Chapter 2: Otukpo Hunger and Okoye Grief

Some months ago, locusts finish Otukpo, crops die, hunger waka everywhere.

Even old men dey talk say e never bad like that before. For Otukpo, people dey use wrapper tie belle, eye dey hollow, children dey cry. The locusts, black like evil spirit, cover sky that year. People even dey pray inside mosque and church make e stop.

To survive, I sneak enter boat follow am reach Makurdi.

I no even tell anybody. As I reach riverbank that night, cold dey bite me, fear dey grip my heart, but hunger na strong thing. I see boatman dey sleep, I waka pass like cat, enter boat wey I see for corner.

Hunger nearly kill me—my eyes dey turn—I hold that ivory thumb ring tight, grit my teeth, squeeze enter crowd, then fall down dey cry for Okoye family gate.

I tell myself, "No let go, Morayo." If person see me that day, dem go think say na real spirit carry me reach Okoye house. Thumb ring dey my hand like say e be my last hope for this world.

The madam wey stand for front dey cry. As she see the ivory thumb ring for my hand and my belle wey don big, her face change quick. "Na where you thief this ring? Talk true before thunder strike you."

Her voice sharp, eyes dey search my soul. I dey shiver. For Makurdi, if person dey look you like that, better confess all your sin, before wahala.

"You... your belle... how you take know Ebuka?"

The way she call Ebuka name, my ear ring. That kind voice na only mama wey lose pikin fit get.

I just dey cry, pain hold my chest, I no fit talk, until everywhere black for my eyes and I faint.

The whole place start dey run like market. People dey rush, one woman dey shout, "Water, water!" as if water go bring my spirit back.

"Somebody! Quick, carry this young lady inside!"

Na two men carry me go inside, I still dey feel their hand for my arm. For my dream, I hear voice dey pray: "God, make this pikin no die for our house."

Noise full my ear, but my mind rest small.

As I dey float, I dey think about my own mama, how she dey pet me when malaria dey hook my body. Even for dream, I still dey cry.

Because the pikin wey I dey carry for belle no get anything to do with Okoye family own Ebuka at all.

I fit swear with my own head. Na hunger push me, na survival make me waka this road. If to say life soft for Otukpo, I for never see Makurdi for my dream.

That day, the boat wey I enter na Okoye family boat.

E big, e neat, even the tarpaulin dey smell better pass my own wrapper. I no sabi say e belong to Chief Okoye.

To hide, I sneak hide inside one box for the cabin during day.

The box near yam bag, e choke, but better pass outside wey sun dey burn. I dey pray make no rat bite me that night.

Night, I go come out small, go find leftover food chop make my stomach calm down.

I dey tiptoe like rat wey thief fish. Sometimes, I go see beans, sometimes bread wey don hard. Anything I see, I thank God.

One night, I nearly jam wahala. As I dey run, I rush enter one big cabin—

For inside, cold dey blow. Na so I knock leg for something soft, I look, na human being. I shout small, but quickly cover mouth.

By mistake, I jam one dead body, the thing swell with water, na so the ivory thumb ring fall comot.

I quick hide face, but my eye catch the shine of the ring for ground. The body just dey for there, quiet, nothing fit move am again.

Na that time I carry am.

My hand dey shake as I take am, but I reason say, "Na only this thing fit save me for land."

The ivory thumb ring fine no be small; I think say if I reach land, I go pawn am collect small money.

E heavy for hand, cold small, but the shine get hope. Hunger dey show me pepper.

But as I reach Makurdi, wahala don land.

Before my foot even touch ground well, people dey gather, dey point. My belle big, my eye sunken, and the ring dey shine for hand. Na from here my wahala begin.

E come be say the boat na Okoye family send go Otukpo to carry Ebuka dead body come back.

I hear people dey talk, "Na Okoye people dey for boat, na their only son wey die dem dey bring."

And the ivory thumb ring belong to Okoye family for Makurdi.

One old woman tell her neighbour, "Na the Okoye family ring be that o!"

Okoye family for Makurdi, na big name.

Nobody fit talk bad about Okoye people for that side. If dem sneeze, town go cough. E remain small, dem for build statue for their gate.

Their ancestor na the first chief adviser for the old kingdom; half of the big men for council na him teach them.

Even my papa dey talk say, "If you see Okoye man, greet am well. E fit help your future."

Grandpapa leave government work, start business, make plenty money for grain.

Story get am say grandpapa fit price cow for market, sell yam for North, then build school for South.

By the time e reach Chief Okoye, their business spread everywhere, goods dey travel north and south, money full ground.

People dey salute am for anywhere. For church, e dey front row. For mosque, people dey clear road for am.

As for Ebuka, dem say e fine like angel, na the smartest for Makurdi, and at eighteen, e pass WAEC with flying colours for one try.

Women dey eye am, small girls dey giggle. Old people dey bless am. People dey call am "Professor" for joke.

But for the peak of him life, he volunteer travel everywhere, dey help map the country.

People dey hail am, "Correct youth! Na so leader suppose be." E get ambition, e want better country.

Na real correct man, clean like moon and breeze.

If you see am, you go sabi say better pikin dey exist. Even government people dey ask about am.

But as e dey pass Otukpo, wahala burst, refugees fight, na so e die for far place.

As dem talk the story, even people wey no know am dey wipe tears. Some talk say na bad luck, some say na destiny.

That dead body na him own.

I nearly collapse when I hear say na him. My heart start dey pound. "God abeg, no let thunder strike me."

Okoye family, only one son for eight generations, end for him.

People dey shake head, "Chai, Okoye blood don finish like that?"

When I hear all this, I know say if I try pawn Ebuka keepsake, dem go say na thief I be, police go carry me go chief’s court.

For this Makurdi, if dem carry you go chief court, na strong wahala. Even police dey fear Okoye people.

After I waka hungry for days with nowhere to go, na so I use this method.

Person wey hunger catch fit try anything. Na so I plan am—cry, make dem pity me, then find my way.

I no want too much—just chop better food before I waka.

Just small food, then I go disappear like smoke. My spirit already dey prepare road.

That na my plan before.

But as I see Okoye family pain, my heart start dey do me one kind. For Naija, if you see person wey dey cry like say hope finish, you go remember say pain no get boundary.