CHAPTER THREE
Immediately the white bus arrived at Nkwocha, it pulled down the hill slowly and stopped. Mary jumped out and walked down to the village, everything seemed changed; development was coming to their town. The market place was filled with buyers and sellers. She greeted those whom she recognized. On getting closer to the house, she sighted the little kids playing, and as she moved closer, they all ran to her hugging her legs and tugging at her hands. Once inside the compound she noticed her step-mother by her doorpost and went over to greet her.
“Good afternoon Ma” she said to her.
“Afternoon, how are you?”
“I am fine Ma. I hope you’ve been well?”
“Yes, I was just thinking who the children ran to meet. Didn’t know it was you”
Mary smiled.
“Welcome” Uzoma said finally.
At that point Mary turned and went over to her mother’s hut, but she wasn’t there. As she came outside to ask about her, there she was coming back from the market with a load on her head. She shouted with joy as she saw her daughter. They hugged each other. Meanwhile, the other wife was there looking at them. She wasn’t happy Chidalu was going to school, and though she has confronted their husband over the issue, he reprimanded her with caution, since he played no part in sending Mary to school. Then came the neighbors to meet her and ask about school and the city. Excited children jumped up and down.
Since her father was not home when she came back, she didn’t get to see him until after super. She went over to main hut, and there he was with his pipe and bottle of schnapps beside him.
“I see your feeling better than all and doing most than none” was her opening gambit.
Nduka was delighted to see his daughter. She always had a way of poking fun at him, and always the one to put a smile on his face in his lowest.
“If you’re going to be rude with your grammar this night, please stay at that end of the hut” he replied with a smirk on his face.
She came close regardless and gave her daddy a big hug. They had chit chats about life and school. When it was time for Mary to leave, she thought it better to remind her father about her fees in his jolly mood. He was battled and asked her;
“Did I send you to school?”
“No father, but you have to…”
She barely finished when her father said he no money, and had his second wife and children to carter for. Though Nduka never meant to hurt Ihuoma and his daughter, but he had taken two wives and didn’t know how to please both. The first one gave him a home, peace of mind and one child, the second brought boys and girls and trouble with her. He wanted a son, but sometimes when he looked at Mary, she was worth ten sons, and he won’t see the need of the growing rabble in his household. He placed his pipe hanging loosely in his mouth, Mary knew the talk was over; she gently rose and returned to her mother’s abode.
Due to Uzoma’s belligerent nature, with her eight army of boys and girls, she ran the Chizue household like it was a coup. She didn’t like the fact that Ihuoma and Mary were doing well on their own. What annoys her the most, is their total ignorance of her attitude. At times it seems she didn’t exist in Ihuoma’s eyes. She took the title of oriaku usually meant for the first wives, claiming their husband’s favorite. She depended on Nduka for everything, and when there’s no money, she curses him out, until he goes borrowing. And when Ihuoma tries to lend a hand or feed her children, Uzoma would scream and tell anyone who cares to listen how Ihuoma wants to wipe all her kids because she (Ihuoma) had only one child.
While at home, Mary tried as much as she could to support her mother. She went out to the shop, ran errands and taught her younger siblings, when Uzoma’s head was not seeking who wanted it dead. Her mother is a kind woman and lends a hand to others even in her lowest. She wanted Mary to be educated and told her that she is her only hope and future. She tells her to be kind and to avoid bad company at school. Mary told her stories of some characters which of the students display at school, and her mother became deeply concerned about her daughter. Mary seeing the effect of those stories, slowed down on how much she told her mother so as not to cause her any worries.
On one eventful night, Uzoma went into their husband’s hut to request some money from him. and when Nduka said he had none at the time being, she rose and ruined abuses on him at the top of her voice. The neighbors reached out to calm her down but she was blunt and told them that Nduka was fond of giving Ihuoma money without her acknowledgement, and that is why Ihuoma never seemed to lack and had the capacity of sending her daughter to school. But she Uzoma that gave him male and female children eight in number and all to his name, he would leave half past dead with hunger. As she kept talking, Nduka came out of his hut burning with rage to defend his own self, he told the neighbors that Uzoma is a callous woman with a sharp tongue. When he had money and gave her, she would sing his praises in front of him, but when he goes broke as tonight, what they see is what he gets. Some of the neighbors gathered was not really because they cared; they were merely there to watch a good family drama and to have a talk about it later.
Meanwhile, Mary was already preparing to be back at school. Her mother once more advised her to avoid bad company and bad behavior. Mary felt so sad for her mother and wished she could stay with her all through, but she had to go to school. She said goodbye to her father who gave her nothing, her step mother who was glad it was only her against Ihuoma again, her step siblings were not so glad to see her leave, as they all waved goodbye to her as she left the compound.