Chapter 2: Daughter of the Chairman

I be the fourth pikin for the famous Okoye family for Palm Grove Estate, my name na Ifedike. My papa na Local Government Chairman, even the Governor dey respect am well. My mama, Morayo by name, be the main wife, and she born six of us—two boys, four girls.

Palm Grove no be area for anyhow people. Na high fence, big mango tree, and streetlight wey no dey fail. Our compound dey always dey smell fresh, as gardener dey sweep everywhere every morning. For inside family, position get weight. As fourth child, I dey always siddon between two worlds—old enough to see, small enough to be invisible sometimes. Na my own eye dey see things wey others dey miss.

For Okoye family, dem dey always talk say: "To train daughter hard pass government law." From when we small, we dey learn all those book and house skills for age three. Apart from those ones, we go still learn how to play talking drum, draft, fine handwriting, painting, and even all those correct kitchen work—three years before other rich people pikin go even start.

E no surprise say from small, na my mama dey push us well. Her own hand fit draw eyeliner straight, and she dey beat sense into person with eye alone. She go tap her foot for ground, eye dey follow you up and down—if you mess up, na slap go land for your back. When we dey learn handwriting, if you cross one 't' anyhow, na your knuckle go collect. She go still bring us inside kitchen, teach us how to grind pepper with stone, dey remind us, "No Okoye girl suppose slack."

Papa dey value him main sons pass everybody; na him dey teach my two senior brothers by himself since dem small. Out of all us daughters, na only first sister, Oluchi, dey get him full attention.

Na so e be, boys for front, girls for back. But Oluchi, our Eldest Sister, na another matter. As papa dey teach the boys chess and politics, na only her dey sit for edge, dey ask sharp question. Sometimes, I tell Third Sister, "Na only boys dey matter for this house," she just hiss, "Na so e be for Naija." Sometimes, Oluchi go even correct papa for meeting. Na so she dey collect special smile, the type wey papa no dey dash anybody.