Three generations episode 1

THREE GENERATIONS

PROLOGUE

“That girl is very beautiful; a black beauty. Just look at her skin and her robust behind. How can a young girl have such an adult body?”

“Who is she?” Uchenna asked.

“She is Nwanneka, the daughter of Nwakaego who came back home from Amamba after her husband died”

“Which Nwakaego?” Uche asked again.

“Mazi Chukwuka’s first daughter”

“She was just a few years old when her mother came back, how did she get so big in such a short time?”

“I wonder too. She is such a beauty. Everyone talks about her”

Nwanneka was used to the men in her village talking about her when she walked past. She knew at the tender age of fourteen she looked much older than her age as she inherited her father’s family ‘ukwu’ which was large. Her saving grace was that she also inherited his height which made it sit very well on her.

Her mother had told her to carry her God-given body with pride when she came back home crying after she was bullied IN school. They called her “Agadi” which means old woman because she was more developed than them. Her mother made her understand they were jealous of her body which most of them would never have.

THREE GENERATIONS

WRITTEN BY OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 1

Mama Nwanneka, Nwakaego, was just eighteen years old when her father insisted, she gets married. Many suitors had come for her hand since she was sixteen but her mother wanted better for her daughter. She wanted her to be educated and speak like the Reverend sisters who came to preach to them in the market square. Even though Nwakaego was her only child, she was ready for her to enjoy that life of celibacy. She didn’t care about a lineage, after all, her husband got her pregnant by force before coming to pay her dowry. He married many more wives after and she was left with her child as her solitude.

When Nwakaego had clocked seventeen, her mother fell ill. She was sick for days before she eventually died. Her father began to shop for a suitor after her mother died.

Nwakaego rejected so many suitors that came. She was strong willed and stubborn like her father. She ran away from the homes of some suitors who insisted on marrying her and came back home. Her father threatened fire and brimstone but she was adamant on having her choice of a husband which she refused to disclose.

Everything changed when she met Anozie. It was Christmas holidays when this happened. She had taken over her mother’s stall in the market after her secondary school education. Her cousin, Ibe, who had come back from Aba came to the stall to check on her with his friend from Port-Harcourt. When their eyes met, Anozie knew she was the one and she knew she liked the man. They communicated through their eyes without saying a word to each other. The next day, Anozie was back. He wanted to find time for them to talk but she told him to see her father if he is serious.

He was serious. Anozie came with his kinsmen to see her father asking for her hand in marriage. Without first making the initial enquiries, Nwakaego’s father blurted out,

“This girl you want to marry is stubborn and strongwilled. Are you sure she is the one you want? I have other daughters who are more beautiful than she is and better mannered. I have decided she will be an old maiden here” her father advised.

“She is the one I want; she is my choice”

“My son, trust me, she will not agree to marry you. A secondary school principal came here for her hand in marriage, she refused. A civil servant from the city also came but she turned her back at them. A business man with a big car came too. He brought tubers of yams and assortment of drinks I have never seen before to marry her but Nwakaego said she doesn’t want to marry an illiterate. What do you do my son?”

“I am an engineer sir. She was the one who asked me to come and see you. I have been watching her for weeks now and I know she is the one. She has a good reputation apart from rejecting suitors, she is an industrious girl”

“Nwakaego asked you to see me? Unbelieveable! She didn’t threaten to disgrace you? That means she is ready for marriage. Let me call her and ask her in everyone’s presence.”

Nwakaego was called to their mist. She stood in front of her kinsmen and her prospective in-laws. Anozie’s family took a good look at the flower Anozie wouldn’t allow them rest over. She was of average height, she was 5’6 against Anozie’s 6”2 height. She was fair in complexion; she wasn’t light or dark, she was inbetween. She had a gap tooth which gave her beautiful smile. She also had a tiny wa-ist which she inherited from her mother. Her looks were quite pleasant to the eyes. They understood why Anozie would leave their village and find a bride three villages away.

“Nwakaego nwam,” her father started. “This young man came with his family to ask for your hand in marriage. I told him you have rejected many suitors even those better looking and richer than him but he insisted we ask you if you will marry him. Ngwa, will you marry him?”

Nwakaego who was always bold when called to face her suitors was suddenly shy. Her father looked in amazement as his daughter looked down on the ground not saying anything.

“Okwu agwula! What did you do to my daughter? I will not allow you marry her since I can see she is confused….”

“Papa, I will marry him” Nwakaego cut in quickly.

“You will marry him? He is your choice you have been talking about?”

“Yes Papa, he is my heart desire for a husband.”

“But some of the other men fitted this same profile. Why did you reject them?”

“When I met Anozie, we spoke without moving our l-ips. I knew he was the one”

“How do people speak without moving their l-ips? Anyway, Anozie, she has agreed to marry you. Nwakaego, you can go back in,side while we conclude the marriage agreement”

That was it. Later that night when her younger sisters asked her why she chose to marry Anozie instead of the sisterhood she had planned on joining. She told them, “He is different. I have always wanted an educated, intelligent, hærdworking, caring and God-fearing man who lived in the city and had a good job. I also wanted someone I had a connection with. When we met, I knew he was smitten by me just like I was by him. When he smiled, I saw his dimples and it made me smile too. He wanted to speak to me directly but I told him I wouldn’t attend to him except through father. I didn’t want the women in the market to use me as a topic of discussion so I don’t end up fighting anyone. I am already called proud and arrogant, I didn’t want to include other names”

The marriage was done quickly. Anozie couldn’t wait to spend time with his wife. Many suggested it was because he didn’t want Nwakaego to change her mind. Whichever was the case, it was done. Anozie went home with his bride to his father’s house.

A week later, they left for Port-Harcourt. They lived in the staff quarters provided by the British for staff of the Railway Corporation at Ikwerre. They lived in a two-bedrooms with a sitting room. everyone in the house shared kitchen, toilet and bathroom. The place was comfortable with some appliances Nwakaego had never seen before. In the sitting room, there was a small hunch back television which showed black and white vision to her amazement. Also, there was a big radio. She was proud of her husband. He looked like he was doing very well.

His neighbours came to welcome her bringing with them some food items as gifts. She received them with thanks. As she was trained, she hærdly said anything to the guests except to say “Imela” which is “Thank you” in Igbo. She noticed some of the ladies and older women made funny faces at each other when they saw her. She didn’t understand why and didn’t allow it bother her.

Anozie was hailed for finally settling down. It was then she found out Anozie was almost thirty years and he married Nwakaego who was almost nineteen. There was an age difference of eleven years. She didn’t care. She liked Anozie. He didn’t give her any trouble at all. He joined her in the kitchen when she was cooking, helped her fetch water when he comes back from work and did the laundry in the house on Saturday mornings. He had also made nice delicacies for Nwakaego which she enjoyed. He made her eggs with plenty of vegetables which she found strange but when she tasted it, she loved it. It became their Sunday morning meal. They ate the delicacy with either boiled yam or boiled unripe plantain.

Nwakaego discovered why the women looked at her strangely and sometimes laughed when she walked past. She dressed like she was in the village wearing long free gowns with a wrapper tied on it while most of the young girls there dressed in short dresses, shorts, long trousers, sleeveless dresses and so on. She liked how they looked but couldn’t get herself to dress indecently. She selected some of the clothes she would buy in her head when she started her trade.

The other reason was because she spoke only Igbo. She decided to keep it that way so she would know how they really felt about her. Even though they smiled at her and replied when she met them in the kitchen or the backyard, immediately she leaves, they begin to speak in English.

One fateful day, she walked past two of her neighbours, greeted them and went with some clothes for washing to the backyard. As she settled down to wash, she heard them discuss her.

“Anozie no try. After giving Rose hope, he went to marry a village girl, a bush girl. After everything Rose did for him”

“A girl that can’t speak simple English and dresses like a reject. I wonder how he is enduring her”

“Remember when Rose would come around, Anozie will not allow her leave their house without him for fear they would steal her from him. With this one, it is only their night activity we hear nothing more. You cannot compare their night activities”

“I must give it to this girl, she is hærd working while Rose was lazy. Anozie was doing the cooking all the time. He was patient with her. But this one will clean the house, go to the market and cook delicious meals before he returns. That’s why he has plenty energy for night activity. Anozie doesn’t keep late nights and retires very early. They cook together on Sundays and he still washes clothes on Saturdays. As he washes, his new bride hangs the clothes. Did you ever see Rose help him?”

“He should have married Rose. She was heartbroken when he came back from the village and told her he had seen his soulmate. Soulmate in the village? Men can never be trusted. Anozie is a good catch, Rose should have gotten pregnant for him to tie him down but she was doing fine girl and in the end she lost. His wife is not bad looking, she is just bush. I wonder if she went to school”

That night, after the night activity, Nwakaego turned to her husband and asked him who Rose was. He was startled she mentioned the name initially but when he saw her calm disposition, he relaxed. He told her about Rose. He explained she was a girl he had intended to marry until he met her and fell in love. She smiled inwards as he spoke because she believed every word he said. Then she told him the way some of the women made mockery of her dressing and speaking Igbo always.

“Don’t mind them. They are just jealous. You are young, beautiful and all mine, they will be jealous”

“What if you become attracted to another lady who dresses like Rose and abandon me?’

“Nwakaego, see how tiny your wa-ist is, I haven’t met anyone with such a wa-ist. I don’t want anyone ‘eyeing’ my property. Dress the way you like as long as you don’t show off the wa-ist. The men here with money will come after you. I can’t afford to lose”

This made Nwakaego laugh. She was worried for nothing. She wanted to dress better than she did now. She also spent too much time just sitting at home doing nothing. She wanted to be busy too and told her husband.

“What trade would you like to do?” he asked after much consideration.

“I don’t know for now. I’m thinking maybe Palm oil. I could go back to the village to get the palm oil and resell here. Palm oil is expensive here”

“Nwunyem, I don’t want to ever come back and meet an empty house. I will provide for the family for now, what I earn is more than enough for us. I will place you on an allowance so you can afford to buy whatever you want. We should concentrate on making babies; once they come, you will be too busy to do anything else. It has been three months we got married and you haven’t missed your period”

“That is another source of concern for me too. I was thinking, should I see nwunye Chukwunyere to check my womb? I wonder why it is not happening since you met me at home”

“We will keep trying for a year before we see anyone. I want to enjoy being with you for now. When the time is right, children will come”

She was happy with the response. She went about her house chores ignoring gossips knowing her husband chose her above a supposed classy girl.

During the Christmas holiday, they went to the village for the celebration. Her husband’s family was happy to receive them. Nwakaego was a good wife. She bought gifts for the people her husband mentioned to her. She took over the kitchen and cared for her parents-in-law.

Anozie was from a family of seven. He had three sisters and two brothers. He was the first child. His father had given him to a missionary who made sure in went to school and also went to the technical college. His sister followed. Then he had a brother, then another sister. Years after his parents had decided they didn’t want any more children; they had a son. He was the baby of the house. He was born a year after his eldest sister had her last child. Three of his nephews were older than him. He was Anozie’s responsibility since his parents were advanced in age.

Everyone was happy when Nwakaego was around. She took her position as the wife of the Opara (eldest son) seriously. Everyone was fed and their needs met when she was around. Their stay in the village was enjoyable.

Tbc