Chapter 1: Homecoming and Proposals

I worked as a house help for ten years before coming back home. The smell of wet earth and frying akara greet me as I reach our village gate. Musa, a man from our village, came to ask for my hand in marriage.

I remember how, for years, people used to call him the Musa family’s old bull. The talk for village no dey end. I no want marry enter that kind big family, come turn maid for everybody again. I remember how Mama cry tire when she dey serve her own in-laws. I no want that life. Na so I dey reason am that time—if you see the way women dey run up and down for that compound, you go fear.

But after we marry, I realise say e get as e be—anybody wey try do me anyhow, he go show them pepper like mad dog. Musa no dey gree for nonsense. Sometimes e go just raise him voice, everywhere go quiet like graveyard.

This marriage no waste. I tell myself say I go live well with am. I go use my sense and courage, no go let anybody put sand for my garri again. I go chop the fruit of my own sweat and God go see me through.

My young madam marry enter chief’s family for Abuja. When Madam dey choose which girls go follow am, she ask who wan go. The compound that day just dey buzz, every girl dey try show face.

I just be ordinary house girl for Aunty Kemi’s compound, na wash, scrub, and keep fire for Aunty Zainab I dey do. If morning reach, na my foot you go hear for corridor, water dey splash, broom dey fly—no be small work.

All the other girls dey swear say dem go follow Madam anywhere, live for am, die for am. You go hear mouth like, "Madam, if you go London, na me go wash your oyibo pikin!" Everybody wan run follow, even the ones wey dey complain for back.

But me, my mind dey house, just two days journey by keke napep. My papa and mama fit only come see me every three months. That kain life dey pain me. The thought of home dey sweet me pass any big man house.

I kneel beg Madam make she let me buy myself back, make I return house. Tears nearly commot for my eye, but I hold am. I tell am, "Madam, abeg, I wan go house. Na only my people fit understand my wahala."

Madam and Madam’s daughter dey good. Dem no just give me my freedom paper, dem even dash me five thousand naira as bride price. I kneel, touch Madam’s feet, thank am well. For our place, na only big person fit bless you like that. My eye open that day—who for think say them fit show that kind kindness? E shock me well.

Dem dey go Abuja, no send old clothes again, so dem give me. I thank them well, bundle two big loads with wrapper. I pack am like say na me be first wife for village, the load tall reach my head.

I call Brother Tunde, the young steward, make e follow me go local government office to remove my name from servant list. I borrow him biro, sign my name with hand still dey shake, joy dey my body.

I buy one pound of the best snuff for my papa and grandpapa, one jar of palm wine, ten pounds of brown sugar, ten pounds of salt... The keke napep wey I hire full reach brim for the road back. The driver dey look me like say I dey run from war, but na joy dey carry me go.

As I dey near house, na so my body dey sweet me. Breeze dey enter my cloth, my heart dey do gbim-gbim, my mind dey already dance for village square.

I reach the gate, wey be both familiar and strange, my eyes red. Rain dey threaten, but sun still dey shine small, like say village dey welcome me back. I look the compound, everywhere just dey as I remember am but somehow different, like dream wey dey real.

"Big... Big sister!"

Na my small brother shout, "Papa, Mama, big sister don come back!" The shout scatter the compound, people come run out from all corners.

I no even need carry anything. My two younger brothers strong well, papa with red eyes and plenty uncles wey dey smile all help carry load. Even the neighbor children dey follow drag load, dey do as if na Christmas gift.

Grandpa thank the keke man, invite am come drink tea, make e sleep for night, but the man say work dey, so e go. The man just laugh, talk say another passenger dey wait, but e thank Grandpa for the invite.

Grandma hold my hand, dey talk how I don suffer. She rub my back, whisper for ear, "My pikin, na God bring you back. No let anybody use you again."

My small sister fetch water, help for kitchen, just dey near me anyhow, her love dey show for face. She look me with eye wey dey shine, dey smile like person wey see sugar for dream.

Because say I come back, whole family gather. Main room no fit contain everybody, we come sit for compound. My uncles, aunties, cousins, even people wey I no know before all show. Everywhere full like market day.

Everywhere just dey lively. Laughter, gist, small pikin dey run up and down. My heart dey full, I fit nearly forget all my years for stranger house.

After we chop, I start share gifts: Grandpa own na snuff, Grandma and Mama get silver rings, each household get one pound brown sugar, one pound salt, one uncle get two bottles of palm wine, small brothers get catapult, small sisters get red ribbon. My siblings dey jump for joy, dey check their new gifts, dey show neighbours.

Grandpa sniff the snuff, shout, "Kai, this one go strong!" Mama hug her ring, whisper, "God go bless you, my pikin."

Every sibling collect one set old clothes. If e no fit, dem go sew am. My aunties don dey size their children already, dey plan who go carry which cloth reach church next Sunday.

Even though na old, na correct ankara—my people no dey buy that kain cloth for themselves. I see as mama dey touch the cloth, dey rub am for cheek like say na gold. Dem thank me, dey pray for me.

That night, I sleep with my small sister. When I first leave, she be just four, dey run after the keke dey cry. Now she don reach fourteen, she hold me dey sob, "Big sister, e good as you come back." Tears dey her eye, she hug me tight, her hand cold but her heart dey hot with love.

Now wey I don reach house, I gats go greet grandparents and uncle people. After I waka finish all the family, five, six days waka, na then I fit sleep well. Then matchmaker come. Na so e dey be for home, tradition must follow.

She bring Musa proposal from our village. I look the woman, see say she dey happy as if she dey bring big news from king.

I remember am. Their house dey for village entrance. Few days back, as I dey go back from Grandpa house, na him mama stop me greet. He self come back, carry two big firewood, stand under mango tree dey look me. E just dey stare, him eyes dey shine, but I bone face.

I no even send am that time. I just waka pass, my mind dey for my people, no be for man matter.

After I reach house, Mama mention their family too. Say dem dey talk for village say Musa still dey wait for good wife.

Dem get money well, but the eldest wife dey wicked, second wife na cousin from uncle side, fourth brother marry pastor daughter, but Musa, twenty-two, still never marry. E still dey work as if e no need wife.

Dem dey call am Musa family old bull, na him dey do all the hard work. Anybody wey marry am go suffer, work tire. Dem talk say if you marry am, your hand go peel from too much work.

Me, I no wan enter that kain wahala. I dey fear say my life go turn another servant.

As matchmaker talk finish, I just refuse. My mind dey made up, I no want wahala.

My papa and mama look each other. Mama quick try beg matchmaker—say I still need marry, no make am vex, else another good family no go come. Mama dey beg well, her hand dey touch my back, her eye dey talk another thing.

I know myself. Compared to Madam wey fine like queen, even her main girls better pass me. For my mind, I dey see myself as ordinary village girl.

Say I sabi small book and learn cook from Aunty Zainab, na big luck for me. Sometimes I dey think say na only that one be my plus for life.

The good marriage me and my people dey pray for na make food and cloth no hard, in-laws dey reasonable, husband care for me, and co-wives no get wahala. Na that kain peaceful life my mama dey beg God for every morning.

Musa family matter... abeg, forget. I tell myself, better wahala-free life dey pass money matter.

After matchmaker go, Mama talk to me well:

"Musa family na another surname, but dem bring money come—if no be so, dem no for buy land build that kain big house.

If you marry enter, hunger no go catch you. Musa strong, honest, no dey dodge work.

You don reach twenty. The men wey remain old, some don get wife before, with pikin—if you marry go, na stepmother you go be, and that one hard.

If na young boys—dem dey talk say woman wey pass man three years na treasure, but if you marry small boy, na you go dey carry everything for head, go suffer.

No rush reject Musa. Make your papa invite am help us for house. Watch am, talk to am, see if na person you fit follow. If you no like am, we no go force you."

My papa and mama dey for my side. Dem no go do me bad. Their eye dey beg me, but dem no fit force me. Na my happiness dem dey look.

I nod head. I rub my knee, say make I reason am well, my heart dey mix small.

But as e be, na Musa first come house. The man waka enter like person wey wan write exam for principal front.

He no fit talk pass three words without e face red. For main room, e face red, neck thick, mouth no fit open. Everybody dey look am, him hand dey shake.

"I sabi hunt. I strong. I fit cut wood. I go treat my wife well, protect am. Abeg, consider me."

As he talk finish, he no even wait for answer, just run comot. E fly waka like chicken wey dem pursue.

Thud—

"Aiya, Musa, how you fall?"

"Aunty, I dey alright..."

Mama shock, Musa dey panic. As I waka come out main room, he don disappear for gate. Everybody just dey look each other, dey laugh small small.

Mama come dey look me, ask low, "My pikin, wetin you tell Musa?"

"I no even talk one word."

"You no talk, e still dey shake like that?"

Mama no believe me, but she still let Papa invite Musa come help for farm. Mama dey reason say make I observe am for work.

Our house no lack strong hand—even my two small brothers strong, plus uncles, Grandpa self still dey work. Na so e dey be for village, everybody dey useful.

Musa sabi wetin my papa and mama dey plan. The guy really work well, chop well too. E dey show say e sabi work, no dey lazy.

As I serve am food, e hand dey shake dey collect bowl. He no fit look me, no talk too. I just dey laugh for mind.

No be say farm too big, so he no fit dey come every day. But any day e show, e work pass everybody.

Last day, after chop, I follow am reach gate. Na so breeze just dey blow, I dey think say I go talk.

Musa stammer, "You, you... go gree?"

I remember Mama words. I don reach twenty, to see better man no easy. My head dey calculate all the advice wey dem give me.

The ones I like fit no like me back. Na truth be that, so I dey reason all my options.

Besides, Musa family dey close to my mama people. Whole Umuola village na my people. Even if Musa family wan try rubbish, dem go think am well. For this village, nobody fit try me anyhow.

"Apart from normal bride price, I want five thousand naira as bride price."

When I dey house help, I dey get salary and dash, Mama save everything. She talk say e pass four thousand. She go add make am six, Madam dash me five thousand.

With over ten thousand for hand, I dey sure. I feel say I fit stand well if wahala show.

"Okay, wait for me."

Musa go tell him people say I want twenty thousand as bride price.

Dem say, "No be small money, but better wife no dey cheap for market."

"She no be gold and silver—how Ifeoma go dey ask for that kain money?" People for house begin dey talk, wahala nearly start, but Musa stand strong.