long wait, you must always keep your hands clean and live a good life on earth. In life and in death, no evil deed goes unpunished”

“But grandma; you are too good to be associated with evil”

“We all are like the old woman’s wrapper; my daughter. Anytime you wash any of us, you will get plenty of dirt…you can help ma and I can help you…you must stop crying…on my own part…when I get to heaven, I will intercede for you and I will send you a sign”

“What might that sign be; grandma?’

“You will, in real life, come across someone who looks exactly like me”

“If and when I see someone who looks exactly like you, I should know that you have gained entrance into heaven?”

“Exactly!’ … and that person who looks exactly like me will bring you good news”

“What good news, grandmas?”

“A gift meant to be unwrapped, should not be poked at. Be patient, my daughter. When the time comes, you will know what the gift is” … (90)

…The following day, Ada went to a clothing store to purchase an outfit. There, she saw a particular outfit that immediately caught her attention. She went for it and inadvertently bumped into the store owner. The woman looked exactly like the ‘maternal grandmother’ she had met in her dream in the past. She had already forgotten everything about that dream and the ‘grandmother’ she met there.

“Grandma!” she yelled, impulsively, before going into what appeared like a trance. She quickly lost her composure, color and balance and practically fell into the woman’s outstretched hands.

…As she lay her on the couch breathing silently, Ada was an embodiment of beauty and elegance. The store owner developed an instant love for her…

“She called me ‘grandma’. I am grandma!”

…Where am I?” Ada asked as she slowly regained consciousness. The floor was spinning and the figure before her was vague and tripled.

“Relax my daughter; you’re in good hands. Grandma is here for you. Everything is going to be alright,” the store owner replied with great pride.

“Is this another dream?” Ada asked like a child.

“You’re not dreaming, my daughter. You’re inside grandma’s clothing store. Remember that green dress? That was the dress that brought you into my store. You can have it for free. It’s from grandma,” she said with pride; pointing at the dress.

…Ada’s mind went back to her previous dream and she vividly recounted her meeting with the ‘grandma’ of that dream. There was no difference between the ‘grandma’ of her dream and the ‘grandma’ of the clothing store….

…What a coincidence!” she murmured

“A blessed coincidence, my daughter,” the store owner concurred, not knowing what Ada meant by ‘coincidence’

… Thank you grandma! …you have kept your promise and I will keep mine…Your hard work and patience have paid off and now you’re in the best of hands. Thanks for being my grandmother…

Baffled and not quite sure what to make of the statements coming from Ada’s mouth, the store owner was happy, all the same, for being someone’s grandma even if it was going to be for a few fleeting  moments..

“Of course I always keep my promise, my daughter. That green dress is yours as well as anything else you may want from this store…

“I will keep this lucky dress but I must pay for it. You’ve done enough for me already,” Ada replied.

“All I have done is to keep you from falling and hurting yourself on the floor…”

...you have kept me from falling on the floor all these years,” Ada said to her.

...It’s OK if a few minutes I have spent with you have already been transformed into years”.

There was an obvious miscommunication between them as they reacted to different past events. Yet, each was satisfied that her prayers had been answered.

“Will I see you again?” the store owner asked; acting like a woman who was about to lose her precious child.

“Grandma, how can I ever leave you? Does a bird abandon her nest? I hope you’re not planning to get rid of me now that I have come to know you so well. My name is Ada and I’m married to a man named Keke”

As soon as Ada got home, she started vomiting. She wondered what the reason could be

…..the following day, she jumped out of her bed to vomit. She felt dizzy and light-headed. (110)

...Something is definitely wrong with me. I think I have flu or a stomach virus,” she murmured.

She decided to go and see a doctor.

At the office, the doctor examined her, drew some of her blood and asked her to get a urine sample in a plastic cup. Minutes later, the doctor came out beaming with smiles.

“Congratulations! You’re going to have a baby,” he told her.

Instinctively, Ada looked around to see who the doctor was talking to. There was no one else in the room…the words simply bounced off of her. Maybe the doctor was verbalizing what was in his mind.

“Congratulations! You’re pregnant,” the doctor repeated.

“Who is pregnant?” she asked.

….it sounded like a childish joke

“You’re pregnant. Isn’t that wonderful? Your wish has been fulfilled”

“Doctor, please don’t tease me with something this serious. I know you wish me well. But, don’t do this,” she replied with her eyes swelled with reluctant tears of confusion.

“You know I could never joke with something this serious. I am a professional. I am happy for you”

... thank you, grandma. You have fulfilled your promise,” she looked spaced out as she addressed an empty space.

“Grandma? Are you alright? Who is grandma and what has she got to do with this?

“You won’t understand. Let’s hope you’re right”

“I am right…unless science proves me wrong”. (111)

…During her next visit to the doctor, Ada saw the baby when an ultrasound examination was performed. Her pregnancy was no longer a speculation but reality. She had seen it with her own eyes…

…Nana and Marina became suspicious of her changing habits, features and behavior…they whispered their suspicion to Keke who doubted their observation, initially, and dismissed it from his mind…when it became obvious to him that Ada was indeed pregnant, he decided to confirm the truth…

“The other day, I thought I heard you vomiting. Is everything alright?” Keke started.

“Did you actually hear me vomiting?” she queried him.

“I thought I did”

“What does a husband do when he hears his wife vomiting?”

“He asks the wife what the problem is”

“Did you ask or even care?”

“I thought your co-wives would take care of you”

“When did they become my husband whose responsibility it is to take care of me? Why am I even asking? I almost forget who I am. In times of need, I am the goat owned by all that dies of hunger”

“OK I’m sorry. I made a mistake”

“It’s rather strange to hear the word ‘sorry’ coming from your mouth. When did you start feeling sorry for offending a barren woman?”

“……what could make you vomit so? Are you alright?”

“I’m alright”

“Does it have anything to do with women issues?”

“What do you know about women issues?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a woman”

“So why do you ask me? I’m not a woman either. I am the ‘he-woman’ you brought into your home; remember? Besides, when did vomiting become a woman issue? Does a man turn into a woman when and if he vomits? Haven’t you seen a man vomit in your life?”

“Do you think you may be pregnant?”

“Have you ever seen or heard of a barren ‘he-woman’ getting pregnant?

“Anything is possible in life”

“You’re acting strange. Are you pregnant?”

“You know that men don’t get pregnant”

“You just said that anything is possible in life”

“OK I was wrong. But seriously speaking, are you pregnant?” He was beginning to get irritated.

“So that is what this whole thing is all about. Eh? Suddenly, you are reaching out to this wastebasket because there is rubbish around…OK, I’m pregnant; if that is what you want to hear”.

“Don’t tell me what I want to hear. Tell me the truth”

“When did we start telling each other the truth in this house? Besides, have I ever lied to you? Everybody is not a liar like you”…..(113)

… Keke went straight home to confront Ada, his son’s mother…(142)…

“I’m afraid to tell you this; but your son is doing everything wrong. He drinks alcohol. He smokes. He is so disrespectful and wayward. He skips classes and sleeps around. Have you ever asked him how well he does in school; or if he attends school at all? I can’t even talk to him. He has become your partner in disrespect and revolt. We are losing this young man and we need to do something about him now! Let us use daylight to look for our black sheep”

“Are you sure you’re not talking about one of your concubines’ offspring? My son is respectful, focused and well-behaved. If he becomes a loser tomorrow, you should know where he got half of his genetics from. I know who his father is and I know that genetics doesn’t lie”

…Ada called the young man…

“Son; I called you here to ask you one simple question. Do you drink and smoke?” the mother asked him sternly and pointedly.

“Mom; this question makes me feel like a criminal. Is that what you want me to be?”

As much as she would want to give her husband the benefit of doubt, Ada was not going to play any part in criminalizing her own son. She felt guilty.

“Son; you can leave now,” she said.

Moments later, she stood up ready to leave the room. She had heard enough about her son for one day.

Keke felt obligated to say something before Ada could leave the room.

“The ear should listen when the head raises an alarm because when the head falls, the ear falls as well. We have a problem; and this problem is not mine alone. If the sky falls tomorrow, it’s not going to fall on my head alone. It will fall on our heads” (144)

…After the fiery discussion which had taken place between Ada and her husband concerning their son, the woman stared wondering if there might be some element of truth in her husband’s savage criticism of their only son…

“There can be no urine odor without urine just as there is no smoke without fire,” she reasoned….that night , Ada could not sleep….

the following week, she decided to stay up late…

…by four o’clock in the morning when a majority of human activities had gone into hibernation, Agu came back home… He unlocked the front door and tip-toed into the house. He was like two personalities blended into one. One half of him was euphoric, mentally-alert, paranoid and irritable with occasional tremors and muscle-twitching. Those were the effects of illicit drugs on his human body. You push the body and the body pushes back. The other half of him was cautious, respectful and determined to evade his mother’s suspicion. It is amazing how the human brain functions…he went straight for the light switch; and turned it on…sitting silently before him. Sitting silently before him was his mother; the last person he wanted or expected to see in the world at that time. With dilated pupils and trembling hands, he swayed like an insecure palm tree caught in a thunderstorm. Mother and son starred at each other, speechless; like unequal combatants in a master-servant duel. One appeared completely submissive and defeated; the other looked lie a hungry lioness ready to devour her victim. One was ready to talk, apologize and make amends; the other was numb, and completely choked up…

… with tears flowing through her eyes and completely overwhelmed by grief and sadness; Ada quietly stood up from her chair and walked back to her bedroom without uttering a single word… (146)

…Occasionally, the gods were known to step in, uninvited, and settle scores on behalf of humans… Keke’s junior wives suffered sudden unexplained misfortunes without warning….Marina, the nurse, was arrested and locked up for killing a very sick patient at her job…Marina was so repulsed by the sight, smell and condition of the sick elderly patient that she injected a lethal volume of air into her arterial vasculature thereby causing the patient to die from vascular air embolism…the patient’s suspicious daughter had planted a hidden camera to monitor her mother’s care at the facility…it was the first time she was caught doing so…she was bad within and good on the outside…her evil acts finally caught up with her…

A week after Marina was arrested and jailed for murder, Nana’s epileptic daughter with sickle cell disease suddenly got very sick and died…. Keke went to the medical practitioner’s office to confront him…

“You’re acting like someone who doesn’t know the prognosis of sickle cell disease,” the doctor explained…your daughter had sickle cell disease, sir,” the doctor explained.

…you were the one who blamed her immediate health problems, then, on prematurity. Are you now telling me that she died from sickle-cell disease?

“That’s exactly what I am saying, sir. For your information, sir, I had also indicated to you, specifically, that the baby had sickle cell disease when she was born even though her immediate health problems, then, could be blamed on prematurity. I assumed then that, with your level of education, you knew everything going on,” the doctor tried to educate him…

…from the information on you, you don’t have the genetic disorder…

Keke also remembered what Ada had said to Nana… “just pray that your husband does not get smart enough to investigate the source of your pregnancy…it’s not everything a wine taper sees on top of the tree that he comes down to recount…

He was beginning to piece the facts together! Nana was carrying another man’s child while she was married to Keke…he quickly entered the house and started throwing out Nana’s belongings… (152)

…That night, Keke saw the same widow in his dream…Ada was lying down beside him…

“You act like someone who has seen a ghost,” his wife reacted. He told Ada about the mysterious but pretty widow that had made her presence known to him in life and in his dream…

“Are you sure she is not one of your concubines?” she asked.

“I wish she was! I would marry her in an instant. She is just a widow in a crowd…I like pretty women,” he confessed…

“You are the fly and pretty women are the spilled palm wine. You sniff them, and you follow them everywhere; even in your dreams” (85)

When Keke got out of bed, he took a firm decision. He was going to find that pretty widow in purple… (162)…He came up with a strategy; to set up a foundation that would cater for the needs of all the widows in the land who were below the age of forty years… He would meet with and interview each and every one of the widows in a secluded office…(162)…

…At the end of the exercise, Keke did not find his pretty widow in purple…

…among the widows he interviewed, two of them stood out in his mind; Ebere and a young widow who could only give her pet-name as Nne… the young girl had the exact same facial features as the older widow… Keke could almost swear that the young girl was her biological daughter. The moment he set his eyes on each of them, his heart fluttered unconsciously…

…Keke went home to face Ada’s scrutiny…

…did you find your widow?” Ada asked him as soon as he stepped into the house. The question left him with no room to wiggle his way out… (167)

“Which widow? Is this how you welcome your husband home after a hard day’s work? …

“A late evening discussion is not an ideal one for endless talks. Before you move off the track, answer a simple question. Did you find the pretty widow you were looking for...look at you! You! You spent so much time, energy and falsehood searching for an imaginary widow of your dreams. You set up a fictitious foundation in order to bring all the widows in this land together so that you can find a widow that exists only in your shadow… someone should have told you how the crab conquered great waters and oceans only to drown in an old woman’s soup pot. If care is not taken, this shadowy widow of yours will turn into an old woman’s soup pot for a crab like you… (167) …Truth, my dear, is like the cassava stem. You cannot bend it…or else, it will break. The longer the masquerade stumps in the arena, the more likely it is for women to recognize his voice. Sooner than later, people are bound to discover the real you” …

“What do you mean by that?”

“There’s something called paranoia in psychology”

“Meaning?”

“Check out this scenario. A married man is murdered in cold blood. The murderer, fearing that the angry widow is after him, begins to hallucinate and sees visions of her everywhere; even in his dreams. He sees the widow even where she does not exist. He falls in fake love with her; not because he truly loves her but to lure her into a trap and eliminate her as well. Is this scenario something you can relate to?”

“Are you accusing me of murder?”

“Why are simple questions so hard for you to answer? What I have presented to you is a scenario; not an accusation. Do you by any means fit into this scenario? The illness that kills someone follows the corpse to the grave. There are repercussions to evil deeds…(168)

…One day, Keke was campaigning for one of his ‘political godsons’ when he caught sight of a beautiful young widow in a large crowd. The lady was dressed in purple from head to toe; with a gorgeous head tie and an elegantly-crafted sexy flowing gown that fluttered in the wind. Her shoes were purple; so were the matching bangles and earrings. There could be no doubt in anybody’s mind that she was a widow…widows then were made to wear purple outfit as a tradition. Tall, elegant and well-manicured, she illuminated her face with sparkling eyes and the smile of a goddess. Her entire outfit had turned her into an attractive model. For a few fleeting seconds, Keke focused his eyes on the widow and refused to let go as he felt something like a transient romantic wave passing through his body. Like someone who was initiating a romantic relationship, the widow winked at Keke and flipped her eyelids up and down in quick romantic succession in what appeared like a bold statement. Her flimsy gown, though a mourning outfit, was sensuous enough to reveal the body contour and a faint image of her inner wear. She flashed a quick smile that enhanced the dimples on her cheeks. When she turned around to interact with the person next to her, her soft, beautiful hair fluffed down her elegant shoulders in a truly irresistible manner….

“Who is that pretty widow?” Keke turned around quickly, pointed at her, and asked one of his body guards.

“Which pretty widow? There are many widows in the crowd,” the guard responded.

…The widow next to the man wearing a voluminous red hat. Any idea who she is…or where she comes from…

“Who knows? This is as large crowd, sir. She’s just a widow in a crowd”

“This is not just a widow in a crowd. This is a goddess. I need information on her,” he said.

“We’ll try to get that for you; sir”

“Please do; and let me know”

“Yes sir; we’ll do” …

Keke had seen so many pretty women in his life. He had never seen anyone as pretty as that widow in a crowd……(85)

That night, Keke saw the same widow in his dream…Ada was lying down beside him…

“You act like someone who has seen a ghost,” his wife reacted.

He told Ada about the mysterious but pretty widow that had made her presence known to him in life and in his dream…

“Are you sure she is not one of your concubines?” she asked.

“I wish she was! I would marry her in an instant. She is just a widow in a crowd… I like pretty women,” he confessed…

“You are the fly and pretty women are the spilled palm wine. You sniff them, and you follow them everywhere; even in your dreams” (85)

…Keke blamed his wives for failing to give him a son…He was nurturing the thoughts of marrying more wives when he was visited again in his dream, one night, by the pretty widow in purple while he was sleeping next to Ada…(107)…why did the pretty widow always visit him when he was sleeping next to Ada and not with his other wives?

“Who is this pretty widow? What is she up to? Is she trying to seduce me…or console me…or tantalize me…or punish me…or what? ...leave me alone; she can’t. Allow me to grab her; she can’t…who is she? What is she? What does she want from me? She makes me happy. Then, she makes me sad. She turns me on. Then, she turns me off. She comes to me. Then, she runs from me. What a woman!...(107).

 … the widow in purple was beginning to appear more frequently in Keke’s dream… he always appeared when Keke was sleeping next to his wife, Ada…

…she smiled at him and blew him a kiss. Then, she vanished as quickly as she had appeared… (134)

“Why does this widow always visit me when I’m sleeping beside Ada and not with my other wives?” he wondered… (134)

When Keke got out of bed, he took a firm decision. He was going to find that pretty widow in purple… (162)…He came up with a strategy; to set up a foundation that would cater for the needs of all the widows in the land who were below the age of forty years… He would meet with and interview each and every one of the widows in a secluded office…(162)…

…At the end of the exercise, Keke did not find his pretty widow in purple…

…among the widows he interviewed, two of them stood out in his mind; Ebere and a young widow who could only give her pet-name as Nne… the young girl had the exact same facial features as the older widow… Keke could almost swear that the young girl was her biological daughter. The moment he set his eyes on each of them, his heart fluttered unconsciously…

…Keke went home to face Ada’s scrutiny…

…did you find your widow?” Ada asked him as soon as he stepped into the house. The question left him with no room to wiggle his way out… (167)

“Which widow? Is this how you welcome your husband home after a hard day’s work?

…A late evening discussion is not an ideal one for endless talks. Before you move off the track, answer a simple question. Did you find the pretty widow you were looking for? …look at you! You! You spent so much time, energy and falsehood searching for an imaginary widow of your dreams. You set up a fictitious foundation in order to bring all the widows in this land together so that you can find a widow that exists only in your shadow… someone should have told you how the crab conquered great waters and oceans only to drown in an old woman’s soup pot. If care is not taken, this shadowy widow of yours will turn into an old woman’s soup pot for a crab like you… (167) …Truth, my dear, is like the cassava stem. You cannot bend it…or else, it will break. The longer the masquerade stumps in the arena, the more likely it is for women to recognize his voice. Sooner than later, people are bound to discover the real you…

“What do you mean by that?”

“There’s something called paranoia in psychology”

“Meaning?”

“Check out this scenario. A married man is murdered in cold blood. The murderer, fearing that the angry widow is after him, begins to hallucinate and sees visions of her everywhere; even in his dreams. He sees the widow even where she does not exist. He falls in fake love with her; not because he truly loves her but to lure her into a trap and eliminate her as well. Is this scenario something you can relate to?”

“Are you accusing me of murder?”

“Why are simple questions so hard for you to answer? What I have presented to you is a scenario; not an accusation. Do you by any means fit into this scenario? The illness that kills someone follows the corpse to the grave. There are repercussions to evil deeds…(168)

The following night, Keke was sleeping beside his wife, Ada, when he quickly went into deep sleep. The widow in purple visited her again, in his dream. This time, she was holding a beautiful young girl in her right hand…almost her carbon copy with the exact facial features…

“You remember me?” she asked in the dream.

“How can I forget you?...

“I want to introduce someone to you; even though the two of you have already met…she is my daughter. Is it OK for me to bring her along?” she asked.

“Your daughter is my daughter. Can I call her my daughter?” he asked.

“You will be seeing more of us,” she said.

...Keke woke up from his sleep; with a broad smile on his face…

…Look at that smile on your face. I bet you met your pretty widow again in your dream” Ada said to him

“Why do you say that?” he asked.

“Who else could bring that type of smile on your face? …she brought a wonderful gift; didn’t she?”  She prodded him

“You amaze me!! Do you follow me in my dreams? I know I can’t hide anything from you; so, I might as well spill the beans. This time around, she came with her daughter,” he confessed.

“Very soon, you will be acquainted with her entire family. If she comes as a friend, you will have more friends on your side. If she comes as a foe, you will soon be surrounded by enemies. Then, you will become the crab that cannot walk properly because of too many legs,” she warned him.

“Maybe our family will soon get bigger,” he said

“No; your mess will get bigger. A person who rubs blindness into his or her eyes cannot share the blindness with others,” she reminded him… (181)

Ada’s pregnancy progressed very well without any complications. At exactly nine months gestation… she was delivered of a healthy baby girl. They said she had precipitous labor. If she had not come to the hospital as quickly as she did, she would have delivered the baby at home with possible complications…

Keke was overjoyed…Ada, the purported ‘he-woman’, had proven to the world that her husband was neither a ‘she-man’ nor a ‘half-man’. Ada had become the corner stones of his life…(182)

…Three days postpartum, Ada and the newborn girl were discharged from the hospital...as soon as they entered the house, something very strange happened. The moment Keke looked at Ada, he saw the pretty widow’s face while the new baby girl looked exactly like the widow’s daughter who was presented to him in his dream…

…You can’t even look at my face without shuddering. One would think your pretty widow may have transformed herself into me. Come on; look at my face. What do you see when you look at my face?” she insisted…

“I need some air,” he protested as he walked out of the house.

“There’s no need walking out. You can’t hide now that your past is coming to light… (183)

 .

In Umunta village, people believed in the concept of re-incarnation. Each time a child was born, the family would go to the fortune-teller to establish the identity of the dead person that had come back to life. From what her parents told her, Ada was a reincarnation of her late maternal grandmother; a woman who died long before she was born and of whom she had heard so many good things. For that reason, Ada’s mother was fond of calling her ‘Mama’ (mother)… (89)

One night, she went to bed and had a dream where she came in contact with the late maternal grand-mother whom she had never met in real life…the same late grand-mother she was told she had come back to life as…Ada was in one isolated corner crying profusely…tears were pouring down her face from both eyes

“Here you go again crying! Why are you crying my daughter,” the stranger asked her in that dream.

“And who are you, if I may ask?’

“I’m your late maternal grand-mother; my daughter…. those tears of yours are tearing my heart to shreds. Please wipe them off!”

“So, you are the same late maternal grand-mother I have heard so many good things about! … “Grandma; my heart is broken. I am barren and I can’t have a child. You know how they toss out any ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil. That’s how I’m going to be tossed out soon I am married and barren…the breast, which I’m supposed to feed on, has grown teeth”

“Take heart, my daughter; and be patient. Good things happen to those who are patient. I have my own big problem…but I have to be patient…you have no idea what if feels like to spend so many years after death trying to get to heaven. It’s like struggling and waiting to gain access to the bathroom when you’re experiencing acute diarrhea. Imagine going through this feeling day after day…month after month…continuously for years! I’m still waiting and hoping to get to heaven”

“A person, as good as you, should not struggle and wait that long to get to heaven. Do they have long lines there, too?”

“You create your own line by the way you live on earth. The fault was mine; my daughter” …I did something bad when I was alive and now, I’m paying the price”

“What did you do grand-ma?”

“I won’t bore you with the details. To avoid a long wait, you must always keep your hands clean and live a good life on earth. In life and in death, no evil deed goes unpunished”

“But grandma; you are too good to be associated with evil”

“We all are like the old woman’s wrapper; my daughter. Anytime you wash any of us, you will get plenty of dirt…you can help ma and I can help you…you must stop crying…on my own part…when I get to heaven, I will intercede for you and I will send you a sign”

“What might that sign be; grandma?’

“You will, in real life, come across someone who looks exactly like me”

“If and when I see someone who looks exactly like you, I should know that you have gained entrance into heaven?”

“Exactly!’ … and that person who looks exactly like me will bring you good news”

“What good news, grandmas?”

“A gift meant to be unwrapped, should not be poked at. Be patient, my daughter. When the time comes, you will know what the gift is” … (90)

…The following day, Ada went to a clothing store to purchase an outfit. There, she saw a particular outfit that immediately caught her attention. She went for it and inadvertently bumped into the store owner. The woman looked exactly like the ‘maternal grandmother’ she had met in her dream in the past. She had already forgotten everything about that dream and the ‘grandmother’ she met there.

“Grandma!” she yelled, impulsively, before going into what appeared like a trance. She quickly lost her composure, color and balance and practically fell into the woman’s outstretched hands.

…As she lay her on the couch breathing silently, Ada was an embodiment of beauty and elegance. The store owner developed an instant love for her…

“She called me ‘grandma’. I am grandma!”

“Where am I?” Ada asked as she slowly regained consciousness. The floor was spinning and the figure before her was vague and tripled.

“Relax my daughter; you’re in good hands. Grandma is here for you. Everything is going to be alright,” the store owner replied with great pride.

“Is this another dream?” Ada asked like a child.

“You’re not dreaming, my daughter. You’re inside grandma’s clothing store. Remember that green dress? That was the dress that brought you into my store. You can have it for free. It’s from grandma,” she said with pride; pointing at the dress.

…Ada’s mind went back to her previous dream and she vividly recounted her meeting with the ‘grandma’ of that dream. There was no difference between the ‘grandma’ of her dream and the ‘grandma’ of the clothing store….

“What a coincidence!” she murmured

“A blessed coincidence, my daughter,” the store owner concurred, not knowing what Ada meant by ‘coincidence’

“…Thank you grandma! …you have kept your promise and I will keep mine…Your hard work and patience have paid off and now you’re in the best of hands. Thanks for being my grandmother…

Baffled and not quite sure what to make of the statements coming from Ada’s mouth, the store owner was happy, all the same, for being someone’s grandma even if it was going to be for a few fleeting  moments..

“Of course I always keep my promise, my daughter. That green dress is yours as well as anything else you may want from this store…

“I will keep this lucky dress but I must pay for it. You’ve done enough for me already,” Ada replied.

“All I have done is to keep you from falling and hurting yourself on the floor…”

“You have kept me from falling on the floor all these years,” Ada said to her.

“It’s OK if a few minutes I have spent with you have already been transformed into years”.

There was an obvious miscommunication between them as they reacted to different past events. Yet, each was satisfied that her prayers had been answered.

“Will I see you again?” the store owner asked; acting like a woman who was about to lose her precious child.

“…Grandma, how can I ever leave you? Does a bird abandon her nest? I hope you’re not planning to get rid of me now that I have come to know you so well. My name is Ada and I’m married to a man named Keke”

As soon as Ada got home, she started vomiting. She wondered what the reason could be

…..the following day, she jumped out of her bed to vomit. She felt dizzy and light-headed. (110)

“...Something is definitely wrong with me. I think I have flu or a stomach virus,” she murmured.

She decided to go and see a doctor.

At the office, the doctor examined her, drew some of her blood and asked her to get a urine sample in a plastic cup. Minutes later, the doctor came out beaming with smiles.

“Congratulations! You’re going to have a baby,” he told her.

Instinctively, Ada looked around to see who the doctor was talking to. There was no one else in the room…the words simply bounced off of her. Maybe the doctor was verbalizing what was in his mind.

“Congratulations! You’re pregnant,” the doctor repeated.

“Who is pregnant?” she asked.

….it sounded like a childish joke

“You’re pregnant. Isn’t that wonderful? Your wish has been fulfilled”

“Doctor, please don’t tease me with something this serious. I know you wish me well. But, don’t do this,” she replied with her eyes swelled with reluctant tears of confusion.

“You know I could never joke with something this serious. I am a professional. I am happy for you”

…thank you, grandma. You have fulfilled your promise,” she looked spaced out as she addressed an empty space.

“Grandma? Are you alright? Who is grandma and what has she got to do with this?

“You won’t understand. Let’s hope you’re right”

“I am right…unless science proves me wrong”. (111)

Ada’s inability to conceive gave Keke a perfect excuse to take the next step of marrying more wives.  His father had eight wives and he did not surprise anyone by following in his father’s footsteps. Besides, polygamy during their time was the norm rather than the exception… He decided to marry two more wives, both at the same time… His second wife was a twin while his third wife was a registered nurse… He married Ada, his first wife, for her beauty and her level of education…he wanted people to remember him as the man that married the most-educated in the land. He chose his second wife, Nana, because she was a twin…right from childhood, Keke had been mesmerized by twin girls…marrying a twin would also make him feel like he was getting two for the price of one…Keke picked his third wife, Marina, because she was a registered nurse. He was always fascinated by nurses. He admired their white outfit, the shoes they wore, and even the way they pinned their logo on their uniform… (92)

As a person, Nana was an opportunistic, selfish and self-absorbed twin who had no regard for decency or other people’s feelings and views on any subject matter. She was already engaged to a man who had practically enslaved himself to bring her up and provide her every need. Yet, as soon as she heard about the famous most eligible bachelor that came back from the city to look for a wife, she was already scheming like other young girls to become Keke’s wife by all means. Predicatably, the moment Keke expressed interest in her; Nana practically threw herself at him and abandoned her fiancée in a very unceremonious and humiliating manner… (92)

Marina, the registered nurse, had a rather interesting life history. During her early school years when she attended school from home and like other girls her age, Marina had occasionally slipped out of the house in the middle of the night to attend parties where she would drink alcohol and make merry… her parents were obviously ignorant of her illicit behavior…to her parents and peers, she was the virtuous little girl who attended church regularly and obeyed her teachers at all times…when she entered the nursing boarding school, she secretly utilized her newly-found personal freedom to date a series of young men. The first time she got pregnant, she discreetly terminated it safely. During her second pregnancy termination, her uterus was perforated and she bled profusely. It was by divine intervention that she survived…Marina was also raised in a polygamous family...in a family where there was a fierce competition for everything, Marina was schooled by her mother to always fight for survival and dominance…as a young girl, she had witnessed several occasions when her father’s other wives ganged up on her mother and practically tore her apart for reasons she could never understand. Those incidents turned the then open-minded young girl into a vindictive personality…she felt miserable and isolated in a large family. Her inherent personality clashed with the ethics of the nursing profession. She was there for money; not the humanistic philosophy of nursing… she was often voted the best nurse by her peers and superiors. Yet, whenever she was left alone with a sick patient, she would cover dirty, untreated wounds with clean bed sheets, falsify patient’s vital signs, and leave the patient to his or her fate. She looked forward to the end of her work shift when she would practically dash out of the hospital or nursing home where she was employed…  (93)

…Keke was bringing two duplicitous coconuts into his house where one brainy coconut already existed. (93

Ada was so different from Nana and Marina…  She opposed polygamy. They accepted it. She was reserved; the way a woman should be. They were wild. She held her head high; they didn’t.  She was intellectual in her thoughts sand behavior; they were not. They were materialistic; she was not. She spoke with caution; they didn’t. They were unscrupulous; she was not. They had no conscience when it came to hurting others... she was a woman with conscience who could not go out of her way to hurt anybody; not even her enemies. They were gold-diggers; she didn’t need to be. She had seen the world; they had not. That which would excite then to death, had no impact on her. She was solid and stable while they were volatile and temperamental. Ada was like water in the midst of oil. They could not mix under normal temperature. (94)

“Why would a young girl like you want to share a husband with another woman?” Ada asked her

“Girls share the same man all the time whether they are married or not. That’s what goes on in high schools, colleges and universities. Don’t tell me you didn’t do it,” Nana replied.

“No; I didn’t”

“What then are you doing here? You should be in the convent”

“I didn’t bargain for your type of breed when I married Keke”

“If polygamy bothers you that much, it’s not too late to walk out of it. It’s only a tree that keeps standing still when one threatens to cut it down”

“Be careful how you throw words around. When the mouth precedes the leg to the warfront, the leg does return alive,” Ada warned her.

“If this is a war front, I’ve nothing to be afraid of,” Nana boasted.

“Those who rush into war tend to forget that war is death,” Ada responded

“In this relationship, we all are age mates. We are equal as wives of the same man and we all are on the same level,” Marina responded.

“If murmuring could make someone rich, the madman would be richer than his kinsmen. You could make a profession out of threats and boasts,” Ada replied. (95)

“Who is trying to poison our husband?” Nana asked Marina

“Why are you asking me? I am a nurse and not a killer. Could it be our senior co-wife?” Marina answered.

“That woman does not look like a killer to me,” Nana replied.

“You’re speaking like someone who is trying to cover her tracks. Are you guilty of mischief by any means...one does not need a mirror to see a bangle on one’s hand…

“Don’t mistake my friendship for weakness…there’s no difference between me and a hand. A hand can massage away your pains but, when threatened, it will turn into a formidable and potentially deadly fist…whatever you do, don’t ever force me to turn into a fist,” Marina threatened.

“A mad man should not start chasing another mad man. We are both mad; in different ways. In good weather, we flock together. In rough weather, dog bites dog to survive,” Nana warned her.

“When a pebble rises, the clay pot begins to tremble. I am so scared,” Marina mocked her.

“It is only when your outfit is washed in the public that people know how dirty it is. Should we be washing our outfit in the public?” Nana questioned her.

“You’re right! Let’s bury the hatchet. It’s not ideal for two close confidants to quarrel in the open. We both have a soft target. Let’s concentrate on her,” Marina suggested. (97)

…A couple of weeks later, Keke got the good news he had waited so long to hear. His second and third wives got pregnant; both ta the same time…Nana was pregnant with twins while Marina had a singleton pregnancy. His age mates had made no secret of their intimate affairs with his ‘cooperative’ new wives as they tried to ‘rescue’ an age mate from ‘shame’…extra-marital affairs were the norm rather than the exception, especially among age-mates…unlike Ada before them, Nana and Marina were very receptive of Keke’s age mates who openly philandered with the women…(99) Keke gained his confidence back as a ‘man’…people had been whispering behind his back and giving him all sorts of nicknames. He had been called a ‘she-man’ (a name reserved for a man who could never impregnate a woman for one reason or another…(99-100)

…As threatening as she was, Nana was only interested in getting Ada kicked out of their common matrimonial home without harming her…(101)

…Nana had just returned from the doctor when she saw Ada in the kitchen. She seized the opportunity to confront her once again...

“My husband’s wife, you seem to seclude yourself a lot nowadays. Don’t you like to socialize with people?” she asked Ada.

“Does the cockroach socialize with chickens?” Ada questioned her.

“Loosen up! Even if you are a ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil, you can still associate with people,” she prodded Ada.

“Pregnancy is a gift from God. Don’t boast with it”

..“You seem to be aging so fast. Are you going through menopause?”

“You act like a typical virgin palm frond. You parade proudly on top of the palm tree and forget the evolution of the dry shriveled palm fronds below. Stop gloating. Nothing in life is permanent”

.. “Your tongue is like a sword. No wonder our husband treats you like garbage,” Nana said to her.

“Your husband is like a whip used to flog a slave. If he flogs me today, tomorrow could be your turn,” Ada reminded her.

“If you see yourself as a slave, Marina and I don’t see us the same way,” Nana responded.

“All winged creatures belong to the same family of birds…,” Ada tried to educate her.

“The same rain that soaks the mouse will spare the lizard. In this house, you are the mouse; we are the lizards…”Nana countered.

“When the Lion becomes lame, the deer has the audacity to challenge him. You are behaving like that little creature that challenged his god to a wrestling match simply because he had a good meal. Be careful how you challenge your destiny,” Ada warned her (102)

…As soon as Nana overheard that from her peeping hole, she jumped out to confront Ada. She saw an opportunity to get Keke on her side and she seized it.

“All you know is how to talk and provoke our husband. One of these days, he’s going to kick you out of this house. Remember, you are a ripe palm fruit that cannot produce oil

“Go ahead and advertise your skill in making babies! Just pray that your husband does not get smart enough to investigate the source of your pregnancy,” Ada responded.

“What do you mean by that?...

“It’s not everything a wine taper sees on top of the tress that he comes down to recount. Don’t worry; I won’t reveal your little secret…I will not be the one to bring to light what you did in darkness. My mouth is sealed,” Ada assured her. (108)

(…Occasionally, the gods were known to step in, uninvited, and settle scores on behalf of humans… Keke’s junior wives suffered sudden unexplained misfortunes without warning….Marina, the nurse, was arrested and locked up for killing a very sick patient at her job…Marina was so repulsed by the sight, smell and condition of the sick elderly patient that she injected a lethal volume of air into her arterial vasculature thereby causing the patient to die from vascular air embolism…the patient’s suspicious daughter had planted a hidden camera to monitor her mother’s care at the facility…it was the first time she was caught doing so…she was bad within and good on the outside…her evil acts finally caught up with her…

A week after Marina was arrested and jailed for murder, Nana’s epileptic daughter with sickle cell disease suddenly got very sick and died….Keke went to the medical practitioner’s office to confront him…

“You’re acting like someone who doesn’t know the prognosis of sickle cell disease…your daughter had sickle cell disease, sir,” the doctor explained.

…you were the one who blamed her immediate health problems, then, on prematurity. Are you now telling me that she died from sickle-cell disease?

“That’s exactly what I am saying, sir. For your information, sir, I had also indicated to you, specifically, that the baby had sickle cell disease when she was born even though her immediate health problems, then, could be blamed on prematurity. I assumed then that, with your level of education, you knew everything going on,” the doctor tired to educate him… from the information on you; you don’t have the genetic disorder…

Keke also remembered what Ada had said to Nana… “just pray that your husband does not get smart enough to investigate the source of your pregnancy…it’s not everything a wine taper sees on top of the tree that he comes down to recount…

He was beginning to piece the facts together! Nana was carrying another man’s child while she was married to Keke…he quickly entered the house and started throwing out Nana’s belongings… (152)

Marina was also raised in a polygamous family...in a family where there was a fierce competition for everything, Marina was schooled by her mother to always fight for survival and dominance…as a young girl, she had witnessed several occasions when her father’s other wives ganged up on her mother and practically tore her apart for reasons she could never understand. Those incidents turned the then open-minded young girl into a vindictive personality…she felt miserable and isolated in a large family. Her inherent personality clashed with the ethics of the nursing profession. She was there for money; not the humanistic philosophy of nursing… she was often voted the best nurse by her peers and superiors. Yet, whenever she was left alone with a sick patient, she would cover dirty, untreated wounds with clean bed sheets, falsify patient’s vital signs, and leave the patient to his or her fate. She looked forward to the end of her work shift when she would practically dash out of the hospital or nursing home where she was employed…  (93)

Polygamy was nothing new. Some people even saw polygamy as an obligation for men. Without polygamy, who would be marrying all the women that outnumbered men by a wide margin? (94)

“Marina grew up in a polygamous family where there was fierce competition for everything…she is a compulsive fighter; a vindictive personality with an unforgiving spirit,” Nana explained.

“What else did the atmosphere of polygamy teach her?”

It also taught her the art of pretense, gossips, scheming and deception. When you come together as members of the same family, you hug each other. You chat and smile and there is plenty of laughter. The moment is filled with expressions of unity; of solidarity and togetherness. Then, you go your separate ways and the scheming begins where there are secret plans to suppress others; and destroy them. One moment, they are members of one family. The next minute, they are foes who must be subdued and perhaps vanquished to achieve certain objectives”

“If polygamy could turn someone like Marina into a monster, why would both of you want to bring up your children in the same polygamous atmosphere of hate?”

“Wealth takes care of everything,” Nana replied. (96)

When it was time for the naming ceremony, everybody gathered at the village hall. Soon after, the paramount chief arrived with his local chiefs accompanied by the royal guards. One of the guards was carrying with him what was arguably the most significant monument in the entire village…It was the statue of the goddess of fertility that carried the indelible thumbprints of the newborns through the ages…the statue was named Eze Nwanyi (Queen mother)…the statues were originally kept by the chief priest of the local deity who also performed the official naming ceremony….with the advent of the white man, the role of the chief priest was greatly diminished, initially; and then eventually eliminated altogether….he also described the naming ceremony as ‘a pagan event’… (11

…the white man offered him a large sum of money through the catechist…he was to hand over the statues to the catechist who, in turn, would deliver them to the white man under the cover of darkness to avoid a riot…that was how the age-old statues vanished from Umunta village… like the illness that was buried along with its victim, the chief priest of the local deity eventually died and carried with him the secrets of his illicit transactions with the white man and details of, perhaps, the biggest cultural sellout of all times… the white man’s servant, however, later revealed to the inquisitive catechist how those statues were shipped, intact, to the white man’s land.

“What could they be doing with pagan symbols in their country,” the catechist asked the white man’s servant.

“Fart, they say, is more acceptable when it comes from the king’s buttock. Maybe our pagan practice changes its status and value when it is performed by the white man in his land,” the white man’s servant responded.

“Or; maybe our pagan symbols bring them good luck,” the catechist added.

“Follow my teachings and not my behavior,” the servant insinuated… (118)

…the catechist…was particularly gratified by the young man’s willingness to keep revealing to him the white man’s secrets…how else could the outside mouse know that meat was stored in the basked hanging by the fireplace if the home mouse had not revealed the secret?... the servants was one closest to the white man and could perceive his mouth odor the most while the catechist was the one inside the river who, with all the water surrounding him, would not allow soap to enter his eyes…..like the baby goat that learnt to chew by watching the mother eat, the catechist became comfortable breaking a few church rules…under the cover of darkness, he would consult the deity in times of great need…engaged in illicit relationships with church members of the opposite sex. He did not hesitate to help himself with church funds and contributions made by the laity… (118)

A paramount chief was quickly installed by the white man…when the role of the chief priest of the local deity …came to an end… (119)

…After the kola nuts and the ugba n’okporoko had been eaten, the church-appointed paramount chief invited the oldest man in the land to the front of the podium… (119)

…I want these children’s thumbprints to be mounted on Eze Nwanyi as authentic indigenes of this land. From today, my son will assume the title of ‘son of the soil’ and each of my daughters will be known as ‘daughter of the land’…..(120)

…what name do you call this child?” the church-appointed paramount chief turned around and asked Keke

“I call him Agu (Lion),” Keke responded.

“Agu; I hereby mount your indelible thumbprint on our Eze Nwanyi”

The church-appointed paramount chief mounted Agu’s thumbprint on the statue and handed him back to his mother.

“I hereby testify that these children belong to all of us. We will train these children together. We will look after them and protect them together. When a child turns good, we all turn good. When a child becomes a criminal, we all become criminals. If a child becomes famous, we all become famous. We all get lost when a child gets lost,” the church-appointed paramount chief preached… (120)

Keke was ready to feed the people like never before….