Chapter 2: Family Wahala and the Deep Well

Okonkwo Ifeanyi. As fine as pure gold—everybody dey jealous am. His face be like say dem just rub honey mix with shea butter. Even market women dey pause when im waka pass.

Na him be the dream husband for plenty young girls wey dey wait to marry. Gist dey everywhere, even my neighbor, Mama Sade, dey always pray say her daughter go jam Ifeanyi one day. If you enter Palm Grove Estate, na only him name dey enter people's mouth.

My correct senior sister, Morayo, no be different. She talk say, "Young Master Okonkwo go reach big position for government. I gats fight for am." She dey polish her nails as she dey talk am, face serious like principal for morning assembly.

But Okonkwo Ifeanyi, with that cold, gold face, no dey show anybody warmness. Na so e be, ehn—na only wind dey blow near am, no human being fit warm the boy heart. Dem fit use him picture sell fridge.

Then one day, my senior sister fall inside well by mistake. Na serious gbege that day—people dey shout, some dey cry, my heart nearly commot from my chest. Dem rush go carry rope, but na God save am. Even baba from mosque run come, dey pray loud loud.

When she wake up, she just give me heavy slap. "You this mumu wey dey crush on Okonkwo Ifeanyi, abeg, no try am! You no fit marry am." The slap sound for my ear like kpokpo garri inside pot. Tears prick my eye but I bone, no wan show weakness. Na so I hold my cheek dey look her, eye wide.

I look her, I confuse die. My head turn like amala wey dem dey turn for pot. "Wetin I do now?"

If you wan insult yourself, why you come dey slap me? Abeg, if you dey vex for spirit, leave me out. Me sef get my own wahala.

Plus, no be say if I wan marry Okonkwo Ifeanyi, e go just happen like that. See, na only for telenovela dem dey marry without wahala. This one, abeg, na real life. Me sef know say I nor reach.

The Okonkwo family na big family, dem don dey for over hundred years. Their compound big, tree full everywhere, even the walls get story. Old men dey respect their papa name—dem say, “na tree wey get deep root dey stand for storm.” Na people wey dem dey call 'original owner of land.' Even chief daughter self fit no enter there.

Na only those wey dey carry correct pedigree fit even chop for their table. Before I fit reason am, my stepmother don drag my senior sister waka.

She just rush enter scene, head tie dey touch sky. Her voice loud, she carry broom like say she fit sweep sense enter my sister. "You get mind slap your junior sister? You dey craze?" Her mouth sharp, everybody for parlour hear am.

"Your sister never even marry o." I just dey rub my cheek, my mind far.

My senior sister just start to laugh. The laugh dey come from deep, like she dey mad small. Na that kain laugh wey dey make person fear say, maybe she see ghost.

"Good, good, very good." She laugh sotay tears dey her eye. Her body dey shake, even wrapper don dey loose. People for compound dey peep, wan know wetin dey cause commotion.

She stand up, cloth still dey drip water, then pull me enter her chest hug me tight. Her body cold like well water, but the hug sweet. My nose dey choke inside her wrapper, but I just hold am back.

"God dey! My A'Zhu never marry." She dey shake head, voice dey tremble, like person wey just survive accident. My own heart dey beat kpokpo kpokpo.

"This life, I no go let you marry that yeye guy again." She dey hold me tight like mama hen, even as people dey look. My stepmother just stand for corner dey nod.