Moxie (10)

Ik’s mother and Uchenna stared in bewilderment as the police van sped off leaving behind a trail of smoke and dust. By the time they found their way to the police station, Ik was already locked up in one of the cells. They were not allowed to see him, not even his mother. They were told to go and get a male relative to begin Ik’s bail proceedings.

Ik sighed as he took in his surroundings. This was his second week in this dark, dank cell. There was barely standing space but he managed to carve a corner of the small room for himself where he was huddled in despair as the nights quickly became day and the days became night. He shuddered as something crawled past his foot in the darkness. For the past two weeks his mother and Uche had brought food to him every morning and evening. Sometimes he was able to enjoy the meal in peace, but more often than not, his cooler of food was seized by the ‘chairman’ of the cell. Rumor had it that he killed someone at a bar during a drunken brawl.

Not a day passed that he didn’t think of Nnedi. He wondered where she might be. The Polices’ investigation yielded nothing. It seemed like she had conveniently dropped off the face of the earth. He remembered the nights they spent in each other’s arms, the softness of her flesh and the perkiness of her breasts. How she would deftly guide his hand up her thigh to find her sweet, wet center…..

Ik cursed the fate that brought him such ill-luck. His family was still unable to satisfy his bail conditions hence his continued stay in the cell. He had given his elder brother all his money and even borrowed some from the Lorry Drivers Association yet it wasn’t enough. Most nights he cried. He wasn’t ashamed to cry.

************************************************************

“Good afternoon, mama”

“Welcome, my son”

“How was school today?”

“Fine mama”

“Good! Your food is in the cooler inside the shop. Go and wash your hands and eat”

Oriaku let her eyes linger on her son as he made his way into the shop to eat. These days she could barely let him out of her sight. If it wasn’t that schooling was important, she would have gladly stopped him from going to school. She let her mind wander to that day, three months ago when she had been so close to holding her daughter in her arms once again. She had hopped on Ik’s lorry with high hopes of reuniting with her daughter in Onitsha. That Nnedi had disappeared without a trace was still a shock to her. When the police invited her to come and identify the body of a young girl they had found in the bushes along the Onitsha-Umuaku expressway she thought that she would finally get closure.  Instead she and Okeke came back from Onitsha more distraught by the episode; the body of the young girl had been severely mutilated and it was thought to be the handiwork of ritualists. Eventually, the police was forced to release Ik after they ran out of leads. The case was officially closed and the Okeke’s were told to take Nnedi’s disappearance in good faith.

The day Ik regained his freedom was like any other day for him. He wasn’t even happy; he was just relieved to be going home to the comfort of his own bed after two months of crouching in the most unsanitary living quarters he had seen in his entire life.  His mother had returned to the village leaving Uchenna behind but not before instructing her to ensure that she brought food to him in the police cell. Soon he came to look forward to her daily visits. He asked her about her family and life in the village before his mother brought her to Onitsha. She seemed a bit shy and really didn’t speak except when spoken to. Her cooking was however exceptional and the few times Ik was allowed to enjoy his meal in peace without it being snatched by the other inmates, he savoured every morsel of food.

When the news of Nnedi’s second disappearance soon filtered into the small town, Okoye made it a point of duty to pay the Okeke’s a visit. He told them how God doesn’t sleep and that they thought they had hidden Nnedi from the reach of men but God had chosen to visit his wrath upon her even in hiding. He told them their daughter was cursed and that he regretted allowing his brother to marry her. The Okeke’s listened silently as he went on and on. When he was done, he picked up his cane, stood up and left.

****************************************************************

Okeke couldn’t get his brother’s first wife, Chinwe out of his mind.  As the first wife of Ihenaco, Chinwe was secluded from the rest of his wives to mourn her husband. Her children and friends were allowed to visit her but she slept alone as custom demands. Surely such a beautiful woman who had lost her husband suddenly would have cravings. He hatched a plan in his mind to pay Chinwe a visit the following night.

“Chinwe, Chinwe”, he whispered at her door

The compound was quiet and he prayed that no one would stumble upon him before Chinwe let him in.

“Who is it”, Chinwe asked from within

“It’s me, Okoye”

He heard movements within and moments later she let him in.

He adjusted his eyes to the darkness as he stood facing Chinwe his back against the door.

“How have you been?” he asked

“I’ve been better”

He nodded silently

She moved to the side of the bed and lit the hurricane lantern casting an amber hue on both of them. Even in the dim light of the hurricane lantern, he could make out her contours through the single wrapper she tied across her chest.

She was sitting on thr bed now and he joined her there. He raised his hand to caress her cheek and she flinched

“Relax”

“I know you want it too”

He took her hand and placed it on his burgeoning need. She watched as it sprang out of his trousers when he unzipped his fly.

“This is what you do to me”, he whispered

Chinwe swallowed hard. She didn’t know what to make of Okoye’s advances. Yes it had been really long since she felt the touch of a man but she felt like she was betraying Ihenacho.

As if reading her thoughts Okoye blurted, “Nobody will find out”

“Even if people find out, you are my brother’s wife. I can as well marry you”

She smiled at his last statement as he tugged her wrapper from her chest and let it slide to the floor. Okoye quickly divested himself of his clothes and joined her on the bed. He marveled at how she had not an ounce of flab on her even after five children. He wondered why Ihenacho would scorn all this sweetness for that fingerling of a girl who eventually killed him. Well, Ihenacho’s loss was his gain and he wasn’t complaining.

Chinwe matched him thrust for thrust and when he finally found release, he clung to her as if for dear life.

“You have to go now”, she said without preamble

“We can’t be seen together yet. At least not like this”

“I know”

“I will see you tomorrow night”, he said as he rolled off her

He dressed quickly and handed her, her wrapper but not before he playfully smacked her backside. She bunched up the wrapper and threw it at his head just as he shut the door behind him, missing him by a hair’s breath. She stared at the door and exhaled, she couldn’t wait for tomorrow night.

***************************************************************

She was back at home. She was playing hide and seek with her friends Nnenna and Akunna in her father’s compound. Her mother had called her from the kitchen and she excused herself from her friends to answer her mother. She got to the kitchen to find the cooking fires all extinguished and the kitchen dark. She wondered what her mother was doing in the dark. She called out to her mother but all she heard was silence. A pair of hands grabbed her throat and throttled her so violently in the dark; she thought she was going to die. She clawed at the vice-like grip with all her might hoping to free herself from certain death.

She opened her eyes and realized that it was just dream. A very real and scary dream, she thought. She saw people staring at her like she had grown a pair of horns; especially after seeing her wrestle eyes closed with an unseen entity.

“Mile 2, owa oh”, she heard someone announce

She looked around and remembered where she was. She had boarded a Molue from Ebutte-Metta to Oshodi.

“Mile 2, owa oh”, yelled another passenger

Her eyes widened as she realized that she had slept off and missed her stop.

Welcome to Lagos, she sighed.

 

 

 

Moxie (9)

 

One week after Nnedi’s miscarriage, Ik decided it was time to go back to work. As he got ready to leave the house that morning, he saw Nnedi staring at him like a wounded pigeon. He sighed.

“But I have to go and work for us to eat now”, he began without preamble

“I know”, she replied

“So why are you looking at me like that?” he queried.

“Like how?”

“Do you want me to take you home to Umuaku so your mother can look after you?”

“Noooooo!!!!!!!” she cried

“You want them to kill me?”

He knew she was referring to her late husband’s people as “them”

He bit his lip and walked out of the room into the dawning day.

When he got to the park, his lorry was second on the queue. That meant he could get to Umuaku as early as possible and pay the Okeke’s a visit.

“My son, you’re welcome”, Oriaku greeted him delightedly

“How is my daughter?”

“Mama, I’m afraid I have some bad news”, Ik said somberly

“What is it”, quizzed Oriaku, a frown creasing her forehead

“Nnedi had a miscarriage a week ago”, he continued

“Tufiakwa”, spat Oriaku

“I asked her to come here with me but she refused. She said Ihenacho’s people will kill her.”

“A week, a whole week and it is now you are coming?”

“Why didn’t you come and tell me since, so that is how my daughter would have died like a chicken in your house”, Oriaku sobbed.

And it was in that moment of grief that an idea entered her head.

“Let us go”

“To where ma?” asked Ik in confusion

“To Onitsha”

Ik knew it was useless to argue with her as she started walking briskly to his lorry. He followed her quietly.

**************************************************************

The door to the room was ajar. Ik wondered why Nnedi would open the door so wide at night as if she hadn’t suffered enough in the hands of malaria-causing mosquitoes.

He heard his mother’s voice and that was when he knew something was wrong. He looked back at Oriaku and motioned to her to wait in the passage before he entered the room.

Moxie (8)

Photo credit: Lina Scarfi

“Let us go and see my daughter”, cried Oriaku in excitement

“You are not going anywhere”, butted in Okeke

“Didn’t you hear when Okoye said he was watching our every move? You want to lead those wolves back to her?”

Oriaku’s face fell in disappointment. She looked at her father-in-law who was nodding in agreement to what her husband had just said. She knew she had lost the battle.

“My son”, Okeke said, turning his attention to Ik.

“Thank you for bringing this good news to us and for giving our daughter a safe place to lay her head. Only God in heaven can reward you”

“Amen”, they all chorused

Before he left, Oriaku offered him food but he declined. He bade them goodbye and got into his lorry. When he got home, he told Nnedi how the visit to her parents went. She clapped her hands in delight and jumped up and down like a child with a new toy and when he returned from the bathroom, he found her standing at the foot of the bed in all her naked glory. This time no words were said as her silent invitation was all that Ik needed to slake his thirst for her velvety sweetness.

Finally resting in each other’s arms, Nnedi whispered a thank you in his ears and he felt as if he had grown a couple of inches taller. He hugged her tighter.

*****************************************************************

Ihenacho’s burial was held amidst weeping and mourning.

#EWC16

So a couple of weeks ago I hosted the Eminent Women Conference 2016 with the theme “Break Out”.

When the convener of the conference, Njideka Raleke-Obiora contacted me to be the emcee, I was super excited. Just one look at the caliber of ladies who were headlining the conference and I told Njideka I was in.

Yours truly on the microphone

When I introduced myself as the host of the day, I noticed some of the participants were looking at me like, who is this one sef? But in no time I had them all up on their feet playing one game or another and got them prepped for the speakers. One task they had to accomplish very early on in the conference was to describe themselves with an adjective that begins with the first letter of their name. I gave them an example; I told them that I would like to be addressed as “Diligent Dawan” throughout the conference. The ladies loved it and we started hearing names like, “Charming Chioma”, “Blessed Belinda”, “Extraordinary Esther” etc.

Cross section of participants

It was a very informative, educative and entertaining experience for me. In between my hosting duties, I found time to listen to the women who shared their Break Out experiences. From Inyang Sami- Orungbe (Partner Averti Professionals) who spoke about the need for women to see each other as sisters and build synergies between each other to the visionary Tope Olagbegi (CEO Sixth Sense Interiors) a serial entrepreneur from as far back as her days in UNILAG where she sold lingerie, to the philanthropist Chinyere Anokwuru (Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos state on Women Ethnic groups, Mobilization and Empowerment) whose grass to grace story brought tears to our eyes, #EWC16 was a hit back to back.

Panel discussion. L-R: Chinyere Anokwuru, Bisi Soji-Oyawoye, Inyang Sami-Orungbe, Tope Olagbegi and Njideka Raleke-Obiora

Want to know the best part of this conference? Wait for it…….. There were twelve, yes twelve women from various fields of endeavor to train participants free of charge in the following areas: Makeup, fashion and style, bookkeeping for small businesses, etiquette and poise, photography, marketing, social media, baking, brand communication etc.

According to the convener, Njideka Raleke-Obiora, she did not want a conference where women would come, listen to feel-good, motivational speeches only to return to the status-quo once they got home. The trainings were designed to empower the participants in whatever area of their choosing and connect them to a mentor in that field.

Question and answer time

Many thanks to Njideka and all the exceptional women who made this year’s conference a reality. I am grateful for the valuable connections I made that day. As I told the participants, I look forward to another Eminent Women Conference in 2017, God-willing.

I’m rolling with the big-wigs. Mom look at how we made it. lol

PS: There was a hair-raising musical performance from Tarrah

Moxie (7)

 

“Nne Ekene, how is your day going?”

“Nne Ekene, won’t you greet your friend again?”

“Which friend?” Nne Ekene hissed

“Leave my way you cursed woman”, she continued as she brushed past Oriaku

Oriaku was rendered immobile by her friend’s hatred. She continued to stare at Nne Ekene’s back until she retreated out of sight.

She quietly walked back to her stall blinded by unshed tears

It had been two days since her daughter Nnedi’s disappearance. She hoped and prayed that Nnedi was fine wherever she was.

The sun was already high up in the sky and Oriaku had not sold a single item since morning. The day before wasn’t any different.

She started to gather her wares together. Better to sit at home than waste time here doing nothing. Everyone avoided her stall as if she had contracted an incurable disease. Just then a couple of girls Nnedi’s age sashayed past and one whispered to the other audibly,

“See the mother of the murderess”

“Yes oh”, replied the other before they both burst into laughter

Oriaku quickly secured her wares and locked her stall. Even as she trudged home she could feel the eyes of the townspeople boring through her back. She could hear their mocking giggles and not so subtle whispers.

She met her husband and her father-in-law staring at the floor when she walked into the sitting room. She greeted them both and went to Chidi’s room to check on him.

“Why did you lie to me, Mama?”

Oriaku was taken aback by Chidi’s outburst

“How did you know?”

“I got up to sit by the window when I overheard Nma and Isi talking about it”

“Who told you to get up?” Oriaku asked feigning anger

How could she explain to her teenage son that she didn’t tell him because she was trying to shield him from pain? How could she tell him that with his surgery date so close she was worried that something could go wrong?

“I did not want to upset you my son” she said instead

“You are all that I have now”

*****************************************************************

Oriaku heard the shouting just as she was putting finishing touches to supper that evening. She stepped out of the kitchen to behold Mama Chimezie

“The things you bought on credit to send your disgrace of a daughter to kill a peace loving man must be paid for immediately”, she barked

“But I don’t have your money yet”, Oriaku replied conciliatorily

“Pay me my money now”, she yelled

“Mama Chimezie, have mercy on me. You of all people know that my family and I have been through a lot these past few days. I promise to pay as soon as the month ends”

“If you know what is good for you, better go and find out what is wrong with your family to warrant your horrible luck”, Mama Chimezie jeered

“Let me just pity you, I will be back at the end of the month”, she said stomping away

***************************************************************

Ihenacho’s brothers, Okoye, Nwafor and Orji were seated in his living room discussing their brother’s funeral arrangements. Okoye as the eldest male family member after Ihenacho presided over the gathering. Other family members from their extended family were present as well. The women and children were still in their private quarters.

With the burial plans concluded, Okoye braved it to Chinwe’s room. He knocked on the door, his throat dry.

“Come in”, came the muffled reply from within

Okoye entered. His brother’s wife was seating on the floor clad in nothing but a black wrapper tied over her chest. Her eldest daughter Adanna was beside her on the floor

The black wrapper Chinwe tied across her chest revealed the upper part of her breasts. Okoye’s breath quickened with suppressed desire as he felt a stirring in his loins.

He cleared his throat, “Chinwe, I came to see how you are faring”

“I am husbandless and my children are fatherless. But we are managing”, she sobbed.

“Do not speak like that”, Okoye chided.

“My brothers and I are here to take care of you. Whatever Ihenacho has is ours. His responsibilities are also our responsibilities now that he is gone. We have just concluded the funeral arrangements. Everything has been taken care of”

“Thank you”, replied Chinwe.

Okoye turned to go. In the darkened corridor, he struggled to adjust his trousers to accommodate the bulge between his legs before he joined his brothers in the living room.

*************************************************************

There were seven other girls sleeping on the floor on wrappers. She found a tiny corner to spread her wrapper and wait out the night. As soon as it was daybreak, Nnedi thanked her host for the night and made her way into the streets of Onitsha.

She headed straight for the Lorry Park. She asked the people in the park if they had seen Ik that morning. Nobody had seen him so she decided to sit under a tree and wait for him.

She bought a plate of food from a vendor with the money she got from the wiry man the previous night. Nnedi waited and waited. She had almost given up hope of seeing him when she saw his lorry roll into the park.

Her face lit up in a smile as she made her way through the crowd to meet him. She threw her arms round him and shrieked in delight. Even in the twilight, she could see the look of astonishment on his face as he allowed himself to be gathered in her embrace.

“What are you doing here”, he asked

“Please let us go home”, she replied tugging at his arm

He locked the doors of the lorry and they set off

Home for Ik consisted of very tiny room with a mattress on the floor. A line hung along the length of the room served as a clothes hanger. There were nine tiny rooms altogether in the compound served by a single well in the middle, there was no kitchen. Some of the neighbours had kerosene stoves by their doors which they used for cooking. The bathroom and toilet were situated at the back of the building.

“This is all I have to offer you”, he said meekly

She smiled. It will do she thought to herself

She excused herself and went to the bathroom to take a bath and when she returned Ik was nowhere to be found. She quickly dressed up and lay on the bed waiting for him. When he returned, he handed her a bowl of the tastiest rice and stew she had eaten in her entire life.

“Let me go and take my bath while you eat”, he offered

Ik had a transistor radio. He put the radio on and listened intently to the news. Nnedi wondered why someone so young was interested in politics and what happened in government. After the news, the radio station began to play music; a funky, high-life tune. Ik turned down the volume a bit and got into the bed beside her

She let her hand rest on his thigh and slid it up gently. He caught her hand and caressed it carefully for what seemed like an eternity. Nnedi leaned in and kissed him on the lips as her hands grew more insistent.

“Are you sure”, Ik asked breathlessly

Nnedi nodded

He gathered her in his arms and held her tightly. He kissed her face, her eyes, her ears and her neck until he got to her taut nipples. When he claimed one in his mouth she moaned softly. From her nipples, he continued downwards.  His velvety tongue connected with her moist center, causing Nnedi to let out a cry of pleasure.

Ik’s ministrations were even better than her classmate Peter’s, she thought. Peter had used his fingers down there but Ik was using his tongue and she felt like she was flying on unseen wings. For a brief second Ihenacho’s crude lovemaking crossed her mind but she quickly set the thought aside.

Finally spent and in each other’s arms, Nnedi rested her head on his chest listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat. She hoped that he had not fallen asleep already.

She ventured, “Ik, please can you take a message to my parents in Umuaku?”

“Anything for you”, he slurred half asleep

Nnedi smiled in the dark

 

Moxie (6)

 

The lorry park was just stirring awake when Nnedi got to the center of the town. She looked around her furtively in the semi-darkness to make sure no one had followed her from Ihenacho’s compound. She quickly located a lorry going to Onitsha and as she was the first passenger, she secured a seat in front beside the driver. Other passengers would take their places at the back of the lorry on wooden benches that had been constructed for the purpose. It didn’t take long for the bus to fill up because traders from Umuaku usually travelled to Onitsha regularly to buy goods for their shops. Nnedi had heard stories about the big, dusty commercial town called Onitsha but she had never travelled outside her hometown of Umuaku.

The bus took off in a cloud of smoke just as the sun peeked from behind Eastern clouds. As the bus zoomed off, Nnedi sighed wistfully at the thought that she was leaving everything she knew behind and venturing out into the unknown. She was now an outcast in her hometown, a thing of scorn. She wondered if she would ever come back to Umuaku. She thought of her parents and the shame and disgrace they would be subjected to by Ihenacho’s family. She thought about Chidi whose surgery date was close at hand and how she was going to miss seeing him getting well and back on his feet. A silent tear rolled down her left cheek, followed by another one on the right; soon she was blinded by hot tears as they streamed down her face uncontrollably.

“Hope no problem?” asked the driver of the truck as he cast her a sideways glance

“It is nothing”, she replied hastily drying her face with the back of her hands

The driver took in her single wrapper and dusty feet. She looked rather unkempt he thought to himself. He wondered what would make a young girl of eighteen by his estimation get on a bus to Onitsha so early in the morning then break down in tears barely halfway into the journey. He wondered what her story was, but then he had seen quite a lot since he first started as a lorry conductor when he was fourteen and now as a driver for a lorry company in Onitsha. He had seen married women running off to Onitsha to see their lovers without the knowledge of their husbands or families, young men in search of greener pastures with only a dream in their heads and empty pockets, young girls desirous of the good life in Onitsha only to be lured into prostitution rings.

“What is your name?” asked the driver

“Nnedi”, she replied

She noticed that the driver wasn’t so much older that herself. He definitely was in his early twenties. He wore dirty shorts and a crumpled button-down shirt with a comb stuck in his bushy hair. Why someone would have a comb stuck in their hair and not use it beat Nnedi’s imagination.

“Why were you crying?” he asked

She looked at him again. Could she trust him?

“It is a long story”, she replied wearily

“You have the entire journey to tell me”, he said smiling

“You can call me Ikechukwu, Ik for short” he continued

Nnedi managed a weak smile in return.

******************************************************************

The search party led by Ihenacho’s younger brother, Nwafor returned late that night. They headed straight to Okoye’s house and broke the news of their inability to find Nnedi.

Okoye was livid with rage. He had played in his head a thousand times over how Nnedi would be dragged into his compound, her head hung in shame. He had relished the thought of how she would be made to sleep with Ihenacho’s corpse the night before the burial and how her hair would be shaved completely.