Three Generations

Three generations episode 3

THREE GENERATIONS

WRITTEN BY: OGECHI ALABI

CHAPTER 3

Nwakaego was excited about the news. Her husband showed a completely different side of him. He took very good care of her. In her first trimester, he ensured she had a bath and eats breakfast before he goes to work, at lunchtime in the office, he would come home to help her make lunch as the smell of food made her puke and then he brought back food for dinner. He took care of the house chores as best as he could and did her share of communal chores, although some of his neighbours took it over from him.

When she was stronger in her second trimester, she took over her responsibilities. Her neighbours couldn’t believe how lucky she was with Anozie. Their husbands would never do even half of what Anozie did for Nwakaego.

Anozie invited Nwakaego’s stepmother to whom she was close to perform the omugwo rite. She was to stay with Nwakaego for two months and then return home for his mother to stay with them for a month. Nwakaego didn’t want anyone staying with them but her husband could see the pregnancy had taken a toll on her and she needed rest when the baby was born.

Nwanneka was born on May 1st 1970. She came into the world scre-ming her lungs out. The doctor wondered if she wouldn’t stop coming out of the birth can-l because of her length. She was too tall for a newborn baby which was a trait of Anozie’s family. Nwanneka took everything of her father’s physically including the dimples and later the family’s large h¡ps and protruding buttocks.

Nwakaego was the happiest woman alive. True to her words, she went back to her pre-pregnancy weight. She tied her tummy the day she put to bed and every day afterwards. One of her neighbours who was an Ijaw woman, prepared some herbs in Ogogoro (local gin) to flatten her tummy. She took it twice a day and believed it worked. She consumed more of fruits and vegetables so she could s-ckle her daughter well without putting on weight.

When her mother-in-law came, she came with Anozie little brother. She treated Nwakaego well, she didn’t allow her to do chores in the house, she asked Onyedika, Anozie’s last brother, to do most of the chores. Nwakaego insisted on cooking her husband’s food which caused some misunderstanding between her and her mother-in-law.

“Did you rest at all after having this baby? After trying to get a child for years you don’t want to live to for that child. A woman who just had a baby should be robust but you are lean and feeding this child all you eat. Why must you cook for your husband? Why can’t I cook for him? I have cooked for him most of his life so why can’t I now?”

Anozie asked her to allow his mother to cook for him until she leaves so peace will reign. When she was leaving, she prayed for her daughter-in-law and grandchild. She was very well compensated for her labour of love.

Anozie loved his beautiful wife and equaling cute daughter. He had enjoyed promotions over the years of their marriage to give them comfort. He bought a piece of land from the railway corporation cooperative in a developing area. Members of staff of a certain cadre could afford to buy the land so he took advantage of it. He built a house on the land. It took him some years to achieve. By the time his daughter, Nwanneka, clocked three years old, they moved into the house. It was a bungalow and beside it was another bungalow that housed six rooms with two general toilets, bathrooms and kitchen made from concrete. It was a very solid house for young bachelors who just got jobs. He rented the six rooms out.

A few months after they moved into their new home, Nwakaego took in again. She was overjoyed. This time around, the pregnancy didn’t worry her much.

“It is my son coming” Anozie announced.

“I hope so too. But Anozie, you should allow us to have more children, at least three more after this”

“When you saw my director, Mister John, and his family, how many children did he have? What of Mister Smith?”

“Mister John had three children while Mister Smith had one”

“I want to be like them. If we have a son, we stop there”

“Noo, I must have more than one son. Anozie please don’t do this”

Anozie didn’t answer her. She could see he had his mind made up. She wanted more children even sooner than now but Anozie refused. At that time, they didn’t know what laid ahead. It didn’t take too long before the worst happened.

Anozie was posted to Enugu along with Mister John to oversee the new operations. He went to Enugu leaving behind his pregnant wife and daughter. He came home every weekend with his boss. After two months, Nwakaego advised him to stop travelling every weekend and instead come back fortnightly. Anozie was reluctant but finally, he agreed.

The following month, he came back for two weekends. The last time he came home, he took all his doc-ments to a lawyer. When Nwakaego asked why he said Mister John advised him to hand over his doc-ments to a lawyer since he was out of the state for safekeeping.

The following weekend, Anozie decided to travel to meet his family. It was late and his means of transportation was a 911 truck. He left Enugu for Port-Harcourt. On the way, there was an accident.

Nwakaego went to bed early that night with her daughter Nwanneka. She woke up three times to ease herself which was strange. The last time she went to the bathroom, as she returned, she saw Anozie sitting on his favourite chair looking at her with tears in his eyes. Nwakaego threw herself on the floor and started scre-ming. She was scre-ming because she knew there was no way Anozie would have gotten into the house without her opening the door for him and she also knew the meaning of him sitting there crying. She had never seen Anozie cry since she married him. It must be something serious that would make him cry. When she looked at the chair again, he was no more there. She had gotten the message.

Her scre-ms attracted their tenants who came knocking on her door. She eventually gathered herself and opened the door. She told them had a bad dream which scared her. The girlfriend of one of the bachelors who was friendly with her stayed back to keep her company. Nwakaego didn’t sleep that night. She waited for morning to come.

She rushed to the village early the next morning. She told her in-laws her experience the night before. The family held a brief meeting and two men were delegated to Enugu to find out what happened. Nwakaego had told them she wasn’t expecting Anozie until the following weekend.

At about 7pm at night, the two men returned with the corpse of Anozie. The entire village was thrown into mourning and grief. The family locked Nwakaego in a room so she wouldn’t know what happened. She had been beside herself all day refusing to eat or drink anything. She sat on the concrete floor waiting for the news which she knew she would hear.

She remembered the strange visit she had from her mother. It was something similar. She woke up that night to urinate three times. When she came back from the last visit to the latrine, she saw her mother sitting on the floor by her bamboo bed. She was surprised to see her there because her mother had been ill for weeks and was very weak. She asked her how she was feeling and why she came to visit her. Her mother smiled at her and said, “I am undertaking a journey. It is a long journey and I can’t guarantee my return. Nwam, make sure you do what makes you happy in this life. Always look out for your happiness and peace of mind. Anything that will cause you sorrow, sadness or unhappiness, separate yourself from it. Do not fight with anyone, our God will always fight for you. Try to be happy always”. Her mother asked her to lie down and sleep while she sang her favourite lullaby. It was in the morning she realized her mother had died overnight.

Eventually, they broke the news to her. Her loving husband was no more. He had left Enugu to come to Port Harcourt to be with his family. The 911 he entered didn’t have very bright headlights. There was a very deep ditch along the narrow path which vehicles avoided during the day. The driver didn’t realise how deep it was and entered it. People were thrown out of the vehicle. Unfortunately, Anozie landed with his head on a big stone by the side of the road. It was late, and also very dark. There were no vehicles to rush him to the hospital. He bled to death by the side of the road. He was the only one who lost his life, others sustained injuries. He was identified by his identity card that was on him. His body was taken to his office early the next morning. His family members met his body there when they arrived. It was an unfortunate incident.

Because of the decomposing condition of the body, he had to be buried immediately as the local embalmment that was done would wear out soon. Nwakaego insisted on seeing her husband’s dead body. She was warned it was a gory sight as his head was smashed but she wanted to confirm it was him. That night, there was a fracas about where Anozie was to be buried. His brothers wanted him to be buried in the family land where young people were buried but his father insisted, he must be buried in the property he had in the village. It was an uncompleted building. Anozie was buried in front of his house.

His wife was inconsolable. She cried as the daughters of the family, Umuada, came to lead her to shave every hair on her body; head, eyebrow and pub-c hair. They brought her black clothes for her to wear and she was placed in a room alone for a week.

Her in-laws whom she loved so much and she also believed loved and adored her became strangers in her eyes. They called her for a meeting and asked her what happened to Anozie.

“Why was Anozie coming back to Port-Harcourt? Did you send for him?”

“No, I didn’t. I was equally surprised he was coming home that Friday. He comes home with Mister John. I don’t know why he entered 911 to come back”

“You did not send for him? You didn’t plan his death?” Obi asked>

“How can you say a thing like that? Why would I want to kill Anozie? Anozie is the father of my daughter and I loved him very much”

“As Anozie has died, you will have to stay in the village for one year for the mourning rite. Obi will go to Port-Harcourt and take care of his estate. Everything he is entitled to will be managed by him. All your personal items will be brought to the village for you”

“Where did Anozie keep everything that belonged to him?” Obi asked.

“I don’t know; he didn’t tell me anything”

“Because you are a bad woman that is why he hid this from you. A man doesn’t hide his fortune from a faithful wife. Was he rushing to Enugu to catch you in adultery?”

“To catch me in adultery? I am pregnant. Even if I am cursed, why would I allow another man to climb me when I am with child for my husband?”

“Are you sure it is Anozie’s pregnancy?”

That was when my father-in-law stepped in.

“Stop that nonsense talk. Since Nwakaego married Anozie, their love has been evident. If Anozie suspected Nwakaego, he would have mentioned it to me knowing the consequence of laying with an adulterous woman. Nwakaego didn’t kill her husband and I will not be a party to false accusation or harassment of a widow. Anozie has a child and another on the way. Obi will oversee his estate and every month, he will give Nwakaego a specific amount of money for their upkeep. After mourning for one year, we will then share the property as it is customary. Hopefully, this pregnancy will bring forth Anozie’s heir”

Tbc

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