Three Generations episode 28

THREE GENERATIONS

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 28

A week to the wedding, the furnishing for the new house arrived. Some of them came from Benin while the rest were imported. Obi was excited. He had brought back the materials family members were to wear to follow him for the wedding. He also bought his parents shoes, purse, headgear, walking stick and so on. Papa would have rejected them but they had all agreed he would collect everything they offered in order not to raise suspicion.

The cars and buses that will take them to Edo state arrived a night before the trip. The things which their prospective in-laws requested for in the list had been purchased by Obi and packed into the vehicle. Everyone came back for the wedding except for Chinyere and her children.

They all travelled to Benin and stayed in a hotel close to Isabella’s house. The next day, they all got ready and left for Isabella’s hometown in Ishan. The entourage arrived in their full regalia. They portrayed the Igbo custom in their costume. They looked radiant and beautiful. They quickly offloaded the customary items they brought for the wedding. It didn’t cost much but they went overboard and Obi beamed with pride.

The wedding began with the introduction of the groom’s family and the groom. They were also introduced to the bride’s family. They all sat down and awaited the arrival of the bride. Some more guests dressed in black safari suits wearing dark sunglasses arrived at the venue. Some sat with the bride’s family while others sat with the groom’s family.

The ceremony was in full course. The groom was introduced to the family of the bride. The bride’s family offered the groom’s family ‘kola’ which they received. The groom’s family gave theirs. Then the bride’s family crosschecked the items brought against the list given. They checked each list and were impressed everything was provided for. The dowry was then paid to the spokesman for the bride’s family. He consulted with his people, collected a single note of N50 and returned the remaining money to Obi’s family. It was then concluded the remaining ceremony could commence.

The bride was esc-rted out. She was endowed in her ‘ivie’ which were coral beads adorned with gold. She wore them on her neck, head, wrist, wa-ist and legs. She looked like a million dollars. She walked in with her entourage and the people hailed her glamour. Immediately after the prayers, she was led to sit on her in-laws’ laps. She was to sit on their laps seven times but was interrupted. As she sat down all smiles, the men in black came to meet her there while people sprayed her. They showed her a warrant of arrest and she was immediately whisked out of the ceremony into a waiting military van and they drove off.

It happened in split seconds with no one knowing what had happened. Her father left there quickly to make enquiries. People from Obi’s side asked for the food and drinks to be served while they waited for her return. Obi stood not knowing what to do. The couldn’t understand why she was picked up by the soldiers. Who could Isabella have offended that would warrant soldiers getting involved? They didn’t know where she was taken to. Obi left for the Benin city accommodation to get someone to contact.

After enjoying the meal, Obi’s relatives that came for the wedding ceremony left Isabella’s hometown for the village. Nwakaego was so excited to share the news with Chinyere. She stopped by at her place to inform her. Chinyere quickly left for Port-Harcourt to be with Chioma to prepare her for the next step. Papa insisted on making the trip to wherever Isabella was taken to. He had some questions for her.

Two days later, Chioma, Chinyere, Nwakaego, Nwanneka, and Papa left Port-Harcourt for Lagos. Papa stayed with Onyedika while the rest went to stay with Uloma. The next morning, they went to Abalti barracks at Ojuelegba. That was where the drama was unfolded.

Isabella had been interrogated for her involvement in human trafficking and s€× slavery. She denied every allegation. Her home had been ransacked and doc-ments recovered to prove her involvement. When faced with the doc-ments, she still denied any involvement.

The girls who were trafficked and their families were brought before Isabella. She was shocked when she sighted Chioma with members of her family. Obi had been with her since he discovered where she was from her father. He was allowed to be with her during interrogation. Obi couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Chioma. Isabella shrunk before their eyes.

“What is going on here?” Obi asked.

The soldier in charge told him to shut up and listen to the interrogation. “Do you know these girls?” he asked Isabella.

“I don’t know them” she responded.

“You are sure you don’t know them?”

“I am sure” she responded.

Obi flared up, “This girl is my daughter Chioma who she told me was working in the North with her sister. What is she doing here?”

“Your daughter Chioma was trafficked to Italy by your wife. Is she the mother of this child?”

“She is not. She is the daughter of my first wife” Obi replied. He turned to Isabella and asked her, “where is Ogo?”

Isabella didn’t answer him. She bowed her head down in shame. Obi shook her and asked her to explain to him what was happening. At this juncture, Papa spoke. He said to his son, “Obi, the money your wife here used to build and furnish the house in the village was gotten from trafficking your two daughters and other girls to Italy. It is best you hear this from the horse’s mouth. Chioma, narrate the story”

Chioma took her time to tell everyone present how Isabella groomed her and promised her the good life which she didn’t realise was pr-stitution. She narrated her ordeal in the hands of the men she had to be with. In sharing her experience, she broke down in tears several times.

There were no dry eyes in the room as each girl was given an opportunity to share their experiences except those of the soldiers. Their mothers who trusted Isabella with all their daughters couldn’t believe what their daughters went through. Mothers reigned curses on Isabella as their daughters spoke.

Obi moved away from Isabella as he heard the atrocities she had committed against his daughters. He wasn’t really concerned about the other girls but his daughters? How could she do such to him? He stared at her for the longest time ever and then looked from her to the young girls who had suffered such a terrible ordeal.

He left her and joined his family. He held his daughter in his hands and cried with her. This was the first time Obi would show concern for another person. His father’s heart was filled with joy.

Chinyere’s brother and Onyedika entered the interrogation room. They asked how far the investigation had gone and they were given the report. Then Onyedika spoke to Isabella.

“We have received all your messages, unfortunately, we will not be adhering to any of them. We have explained our position and it has been understood. You took my nieces to pr-stitute in Italy after stealing their father from their mother. How wicked can you be? You see this man?” pointing at Chinyere’s brother, “He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the army. He never brags about his achievements or used his position against anyone. But today, he has made an exception and used it against the woman who decided to ruin his nieces’ lives. Yes, he is Chinyere’s brother you have heard about. You have bitten the tiger’s tail and you may not live to tell the story. There will be no negotiation in these matters.”

Isabella’s father asked to speak with the family. He had been informed by his spiritualist Isabella will never be found again dead or alive if nothing is done fast and it is only to appeal. He also told him there was a woman who would speak and everyone would listen.

He spoke to the family but they seemed to be out for blood even Obi wouldn’t listen to what he had to say. The table had turned against Isabella. He went to their village to make enquiries on who could influence the family. Everyone mentioned Nwakaego. “If Nwakaego says they should set her free, they will set her free. She is that influential” he was told.

He went to look for her. He traced her to Port Harcourt to her place of business and he met her there. Nwakaego was surprised to see him. Immediately he had her full attention, he went on his knees and begged her to save the life of his daughter.

“She has erred against you. She was warned not to go against Obi and she thought she was going against Chinyere not knowing it would affect Obi. She has behaved very irresponsibly because since she started a relationsh¡p with Obi, she has only known good fortune until this. Since it is not the police involved but the army, it is now a very serious case. I beg you, she can suffer any punishment but do not allow her to disappear from the surface of the earth”

“She deserves whatever comes her way with what she did to people who had accepted her. Chinyere accepted her fate since Obi insisted on marrying a second wife. Why did she have to get back at Chinyere by leading her children to a disgraceful and shameful profession? She even did it by force. I don’t know what you want me to”

“I want to beg the family for forgiveness and for them to spare Isabella’s life. I beg of you. Making her disappear will only bring temporary succour. The scar will still be there. How is the child? What can we do to help her recover?”

“She is doing well. I have asked her to go back to university and get a better grade than the third class she had. Gradually, she will get her self esteem back. It is a fresh start for her”

“They said you are a good woman and now I see why. We can help with her rehabilitation, we are available”

“I am surprised your wife isn’t making any effort to free her daughter like you are. I met her during the introduction and I could see the difference between her and her daughter. Why isn’t she crying and begging for her release like you?”

“She doesn’t have the strength to pursue this. She is a churchwoman and doesn’t see eye to eye with Isabella and her ways. I am all Isabella has. Her siblings have tried their best but to no avail. You and you alone can help me”

“I will consider talking to the family if her mother will be able to convince me to. I would want to talk to her alone”

“I will ask her to do this as a last favour to Isabella. Thank you so much. I have hope now”

It took a week before Isabella’s mother came to the village to see Nwakaego and the family. She was very calm and dressed like a deeper life member. She wore a long shapeless skirt and a long sleeve shirt. She tied her hair. She claimed to belong to Christ Apostolic Church. She didn’t talk much but she seemed to be in a hurry to leave.

Nwakaego watched this woman and knew she was carrying a very heavy burden. She sat down like one who just needed the right ears to allow her to unburden the heavy load she was carrying inwards. Nwakaego led her into her bedroom, offered her something to drink and asked to relax and take her time.

“She is receiving her punishment. She has to pay for her sins. The wages of sin is death and that is what awaits her. I warned her to depart from this lifestyle but she refused and reigned curses on me. I told her to leave another woman’s husband but she wanted to be with him. It was not enough, she still introduced the woman’s children to pr-stitution. She deserves the punishment she gets. But her father won’t hear of it. He bullied me into coming here. He said I hate her because she loves him more. I don’t hate her but I hate her sin. She caused me so much heartache when she allowed herself to be initiated into wh-redom. There is nothing I can do for her; God has already decided”

Nwakaego felt terrible listening to a mother give up so easily on a child. She was heartbroken. She could see the woman was a fanatic and led her daughter far away from her with fanaticism. She wondered when this started. She didn’t have the full details but from what she had experienced, Isabella didn’t have the motherly care and advice which would have helped groom her. She escaped all this by running away abroad into pr-stitution. It didn’t justify the treatment Isabella gave Chioma and Ogo but she could see the beginning of her problems. She guessed the woman entrenched herself into church because her husband was wayward and married more wives. She took out her frustrations on her children. She deduced this from her intEr×¢tion with Isabella’s mother. She might be wrong but her instinct told her she was right.

Tbc