Chapter 6: When the Dead Return

Some months later, Okoye house do party, na so jealous people show face.

For Naija, if you dey enjoy, prepare for bad belle. That day, Okoye house full, music dey play, children dey run.

I sit near Madam Okoye. One young lady with pink lace, eyes red, dey look me bad.

Na the type wey fit enter beauty pageant. E clear say jealousy dey worry her.

"You sure say you and Brother Ebuka really... for riverbank..."

She bend head, dey look me with side eye. For Naija party, na so question dey start fight.

Guilt dey catch me, I just pretend shy.

I hide face, dey bite finger like village virgin. E dey pain me, but I no get power to fight.

As she see say I dey act, she vex more, point Chijioke and Zainab, hiss.

Na real hiss, the type wey dey follow slap for some compound. She dey look me like say I be goat.

"Abeg, this one? She no even reach Ebuka shoe. Na Okoye money she dey find!"

Her voice loud, some people dey turn look. My heart dey race.

As she talk finish, one old man behind her begin look me with bad eye.

Na eye wey get pepper. I dey try remember where I know am.

"Madam, I too feel say this girl look suspicious."

His voice low, but e carry weight. For party, if old man talk, everybody dey reason am well.

"This matter need to be checked well."

My heart miss beat. The voice familiar but I no remember where I hear am.

My mind dey flash different memory. Na so people dey run story for Naija—once wahala land, memory dey rush.

Madam Okoye face change sharp.

E be like say lion dey inside her. She stand, voice strong.

"If anybody try insult my daughter-in-law or talk say Chijioke and Zainab no be our own again, no come Okoye house again!"

Her voice dey loud, everybody quiet. Na only generator for backyard still dey make noise.

Everybody begin look me with new eye, nobody talk again.

Some dey fear, some dey pity me. Some dey respect Madam Okoye new rank.

After dem go, Madam Okoye see say I dey fear.

She come hold my hand, dey rub am like person wey dey try calm small pikin.

She tell me who dem be.

She dey explain slow, like say she dey teach ABC. I dey nod, dey listen.

The young lady na Fatima Danladi, Ebuka childhood friend.

Fatima dey always wear pink, her laugh dey loud. But since Ebuka die, she dey cry pass anybody.

"No vex for her, Fatima just love Ebuka too much."

I see am for her eye. Love dey make person do anyhow for Naija.

The old man na her papa, Alhaji Danladi, na him go Otukpo bring Ebuka body come back.

Na real big man, voice deep, eyes sharp. E fit command respect for any meeting.

"Your Uncle Danladi, Okoye family business big, he help your papa well, he watch Ebuka grow. Na care make him dey like that. No take am for mind."

I nod. So na why the voice familiar.

I try remember the day for boat, the way people dey cry. My mind begin dey clear.

After that day, Okoye family elders love the children pass before.

Even my own children dey carry better wrapper, dey eat better food. Dem dey smile, dey dance, even dey speak small English.

Dem treat me like their own daughter.

If I cough, Madam Okoye go run come. If I smile, Chief Okoye go clap.

Dem be good people, no get wahala.

Na only love full the house. Sometimes, I dey wish say my own mama fit see me now.

I come from poor family, sabi small reading, but no too sabi poetry or music.

I dey tell them say, "Me I no sabi all those big grammar, na farm I sabi." Dem go just laugh.

Their family big but no too strict, dem no force me learn big woman wahala.

Madam Okoye go say, "No worry yourself, na heart we dey look."

Instead, Chief Okoye happy say I dey plant vegetables, grains, and melon for compound.

E dey show pikin, dey say, "See your mama, na real farmer."

"Your grandpapa love farm too. Na farm wey Okoye family start from."

I dey hear story of how Okoye people sell beans for North, plant yam for South. Farming dey Okoye blood.

"Morayo, you really be our own!"

I blush, I look ground. For my mind, I dey thank God say dem accept me.

My face red, I talk about locust wahala.

I tell dem say, "For Otukpo, na locust spoil everything. I wan know why."

My parents na real farmers.

Dem dey teach me how to plant, how to weed, even how to call rain. I miss them everyday.

When I small, I dey help them for farm.

Na there I learn say life dey hard, but hard work dey bring food. My papa dey say, "Farm no dey lie."

Now, even as I dey chop better food for Okoye house, after the locust disaster, my heart still dey pain me.

Sometimes, I dey look for window, dey think about all the farms for Otukpo.

I wan know why locusts come that time.

If I fit stop am, I go do am. No pikin go suppose suffer like I suffer.

I wan stop am, make people no suffer hunger again.

If I fit help one person, I go happy.

He think small. "That kind locust wahala no too dey, but I remember my papa mention am when I small. I no remember well, but my papa get one notebook. I go find am for you."

My eyes shine. "That one go help well!"

For my mind, I dey pray say the notebook go carry all the secret.

Grandpapa Okoye notebook get small note about locust, but e no talk plenty.

Na old note, paper don brown. I dey turn am gently, dey read slow.

E talk say locust dey come after big drought. No wonder, Otukpo locust come after drought.

E make sense. For Naija, rain no fall, land dry, locust go see chance land.

[Dem fear fire, dem fear water, everything get wetin fit cure am.]

I dey reason how fire fit chase locust. My papa dey use torch sometimes.

[To stop am well, you must know the type, the time, and the kind locust...]

Even science dey agree—if you sabi your enemy, you fit fight am well.

But how to know, how to stop am—the notebook no talk.

I close am, sigh. I tell myself, "Morayo, your work never finish."

So I dey spend my day for farm, dey watch, dey catch, dey find locust.

Sometimes, I go wear wrapper, carry small pail, dey chase small insect. My children go dey laugh.

Dey turn soil, dey plant, dey work from morning reach night.

Even Okoye elders dey help sometimes, dey clap, dey encourage me.

Before I know, one year don pass.

E be like film. Time dey fly when person dey busy.

Chijioke and Zainab fit waka small for farm, dey play for mud.

Dem dey sing small song, dey chase chicken. Sometimes, dey fight over who go carry basket.

Soon, the two of them, one after the other, pull one melon, carry am waka go meet Chief Okoye and Madam Okoye.

Dem shout, "See melon! See melon!" Old people dey smile, dey clap.

"Grandpapa, grandmama, chop!"

Dem use small hand, dey offer fruit. Na so love dey spread.

Chief Okoye and Madam Okoye carry them, love dey show for face.

If you see their eye, na pride dey shine. Dem dey thank God for new life.

"My Chijioke and Zainab dey resemble their papa more and more!"

Na every day dem dey repeat am. Even visitors go hear am three times.

"Ah, see as dem resemble Ebuka, na copy and paste!"

Madam Okoye dey laugh, dey dance with the pikin for back.

I look them, my heart just soft, I smile.

I dey thank God say small happiness dey for this world.

I think, maybe I fit stay one more year.

My mind dey calculate, my spirit dey pray. For Naija, if life soft, person dey hold am well.

Until, until...

Sharp sharp, another year waka pass.

For Okoye house, joy dey everywhere. Festival, party, plenty visitors. I dey pray say wahala no go find me.

As usual, I dey farm dey catch insects, Chijioke and Zainab dey follow me, dey play for sand.

I dey teach dem how to plant, how to weed, how to chase grasshopper. My mind dey rest.

Suddenly, shout come from outside compound.

Voice loud pass market noise. People dey run, dey jump, dey shout, "E don come! E don come!"

"Young master don come back!"

My ear stand. For Okoye house, na only one young master. My hand begin shake.

Three of us shift body at once, no even look up.

The children dey stop, dey look me, eye wide.

Until maid Ngozi run come meet me, eyes dey shine.

Ngozi na woman wey sabi gossip. If she dey run, na true news.

"Madam! Young master don come back!"

She dey pant, smile dey her face. Na joy dey ooze from her.

I look up, wipe sweat. "Young master? Which young master?"

I dey pray say she go talk another person.

"Your husband! Papa of young master and young miss! Ebuka! Young Master Okoye!"

My leg nearly fail me. My heart dey drum for chest. "Eh? Ebuka?!"

I shock like thunder strike me. "Wetin? E no die before?"

My voice dey high. Even Chijioke and Zainab dey look me.

Ngozi smile. "E no die! Young master no die! E don come back! Come meet you and family!"

She dey dance, dey clap, dey call people. My head dey spin.

My eyes dey turn. "You... wait for me outside."

I dey try hold my brain together. Wahala don land for my front.

"I... I wan change cloth."

I dey look for excuse, my mind dey fly. For my mind, I dey plan escape.

"Yes."

Ngozi dey nod, dey smile, e dey jump. She waka go, still dey call, "Young master, young master!"

As Ngozi go, I sharply carry one pikin for each hand, begin run opposite side.

I no even wear shoe. My heart dey beat, my hand dey sweat. I no get plan, na only run dey my head.

Suddenly, I jam people wey block road.

Voice dey shout, "She dey come! She dey run!" Before I fit dodge, people full the path.

I raise my head—one pair of eyes, cold like black stone, dey look us three.

Na the first thing I notice—e no smile, e no blink. E just dey look me deep, like say e dey see through my skin.

"So na true say I get both son and daughter now?"

Voice calm, but power full am. For my mind, na so ancestral spirit dey sound for village story.

My body freeze. The man wey stand for my front tall, fine, clean like white soap, face fine reach heaven, shine like moon for sky.

E dey wear fine native, white like snow. For Makurdi, only big men dey dress like that. My brain dey calculate escape.

Those fine eyebrow, eye, and nose really resemble Chijioke and Zainab. No wonder Chief Okoye and Madam Okoye no doubt.

I dey reason, "So na here resemblance land me?"

Chijioke and Zainab no understand, dem vex as I stop, begin protest.

Pikin no dey care for tension. Dem wan play, na so dem dey shout.

"Mama! Chijioke still wan fly!"

E dey flap arm, dey jump. E fit break leg, e no go mind.

"Mama! Zainab too!"

She dey laugh, dey point my ear, dey try run away.

As I stand like log, the two jump down, gbam.

The dust for their leg rise, their cloth dey dirty, but dem no send.

Vexed, with dirty hand and leg, dem push the man.

Dem dey see stranger, so dem dey try chase am.

"Go away!"

Dem shout, dem dey jump, dem dey push. The man just dey look, e smile small.

Him white cloth don get plenty black hand mark.

I dey see the mark, I dey fear. For Naija, if you stain person cloth, e fit vex. But this one just dey look the children.

My head dey ring. I kneel down, body dey shake.

My knee touch ground, my mouth dey tremble. I dey beg for mercy with eye.

"Okoye... Young Master Okoye... I... I no be..."

I no even fit talk am finish. My throat dry.

Suddenly, sharp, sweet laugh come from back.

The laugh loud, carry plenty wahala. People turn, dey look who dey laugh.

"Hmph! Brother Ebuka, Uncle Okoye, Aunty Okoye, see am! I talk am say she be fake!"

Na Fatima Danladi.

She carry her pink lace, dey walk front. Face dey shine with pride, hand dey point.

Behind her, crowd full everywhere, all the people wey hear say Ebuka no die come greet.

People dey hold phone, dey record. Some dey pray, some dey whisper. Old people dey nod head, dey wait for drama.

For front na Chief Okoye and Madam Okoye, dey look me, shock and confusion full their face.

Their mouth open, their eye dey red. I dey see say their whole world dey shake.

"Morayo... you..."

Their voice low, pain full am. For that moment, na only God fit judge my case. For Naija, family matter dey turn to town matter. My leg dey shake, sweat dey run for my back like say I dey under sun for Sabo market. My heart stop. I nearly piss for body. Even ground dey spin. As all eye focus on me, even the sky quiet. I dey pray make ground open swallow me.