CHAPTER FOUR
When Mary got back to school, the whole place was still dry, only a few students was seen here and there. She went to her dormitory, unpacked and cleared her cupboard, her bed and everything else. She lay down on her bed and try to keep herself busy with her book.
Later on, she got too distracted by an ongoing conversation of some student’s closely.
“You know what, I told my aunt needed some money for my textbooks, she promptly gave them to me, which I gave to my boyfriend” said NJ(Nneji).
“What!” exclaimed Maureen, “I cannot do that one o! if you do that, then what is he doing at all?”
“You guys forget am older than he is” Nneji replied.
“owwwwkay, we forgot you are a sugar mama”
They said in between laughs.
“Anyway” continued Maureen, “I went over to my uncle’s place in Lagos, he’s hardly at home, and the boys around the hood all thought I was pretty, if you know what I mean” she said in a knowing manner.
“eeeeeeeeeh, bad girl, wetin come happen na” the others nudged her to go on.
“Well I liked one, who like good tidings and had enough cash, took me to all sorts of places, and bought me things I never thought I could have, clothes, shoes, bracelets, infact name them, and …..”
“Mau de mau”, the others hailed her to a stop, most times she spoke without a break for another, and they knew when they have heard the main gist and the miscellaneous, which she was going into. Lizzy spoke next:
“For me, you all know I don’t need a lie to go where I want to. I visit my sugar pops and boyfriends when I want to. Hit it big the last time, I got to visit this one man in Calabar, from there we went to Dubai, spent a week there and came back with a stash of money”.
“So where’s it?” Rose asked.
“Where’s what?”
“The money nau?”
“Sorry, I don’t share”
“Stingy gal”
“Anyway, I spent it all on clothes and shoes”
“But your father is rich and provides enough of those for you”
“A girl can never have enough clothes” Lizzy replied.
“But…” Rose tried to speak again but Lizzy interrupted her.
“Mind your own business, Rose” Lizzy said getting upset, “kettle calling pot black”.
At that point they heard some footsteps coming towards their dormitory.
“It’s the mistress” said Maureen.
They all dispersed to their bunks, and pretended to be either reading or sleeping. The mistress entered and went round to ensure everything was in order, she asked if they needed anything or complaints of any kind, to which they replied no, after that she left. The naughty students burst out laughing.
“Ye ye woman” said Lizzy.
“Why can’t these old ones let us be?” Abigail asked rhetorically.
“Her retirements never reach?” said Rose who pretended to be sleeping. They all laughed and went outside to continue their discussion.
Mary was dumbfounded. She did nothing else during the holidays but helping her family in ways she could, and was occupied with her Church obligations. She thought what a fun life it is but empty without family and a future, too bad she thought. While she was in her thoughts, someone covered her eyes with the palm from behind; she took her time for a little while, and knew it was none other than Flora with the tiny fingers. They both hugged excitedly, and Flora asked her;
“How did you know it was me?”
“You have the tinniest fingers I know” she teased her.
Flora laughed and said, “It’s good to see you, my friend”
“You too, how was home?”
“Trouble like always, yours?”
“I can’t call it paradise either, but that’s the idea of family”
They both laughed.
“You looked lost when I saw you” Flora said.
“My dear, those girls blew my mind with their holiday escapades. In fact I was lost in their midst”
“You mean Lizzy and friends?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Saw them on my way in, do help me and unpack”
“Of course”
Classes began in earnest the next day. But Mary was restless during classes and couldn’t sleep at night. So, one day while she was in class, she saw a familiar face walk in, and called the teacher aside. After a brief talk, the teacher told Mary to follow the man with the gloomy face. She went with him to the principal’s office where she was told that her father has kicked the bucket. Mary wept on hearing the news. When she was fit enough the principal gave her the permission to go back to the village with the elder.
It was a big loss to the Chizue’s in Nkwocha. Nduka died of food poisoning. Uzoma his second wife had a big quarrel with Ihuoma and was more furious when Nduka tried to intervene, which seemed to her that he took Ihuoma’s side. After that, in anger she went to a native doctor to ask him what to do for their husband to love her more than the other wife. He gave her a concoction and told her to add a little of it to her husband’s food. She went home happily.
That day it was Ihuoma’s turn to cook for Nduka, and knowing that he preferred her food more, Uzoma thought it wise to use Ihuoma’s food as a medium. Once Ihuoma had served their husband’s meal in his hut and went to take her bathe, Uzoma sneaked into his hut, opened the plate of soup and poured the whole substance in, instead of a little as the man told her. She thought if a little of it could make him love her, than the whole of it, would be marvelous, but how wrong she was. She stirred the soup with a finger and cleaned it against her wrapper, but as she tried to close the lid, it fell from her hands to the floor. Ihuoma shouted asking who it was. Uzoma picked it up instantly and as she dashed out of the hut, Ihuoma came out of the bathroom. She(Uzoma) pretended and said she heard a noise from the kitchen and ran to check only to find out it was a cock. When Ihuoma asked where the cock was, she replied that she had chased it out. Ihuoma went inside her hut and closed the door. Uzoma smiled within herself, gave a slight hiss and then left. Not knowing Ihuoma was watching behind her curtain. So when Nduka was back, Ihuoma served him the meal, not knowing the contents as it was.
During the night, Nduka coughed up blood, when he knew he won’t last long, he called Ihuoma and asked her for forgiveness, blessed her and Mary and gave up the ghost. When she realized what she had done, Uzoma wept and wept, she blamed the native man as she wailed and confessed, but then the deed was already done.
Mary cried all day, she couldn’t do or eat anything. She had to wait until the funeral was over before going back to school.
Meanwhile, Uzoma was asked to return to her father’s house with all her kids, as Nduka’s kinsmen told her that there would be no need to raise murderous breeds in their lineage.